Tuesday, January 9, 2024

Share Our Lives: January 2024

 


Hi Friends!  I am here to linkup with the ladies at "Share Our Lives" formerly NJAM.  For their first linkup this year, we are introducing/reintroducing ourselves AND talking about the jobs we have had- so fun!

 

Hi! I am Holly and the blogger behind "Pink Lady"


 I am faithful and God is #1 for me



I am wife to Rob



 Mom to Diana and Eva


 

and Remi our Frenchie of course :)


 Stepmom to Kayla (and Marshall), Ally and Zach



 and "Mimi" to Baby Sylvie Lynn!


I am Diane and Pete's Daughter


and Matt's Sister



 I am a Recruiter by trade and have been in the industry for over 25 years!  I LOVE what I do :)

 

This is my home office



 In my spare time, I love watching my girls do their thing- Theater and Dancing for Diana and Hockey, Softball and Dancing for Eva- they are my world!


 

I also love to read and have been part of a Book Club I helped start here in town with friends I met through PTA



and I am so grateful for a group of friends I met at different stages here in town too- I love going on adventures with them, trying different wines, enjoying shows, traveling and even just sitting around talking in our pj's - grateful for my peeps!



I am also an avid volunteer- I Co Chair the Windham Blackout Cancer Committee and we are governed by the non profit organization Project Blackout.  We raise funds and awareness for pediatric cancer

 


 

so now..onto one of my favorite subjects and that is JOBS!  JOBS have always been a big part of my life...my own jobs...finding jobs for others...following peoples' jobs and careers...definitely an area of passion and here are the jobs I have had...




Babysitter

 

I love kids and started babysitting at age 9!



McDonald's Worker for SEVEN YEARS!  Part of high school and all of college

 

This job was so much work and I believe instilled in me the work ethic I have today- never glamorous but always had fun and learned how to work with the public.



Resume Editor at a Staffing Firm

This was my break into the staffing industry and I didn't even realize it at the time.  I scored a summer job through a friend editing resumes as I was a writing major and sitting in the office, as I worked, I would listen to the recruiters all day and decided that is what I wanted to do forever- I was completely bitten by the bug!



My three jobs at college kept me busy for four years while I wasn't studying and/or partying-ha!  They were...

Tutor at the UMD Disabled Student Services and Tutor at the UMD Writing and Reading Center and Box Office Manager for the UMD Theatre Company




Salesperson for Pitney Bowes


This was my first job out of college.  I learned how to sell and manage my own time but I wasn't passionate about what I was selling and was itching for something different


Recruiter at Adecco

and then I answered an ad in the Boston Sunday Globe and the rest was history.  I was hired by a Family Franchise as a Recruiter for Adecco and got to do what I knew I would love



Recruiter- New Boston

A few years later I was recruited by a competitor and my career at New Boston Select Staffing started as a Recruiter and I worked my way up and by the end of my tenure there, I was a Vice President, overseeing all of the offices up and down the east coast.

 

Given my role was so large by the final years, I oversaw different business lines but I have to mention OPIS as I have in past posts.  That professional experience still stands out as the best of my career.  Our company president came to me and told me she needed help saving a sister company- they were giving her one last chance to turn it around and she chose me to do that.  It was the scariest thing I have ever been through professionally BUT also the most rewarding and the team I hired back then was there with me and not only did we make the division successful but we became friends for life.  I will never take that experience for granted!




Director, HR Placement Practice at BFS Associates

When it was time for me to move on from NBSS which had become Placement Pros, I did some networking and landed my next role thanks to a referral from my client.  I landed at BFS and started their first ever HR placement practice with no prior experience.  I LOVED IT!  I knew I had found the specialty area that was meant for me.  I so enjoy working with HR professionals and I am thankful I fell into this sector.


Co President at Pharmaceutical Strategies

I wasn't looking for a new job as I loved what I did at BFS but one of my old bosses, who I truly respected, recruited me.  He had tried three different times up until this point but the last time was when he "made me an offer I couldn't refuse." Due to being able to save OPIS for his prior organization, he asked me to come in and save his pharma staffing company. During the three years I was there, we tripled our revenue, hit records and made the company extremely profitable.  This is an example of money not buying everything...like happiness.  I wasn't happy.  I was stressed all the time AND I wasn't doing what I loved.  I was pulled into the behind-the-scenes business responsibilities and got away from the day to day of recruiting which is my passion.  I was so torn but knew I needed to leave and do what I love again.

 

I then begged Dan at Willmott to hire me...it took him awhile but he finally came around :)

and now I am currently a VP for Willmott  where I recruit HR professionals

I am now an individual contributor meaning I do my own recruiting and selling and "run my own desk." I do not oversee any staff or other parts of the business.  I love the flexibility this role and organization give me now while I am raising my kids but I am always hungry for more. I am hungry to run my own organization and I feel I am putting the pieces in place to do that eventually.


What do YOU do for a living?  If you have read this, you will know why I ask.  I can't help myself.  I love talking careers and LOVE helping people find the places they are meant to be!

