#11: You Belong in TA: Unexpected Journeys to Talent Acquisition with Rhona Pierce

Rhona Pierce:
00:41

You're listening to a bonus episode of Throughout the Playbook. Today, I'm looking back at the unconventional journeys some of the most successful recruiters I know took to end up in talent acquisition. I'm Rona Pierce. When you think of a successful recruiter, what comes to mind? Maybe you picture someone in a crisp suit with a degree in human resources and years of corporate experience.

Rhona Pierce:
01:05

The reality, it usually doesn't look that way.

Jon Gulick:
01:08

I used to be a circus acrobat, which is my weird backstory.

Rhona Pierce:
01:12

That's recruiting systems analyst. But just a few years ago, you'd find him soaring through the air,

James Ellis:
01:16

not sifting through resumes.

Rhona Pierce:
01:16

I was a playwright.

Tara Turk-Haynes:
01:22

I needed a day job to feed myself. Tara Turk Haynes,

Rhona Pierce:
01:25

now a leader in diversity and inclusion, started her journey far from the world of talent acquisition. And me, I was a software engineer and project manager before I found my way into recruiting. These stories aren't just interesting anecdotes. The that we neglect the power of our own stories. But imagine the impact we could have if we started incorporating our personal journeys into our recruiting strategies.

Rhona Pierce:
02:00

We can build trust, credibility, and genuine connections with candidates by sharing our unique paths. We can show them that there's no one right way to build a career and that companies hire people with unconventional backgrounds. That's why today's episode is so important for you. Whether you're an experienced recruiter or you're just starting out, you'll hear from professionals who've leveraged their personal brands to navigate unconventional career paths and make a name for themselves in TA. Their stories will inspire you to embrace your own unique journey and share it with the world.

Rhona Pierce:
02:36

By the end of this episode, you'll understand why your story matters more than you think, and you'll be empowered to start telling it. So let's dive in because everyone has a story, and it's time to start telling yours. This is throw out the playbook. With so many people trying to break into recruiting, standing out can be challenging. But for John Jewellick, standing out was once his literal job description.

James Ellis:
03:03

Ladies and gentlemen, please direct your attention to the center ring.

Rhona Pierce:
03:07

Before John was sourcing candidates, he was soaring through the air, captivating audiences as a circus acrobat. It's a background that, at first glance, seems worlds away from the corporate offices of Silicon Valley. However, as John discovered, the skills he honed under the big top would serve him well in tech recruiting. Let's hear from John about his unusual journey.

Jon Gulick:
03:30

I used to be a circus acrobat, which is my weird backstory. And then, after circus, I got old, and I couldn't do circus anymore. So I moved to San Francisco hoping to get a job from Montreal, moved to San Francisco hoping to get a job in tech, and I got a job at Twitter in the sales org.

Rhona Pierce:
03:48

From the high flying world of circus performance to the fast paced environment of a major tech company, it's quite a leap. But John didn't stop there. His path to recruiting was paved with unexpected opportunities.

Jon Gulick:
04:03

And then, I was doing that for a couple years, organizing diversity recruiting events for our BRGs or or our business resource groups or employee resource groups as we're helping organize recruiting against for this. And then our university manager was like, hey, John. Do you wanna do what you're doing for fun organizing events, but do it for your job? And I was like, yeah. That sounds awesome.

Jon Gulick:
04:24

So I moved over to university recruiting, organizing, university events and diversity events.

Rhona Pierce:
04:29

It was a light bulb moment for John. The skills he had developed as an acrobat, adaptability, performance under pressure, and the ability to captivate an audience were surprisingly transferable to recruiting. John's story challenges us to think differently about what makes a great recruiter. It's not always about having the most traditional background or the most obvious skill set. Sometimes, it's about bringing a fresh perspective and unique experiences to the table.

Rhona Pierce:
04:58

But John's journey raises an interesting question. How do you envision a career path when you don't see people with your background in the roles you aspire to? That's where our next story comes in. While John found his way into recruiting through an unexpected opportunity, our next guest discovered her path through representation. Let's hear from Tara Turcanes, whose journey into talent acquisition was shaped not just by her own diverse background, but by seeing someone like her self in a leadership role she never thought possible.

