Tim Barry (@TimJBarry), the Founder of #JobAdviceSA, likes to say that he is an English gent with an African Heart and Celtic Soul, and according to his LinkedIn profile (https://www.linkedin.com/in/timjbarry/) he is a qualified lawyer and HR Technology and Social Media Recruitment Consultant, Speaker and Trainer.
But what really makes him tick? We sat down with Tim and asked him a few questions so that the #JobAdviceSA community could get to know what he like as a person.
- What is the meaning of your first name?
Timothy is the English version of the Greek name “Timotheos” which means “honouring God”.
- What would be an appropriate movie title for the story of your life?
Stand By Me.
- What is the top of your bucket-list?
That would be a toss-up between going to the Champions League final (to watch Liverpool win it for the 7th time!) or seeing England play in the football World Cup (I missed the World Cup in South Africa by two years).
- What’s the last movie you watched? What would you rate it out of 5?
I saw the live-action remake of The Lion King with my two sons, and actually quite enjoyed it, so I would rate it 4 out of 5.
- What is your favourite #JobAdviceSA memory?
Attending the Harambee “Accelerating Youth Employment” Conference organised in partnership with the Presidency of South Africa in October 2018 and rubbing shoulders with corporate leaders and government ministers who were meeting to brainstorm solutions to the youth unemployment crisis.
- If you could visit anywhere in the world that you’ve never been, where would you go and why?
There are so many places that I would like to go that it’s hard to choose just one, but the closest would probably be Tsodilo Hills in the north of Botswana where you can see some of the oldest cave paintings in the world, dating back thousands of centuries.
- Who is the most influential person in your life?
This might sound like a bit of an obvious answer, but my wife is the person I admire the most for her courage and ambition, and her willingness to always do whatever she can to help others.
- If money was not a consideration, what job would you be doing right now?
I would be a campaigner for the San (Bushmen) of Botswana to be represented in local and national government and to be allowed to live on and hunt in their ancestral hunting grounds in the Central Kalahari Game Reserve and elsewhere in Botswana.
- Tell us an interesting fact about you that not many people know?
My Grandmother on my Mother’s side of the family was a San from the Naro tribe of Northwest Botswana/Namibia.
- What is your favourite music to listen to?
Lately I have been listening to South African Gqom and Rap, but my all time favourite artist is Jimi Hendrix.
- What is your favourite sport and what team do you support?
Football (I refuse to call it soccer, that’s the American word for it) and I support the greatest team in the world, Liverpool FC.
- What’s your claim to fame?
I am followed on Twitter by and have tweeted with several South African sports stars, including Springboks Cheslin Kolbe and Damian de Allende and sprinter Wayde van Niekerk, who also happen to be Liverpool supporters!
- Who is the industry expert that you admire the most and why?
When it comes to career and job search advice I am full of admiration for Phiona Martin (@MsPhiona on Twitter), as she consistently shares excellent advice and answers questions from her followers.
- Which charities do you support?
Survival, a charity that campaigns for the rights of indigenous peoples worldwide, and A Reaching Hand who are a Non-Profit Organisation that aims to give children a chance to attend school and further their education as well as creating employment opportunities for youth and adults.
- What’s your favourite food?
I love seafood, whether it is fresh mussels, oysters and prawns or a spicy seafood paella or poitjie.
- What is your burning ambition in your career?
I’d like to be remembered as someone who played even a very small part in helping to reduce the rate of unemployment in South Africa by advising jobseekers and connecting them with employers through social media and technology.
Join Tim and the rest of the #JobAdviceSA community every Monday at 4pm for South Africa’s Top Trending Twitter chat.
If you’d like to be a guest you can send a direct message to the #JobAdviceSA Facebook page www.facebook.com/JobAdviceSA Twitter page https://twitter.com/JobAdviceSA or email [email protected]
Looking forward to chatting to you soon!
