Her Story
About Katie
Katie O'Toole serves as Digital Sales Manager at Insight Global, leading a team of Hiring Partners and recruiters at Insight Global. She has spent the last eight years at Insight Global in corporate sales, staffing solutions, and IT consulting.
In her current role, she leads a team that provides staffing solutions, builds custom teams, and offers IT consulting services to clients across the U.S. and in 50 countries globally. She earned her bachelor's degree in Multimedia Journalism from Duquesne University in Pittsburgh, which she took into a television news career before transitioning to the corporate world. This background equipped her with skills in research, writing, and confident outreach that she applies daily in her corporate work.
Beyond her day job, she is the author of "Mayday on the Mothership," a book examining the realities of working motherhood in the United States, including shortcomings in maternity leave legislation and birth standards. She contributes to and champions the Insight Global Family Foundation, which provides grants to IG consultants facing financial hardship, and supports One World Health through internal fundraisers that help build medical networks in underprivileged regions. O'Toole attributes her success to a strong work ethic and commitment to high character.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Katie
01What do you attribute your success to?
Even when I'm the most junior or inexperienced in the room, work ethic will level the playing field every time. Hard work above all else.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
Don't acquiesce or over-explain yourself. Rather, ask for what you want confidently with specific reasoning. Be direct. Clear is kind.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
How you carry yourself really matters. Go into rooms with confidence, even if you don't feel it - fake it until you make it. Act like you deserve the respect you're hoping for.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I see challenges as opportunities for evolving and adapting. In the IT staffing field, our clients have faced pressure to save money and do more with less. We've seen that most companies are moving some if not all of their openings offshore and/or nearshore. My team has worked hard to adapt and become world-class in global staffing in these countries like India, The Philippines, or Colombia.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
One of IG's core values is "High character and hard work above all else." This is true for me in both my professional and personal spaces. Ambition only means something if milestones are achieved the right way. I think, especially as women, it's important to be the elevator for others. I do my best to reach down to people I see trying to achieve what I've been able to and elevate them to find opportunities for success.
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