Rhona Pierce:
05:29

For Tara Turc Haines, the path to talent acquisition wasn't just about finding a new career. It was about seeing possibilities she never knew existed. Let's hear from Tara about a pivotal moment in her journey.

Tara Turk-Haynes:
05:42

It wasn't until I was the EA to our CEO at Ticketmaster and our chief people officer, who is Beverly Carmichael, black woman. Beverly was amazing, and I had never encountered someone with that high of a title in HR who was black. Like, I just never did. It never even occurred to me.

Rhona Pierce:
06:04

In that moment, Tara saw a future for herself that she had never imagined possible.

Tara Turk-Haynes:
06:09

You know, like, there would be someone in that space, and she basically was like, I think you'd be really good at talent acquisition because she just like, I think you have just like a natural tact for understanding people in a way that it's really helpful.

Rhona Pierce:
06:23

Tara's story reminds us of the profound impact of representation in leadership. Seeing Beverly in that role did just inspire Tara. It fundamentally shifted her perception of what was possible in her own career. Her path from playwright to diversity and inclusion leader underscores a crucial point, our backgrounds. The challenges we faced and the role models we encounter can become our greatest strength in this field.

Rhona Pierce:
06:51

Tara's experiences as a job seeker combined with seeing someone like Beverly in a leadership role informed her approach to recruiting, pushing her to create more inclusive and equitable hiring practices. Atara's story also raises important questions. How can we use our personal experiences and the inspiration we draw from others to drive positive change in the recruiting industry? And how can we become the representation that others need to see? To explore this further, let's turn to someone who, like me, came from a more traditional corporate background but found an unexpected home in talent acquisition.

Rhona Pierce:
07:28

While his path didn't involve a dramatic shift in representation, it just showcased how diverse experiences can shape our approach to TA. While Tara was leveraging her experiences to drive diversity and inclusion in recruiting, Sean Page was managing projects in a different sector entirely. His path to talent acquisition would prove that sometimes the skills you need for recruiting come from unexpected places. Sean's journey into recruiting is a testament to the power of transferable skills and the unexpected ways our past experiences can shape our futures. Let's hear from Sean about his transition into talent acquisition.

Sean Page:
08:08

I actually had a pretty nontraditional path as a recruiter, which I'm I'm sure a lot of people are listening, kinda have that same type of story. But I really started my journey at the very beginning working for a union. So I actually worked for the postal workers union as a social media manager.

Rhona Pierce:
08:24

From union work to social media management, Sean's early career was already diverse, but it was his next move that would have set the stage for his transition into recruiting.

Sean Page:
08:34

And then from there, I moved into public health. And so that was actually my first, like, window into HR. And so I was there doing training and development, specifically for public health preparedness response.

Rhona Pierce:
08:44

Sean's experience in public health dealing with crisis like Ebola and Zika outbreaks might seem worlds away from recruiting. But as he explains, these experience were invaluable.

Sean Page:
08:57

On the side, I was also working for my friend's startup called Lexi Grandma, which is a resume writing company. And so I was kinda working both jobs, kinda getting a window into HR. And so then finally, I decided, you know what? I just wanna go all in into HR, like but I also wanna still do work that's, like, really mission driven. And so I decided to go into recruitment because I just, identified there was a need for, just black recruiters and tech and, like, just this need for, a lot of DNI training and development opportunities.

Sean Page:
09:26

And so that was sort of my first, step into the recruitment space.

Rhona Pierce:
09:30

Sean's story illustrates how skills from seemingly unrelated fields, project management, crisis response, social media strategy, can come together to create a unique and valuable skill set in recruiting. His journey reminds us that our past experiences, no matter how unrelated they might seem, can provide us with unique perspectives and abilities that set us apart in talent acquisition. But Sean's story also prompts us to consider. How can we identify and leverage our transferable skills to excel in recruiting even if we come from a completely different background? While Sean was leveraging his diverse background to break into Tandem's story shows us that sometimes the perfect Tandem's story shows us that sometimes the perfect job for your skills isn't listed on any job board.

