Her Story
About Jade
I've always been passionate about building systems that allow people to work better within them. At a very young age, I started building training programs and onboarding experiences for companies I was working for. I built these programs at 17, and they were taken into the corporate structure and applied, but I didn't understand the value of what I had built until the last 3 years. I always knew I wanted to train something - I actually went to school to get a business degree and wanted to be a horse trainer. At the time, talent development wasn't as prevalent of a conversation yet. I've worked as a talent development specialist and really enjoyed it, but didn't have any more room to grow with that company, which is why I pivoted into talent acquisition. I wanted to get a better picture and understanding of the hiring process so that in my next talent development role, because that's where I ultimately want to go back to, I can better understand candidates as they're coming in and truly build a better experience for them within their early onset of joining a team. It's nerve-wracking sometimes because it's a lot of pressure when you think about influencing where people's lives are going to go, but I do really enjoy it.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jade
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success 100% to my mom. She taught me how to really believe in myself and always said that I was very good at getting what I wanted as long as I set my mind to it, and then as soon as I set my mind to it, it was mine. That is very accurate. I believe that you can change your circumstances by simply believing that you can change your circumstances, and I've seen that happen in my own life time and time again. When I make a decision that I want to do something different, usually within 2 weeks, my life changes, and it's really interesting. My mom went through a lot when I was younger - my parents divorced at a young age - and my mom really pushed me and encouraged me. She saw that I was more introverted, but she wasn't afraid of making sure that I was ready to go and seek the opportunities that I needed.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My best advice would probably be to not be afraid of looking at all the options, understanding your skill set, and understanding how that can be applied, and not letting people tell you no just because they don't see it's possible. Something that I feel like the U.S. doesn't emphasize enough for all young individuals, but especially young women, is we don't get taught how to look at the skills that we naturally bring to the table and how to turn that into a career. It took me so long to realize that talent development could be where I end up, and that I'm very good at assisting with guiding people early on in their careers. I've been doing this since I was 17, I just didn't realize it. You have to learn that what might come naturally to you doesn't come naturally to others, and to build those skills to become something that you enjoy.
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