Her Story
About Aleesha
I started my career in human resources right out of college, where I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Business Management with a concentration in Human Resources Management. My internship was with a chemical company that I worked for while I was in college, so I got an early start in the field. Over the past 25 years, I've worked my way through every HR role imaginable, from coordinator to generalist to manager. I've done everything from talent acquisition to contract negotiations, and I've worked extensively with payroll in organizations where it was part of HR and where it was separate under finance. Currently, I serve as Human Resources Manager for an engineering firm in Nashville. We recently went through an acquisition - we were formerly Reagan Smith Engineers and were acquired by a larger engineering firm out of San Antonio, Texas. My role right now involves re-stabilizing the organization after this transition, which was scary for many employees. I focus on coaching managers for leadership, addressing benefit concerns, mediation, employee engagement, onboarding, offboarding, and laying the groundwork for everything from open enrollment to performance evaluations. No two days are alike in HR, and I handle everything in between. I'm proud to work for an organization that truly understands and values the importance of human resources, which I've learned is not always the case. I'm a certified HR Senior Certified Professional, a certification I earned later in my career and am very proud of achieving.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Aleesha
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say hard work and consistency. It's a lot of building trust with leadership in the role. You know, some organizations are more in tune and understand how important human resources is to an organization, and sometimes they think it's a hindrance and not necessary. I've been lucky to land at an organization that understands and values the importance of the role. I think finding a great company with leadership that really values this role has been key. Once you find that sweet spot and you work with a management team that understands the importance of HR, it's just the best thing.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say to fake it till you make it. It can be somewhat intimidating because there's so much to know with compliance and employee relations and things like that, and I would say surround yourself with good people. I would also say to plant your feet on the ground, know where you stand, and just plow ahead. Looking back, I would tell my younger self that sometimes you won't be able to give everything your all and you will have to sacrifice a little in an area, but in the grand scheme of things, it's all going to work out. I hate to say give everything 150%, but it's really kind of true, and just understand that you can't always give everything your all at once.
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