Rhona Pierce:
10:26

Sometimes you have to create it yourself. Let's hear from Tannum about how she stumbled into employer branding.

Tannum Sullivan:
10:33

I started on the consumer side of the company. So a little bit about Golden Hippo. Golden Hippo is a direct to consumer marketing company. So they own and operate over 20 health and wellness brands at this point. So that kinda that takes me into, like, how I got started in employer branding.

Rhona Pierce:
10:52

Tandem's role in customer success was far removed from talent

James Ellis:
10:55

acquisition, but it positioned her

Rhona Pierce:
10:55

to see a gap in the company's

Tannum Sullivan:
11:03

I a very fancy way of saying I responded to customer reviews. When I joined the company, they were about, like, probably like 5 or 6 years old at the time, so still fairly new ish. And they were struggling with recruiting because people hadn't heard about Golden Hippo before, because that was, the employer brand didn't have any products attached to it.

Rhona Pierce:
11:23

Tandem's journey at the company didn't start in talent acquisition, but she saw a need and an opportunity.

Tannum Sullivan:
11:30

So with that, I created the LinkedIn profile for Golden Hippo. And then as we all know, came the other social media profiles. And then I had a mentor at the time share that, you know, hey, this is a full time job. It's called employer branding.

Rhona Pierce:
11:45

This moment of realization led Tandem to take a bold step.

Tannum Sullivan:
11:49

About 3 years ago, when our chief people officer, Kevin, joined the company, I pitched to him why this was needed as a full time person and why it should be me. And here we are. I now oversee the employer branding efforts.

Rhona Pierce:
12:02

Tandem's story reminds us that in the ever evolving world of talent acquisition, sometimes the most valuable opportunities are the ones we create for ourselves. Her journey illustrates the power of recognizing gaps in an organization, understanding our own unique value, and having the courage to advocate for ourselves. It's a testament to how we can shape our careers in TA by being proactive and innovative. But Tandem's experience raises an intriguing question. How do we identify these opportunities for growth and innovation within our organizations?

Rhona Pierce:
12:36

And more importantly, how do we position ourselves to seize them? Let's turn to our final story. A self described job hopper, James Ellis, found his calling in a field he never expected, employer branding. His journey shows us how a diverse background can lead to finding the perfect niche in TA. While Tandem was carving out her niche and employer branding, James Ellis was on a different kind of journey, one that would take him through multiple jobs before he found his true calling.

Rhona Pierce:
13:07

James' story is a testament to the value of diverse experiences and the unexpected ways our past can prepare us for a future we never imagined. Let's hear from James about his winding path to employer branding.

James Ellis:
13:20

I am a a marketer from birth. I mean, like, popped out of the womb just going and trying to sell people things and trying to position things so they're more attractive. It's what I've kind of it's how my brain is wired, I guess, is the best way to put it.

Rhona Pierce:
13:31

James' natural inclination towards marketing led him on a journey through virtually every type of marketing imaginable.

James Ellis:
13:38

I've done b to b, b to c dot bomb dot com. I've done nonprofit marketing. I've done state government marketing. Yes. It's a thing.

James Ellis:
13:46

I can't believe I did it, but it's true. I've done event marketing. I've done pharmaceutical marketing. I've done it. Higher education marketing, I've done it all.

James Ellis:
13:53

I've done it all. It's terrifying.

Rhona Pierce:
13:55

But despite his extensive experience, James hadn't found his true calling until, like most of us, he stumbled into TA.

James Ellis:
14:04

And then about 10 years ago, I got poached from a very to a very big agency, recruitment marketing agency, who I will not name because there's no need for them to get any more, big. And so they said, you know, this is a funny thing, James. You, you have jobs a lot. I'm like, yeah, guilty as charged. They said, and you're a digital strategist.

