Recruiting tips

11 Recruiting and HR Leaders Give Career Advice to Their 23-Year-Old Selves

Image of Jennifer Shappley speaking at Talent Connect
Jennifer Shappley

Twenty-three is an awkward age for most. You’re definitely not a kid anymore, but not quite considered an adult either. You’ve got your whole life and career ahead of you — and that can be as daunting as it is exciting.

Navigating a career in the fast-paced world of recruiting and talent acquisition is tough and missteps are inevitable. And who could blame you? At 23, the prefrontal cortex (the part of the brain responsible for higher-level cognitive functions like decision making), isn’t even fully developed.

That’s why we asked 11 successful and influential leaders in recruiting and HR to reflect on their early days and share some advice on how to build a career and life in this industry. Here are their wise words:

John Vlastelica: Know the business cold

John Vlastelica, founder of management consulting firm Recruiting Toolbox, has more than two decades of experience in the field, and his advice is simple: “Get curious about the business earlier.”

John stresses how important it is for recruiters starting out to have deep knowledge about the business and how it functions. “I need to be able to engage with the business and demonstrate I understand their challenges and talent pain points as a way to build trust and confidence,” he says.  

Knowing the business not only helps you understand the needs of hiring managers, it also helps you engage top talent. “A-players want to know about the work, and sourcing and selling with a generic EVP and job description doesn’t work for that kind of talent,” John says.

John recalls a time in his early 20s when a candidate complimented him on his knowledge of the role. “During a phone screen, an engineering candidate said, ‘Wait, are you the hiring manager or the recruiter? You’re the recruiter, right? Sometimes I can’t tell — you clearly understand what engineers do so well, and I’m not used to that.’ Made. My. Day.”

Jennifer Shappley: Get curious and be patient

Jennifer Shappley, VP of global talent acquisition at LinkedIn, would encourage her younger self to develop two traits in particular: curiosity and patience.

“Take the time early in your career to learn as much as you can,” she says. After all, at this point in your career “no one expects you to know it all, so take advantage and reach out to others for advice and show interest in what they do.” Pick the brains of your manager and teammates, as well as coworkers and stakeholders on other teams that influence your work. And don’t limit your efforts to your company alone: “Get involved in professional groups outside of your organization to help give you an even broader perspective,” Jennifer recommends.

Patience is also key. “You’re building a career, not just a job,” Jennifer says. “Take the time to gain experiences that will give you a wide set of knowledge and skills. Moving slower, with intention, earlier in your career can unlock massive opportunities down the road.”

Stephanie Payne: Build your toolbox

Stephanie Payne is SVP and CHRO of Sodexo North America. And she believes that young professionals should pay attention when opportunities knock. “Some opportunities,” she says, “will seem scary, too big, or not what you were thinking you were going to do next.” Her advice? “Take the risk,” she says, “if you can learn something new.” 

Stephanie believes that new jobs, new companies, and new experiences build your skills toolbox. Not every new role, she notes, will be the right fit. “You can learn something from the wrong job, company, or experience,” she says, “just like you can learn from the perfect match. Decide what you were supposed to learn from it, get that out of it, and move on.” 

Despite her enviable resume, Stephanie had an earlier job that wasn’t a dream match. “While I was working the job,” she says, “I put a plan in place to exit once I got the lesson. Most importantly, I showed up at my best in the very bad experience. So much so that after a year, I actually received a promotion.”  

And, critically, she’d also received the learning.  

“Ultimately,” Stephanie says, “I left the company. But that was my plan all along — to learn, grow, and go.” 

Amy Schultz: Stop comparing yourself to others and gain the confidence to take risks

Amy Schultz leads recruiting for Canva, the Australian tech company that makes innovative design software. Immediately before that, Amy was the senior director of recruiting for LinkedIn’s Product team. But when she was 23, she was “pretty lost” professionally and recruitment “was never on my radar.”

“Recruiting is a calling,” she says, “but it’s like that call from a random number you don’t know whether you should pick up.”

Amy was able to answer that call after she stopped searching for a “proper” job like all her friends had. “I got the confidence to take some risks,” she says. “My career then took off in directions and to countries I never dreamed possible.”

In hindsight, what would she tell her younger self? “Your time will come,” she says, “and you’re going to have the time of your life.”

Lars Schmidt: Give your time and energy to helping others

Lars Schmidt is not only the founder of executive search and talent strategy agency Amplify, he’s also led talent acquisition and employer brand strategy for companies like Hootsuite and NPR. His advice to greenhorns in the field? Be selfless.

“Give freely of your time and help others as often as possible,” Lars says. “Share your mistakes, and what you learned from them. Elevate others over yourself.”

