What are your main responsibilities?
Currently I serve as the Director of the Yale University New Haven Community Hiring Initiative and as the Associate Director of Staffing & Career Development. In my roles, I am responsible for communicating and marketing internally & externally our commitment to hire New Haven residents and I also oversee a team that recruits passive job seekers through sites such as LinkedIn and INDEED. This year our goal is to hire more than 200 New Haven residents into regular staff positions, which is really exciting as it will help the University and our city.
How did you begin your career?
I’ve always been interested in people and employment. Upon graduating from college, I was recruited into a retail training program and always thought that the people who did the recruiting had the greatest jobs. They traveled, interviewed candidates and helped shape their organization’s workforce and culture.
What skills, abilities, and personal attributes are essential to success in your job/this field?
I would say that demonstrating integrity and strong leadership skills, possessing the ability to inspire and influence others, and showing empathy and good listening skills are the most important traits in my field.
Can you recommend trade journals, magazines or professional associations which would be helpful for my professional development?
Depending on your career interest, I would suggest joining a professional organization in your field. For example, people who are interested in HR would benefit from joining SHRM (Society for Human Resource Management). This keeps you abreast of what is happening in your industry and helps you to stay ahead of the curve.
If you could do it all over again, would you choose the same path for yourself? If not, what would you change/do?
I would choose the same path, but would have pursued it earlier in my career. I spent a few years working in retail management and research jobs before finding my true passion. My biggest suggestion would be to carve out time to understand what industry you want to be in and what you want to achieve in your career. A good question to ask yourself would be, “If you could do one thing and not worry about getting paid, what would it be?”
*Photo courtesy of Elm City Images