Her Story
About Jillian
People don't set out thinking they're going to be a recruiter, they kind of just fall into this position, and luckily I did. I started as a sourcer at Vitamin T, a division of Aquent, and worked my way up in the agency environment for quite some time. I enjoyed it, but I wanted to hone my skills more, be a subject matter expert for one company, represent the brand and organization, and bring in amazing talent for that specific company, which led me to go in-house at Siegel & Gale. I absolutely loved being able to represent the brand and find the right people to expand it and make it grow. That paved my way to SY Partners, which was probably one of the hardest positions I've ever had because of the caliber of talent walking through those doors. It was an incredible place doing unbelievable work, and it really made me stretch my skills and push me out of my comfort zone, recruiting for really high-level individuals. Then COVID hit and they had layoffs. I moved to Empire State Realty Trust, which was really interesting working for the organization that owns and operates the Empire State Building, but it didn't fulfill something inside me. That was my first job after having a child, so I wanted to do more, do something where I felt like I was giving back and doing good for the world. I went to Honeymoon Israel, which I actually went on the trip, and the day before I left, I got notified that when I got back, I had been selected to interview. That's where my nonprofit work started and I absolutely loved it. Unfortunately, there was a war and they had to scale down because they weren't doing any trips or fundraising. Now I work for Wilson as an RPO, and my client is Open Society Foundations, but I'm fully immersed in Open Society Foundations. When I go into the office, I go into their office, we go on their workshops, and it's an absolutely incredible place to be. I love the work they're doing, the work I'm doing, the people I work with, and it's really empowering, supportive, and makes me feel fulfilled that I'm doing something really good that's helping others.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jillian
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think good leaders, positive leaders and peers that push you to do more and really make you want to be a better person in your role and be more successful. I also think being determined and always believing in yourself is important. You really have to promote yourself, celebrate yourself, and push yourself. It's not always someone else, you know, you also have to do it for yourself. Because you're your biggest supporter, and you're the one that's in your head all the time.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I received is that when you're feeling overwhelmed, or like there's so much on your plate and you're drowning, take a step back, take a deep breath, collect yourself, make a list, and slowly check things off as you go. I'm a big list maker. I feel like writing things down, there's just something about it, it resonates more. I'm also a very visual person, so I feel like once I write something down and I see it, I'm more likely to make it happen, or there's something calming about making a list.
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