Influential Woman · HR Recruiting

Shannon Bryant

Recruiter, sbpeopleconsulting

1Award received

Certifications · Degrees · Memberships

Degree Associate's Degree from Georgia Perimeter Degree Bachelor's Degree in Business and Human Resources from AIU Cert Six Sigma Green Belt Member Black Girls Human Resource Association Member Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM)

Her Story

About Shannon

I've been in HR and recruiting for over 15 years, and I truly love what I do. I call myself the matchmaker because my main responsibility is to find the great person to fit the great role that the hiring manager needs. Each day is different in the HR recruiting world - I do a lot of sourcing, talking to people daily, interviewing them, and a lot of negotiation, believe it or not, because I'm the advocate for both the candidate and the hiring manager. Sometimes it's pretty sticky because you want the best outcome and sometimes there's not a happy medium, but I love helping people. I love when I'm able to offer a job to someone who has been searching for a very long time and you hear the relief, especially in this economy where a lot of people have been unemployed. Being able to be that light and give them a fresh start is what drives me. Of course, on the downside, I do have to decline people, which has its bummer moments, but I love it all. I feel like HR is the heartbeat of any company - it keeps everything compliant and rolling according to the standards and laws and regulations. My career started at United Way of Atlanta where I got my feet in the door, then Girl Scouts doing HR work, then the medical field at Treatment Management Company as an HR generalist helping people dealing with addictions. I worked at North Highland, a mid-sized consulting firm, onboarding consultants to clients like Bank of America, Coca-Cola, and Wells Fargo, which inspired me to start my own HR consulting firm, SB People Consulting, in 2019. I'm an entrepreneur catering to small and mid-sized businesses, helping them with compliance, workers' comp, unemployment claims, management training, and consulting wherever HR is needed. After having my daughter, I switched over to recruiting because it gave me more flexibility to stay at home with her. Now I'm in Panama City, Florida, recruiting talented craft-skilled tradesmen like pipe fitters and welders for the shipyard industry.

Quick Facts

IndustryHR Recruiting
Based inFL
Specialty HR Recruiting, Talent Acquisition, Employee Relations
- Onboarding
- HR Compliance
- Workers' Compensation
- Unemployment Claims
- Management Training
- HR Consulting
Volunteers with United Way volunteer work, Breast Cancer organization in Atlanta

Her Interview

Ten minutes with Shannon

01What do you attribute your success to?

I attribute my success to God, my mom, and my children. They are the foundation that keeps me going and drives me to do my best in everything I do.

02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?

The best career advice I've ever received is whatever you do, do it in excellence. That has kind of been my motto in my career - whatever I do, just do it in excellence and take pride in my work. This advice has guided me throughout my professional journey and helped me maintain high standards in everything I undertake.

03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?

My advice to young women entering the HR and recruiting industry is to be bold, be strong, be assertive, and don't quit. Keep going no matter what challenges you face. This field can be tough, but if you stay persistent and confident in yourself, you can make a real impact.

04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?

One of the biggest challenges I face right now is finding quality candidates. The marketplace is real dog-eat-dog, like, so real rough, which makes it kind of hard for someone to come in and try to make a career out of it. I feel like it's more about who you know, so I think that's the biggest challenge. Another major challenge is just keeping up with all the changes that are happening at the federal and state level. Laws and regulations are always changing, especially in the HR world, so you have to stay abreast to what's current.

05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?

The values most important to me in my work and personal life are honesty, communication, and being very transparent in my delivery. These are my top values that guide everything I do, both professionally and personally. I believe in being upfront and clear with people, whether I'm working with candidates, hiring managers, or in my personal relationships.

Keep Exploring