Introducing Rachel Kolodin: People Talent at Delta Air Lines

In our series celebrating our incredible team members, I'm excited to share the story of Rachel Kolodin , a standout Lead Recruiter whose journey has been nothing short of inspiring.

A few weeks ago, I had the opportunity to sit down for a coffee chat with Rachel. During our conversation, we delved into Rachel’s journey to Talent Acquisitions (TA) and her life outside the corporate realm. What struck me most was Rachel’s dedication to helping others, a trait that resonates deeply with both me and Delta's core values.

Rachel has this unique ability to truly understand people. Despite her hectic schedule, she always finds time to connect and share stories. It’s this quality that really sets her apart in our Delta family.

Our paths first crossed at a Resume Review Workshop, where Rachel's expertise and guidance immediately marked her as an exemplary figure of the “Delta Difference.”

The Grand Introduction

As a Lead Talent Recruiter, Rachel plays a pivotal role in supporting our Operations Analysis and Performance (OAP) as well as the Customer Experience Design (CXD) organizations. Her expertise and commitment have been instrumental in these departments, especially notable as she celebrated her first official anniversary on November 2023.

On a personal note, Rachel's life has been filled with joyous milestones recently. Six months ago, she got engaged, and now she's in the midst of wedding planning.

Alongside her fiancé, Rachel continues to indulge her passion for travel, exploring new horizons together. Their adventures also include cherishing moments with their beloved German Shepherd, Nala. Indeed, Rachel's life is a rich tapestry woven with professional achievements and personal milestones, each thread contributing to a vibrant and fulfilling journey.

Superpowers Unleashed

The most striking aspect of Rachel's character is her empathy. Her ability to understand and support people, whether in professional settings or personal interactions, truly makes her a valuable member of our team.

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Journey to Delta

Rachel's journey began post-graduation from the University of Central Florida . Initially uncertain about her career path, she found her calling in recruitment. Her experience at TEKsystems , focusing on IT recruitment for Data Engineers, paved the way to her current role.

Overcoming challenges, including imposter syndrome, she has found her stride, supported by her nurturing leadership.

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Life Beyond the Office

• Passions/Hobbies: Rocking out at concerts isn’t just her jam; it’s where she met her future! That’s right, she met her fiancé amid guitar riffs and drum solos. Who needs dating apps when you got live bands right?
• Fun Fact:?Snowflake, her childhood dog, was a furry legend who lived to the grand old age of 21! She’s saw Rachel evolve from a kindergarten tot to a happily engaged adult. Talk about a loyal life coach with paws!
• Favorite Fuel: Her Nespresso machine deserves a medal. Why? It’s bravely battled her Starbucks addiction and won (mostly). Now, her go-to indulgence is sushi, with a special shoutout to volcano rolls. But wasabi? Let’s just say that Rachel and wasabi maintain a respectful distance.
• Inspirational Mantra: “Nothing changes, if nothing changes”, wise words from Courtney C. Stevens. Rachel sees life as a buffet of choices, about 35,000 a day! Every choice is a chance to stir the pot, add some spice or change the recipe of life. Here’s to cooking up something new every day!

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The Delta Day-to-Day

Rachel’s day-to-day role is more than just reviewing resumes. She acts as a strategic partner, informing hiring leaders about market trends and enhancing recruitment practices. Building relationships across various departments is what she enjoys most about her role.

What she loves about her role is the relationship building with different leaders in the business. In her time with the company, she has hired for Revenue Management, Network Planning, Marketing, Communications, Operations Analysis, and Customer Experience.

Rachel has had the pleasure of collaborating with leaders of all levels and learned not just about the roles they hire for, but the greater role they play into the company's performance as an airline.

The Delta Dream Scenario

Rachel's aspirations are clear. She is working towards a managerial role in Talent Acquisition, preparing herself for leadership and aiming to contribute even more to our team.

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Learning and Growth

Rachel loves to challenge herself around leadership characteristics. While she doesn’t have direct reports currently, she can imagine how hard it may be to go from being the doer in every situation to leading others in fine tuning their skills.

She has been reading up and taking different iGrow modules, our company’s Learning Management System (LMS) on being a first-time leader so she can be as prepared.

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The Delta Impact

Rachel’s contributions extend to various initiatives, including Flight Attendant Road Shows, Delta Analytics Academy, and multiple Resume review workshops for multiple business units like Reservations and Flight Operations.

The Delta Analytics Academy is something Rachel cares deeply about as it is a huge driver in partnership with our skills first initiative here at the company. Her latest venture has been assisting our Delta Analytics Academy class with their mock interviews in addition to resume reviews.

Rachel’s passion for guiding college students in their career paths is evident in her engagement in various career events.

Community Connect

Rachel has always been passionate about helping others, with a special affinity for assisting college students in navigating their career paths. During her time here, she has attended several career college events. At these events, she enthusiastically shares her knowledge with students, guiding them on what to look for in a company, how to tailor their resumes effectively, and the best approaches to outreach during job searches. These events are particularly rewarding for her, as she empathizes deeply with the anxiety and uncertainty students often feel when transitioning from school to the professional world.

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Connect with Rachel

Join us in celebrating her journey. I encourage our community to connect with Rachel Kolodin on LinkedIn and be part of her inspiring story.

Join us each week as we delve into the amazing stories of our team members. Who knows, the next spotlight could shine on you!

Let's embark on this journey of discovery and connection, celebrating the heart and soul of our company – its people.