Ashley Salmon
Ashley Salmon is a Recruitment Team Lead at Yardi, where she oversees talent acquisition efforts supporting the company’s client services division within the proptech industry. With more than eight years of recruitment experience, she leads and mentors a team of recruiters, partners closely with hiring managers, and drives strategies to improve time-to-fill, candidate experience, and overall hiring efficiency. Known for her collaborative leadership style and operational focus, Ashley plays a key role in aligning talent strategy with organizational growth objectives.
Ashley joined Yardi as a Recruiter in 2022 and earned a promotion to Team Lead within seven months, reflecting her strong performance and leadership capabilities. Prior to Yardi, she spent nearly four years with SAS Retail Services, supporting high-volume national hiring initiatives across major retail accounts, including Walmart and Kroger. Her daily work has included leveraging applicant tracking systems, conducting advanced sourcing through platforms such as LinkedIn and Indeed, and guiding recruiters through complex hiring challenges. Her ability to remain composed under pressure and build strong stakeholder relationships has consistently set her apart.
Ashley began her career in meeting and event planning after earning an Associate of Applied Science in Meeting and Event Planning from Madison Area Technical College, where she graduated with honors. Early roles in event management and education helped her develop strengths in project management, communication, and stakeholder engagement—skills that seamlessly translated into recruitment. A natural connector and people-focused leader, Ashley is passionate about professional growth, mentoring others, and building high-performing teams that deliver measurable business impact.
• Madison Area Technical College
• Western Technical College - Company
• Dean's List - Perfect Honors-2012
• Dean's List - Perfect Honors-2013
• Meeting Professionals International
• Wisconsin Coalition Against Domestic Violence (2012-2013 internship)
What do you attribute your success to?
Networking has been a key to my career success, by building a strong network throughout my community I have been able to make that translate into my professional space. That has led to me attracting opportunities like the role I am in with my current company. My ability to connect with people and build relationships has been essential in progressing my career thus far.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best advice I’ve received is to stay driven. I have a passion for what I do and finding the perfect fit for a role motivates me to bring my best effort to the job. It’s like solving a puzzle and it’s extremely satisfying when you’re able to fill a position with the best candidate. You have to be excited about the work you’re doing and embrace the work to do it well.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Find what drives you and keep that hunger alive. Recruiting can be an intense market, so you need to be a special kind of person to become a great recruiter. Take pride in your work and don’t let your passion for excellence diminish.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
The hiring market can be unpredictable, so you have to learn to navigate the ups and downs that come with it. Using your network to source applicants when times are slower, and using your discernment when you have an overflow of candidates.
When it comes to opportunities, there is a great hiring market for recruiters. Staffing agencies can be a great place to start for someone interested in a career in the field. Once you begin there, there are limitless possibilities to grow your career, and you can tailor them to your specific goals. I have found my niche being on the management side of things, and leading a team; which is a great example of the growth opportunities my industry can provide.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Personally and professionally, honesty and integrity are very important to me. Building a foundation based on trust is essential when working in a people first industry like recruiting. Those values are equally as important in my personal life. There is no connection without trust, whether that’s connecting someone with the right role for them, or making the right connections in life. It all starts with being honest, being a person with integrity, and being motivated to do the best job possible every time.