Earlier this year Hunter Campbell followed Billy Bowman’s Multisport pilgrimage around New Zealand travelling 6,000kms swimming, cycling, running, kayaking, anything really as long as it was man powered.
Immediately after finishing this journey Billy moved his focus to his job search, where he ended up landing a role as a COO at Vortex Power Systems. Recruitment Consultant Tom Storey from Hunter Campbell catches up with Billy about his past 12 months, to get the run down on all things adventure racing and job hunting.
How did you find the job market this year when you decided to put the hammer down and start looking?
Well, I think we better start with our massively fortuitous encounter. At the beginning of the year, I made the move to hand in my notice to turn this idea of circumnavigating NZ by Multisport into a reality. Knowing that when I returned, I was keen to move into the clean energy space, you said there might be a few options to look at once I had finished the adventure. We got chatting about the industry, the direction I wanted to take etc and things led on to multisport. Hunter Campbell being about balance and fitting people into lifestyles were all about the idea and jumped on board to support the mission. So, after completing the expedition I had an awesome support network in you guys, providing contacts, introductions and guidance, having only been in the job market once before I was so grateful to have some experts by my side. With the right guys helping a heap of opportunities started to come my way.
We had a lot of conversations during this process as you had a few things to think about and multiple offers coming in at once….. Was it useful to get an unbiased opinion as to what to think about going through the offer process weighing up different factors?
Massively, having only ever been in the job market once before, you don’t really have an appreciation for your value and position, you confided in me that it was a candidate’s market and would be for the foreseeable future, meaning I had the confidence to wait for the right role to come up. You worked with me to weigh up my personality fit with different work environments and roles against work life balance and career aspiration, which gave me a really clear idea of what the right role would look like. Then when we had a few good options come up we were in a really healthy position to further negotiate packages. I’m pleased to say with your advice I’m over the moon with the role I landed.
What motivates you to keep testing yourself both professionally and with your training?
Everything on this planet is designed to move and grow, we’ve been gifted with an incredibly capable body and the most complex powerful minds, its a miracle really. Arguably, I think its our duty to try and fully utilise and embrace these miracles to their extent, so I push and move my body hard to see how strong/fast/far/resilient I can get and I challenge, direct and grow my mind with intention.
What’s your mindset when trying to fit all these adventures around life commitments? You talk about self-discipline a lot, but it also takes a huge amount of time sacrificed to the cause…
Yes, the crux of self-discipline is sacrifice. Self-discipline is to actively and consistently choose to sacrifice ease, comfort, idleness, distraction and temptation for discomfort, pain, repetition, boredom and hard work so that growth can take place instead. Ultimately time is a finite resource, but there are 168hrs in a week, we use 40ish at work and 50ish asleep, that leaves approx. 78hrs for life, which you need to be intentional with. I use between 20-30 to train and the remaining 48 for whatever else I like. I suppose I’ve never viewed it as a sacrifice though, more just using time productively instead of wasting it.
What is your highlight in your achievements so far?
Consistent balance – I’m a big advocate for balance and I guess that’s what I strive to maintain, balance between, career aspirations, training & competing, socialising, community and giving back. I think it’s the balance that I’m most proud of, anyone of those individual achievements would have felt empty if they were at the expense of the other.
What adventures are on the horizon?
Running across America, Cycling the ancient tea horse road, aiming to get a slot for Ironman World Champs Kona, Some international ocean outrigger canoe races.
You are an extremely good motivator of people, is this something you are looking forward to translating into the commercial domain in a leadership capacity?
I think if you have your ‘why’s’ straight, people can relate to them and are motivated by them, you just need express your enthusiasm for the cause. So yes, I hope I can continue in roles that align with my ‘why’s’, and I’m sure leadership continues naturally.
Give us a few tips/techniques that you use every day to help other people through Lockdown who are looking to get more active…?
Well, I love surrounding myself with active people, but I guess lockdown limits things. To be honest, I think lockdown should be viewed as a blessing for life to slow down a bit, it strips it back to the essentials and we should cherish having more time to exercise, spend with our families etc. So, I guess practising gratitude for that additional time incentivises me to utilise it productively.
