My Twenty-Year Love Affair

My first retail selling experience was when I was two - Saturdays with my dad at Sears Roebuck (a story for another day). However, I got my start in management on that fateful day when I walked into The Limited. In front of me stood Holley Scott and Paula Broadwater. Two weeks later, I was a Co-Manager, and the journey began.

There are so many memories from the early days that bonded me with the industry and the people. At first, it was about the thrill of the sale, but soon I realized that retail was full of leaders dedicated to sharing their knowledge, and that is where the retail high comes from. It is all about helping others be successful and helping others become their best self is addicting. Nobody does people development like retail professionals!

However, I found my purpose when we discussed getting promoted. My manager explained that if I wanted to be promoted, I had to recruit my replacement. They gave me on-the-job training. They had special classes to help you enhance your selection skills and lots of cold calling exercises- and from that moment on, I WAS IN LOVE.

Recruiting is about finding the needle in the haystack, building trust in your relationships, understanding what you are hearing and what you are not hearing to decide that, either way, will impact someone's life.

Talent Acquisition is art and science. This profession gives you opportunities to be creative, strategic, compassionate, and so much more. So many get discouraged early on because some hiring managers only remember your last bad hire, but not the previous ten great hires. And yet, it has brought me my best friends, the most amazing mentors, the ability to help others move their careers forward, fun and exciting colleagues, vendors, business partners, and so many opportunities beyond my wildest dreams.

Leading Talent Acquisition and TA Strategies is probably one of the most rewarding jobs you can imagine. The possibilities are endless and changing every day. If you are driven by combining the art of recruiting with the courage to take risks, a passion for staying in tune with what could be next for TA, the ability to build strategy, a love of people, and finally, the ability to keep the best interest of candidates front of mind, then TA may be your next career path.

BUT FOR ME - I am making another pivot. This past year, everything changed for me, like it has for so many others. I was on furlough twice, lucky to be employed; knowing so many lost their jobs, I started helping others. During my furloughs, I kept busy helping others find their next steps, and it has led to a realization that it was time to take my next big leap. Building strategies to attract talent to companies is rewarding - but helping people find companies is AMAZING. No more square pegs in a round hole. It is about helping others pursue their dreams.

With that - I am excited to announce that I am starting to do just that. I am going to help people figure out what fills their bucket - maybe at their current company or maybe at a new one. I want to help you pursue your dreams, get unstuck, and find your next steps to ensure that there are no regrets when looking back.

My experience building the strategies to attract talent gives me the inside track to help you build a strategic job search on moving your career forward in the direction that checks all of the personal and professional boxes you desire. On top of that, I am on my way to becoming ICF certified and have already taken on several executive coaching clients.

I will always dabble in Talent Acquisition because it is an industry that keeps my mind racing, and excited to help people and companies achieve more with great talent. However, I am shifting my personal career strategy.

So, while I close a chapter - I open the volume of a new book. I believe you deserve a job you love, and my goal is to help you find it. Let's stay in touch. You can sign up for my weekly newsletters at thenetworkconcierge.com. More to come on my journey, until then - all my best and a multitude of gratitude to EVERYONE who has helped me along the way!

#jobsearch #careerstrategy #opportunity