Every successful recruitment strategy is driven by the people behind the scenes who ensure the right talent meets the right opportunities. At Another Source, our Talent Strategists play a pivotal role in connecting clients with exceptional candidates. Today, we’re excited to spotlight, Jessica Kingery, a Senior Talent Strategist, to learn more about her work style, preferences, and what drives her passion for recruitment.
Q: What does a typical morning look like for you as a Senior Talent Strategist? Do you have any routines that help set the tone for your day?
A: My morning routine is how I stay consistent and feel set up for success the rest of the day. I start my day by logging into our ATS to assess potential priorities: how many new applications do we have, which client needs a follow-up or new communication, are there candidates that we are waiting to hear back from or a status on? Each piece of information guides my conversations throughout the day.
I then turn to email: what communication have we received from clients, are there candidates we need to move forward or release, are there company priorities that we need to address during the day. I am also checking my calendar and my podmate’s calendar. What does our capacity look like today and how can we address each role to provide impact?
I typically take an hour and a half in the morning to address each focus and then connect with my podmate to discuss our day’s priorities. This sets us both up for what is expected, how we shift if another priority comes up, and which client or candidate we need to keep in touch with.
Q: What’s the most rewarding part of your role as a Senior Talent Strategist?
A: There are so many parts of this role that are rewarding! Internally, it is being able to connect with my podmate daily. Seeing our growth together as a team develop each day is so fun.
Externally, the most rewarding piece is connecting with clients. When you are able to build a strong relationship between you and the client, you are able to feel even more like an extension of them. When you are providing that strong candidate pool, it feels like you are just as excited as you would be if those candidates were joining your team directly. It’s great seeing and working with clients again and again, those weekly touchbases become part of your normal routine and you feel like teammates!
Q: Recruitment is fast-paced and demanding. What are barriers that you are overcoming on a daily basis when building talent pools for your clients?
A: One barrier that we encounter frequently are the many opportunities our candidates have. It can be easy to become “just another interview” they have. We have to get creative in our process and our communication to be sure we are standing out or addressing concerns that candidates might have before they move forward. We connect with them each week and share updates on progress, share news happening with the organization, or check on what would prevent them from accepting an offer. Staying ahead of these conversations allow for a more transparent conversation with our clients as they move forward in their process (and the speed in which they do it!).
Q: What’s your favorite part about working at Another Source?
A: My favorite part about working at Another Source is the collaboration that takes place every day. You may work in a pod of two as a strategist but you have an entire team of various focuses that are eager to help you to succeed. We all get to celebrate our successes with one another and we all get to work through challenging situations that come up. Nothing ever feels too big or too small to take to the group and get collaboration or celebrations to share.
Q: When working with clients, how do you approach understanding their unique hiring needs and organizational culture?
A: We get to connect with our clients every week throughout the recruitment. This starts off with a Launch Call, where we get to ask the client questions regarding their culture and what they are seeking. We also get answers to questions we feel candidates or prospective candidates will ask throughout the process.
Each week after this Launch Call, we connect with them through our touchbases. This is our time to get feedback on the candidate pool, share updates about the progress, and give feedback to them regarding where the market is and what we are hearing.
As we connect with prospects or candidates, we have the opportunity to highlight the culture and what the hiring team is looking for specifically because we have that close insight. While we are not a direct member of their team, we become an extension of their team and it is important that we take that responsibility seriously and speak to their culture.
Q: Can you share a memorable story of matching a candidate with a role and the impact it had on both the candidate and the client?
A: I have worked with a candidate for a couple of years now and they were ready for that next step in their career. They had worked hard and grew within the CSU System and continued to apply for new roles that would allow them this continued growth. They were connected with the CSU mission and didn’t want to leave the system, but they started getting discourage as they would make it to final interviews and not be the selected candidate to move forward. We had stayed connected through other openings, and we continued to share his candidacy. We launched a role at a CSU that would allow him to grow. I reached out to him and the team had received referrals for him- he was someone that a lot of people wanted to see make an impact in a higher leadership role! Through the recruitment, he continued to be a strong candidate. He was offered the role, and it is a placement I will remember for a long time.
Q: What do you think is the key to building strong, lasting relationships with clients?
A: Consistency and transparency. Clients want to be in loop- what is working, what is not working, why aren’t they seeing candidates, how many candidates are moving forward, etc. They are trusting us with this process and to build a strong relationship means to build a strong cadence of communication.
Closing
We’re grateful to Jess for sharing her insights and experiences. At Another Source, it’s the passion and dedication of our team that allows us to make a difference for our clients and candidates every day.
If you’re interested in learning more about how we connect organizations with top talent, visit Another Source.
