Essence Buckman-Lesane, M.Ed.

I attribute my success to being resilient or upholding perseverance. There were plenty of times, even thinking about trying to get into the higher ed field and especially into the recruiting field, where I had so much self-doubt and didn't think that I was worthy enough to make these different transitions. But the help of mentors and people who are supportive in my life, and ultimately making sure that I'm being supportive for myself, really helped push me to do different things educationally, network and connect with people. I had to step outside of my comfort zone to reach goals of getting into these different roles. I really think pushing myself and remaining resilient, (even whenever I get the role, if I have any imposter syndrome), and remaining confident with myself that I was hired for a reason was important. I'm worthy of the role that I'm in, and I know what my capabilities and strengths are, and am able to lean on those things to help me be the most productive and perform well on the job.

The best career advice I’ve ever received is, “Do not let self-doubt disqualify you before anyone else does.” I carry this lesson with me as I continue advancing in HR and talent acquisition while balancing motherhood and graduate studies.

I would give the advice of don't let your background deter you or make you think that you don't have any relevant skills that can make an impact in this space. I would encourage them to definitely step outside of their comfort zone, something that I had to do. Reach out to people, leverage your networks, really connect with others, because you never know what opportunity you can run into - really building bridges to success. That is something that's easier said than done, especially if you may be someone who considers yourself an introvert, because I know I consider myself more of an introvert. But I think if I didn't do that and put myself out there, then I don't know if I would have been able to get the opportunities that I have. Also, look into any networking events around, whether virtual or in person. Look into opportunities for to take certificates here and there, just to keep up with ongoing learning. That'll definitely be valuable. And remember that there's no one-size-fits-all approach at the end of the day. You keep trying things. If this method doesn't work, you have to pivot until you find out what is making a change for you.

The biggest challenges I've experienced in my field have been stability and workforce uncertainty. After a year in my executive search recruiting job, I was laid off - not due to any fault of my own, because the people I worked with gave me good references. I've noticed so many other talent acquisition professionals throughout the last couple of years are constantly dealing with layoffs, and it was hard after getting laid off trying to find the same type of roles. I've had instances where I had to get bridge jobs because I have responsibilities at the end of the day, and those jobs weren't necessarily recruiting or talent acquisition focused. Another major challenge is the rise of AI and people thinking that can take over our jobs. Sometimes candidates don't trust recruiting professionals because they may think we're leaning into AI or things like that to parse resumes, and sometimes they don't believe a human is looking behind that. So definitely trying to foster and maintain that trust with the candidates - the hopefuls, the prospective people you're working with - is very challenging. That's where I think having hands-on, unique interactions and communications with candidates is very important and valuable to cultivate that trust, so they know you're human too, you understand they're human, you're not coming from a place of judgment, and you're not going to automatically count them out due to their resume not looking perfect. I want to know the story behind why you may have gaps and not count you out, because I don't think that encompasses your value. On the opportunities side, I really like the diversity that recruiting brings. Having experience with executive search recruiting, which is so much different compared to what I'm doing now - we're filling some roles in less than a month compared to executive search where that could take up to 90 days because those processes are more nuanced. I've liked being able to be fluid throughout different industries, meeting candidates from all walks of life, and being able to advocate for people in different ways. Another great opportunity is just networking with other professionals, being able to shadow them and they help you grow as a professional in the field. I've noticed that recruiting is a field where people who have had education backgrounds or other backgrounds have been able to leverage transferable skills that were relevant to success in this area, and seeing that they didn't have a traditional background starting their career immediately in this field like me, gives me hope. Recruiting being pretty open to people bringing in transferable skills from other industries is great overall.

Both personally and professionally, I value lifelong learning first and foremost. I think you never know everything as it pertains to your profession - you can always keep honing in your craft or learning new things that will help you be a better person, an expert, increase your competency in different ways. And also, you're going to learn new things every day just to journey through life. I also value being a vessel of support. Being human, it's inevitable that we collaborate, we connect, we need to leverage our emotional intelligence with one another and our social capital, especially when working with our peers and reaching common goals for our organizational mission. Providing support, no matter what that looks like, is important. Being adaptable and flexible with your leadership as well as what you bring to the table is very important. I think overall focusing on your holistic success and well-being - whether that's academics, professional development, and definitely your personal development. Overall, all of those things work together, because when we show up to work we're still people first at the end of the day. Our daily values, norms and beliefs are brought to the table encompassing who we are. So I definitely value holistic success and well-being.