what is it like to contract with Whizdom?

2026 being Whizdom's 20th anniversary, we’ve been sharing stories from our staff about their time with the business. This time, we wanted to hear from some of the candidates and contractors who have been part of Whizdom’s story too. Whizdom’s Candidate Engagement manager Melissa Mula (Busacker) caught up with Defence Contractors Andrew, Dave, Josh and Peter to talk about how they first came across Whizdom, their move into contracting and what they’ve experienced along the way.

How did you first come across Whizdom?

Dave: I first heard about Whizdom through some of the long-term contractors I was working alongside. They had a lot of respect for Whizdom and said great things about its Managing Director and founder, John McCluskey. Coming from people who knew the contracting world well, I think that said a lot about Whizdom.

Andrew: I was working with a couple of guys who contracted through Whizdom as well, so I already knew a bit about them. There wasn’t much churn among the long term contractors. People were happy with Whizdom, so I decided to check them out. They still are.

Josh: Mine was a little different. I already knew Whizdom’s General Manager, James Belcher professionally and knew his reputation. When an opportunity came up in 2017, I took it.

What was it like moving into contracting?

Andrew: It was a big jump. We’d all been permanent for such a long time. I remember catching up with John McCluskey and James Belcher for coffee. They knew it was a big decision for us, and it helped put us at ease. I felt like they had our best interests at heart. It wasn’t just about more contractor money. They wanted to put us somewhere where we’d be valuable and could do some good work.

Dave: It wasn’t transactional. We had an idea of the kind of opportunity we were looking for, and Whizdom took that and ran with it. It gave us the chance to make the move from permanent work into contracting and do something more challenging and exciting.

How has Whizdom been different?

Peter: I’ve probably had more interaction with Whizdom than any other contracting company I’ve worked through. There have been coffees, catch ups and check ins to see how we’re going and whether we need anything. There have also been opportunities for training. Other agencies can sometimes make you feel like a line on a spreadsheet. Whizdom has been more personal.

Josh: And shout out to Whizdom’s finance team for always being responsive and helpful.

What helped you get to know the team at Whizdom?

Andrew: We were getting invited to Pizza in the Park before we were even contracting through Whizdom. We knew a lot of the people there, so it was always a chance to catch up.

Peter: Pizza in the Park has always been a good one to go to.

Andrew: During COVID, Dave and I also spent a couple of weeks helping upgrade the network at the Whizdom office. Conor had just started at the time, so we were teaching him a few things as well. We hadn’t really seen the office side of Whizdom before that. It was good to see what happened behind the scenes.

What has changed over the years?

Andrew: The number of contractors. There are just so many more now. It feels like wherever you go now, you see someone in a Whizdom jacket.

How would you describe Whizdom?

The group settled on 5 words:

Trustworthy. Friendly. Honourable. Professional. Transparent.

Their choice of words reflects what came through in their stories. Reputation introduced them to Whizdom, their experiences built trust, and staying connected beyond individual contracts helped those relationships continue. While Whizdom has grown considerably, that personal approach remains central to how they describe the business.

Interested in contracting with Whizdom?

View our current opportunities or get in touch with the Whizdom team. With offices in Canberra, Sydney and Brisbane, Whizdom works with candidates across Australia. As a DISP member, Whizdom can sponsor eligible candidates for Baseline, NV1 and NV2 security clearances. Whizdom is also ISO 9001 and ISO 27001 certified and was named Best Performance: Medium Size Agency  at the 2026 APSCo Australia Awards.