Brent Diflo
Interview Team Leader, Skilled Migration Group
- 34 years with Hastings Deering, the Australian Caterpillar dealer
- Over 1,000 interviews across four continents
- DDI Targeted Selection Interviewing
I know exactly how Skilled Migration Group works, because for four years I was the client.
In his own words
I spent 34 years with the Australian Caterpillar dealer Hastings Deering, from technician to senior management, and over my career I have interviewed well over a thousand people.
I was in the room in 2008 when Hastings Deering first engaged Skilled Migration Group.
I know exactly how they work, because for four years I was the client.
The Trade and the Dealership
I served a four-year mechanical apprenticeship and then worked four years as a tradesman at an underground coal mine before starting at Hastings Deering in 1985.
Over 34 years I held positions including Technician, Leading Hand, Foreman and Supervisor before being promoted to senior management as Service Manager for South East Queensland in 2002.
For the next 17 years I held senior service operations positions (Group Equipment Assembly Manager, Group Service Support Manager) and finished as a Strategic Projects Manager.
My final role was leading the implementation of a safety initiative, “Life Saving Commitments”, across the whole organisation: Caterpillar dealerships in Queensland and the Northern Territory, New Caledonia and Papua New Guinea.
To complement the hands-on experience I trained formally along the way:
- Multiple Caterpillar Service Management courses
- Workplace Health and Safety Officer
- Accelerated Senior Leadership
- Development Dimensions International (DDI) Targeted Selection Interviewing
- Prosci Change Management
As Group Equipment Assembly Manager I travelled to mine sites throughout Queensland, Papua New Guinea and New Caledonia to oversee the delivery and assembly of Caterpillar large mining equipment.
Interviewing Internationally
In 2008, skills shortages in Australia forced Hastings Deering to look overseas for technicians, and I was one of the two service operations managers chosen to travel and interview, alongside a technical trainer and the Group HR Director.
That is how I met Dennis and the Skilled Migration Group team: as their client.
Over the next four years the dealership sent me back again and again (Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia, Manila and Cebu in the Philippines, Lusaka in Zambia, Gaborone in Botswana), interviewing, selecting and hiring technicians for workshop, component rebuild, equipment assembly and field service roles.
In that period we employed well over 200 technicians for deployment to Australia, PNG and New Caledonia.
Why I Joined
It was clear from the first day that these were not the same as other recruitment companies we had engaged.
The team, managed by Frances, showed deep empathy for the workers, ran systems that managed every step of the process, and treated each worker as if they were the only person being assisted.
Professional recruitment, at a human level.
It came as no surprise to learn later that Skilled Migration Group was heavily involved in charity work, funding organisations in the Philippines that support women and children escaping abuse, families of overseas workers, and community sport.
I have seen what working away from home does to families, and I know why that matters.
I have always taken great satisfaction from identifying the right people, not only for their technical ability but for their fit with the company and the places they will be deployed. That is why I accepted the invitation to lead Skilled Migration Group’s interview team.
No Recruitment Fees or Costs. Ever.
We never charge recruitment fees or costs to workers. No hidden charges. No high-interest loans to pay off.
We are paid by the companies that need skilled and experienced people. Ethical employers do not allow their workers to be charged fees. Read our Code of Conduct and Modern Slavery Policy.
Reviews
Two Google reviews name me, both from the interview room. They are quoted below exactly as written, with the […] symbols marking anything left out. You can read the full set on our reviews page.
From workers I interviewed
“I had a very interactive discussion with Dennis Henry, Brent and Tim Guinea in Lusaka Zambia although I did not make it that time at that moment, I was told the areas I was supposed to work on and I made sure that i worked very hard. […] I was successful and the recruitment process started. […] Skilled Migration Group did it for me for free guys @ No charge, No fee, No loan.”
Peter Chilongozi, Heavy Duty Auto Electrician · Google review, record 036 (read it in full)
“From my initial interview with Den Henri and Brent, to Frances handling all the details of my visa application, everything was managed with professionalism, clarity, and care. I didn’t pay anything during the whole process.”
Paul Makungu, Fitter · Google review, record 062 (read it in full)
Reviewer names and spelling appear exactly as written on Google.
If what you find here holds up to your checking, we should talk.
If you are an employer wanting the interview process we ran at Hastings Deering, book a consultation.