Her Story
About Wendy
I've been in human resources for about 15 years, though I kind of fell into it. I think it was natural that I headed that way because of my personality and my good communication - I'm able to make people feel comfortable in a conversation, pull things out of people through the conversation, and I'm a good listener. I don't have a degree in HR, I don't even have a degree, so I've had to overcome that with hard work, building relationships, and learning everything I can. I had leaders above me that saw my value and elevated me, and that was due to my hard work because I was building things, creating processes, and making things better. For the past four and a half years, I've been the sole talent acquisition specialist for my company, doing all of the sourcing of candidates, phone screens, sitting in on interviews, and coaching the managers through the process. I designed the onboarding program and take the new hires through the onboarding. I also work on lots of other projects, like updating the onboarding, trying to figure out ways to include AI, and improving processes for the company as we grow. I've been awarded two awards at this company - the Director's Choice Award for Integrity and one for Professionalism. I'm proud of being the face of the company, as I'm the first person that candidates see and talk to, and I kind of give the first impression of the company. I started in the middle of our first acquisition, so it was about helping to build the department and build out talent acquisition and all of the processes.
Her Interview
Ten minutes with Wendy
01What do you attribute your success to?
I attribute my success to just working hard and learning everything I can. I've tried to do the detailed work, not skip over anything, but really get in there and learn it. I've also focused on having integrity in everything I do. Even though I don't have a degree, I've overcome that by doing the grunt work, building things, creating processes, and making things better. I've built relationships and had leaders who saw my value and elevated me because of the hard work I put in.
02What’s the best career advice you’ve ever received?
I know this sounds negative, but I've never received really good career advice. I've kind of gone on my own. I think the best advice is to stay genuine to yourself, to your values, to your personality. No matter what company it is or what opportunities could be there, just stay true to your values and who you are. Don't let any company or opportunity change that.
03What advice would you give to young women entering your industry?
I would say learn everything you can. Get in and do the work, don't skip over anything - actually learn it. Maybe do the work you don't want to do. Don't just try to jump ahead, but really get in there and understand the details. And most importantly, stay true to yourself and your values throughout your career journey.
04What are the biggest challenges or opportunities in your field right now?
I would say one of the pressing things is in HR, dealing with all of the new AI that's coming out, and keeping HR personal. Because HR can be kind of rigid, so keeping the warmth and the personalness in HR is really important. We need to figure out how to integrate these new technologies while maintaining the human connection that makes HR effective.
05What values are most important to you in your work and personal life?
The values most important to me are speaking your mind, but being professional about it. I also value being warm to others and being a good listener. I believe in staying genuine to yourself, to your values, and to your personality, no matter what company you're with or what opportunities are available. Integrity is also central to who I am and how I work.
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