Her Story
About Milena
I'm originally from Germany, and after college, I was asked by a company to move to America and manage their new US subsidiary. I spent about 7 years as a general manager, handling everything from marketing and sales to accounting, HR, and day-to-day business operations. When that company unfortunately had to close in the US, I found my current position at an exciting robotics company. I initially started as an executive assistant because of my business management experience, working as the right hand of the CEO. As the company grew very rapidly and doubled in size last year, my role evolved and split - we hired a new executive assistant, and I transitioned completely into HR. Now, as the only HR person at the company, I manage a wide range of responsibilities including payroll, time tracking, compliance across about 30 states, workers' comp insurance, health and disability benefits, and people management. I work closely with department heads on workforce management and serve as the point of contact for employee issues, from maternity leave to day-to-day concerns. I'm also continuing my education - I completed my third bachelor's degree in business administration and management while in the US, and I'm currently working on my SHRM Senior Certified Professional certification. On the side, I still do freelance marketing, content creation, and social media management for the German company I used to work for. My goal is to advance into an HR manager role and eventually have employees reporting to me.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Milena
01What do you attribute your success to?
I think a big part of it is how I approach problems. I tend to stay calm and analytical even when things are messy or urgent, which helps me focus on practical solutions instead of reacting emotionally. I also try to think a bit outside the box and look for ways to improve processes rather than just maintaining them.
At the same time, I genuinely enjoy working with people. I try to make sure people feel heard and supported, whether that’s employees, managers, or leadership. And the final piece is follow-through, I’m pretty diligent about making sure things actually get finished and done correctly, not just started.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
One piece of advice that stuck with me was that you shouldn’t take a new opportunity just because you’re running away from something. The grass isn’t always greener, so the decision should really be driven by whether the new opportunity genuinely excites you or helps you grow.
I think that advice is helpful because it encourages you to make more intentional career decisions rather than reacting to short-term frustrations.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say, trust your judgment, and don't underestimate the value that you bring. I think, especially when you're early in your career, you always assume that everyone knows more than you do. But I think if you ask thoughtful questions, and you have good instincts, and a strong work ethic, that you can go far, and that you should trust in yourself. I would also say build strong relationships - networking is really important, and stay curious, and a lot of opportunities will come from people knowing you, and knowing that you're a good employee, and it'll open a lot of doors in the future as well.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I think the one thing that is a big opportunity, and at the same time, a big threat is the rise of AI and automation in HR. I think it can be used a lot to streamline your work and processing lots of data and increasing your efficiency, and also just giving advice and making sure that you're compliant and things like that. But at the same time, I think since it's human resources, we still have to keep the humans at the forefront. I think it's a great opportunity to use it as a tool, but I think it needs to be used responsibly, and that we still have empathy and judge humans for being humans, and keeping that a central part of the people management.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
Professionally, it’s important to me not to lose sight of the human side when organizations are striving for growth and profits. Of course companies need to perform, but I believe that employees who feel respected, supported, and balanced ultimately do their best work. I try to approach my work with that perspective in mind.
In my personal life, I value things like love, friendship, honesty, and maintaining a sense of balance. I think it’s important to enjoy life and not take everything too seriously, because those relationships and experiences are what really make life meaningful.
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