Climbing the corporate ladder rung by rung? How passé! It’s 2023, and the times they are a changin’.
With the addition of remote work options and hybrid schedules popping up all over the place, and meetings and networking events available in both a virtual and an in-person capacity, the world of work looks very different than it did in years gone by.
Enter: the nonlinear career path. Instead of focusing on moving up and up and up, professionals are exploring opportunities to make lateral or diagonal moves, embrace twists and turns, learn new skills and let their career journey take them to places they never expected.
Today we’re chatting with Olivia Truong (Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist) about her time at Impact, building high-performing teams and what she’s looking forward to in the year ahead.
Q: Let’s start off easy, shall we? What’s your name and what’s your role at Impact?
A: Okay – so, I’m Olivia and I’m the Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist at Impact Recruitment.
Q: Perfect. So, Impact is a recruitment company, obviously – and what that means is that we find great people for other companies, but what you do is find great people for us!
A: Exactly! My job is, essentially, looking for potential future colleagues, which is very cool.
Q: I love that – it’s like a professional version of ‘Choose Your Own Adventure’.
A: I know – it’s a lot of fun.
Q: Alright, so how long ago did you join Impact?
A: I joined the company in November 2018, so it’s been four and a half years now!
Q: Honestly, I can’t believe it’s been that long!
A: It’s crazy.
Q: And when you were hired, it wasn’t for the role you’re in currently, was it?
A: No, it wasn’t – I’ve actually had a few changes in my role over the years. When I first started, I was a Recruitment Specialist focusing on the external side of things; it was my job to meet and recruit candidates for our clients.
Q: Right.
A: Initially, I was working with organizations to fill a variety of administrative positions, and from there I was able to expand my specialization to include HR. I spent about a year mainly focusing on connecting growing companies with HR professionals, which was a great experience.
Q: And then you moved into the role you’re in now?
A: Not just yet! I also spent about a year and a half recruiting in the legal space, specifically working with lawyers at various levels of experience, helping them to take the next step in their careers.
Q: And then…
A: And then I made my last and most recent shift, which was a year and a bit ago, and that was moving from providing external recruitment services to our clients to, as I said, working on recruiting for internal roles with Impact.
Q: That’s quite a journey! And do you feel like you’ve found your home in internal recruitment?
A: Yes, absolutely. I’m super happy in my current role; I feel really fulfilled with what I do now.
Q: That’s amazing. It’s so great to hear from people who genuinely love what they do.
A: It really is a great feeling. I think a big part of the reason I wanted to shift my focus to internal recruitment was because it allowed me keep doing all the things I loved about my previous role – meeting people, interviewing them and getting to learn about their experiences and goals and helping them to find a new opportunity that they’re excited about – but with the added bonus of getting to watch those individuals really grow and flourish in their new position, because they’re working right alongside me!
Q: That makes so much sense, it must be so fulfilling to watch people you’ve helped bring on board really settle in, learn the business and become confident and successful in their new role.
A: It’s the best feeling.
Q: Alright, so, way back when, what was it that drew you to Impact?
A: It’s all thanks to you, Katie, and your marketing!
Q: Oh my goodness, stop. Don’t stop, actually – but I’m blushing. Okay, go on.
A: When I was first researching recruitment companies in the Vancouver area, I was, well, let’s be honest, I was basically stalking the social media of several different agencies.
Q: Amazing.
A: Company culture is super important to me, so I was creeping around like, “What are these people up to? Do they look like they’re having fun here?”. I really liked the vibe I got from Impact, and that’s one of the main reasons I wanted to apply.
Q: This made my day.
A: I’m glad! And yeah, once I made the decision to go for it, the hiring process was super-fast and honestly, pretty seamless from start to finish. And now here I am!
Q: I think that we really do have a great group of people here, and if that comes through on Instagram or LinkedIn or whatever, that’s awesome.
A: Totally – the team here is wonderful. Super supportive. We’re all working towards the same goals and, obviously, you’ve got your ups and downs. Work isn’t fun every second of every day, it’s not always easy, either – sometimes things go sideways, or you’re just having a tough go of it, and having solid people by your side makes all the difference.
Q: Okay, so when you were working on an external recruitment desk, you were very successful – and I know if can be awkward to toot your own horn, so to speak, but it’s pretty much common knowledge around here that you were a great recruiter.
A: I guess so!
Q: So, knowing that you were enjoying a lot of success in that position, you still decided that you wanted to make that change and move into an internal talent acquisition role.
A: I did, but it wasn’t that I didn’t like what I was doing – I really enjoyed it.
Q: It sounds like the reason for the change was based on personal fulfillment.
A: It absolutely was, yeah. It wasn’t something I needed to happen urgently, it was just something I thought I’d like to explore if and when an opportunity arose to do so.
Q: So how did that move end up happening, like how did you set the wheels in motion? Was it as simple as just sitting down with your manager for a conversation?
A: Yeah, that’s a great question! Open communication is something that’s a huge part of the culture here, and management is really great at encouraging those types of conversations. I’d seen some colleagues make the type of move I was thinking about, moving into a different department or shifting their focus or specialty, so I knew it was possible.
Q: Definitely.
A: Once I’d decided that this was something I really did want, I just brought it up in one of my regular one-on-one check ins with my manager at the time, and she really went to bat for me. She brought it to HR and Jeff, our CEO, and I’m so thankful for everything she did to make it happen!
Q: It’s so great to be in an environment where you can be honest about your career goals and know that you’re surrounded by people who want to help you get there.
A: It’s really empowering.
Q: Okay, that’s great. Right, so I guess I’ll just awkwardly segue into the next question now: what do you enjoy most about your current role?
A: Well, as I mentioned, choosing my colleagues is amazing! I love being able to share my firsthand experiences with them during the interview and onboarding process. I’ve been with Impact for nearly five years, so I feel like I can honestly and confidently answer their questions. I think I have, kind of, an insider’s perspective – I can speak candidly about the role, the culture and the company and tell potential employees, like, yeah, this is a really great place to work!
Q: People definitely appreciate that passion and sincerity.
A: 100% agree.
Q: You’ve enjoyed a ton of wins during your time with Impact, but are there any accomplishments or successes that you’re particularly proud of?
A: I don’t think anyone’s ever asked me that before.
Q: We’re breaking new ground here!
A: Honestly, I think I’ll keep it simple and just say that I’m truly proud of the people I’ve added to our team since being in this role. I feel like they’ve each brought something really special to our company and our culture and knowing that I helped make that happen is a great feeling.
Q: After almost five years with Impact, how has the company changed?
A: Oh, wow, it’s changed a lot! There’s been a lot of growth, which is awesome to see. We’ve expanded into new markets, new sectors and, of course, added a ton of new team members – plus, we’ve got our sister company AmbiMi, as well. There’s a lot of exciting stuff in the works.
Q: Are you excited about anything in particular?
A: I think what I’m most excited for is just to see how we continue to grow. So much has happened and we’ve evolved so much since I’ve been here, so it’s really exciting to imagine what’s coming down the line. I can’t wait to be part of it.
Q: We’ve made it to the last question! What’s your best advice for someone who’s just joined Impact?
A: Be open, be open minded. Lean into your curiosity and don’t shy away from something just because it’s unfamiliar – try to look at it like, “Okay, let me try this – let’s see where this might take me.”
Want to learn more about starting your career with us? Check out current job openings here.