Joquetta M. Ezell

I attribute my success to being bold enough to try and having enough endurance to surpass the failures. It's about taking that first step and being willing to put yourself out there, even when you don't know what the outcome will be. But equally important is having the endurance and resilience to push through when things don't work out the first time, to learn from those failures and keep moving forward.

The best career advice I've ever received is to focus more on developing yourself, and that will in turn impact how you do your job. A lot of people focus on their job more so than their self, but I would say focus on yourself more so than the job. When you invest in your own development and growth, it naturally enhances your performance and helps you find purpose in life, which I think we all strive for.

I would just say, love yourself and embrace your femininity. This advice applies whether you're a man or a woman, but for women specifically, it's important to be confident in who you are and not feel like you need to change yourself to fit into any particular mold in the business world.

The biggest challenges in the field right now are meeting the right people and the changing economy. There are mass layoffs happening, which impacts the staffing business. The struggle is really about meeting the right decision makers in these companies and employers. It's about getting in front of the people who can actually make hiring decisions, especially in an economic climate where companies are cutting back rather than expanding their workforce.

The values most important to me in my work and personal life are integrity, being intentional, and following through with your commitments. Integrity means doing the right thing even when no one is watching. Being intentional is about being purposeful in your actions and decisions. And following through with your commitments means that when you say you're going to do something, you actually do it - people can count on you.