Her Story
About Victoria
My journey into HR began about 10 years ago when I was working as an office manager, doing some HR work on the side. The company owner came to me one day and said she thought I would be great in HR. It wasn't anything I had ever really thought about going into, but I looked into it and it really resonated with me. I pursued my master's degree in human resource management and went for my SHRM certification. I also earned my Bachelor's in Business Administration from Southern New Hampshire University, graduating around 2018. Today, I serve as a sole HR practitioner for a biotech company, where I literally do everything that has to do with HR and payroll - employee relations, succession planning, performance reviews, HRIS system implementation, onboarding, offboarding, recruiting, and benefits. What inspired me to get into HR was being able to help people align with business goals and understand how they fit into those KPIs. I think a lot of times what's missing is that people don't really understand the goals of the business and how they fit in. I wanted to be that person who helps them see their value and their fit in the company, and help them expand from there. People are my thing - I love to help people, guide them, and mentor them.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Victoria
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to three core values that guide everything I do. First, I value my relationships and building relationships. That's huge for me because in HR, you really need to gain that trust of people in order for them to want to come to you with things and to trust you enough to come to you. Second is transparency - I value transparency greatly. I think it's very important to be honest and upfront and transparent with people. And third is my adaptability. I'm pretty pliable and versatile, where I can pivot anytime that I need to pivot to a different area and still keep track of everything else that I'm doing. These three values have been essential to my success in HR.
02What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
Find a mentor. Find a mentor that you can run things off of, join HR groups to help support you. Really lean into your network. Definitely lean into your network, because not one day is similar to the next. There are going to be things that come up that you're not going to know how to handle. So having that network available is super important. I mean, I get things on a daily basis that I have to reach out to my network on. Your network will be your lifeline in this field.
03What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
Some of the greatest challenges that I face are CEO buy-in. When trying to increase benefits or add value for the company, it's really about being able to speak the CEO's language and help him to understand the return on investment and the value that it would bring to the company. That is probably one of my biggest challenges that I have - translating HR initiatives into business terms that leadership can understand and support.
04What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are relationship building, transparency, and adaptability. In my work, I value my relationships and building relationships because in HR, you really need to gain that trust of people in order for them to want to come to you with things. I value transparency greatly - I think it's very important to be honest and upfront and transparent with people. And I value my adaptability, being pliable and versatile where I can pivot anytime I need to and still keep track of everything else I'm doing. Personally, I'm very invested in my grandchildren - they're my pride and joy. I love spending time with my two grandsons, camping, exploring new things. I enjoy learning, so I'm always advancing my skills, whether it be for HR or something else. I also enjoy my motorcycle, which I've been riding for about 12 years.
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