Her Story
About Janene
I transitioned into life science recruiting 24 years ago after a brief stint as a 5th grade teacher. Teaching wasn't exactly what I thought it would be, but I knew I loved educating and working with people. During the summer, I was watching and tutoring a family's children, and the mother said I would be an excellent recruiter. I had never heard of that profession before, but once I learned about it, that became my history and I've been doing it ever since. Today, I run a full desk, working directly with clients to take in job orders and help them identify what positions they need help with recruiting. I do the headhunting and sourcing myself, conduct the interviews, deliver the offers, close the offers, and handle the onboarding. What I find most rewarding is connecting the right candidate with the right hiring manager and client - I'm almost like a little matchmaker, making a positive impact on someone's life. I also do extensive career coaching. Candidates I've worked with over the years, even those I placed years ago, will call me during difficult times like layoffs, and I'll help them prepare to interview with other clients, get their CV up to speed, and really support them in looking for a new opportunity. My greatest accomplishment is being able to maintain a successful career while raising three wonderful children - balancing both has not been easy, and some days it wavered one way or the other, but we made it through.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Janene
01What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I think overall for women, what I see on a day-to-day basis is women not expressing themselves in a confident way. Studies show that a man will look at a job description and say he fits it 100% when he fits it 50%, while a woman will look at the job and say she fits at 40% when she fits at 70%. I'm always trying to advocate for women to be able to articulate what they have done and be confident in all they have accomplished, to see themselves in the correct light of what they've done and not look at what they don't have, but be able to communicate effectively with all that they have done and give themselves the credit for what they've done. I see it every day and I'm constantly coaching women on that. It's how we differ from men - it's very interesting, but I see it all the time when I interview people all day long. I'll ask a man something and he'll go on for five minutes about how great he is, and then I'll ask a woman and she'll downplay everything she's done. I just wish women would be more confident about what they've done and really acknowledge it, because that's the first step - acknowledging what you've done. Women tend to not keep tally of all their accomplishments, and sometimes they can't even list them.
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