James Ellis:
14:22

Like, yeah, that's true. I mean, you know, marketing. Yeah. We've got a job for you. It's where you combine digital strategy marketing and understanding how people find jobs.

James Ellis:
14:31

I'm like, that's a thing.

Rhona Pierce:
14:32

It was here that James discovered employer branding, a perfect fusion of his marketing expertise and his experiences as a job seeker.

James Ellis:
14:40

The reason I've stuck with it, whereas I haven't stuck with anything else in my entire life, not counting my wife and my daughter, It's because it's interesting in a way that other marketing isn't. It's there's this really weird like, every other marketing is kind of the same except employer brand marketing is this different in this very unusual way where it's not about selling more. It's not about getting more leads. It's not about getting more shelf space. It's not about getting more sales.

James Ellis:
15:03

It's not getting more, more, more, more. It's about better.

Rhona Pierce:
15:06

James' story is a powerful reminder that sometimes our perfect career isn't something we plan for. It's something we discover by following our passions and being open to new opportunities. His journey from job hopper to employer branding expert illustrates how a diverse background can be a tremendous asset in talent acquisition. Each of James's past roles contributed to the unique perspective he now brings to employer branding, But James' experience also prompts us to consider, how can we embrace our varied experiences and use them to find our niche in the ever evolving world of TA. As we've heard from John, Tara, Sean, Tannum, and James, there's no one right path to success in recruiting and talent acquisition.

Rhona Pierce:
15:50

Each of their journeys is unique, shaped by their backgrounds, experiences, and passions. We've heard 5 unique stories, each illustrating a different path into talent acquisition. But what can we, as recruiters, learn from these journeys? The answer lies in the power of storytelling. Each of our guests today has a compelling story that sets them apart in the field of recruiting, and that's no coincidence.

Rhona Pierce:
16:15

As recruiters, we're often so focused on telling our company story or selling a role that we forget about our most powerful tool, our own stories. But as we've seen today, these personal narratives can be incredibly impactful. So how can you start crafting your own story? Here are 3 things you can do to get started. 1st, think about what you want to be known for.

Rhona Pierce:
16:41

What unique skills, experiences, or perspectives do you bring to recruiting? 2nd, reflect on the experiences that have shaped your journey. What challenges have you overcome? What unexpected turns has your career taken? Finally, consider how these experiences have influenced your approach to recruiting.

Rhona Pierce:
17:01

How do they help you connect with candidates or understand their needs? But crafting your story is just the beginning. The real magic happens when you learn how to use that story to build connections, attract qualified talent, and level up your recruiting game. That's why I've created a free 7 day email course called storytelling for recruiters. This course isn't just about telling your own story.

Rhona Pierce:
17:26

It's about using the power of stories to transform your entire approach to recruiting. In this course, you'll learn how to pro actively answer the questions that job seekers really want to know about your company. It's based on insights from an anonymous survey I ran asking job seekers what they'd ask in an interview if they knew their chances of being hired wouldn't be impacted. You'll discover how to weave these insights into compelling stories that resonate with candidates, build trust, and showcase your company's unique culture and opportunities. Whether you're an experienced recruiter or just starting out, this course will give you the tools you need to stand out in a crowded field and create more meaningful connections with candidates.

Rhona Pierce:
18:09

To sign up for the free course, visit ronapierce.com slash storytelling. The link is in the show notes. And over here on the pod, in the coming weeks, we'll be diving even deeper into strategies you can use to level up your recruiting game. Our upcoming podcast series will explore topics like personal branding for recruiters, mastering email campaigns to source top talent, and leveraging social media to build community and attract candidates. And you won't wanna miss our first episode in this new series where I sit down with the amazing Anna Morgan who will be sharing her insights on how to brand yourself as a recruiter.

Rhona Pierce:
18:48

It's a masterclass in standing out in a crowded field. Remember, your story is your most powerful tool as a recruiter. It's what sets you apart, builds trust with candidates, and helps you create a more human recruiting process. Don't be afraid to share it with the world. You never know who you might inspire or what doors might open as a result.