Global Recruiting, San Francisco, CA
Please introduce yourself. Who are you and what is your job/career?
My name is Cassandra- who am I? I am so many things. I am a woman, daughter, sister, friend, girlfriend, and dog mom. I love the outdoors, specifically feeling grounded in the trees and mountains. I am addicted to coffee and dog videos. I thrive on challenging myself, and do this often by my passion for trail running. I search for connection in all areas of life, which led me to a career in recruiting and talent. With a background in PR/Journalism/Marketing, I decided to pursue a career in Recruiting over 6 years ago. I have been working at Strava, a fitness technology company that aligns with my personal values and interests.
As a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I've never had a true answer to that, but I thought I wanted to be a vet or help animals in some way.
What was your first job?
Hostess at a restaurant when I was 16!
Can you describe your profession to those who might have never heard of it before?
A recruiter is someone who attracts and hires people to a specific role or company. They search for potential candidates and help people find jobs that are in alignment with their goals and experiences. Recruiters facilitate the search for these candidates, as well as the interviewing process and communication for hiring.
What was your process for choosing your career path? Was it a long journey or an easy one? At what moment did you know that you wanted to be in this profession?
This was, and still is, a very windy road/path! It has definitely not been easy. I've never really had a solid answer for what I wanted to do, or be, in my career. I have pursued a lot of things, and I am grateful its led to where I am today. I never thought I would be a recruiter or be in the hiring profession. What got me here was an open mind, connections with others and leaning into what my strengths were. I changed my mind, and have changed jobs, many times. I have taken an internship at age 27, and have always worked hard to be open minded about what I could be good at.
What do you love most about your job?
Connecting with other people! I get to learn about others for a living. I also understand how stressful the job search process is, and if I can help someone through that, I feel good about that.
What questions should someone really ask themselves if they want to get into your profession?
Do you have the energy and excitement to have multiple different types of conversations per day? How well do I communicate, and can I be consistent? How organized am I? How am I with deadlines and timelines? How do I build relationships?
What did you study? How much schooling do you think is required to get into your role? What could you have skipped?
I studied Journalism! No, I don't think there needs to be a specific degree to get into the role of recruiting and hiring. Find a mentor, and get real life experience! Internships are a great way to do this.
What was the biggest piece of advice that helped you get to where you are?
This sounds typical and repetitive....but NETWORKING! Build relationships with people and you never know where it is going to lead. Someone will know someone somewhere that will help you get a job.
What do you think it takes to thrive in this role? What is the most and least rewarding part of your job?
Communication, consistency, responsiveness, empathy, organization
Rewarding- hiring people and building teams! Least rewarding- having to reject people or let people down
How is the flexibility? Work life balance?
AMAZING! Recruiting can be some odd hours since you communicate with others often, and that can be outside of business hours if you are building a connection, but overall this work can be done remotely and it's very flexible!
What tools/resources do you frequently use? Any tools you recommend?
LinkedIn is my best friend.
What would you say to someone who is looking to figure out what they want to do?
Meet and connect with others who are doing it. Find out what a job is REALLY like, not what you think its like. I got into Recruiting because the Recruiter at the company I was doing PR at became my friend, and I really got to know what her job was like. That attracted me, and it worked. But I only knew that from really knowing her.
Any last bit of advice you’d like to share?
Sometimes it can feel like a step back if you want to pivot to a new career or sometimes you need to take a step back to take more steps forward. Be patient and open minded- and it's worth it to do what you really want to do!
If people have further questions how can they find you/contact you?
LinkedIn or Email: cling@strava.com or cassandraling3@gmail.com