 

 

Linking up with Share Our Lives HERE

21 comments:

  1. It sounds like you are very good at your job which makes sense if you're passionate about it. I still don't really understand what a recruiter does though. I feel like it has to do with HR but I don't think you're dealing with the nitty gritty of HR stuff, or am I wrong? I could just Google but it's easier to ask you!

    And I have had A LOT of jobs because I don't have one specific career passion so I've dabbled in a lot of things.

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  2. This was fun to read! Your work ethic is so impressive! Like you, I started babysitting young and my first real job was at McDonald´s. You have been very successful which is no doubt products of your work ethic and personality.

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  3. Thanks for linking up! I am a stay at home mom. I have a social work degree but never loved that career.

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  4. Thanks for linking up with us! I love reading about your jobs. They say McDonalds is one of the best places for a first job.

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  5. It was lovely to learn more about you. I love your home office. I worked in McDonalds years ago too and loved it but it was really hard work. What interesting jobs you have had.

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  6. Ok pretty sure when I was in college I got some temping gigs in downtown Boston through New Boston. Haven't thought about it in years. What a fun post.

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  7. Happy to meet you! Visiting from Talking About Tuesday!

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  8. @Natasha Essentially we "find" people/talent for different organizations. When a client organization engages with us/signs a contract, we are charged with finding the person they are looking for through our own network as well as various tools like Linked In. We search different criteria to match hard skills but also look at personality and cultural fit- it is a nice mix of art and science as I like to say! Client organizations pay us fees when we find their candidates.

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  9. I loved hearing about your career journey! You have really done it all. I worked at Wendy's in high school. It's a great way to learn about ALL kinds of people and working with others.

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  10. So fun learning more about you! I love that you asked, it truly shows your drive. That is amazing you are working towards your own business. I started my professional career as a recruiter for Robert Half. While I enjoyed it, I've since pivoted into HR and have been for the past 15+ years. I'm thankful I work PT fully remote as a Strategic HR Business Manager and truly believe working for the right company and enjoying what you do makes all the difference.

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  11. So fun learning more about you! I loved that you asked as it truly shows your drive. That's great you are working towards running your own business. I started my professional career as a recruiter for Robert Half. While I enjoyed it, I've since pivoted into HR and have been for 15+ years. I'm so thankful I now work PT fully remote as Strategic HR Business Manager and truly feel if you work for the right company and enjoy what you do it makes all the difference.

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  12. I loved reading all about your career life! I didn't realize your job afforded you the time to be flexible as you raise your girls. How wonderful a gift that is for you at this important stage in their lives! Now I know what makes you, you.

    I am the complete opposite of you, as far as a "career", and though I do work again, I don't consider myself a career person. My main and most favorite job ever was being a stay-at-home wife and mom. You can see why my world spun on its axis when they were all finished with school (and we homeschooled)! I knew I would want to do something part-time, and after a year of trying different things, I feel so blessed to be able to say that I have found my little niche in running our church's bookstore.

    I have never loved anything more (except for my favorite job ever)! I don't take this lightly and thank the Lord for it everyday! It has taken some time to learn and get used to things, but I feel so much more confidence in my abilities now than ever before- it feels good to know that I can do hard things!

    Thanks for sharing your life with us today, my friend!

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  13. What a busy and full life you have! I am a stay at home mom AND I have two grandchildren, so my life is very unusual and busy! I really enjoyed reading this.

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  14. Wow Holly!! This is all amazing! I love reading about your jobs and how you've made your career. Such a wonderful role model for your girls!

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  15. I have always thought being a recruiter sounded like a great, exciting job! Sounds like you have landed a great position now! You have a beautiful family!

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  16. I guess it's no surprise that so many of us starting out babysitting and at fast food restaurants when we were teens. :-) Learning responsibility and work ethic at a young age is a real plus. I love that you've been so successful and that it's because you're passionate about what you do and enjoy it! You can read about my jobs on my blog but the short version is that most of my paid jobs have been in accounting and office management, and I've managed to bring in a little income doing something I'm passionate about, which is home education and writing skills.

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  17. loved reading about your jobs through the years. I am/was a homeschooling stay at home mom whose kids are now in college and I'm currently trying to find a job/new direction in life haha. It's surprisingly hard! I've been praying that the Lord will bring me to just the right thing.

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  18. What a fun read, I love learning more about how you got where you are professionally! Thanks so much for linking up with us.

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  19. Great post! Loved your intro and your work experience is fascinating! You are obviously very good at what you do.

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  20. Wow! I loved reading this...and love how you included pics to share your family and how you are connected. Your jobs sound so amazing...and good for you for making changes when you need to!! You are such a great attitude about life...and not wasting it. So neat that you have flexibility now because I know your schedule is busy. Thanks for linking up with us.

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  21. Thank you for answering my question! I love that there are so many different kinds of jobs for all sorts of different skill sets. I would have NO CLUE how to do what you do!

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