Hall of Fame (hôl əv ˈfām): an institution honoring the achievements of individuals in a particular activity or field.
Q: Prior to joining Impact, what was your most memorable job? I guess this could be memorable-good or memorable-terrible.
A: Oh, wow. Well, I guess my first job – like a lot of people, it was at McDonald’s. I worked every weekend, the graveyard shift, which was pretty horrifying to me as a teenager. I was really shy back then and constantly worried about whether I was doing the right thing. It ended up being alright, though; I was actually headhunted by the woman who owned the sushi restaurant next door. I’m serious! She said she was impressed by my customer service, so, I guess I was pretty good at McDonald’s after all, I feel like I can confirm that.
Q: What (or who) inspired you to pursue a career in recruitment?
A: I went to school for HR, that was my concentration at SFU, so during my time there I’d learned about recruitment. When I saw the word ‘recruitment’ in Impact’s job post I thought, “Hey, that sounds like HR!”, which was a bit of a stretch, in hindsight. It took me in the right direction though, for sure. I’m thrilled that it’s ended up working out how it has.
Q: How has the company changed since you’ve been here? How would you like to see it continue to develop over the next few years?
A: I’ve been with Impact for seven years now, and when I started I was the admin team, just me. It was my job to take care of everything related to administration – I did accounting and HR, I was the receptionist and the IT guy! We have ten people now filling all those roles. In terms of company growth, we’ve added 60 people since I started. It’s been amazing to be a part of it all and to see Impact grow from what was essentially a start-up to one of Canada’s fastest growing companies. It’s been a really great experience.
Q: What behavior or personality trait do you most attribute your success in recruitment, and why?
A: I think probably being open to working with and listening to everyone, all sorts of personality types and experience levels. That really helps me in my current role, because I’m sort of like the hub, the person people come to with their questions, ideas and problems. It’s been very beneficial to be able to connect with someone, listen and gather their thoughts, and then step back and look at the big picture, and put that together into an actionable plan.
Q: What’s a work-related accomplishment you’re particularly proud of, during your time at Impact?
A: I’m actually really proud of the set-up of Impactemps. While it’s not the most glamorous part of our business, it didn’t exist at all before I started. Jeff and I set Impactemps up together, and I remember him asking me to do all sorts of research and to really learn everything from the ground up. To see it now, up and running as a successful, fully-functioning business is so cool. I feel really good about being a part of that.
Q: Okay, and now on the other hand, what’s been your biggest challenge since being at Impact?
A: In the beginning, the biggest challenge was just getting used to so much change all the time. It can feel overwhelming, but at the same time it’s what makes this role exciting. You’re always dealing with something new, you’re always learning as you go. It’s funny because what I most love about this role is also what drives me crazy sometimes. I’ve learned to just embrace it – nothing phases me anymore!
Q: If you could snap your fingers and become an expert in something, what would it be?
A: Well, I’m horrible at building things – did you know that? I cant build anything, honestly, I’m hopeless. You may have noticed I’m never the one building things around the office. I tried to put together an IKEA cabinet one time and I broke it; I broke it so badly that we couldn’t even return it. It was terrible. So if I could snap my fingers and be great at building stuff, that would be pretty great.
Q: What’s a workplace skill you think everyone benefits from?
A: Being open to learning, definitely. I think that no matter how long you’ve been somewhere, there’s always something to learn. I still learn something new each day at Impact, and it’s been seven years! You can learn from anyone, from the most senior person at your organization to the newest hire – you never know who might teach you something. I think it’s really important to be open to hearing people out and listening to different perspectives and viewpoints. There’s always more to learn.
Q: If you had to swap jobs with someone at Impact for a week, who would it be and why?
A: I saw Fenwick’s answer and I know he’s after my job… so, you know. Honestly though, I think I’d like to give marketing a try! I wouldn’t want to write, but if it was more on the design side I think I might really enjoy that. It’s also the one area in the company where I really haven’t had much opportunity to get involved with, so that makes it appealing to me.
Q: What’s the best advice you have for someone just starting their career in recruitment?
A: Keep an open mind, I’d say. I think a lot of people go into something and it’s new and they may start out not really liking it, not understanding it. When you’re feeling like that, it’s easy to want to throw in the towel and go back to something you’re comfortable with, but when you keep at it, keep persevering, you’ll get something out of it, every time. Even if it never becomes your favourite job, you’ll have learned something and that’s something you can take with you and who knows, it might lead you to the career of your dreams.