She'Kira Norman

I have to thank my mom for being on me growing up, making me more focused, and pushing me. Sometimes she has to tell me, you know, you can do more, you can do it. Sometimes I'm very hard on myself, so she's been the biggest blessing for me, career-wise. I also attribute my success to going within myself and having those hard conversations with myself. I have to go within all the time, like, Shakira, you need to step up, you need to do this. It's about staying organized, asking for help when I need it, and making changes by being honest with myself about what I need to improve.

The best advice I've received professionally is to always ask for help. My managers always tell me, Shakira, you ask for help. You don't have to come in trying to do everything on your own. When you have a question, just please come to us. I'm that employee that works alone, because recruiting is working alone, so when I have a question, going up to management and asking for help has been really important. Always ask for help when you need it.

I would say treat candidates like long-term relationships. Build that connection with your candidate. Once you build that connection, communicate and keep them up to date. Don't ghost them. I think that builds trust, and that attracts more candidates. I know in our industry, there's a lot of ghosting after interviews, and I try not to do that, because that brings on discouragement. Some people don't take rejection well, so treat candidates like long-term relationships. Treat them like real people, not just job hunters. I know that human resource professionals can treat a person like a job hunter, and not like a real relationship. I try to be as nice as I can, more straightforward, and as communicative as I can, because I know how that feels.

The biggest challenge in staffing is working with candidates - it's always up and down. I would have a candidate going through the process, and then they come back and say they don't want to continue. Or candidates don't show on the first day of work. It's challenging because you never know what someone's going through. They may not be able to come to the job on the first day because they may have their own things going on, like transportation issues or health issues. It's up and down every day in daily life, and they can't put their full focus towards a job. I always tell them communication is key - if something happens on your first day of work, don't be afraid to let me know. I can always talk to the hiring manager. The biggest opportunity is being a true decision partner. I have hiring managers relying on me to find them great talent, and I feel like I'm a part of the decision - we're partnering. Another big opportunity is attracting more clients, because they hear other clients saying I'm a good recruiter and they love partnering with me.

My number one value is to always be honest. I value telling the truth, being fair in accuracy and judgment, and always taking accountability. These are the core values that guide both my work and personal life.