Her Story
About Jody Ann
I started in the HR field as a part-time HR representative at CMS Wholesale Grocers, the same company I'm with today. I discovered I had a real knack for recruiting employees, so I moved into talent acquisition and have been doing that for the last 10 years. My path into HR was somewhat serendipitous - I was originally going to do accounting while in university, but I didn't have much of a knack for numbers. I went to a human resources class with a friend, it was a great class, and from then I decided that HR was going to be my field. What really launched my career was being in classes during my master's program with someone who would become the HR manager at my company. We were randomly on teams together for two different class projects, and when she had a job opening, she was able to speak as a reference for me based on my work ethic and how I operated in class. The first time the job became open I wasn't fortunate to get that position, but the second time around I was the final contender. As an HR rep, I did everything from recruiting to onboarding to off-boarding, a little bit of benefits, a little bit of payroll - a little bit of everything. This allowed me to say, okay, I prefer this area of human resources, or this is my least preferred area. Today, I lead, mentor, and direct employees, facilitate employment development of the persons I lead, and still do a small portion of recruiting and finding jobs for others. One of my most notable achievements was during the pandemic when I had a team of maybe 5 recruiters and we kept all our buildings properly staffed. I work with CMS Wholesale Grocers, and we literally just acquired PartNAS, so we could have well over 5,000 employees combined, though I'm not accurately sure of the exact number.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Jody Ann
01What do you attribute your success to?
I would say my upbringing, my family, my mom - instilling that education is the way to go. My sister also played a huge role because she laid a foundation, making sure that after high school you go to community college, and after community college you get at least your first degree. Both of us did achieve that goal where we got our first and our second degree. I would say just my upbringing really shaped who I am today. Having someone you could do it with creates that camaraderie and inspiration that keeps you going.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
The best career advice I've ever received is learning how to delegate and accept help. Being in the position that I am in now, I spent so much time trying to do everything myself when I should have been using the resources around me. Over the last 2 to 3 years, I've learned to depend on my team and use the resources that I have, because while I'm a resource to everyone, I have to be able to use the resources around me as well. It's hard when you know you do things well and want things done a certain way, but letting go and delegating has been transformative for me.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
My advice to someone just coming into the HR field is to learn all you can in the world of human resources. I would not say specialize in an area just yet - learn the entire function and then pick your niche from there. I was lucky enough in my career when I started with my company to begin as an HR rep where I did everything from recruiting to onboarding to off-boarding, a little bit of benefits, a little bit of payroll, a little bit of everything. I was able to say, okay, I prefer this area of human resources, or this is my least preferred area. Just learn the entire function, be a generalist, then after spending a couple years as an HR generalist, then you specialize in an area. For supply chain and logistics specifically, you have to have a tough skin. You're working with some of the best leaders across the country, so you gotta be tough, know your work, and stand firm on your position - whether it's about a candidate you've recruited and why they're not a fit for the role and why you have not progressed them to the next level. Be firm in your decision, and also be flexible.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
One of the biggest challenges I see in the HR field is that persons coming out of college don't understand that it would be a benefit if they go ahead and do their certification immediately - just get certified once you're out of or before you get out of college or university, because it's a lot easier to go down that path. The biggest challenge is that they're not encouraged or properly advised to do so. It's also a very competitive area in the human resources field, so you have to find something that makes you stand out amongst your peers. You have to have your selling point - what makes you different amongst your peers that an employer will want to hire you. You could open a job for an HR rep and have over 250 resumes coming in. In the Miami area, you could open an HR manager position today and have over 50 applications just in one day. This is a very easy field to get into, so it's how you then market yourself to be an asset to that employer.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
In my work life, the values that are most important to me are follow-up and follow-through. I believe in working with a sense of pride, and I would say do the job that you'd expect yourself to do. If it's your company, run that operation like it's your own. In my personal life, my values are very similar to work - be clear, mean what you say, and say what you mean. That's it. These values are why I'm an effective manager and a great resource to others.
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