Grace Guo
I work in HR at Amazon as a recruiter within the talent acquisition team. I have been in this role for about two months, where I focus on sourcing candidates, guiding them through the interview process, and supporting them through to final offer.
Before starting this full-time position, I was in school and worked as a behavioral technician. I also completed two HR internships, one at Amazon with a focus on recruiting and another at Super Purposes in a more general HR role. These experiences allowed me to explore different areas of HR and better understand where my strengths and interests lie.
What drew me most to talent acquisition is the opportunity to connect with people. I enjoy learning about individuals’ backgrounds, understanding their goals, and helping place them in roles where they can perform at their best and feel fulfilled. That alignment between the individual and the organization is something I find especially meaningful.
I started this role at a relatively young age after graduating early, and I have been fortunate to have strong support from my manager and mentors at Amazon. Their guidance has played a key role in helping me ramp up quickly and continue developing in the right direction.
• University of Houston - Psychology and Philosophy
• Women Empowerment in Healthcare
• Women Empowerment in Healthcare - Executive Secretary and Head of HR
• MIND project (previously)
What do you attribute your success to?
I would attribute my success to discipline, curiosity, and a constant drive to improve. Discipline helps me stay consistent and reliable in a fast-paced recruiting environment, while curiosity allows me to genuinely connect with candidates and understand their backgrounds and motivations.
I also focus on continuously getting better. Whether it’s refining how I assess talent or improving how I communicate throughout the hiring process, I’m always looking for ways to grow. That mindset has helped me ramp up quickly in my role at Amazon and continue developing with each experience.
What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I’ve received is that you can’t learn to swim by reading a book, you have to get in the water. That really stuck with me because it emphasizes taking action instead of waiting until you feel fully ready.
Early in my role at Amazon, I realized that a lot of growth comes from actually doing the work, having real conversations, making mistakes, and learning from them. You can prepare as much as you want, but real understanding comes from experience.
That mindset has pushed me to be more proactive, take initiative, and treat every interaction as a learning opportunity, which has helped me develop quickly in my role.
What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would definitely recommend looking into internships early on and using them as a way to explore different areas within HR. There are so many paths you can take, whether it’s benefits, total rewards, talent acquisition, or payroll, and each one offers a very different experience.
Trying out different aspects of HR helps you figure out what actually fits your strengths and interests, rather than just choosing a path without exposure. That’s something that really helped me, as I was able to explore both recruiting and general HR before finding where I felt most aligned.
Once you find that fit, it becomes much easier to grow, stay motivated, and build a career that feels both natural and fulfilling.
What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think one of the biggest challenges in talent acquisition right now is balancing technology with the human side of recruiting. AI is becoming a huge part of the hiring process, from sourcing to screening, but it can’t replace genuine connection. The challenge is using those tools efficiently while still building trust and relationships with candidates.
What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values that are most important to me are growth, integrity, and genuine connection.
Growth is important to me because I always want to be improving, both professionally and personally. I try to approach everything with a mindset of learning and getting better over time.
Integrity is also a core value for me. I think it’s important to be honest, reliable, and consistent in how you show up, especially in a role like recruiting where people are trusting you with important decisions about their careers.
I value genuine connection. I really care about building meaningful relationships, whether that’s with candidates, colleagues, or people in my personal life. That’s a big part of why I enjoy working in talent acquisition at Amazon, because it allows me to connect with people and help them find opportunities where they can truly thrive.
Locations
Amazon
Austin, TX