In addition to being generous with your time, Lars advises staying away from any politics. “Don't get caught up in politics or comparing yourself to others,” he says. “Focus on the things you can control: your work product, your relationships, building and adding value to your network, and helping others.”     

Melissa Thompson: Questions will unlock success

Melissa Thompson is an SVP at Nielsen who leads the company’s talent acquisition efforts. Widely respected in the industry, Melissa is a member of the board of directors for the Association of Talent Acquisition Professionals.  

To our question about advice to her younger self, Melissa answers with a slew of questions. “Asking questions,” she tells her younger self, “will be a key to your success.”

Melissa sees clearly how the right questions will propel recruiters forward. “When a hiring manager gives you a vague description of what they need,” she says, “dig deeper and clarify the needs. This will allow you to go fast.” 

Melissa encourages her younger self to leverage the skills she learned in high school debate to probe for understanding and clarity. “When a candidate dodges your question or fails to provide a complete answer,” she says, “follow up and get specifics. This will help you short-list top talent.”  

And it could also help you become top talent yourself.

Jessica Miller-Merrell: Remember that a career in HR is a marathon, not a sprint

Jessica Miller-Merrell’s distinguished career in HR and entrepreneurship has been defined by what she calls “a series of happy accidents,” and this has shaped how she thinks about career growth.

The founder of Workology, speaker, and author says to “go with the flow and be open to the universe placing new opportunities in your path. Take time to explore them and don't rush to judgment. Your career in HR is a marathon and not a sprint.”

But having patience doesn’t mean waiting around for something to happen. Jessica emphasizes that you must also be “persistent to seek out knowledge, information, relationships, and opportunities."

Ed Nathanson: Focus on the people above all else

Ed Nathanson, the VP of talent and talent branding at EQRx, wants to remind his younger self that recruiting and HR is the business of people.

Always keep in mind that this is a people profession, first and foremost,” he says. “You can’t compare what this profession will be like to any other jobs your friends or colleagues may have as there really is no other job in corporate America like it – so don’t even try.”

Ed also says to be prepared for a roller coaster of emotions. “Don’t expect a lot of ‘congrats,’” he says, “and always know that there will be as many bad days as there are good — because when your product is people there is no way to predict accurately what each situation will bring — no matter how hard you try.”

Despite all that, Ed says, “If you focus on people and their experiences above all else, you will really love this gig in the end and the impact you can have on people’s lives.”

Chris Hoyt: Invest in what excites you

As the president of CareerXroads, a community of recruiting and talent acquisition professionals, Chris Hoyt has helped many people at a crossroads in their lives. His advice is about finding that spark within recruiting and then putting all of your energy toward it.

“Chase what really gets your heart pumping,” Chris says. “There are countless channels within recruiting and human resources that are careers in and of themselves. Find an aspect that really motivates you and form an opinion or two and stand by them while still being open to hearing any opposition.”

Chris also believes in the power of continuing education. “Don’t underestimate the value of continuous learning and collaboration among trusted mentors, peers, friends, and family,” he says. “Never stop learning, taking deep breaths, and reevaluating everything.”

Lou Adler: Don’t go into recruiting or HR . . . at first

Industry veteran Lou Adler has some counterintuitive, but powerful advice: Don’t begin your career in recruiting or HR. “The best HR people I’ve met didn’t start out in HR,” Lou says. “They started out in some other department — it could have been operations, distribution, finance, or accounting.”

Lou believes that to ensure long-term success in HR or recruiting, it’s essential to “understand what it is like from the perspective of a line manager in that field,” he says. “And then when you get into HR, if that’s your calling, you will appreciate what those people have to go through. When you don’t have that appreciation, you see the world of compliance, rules, and regulations and that’s fundamentally counterproductive to that line manager’s business.”

For recruiting specifically, Lou says to remember you’re serving two buyers: the candidate and the hiring manager. And if you’re pursuing recruiting to go into HR, don’t. “Recruiting is not something you do as a step to get into HR,” Lou counsels. “Recruiting is something you do to affect a person’s life and put them on the right career trajectory.”

Brendan Browne: Don’t play it safe

Finally, Brendan Browne, the head of leadership and executive talent at Y Combinator and the former head of recruiting at LinkedIn, shares that now is the time to go big.

“Take much bigger risks,” Brendan says. “You’re at a time in your life where you have the opportunity to do big things, chase your dreams, ignore conventional wisdom, be fearless –— great things never happen by going the safe route.”

Final thought

There you have it: Several lifetimes of advice from some of the best in the business wrapped into a twelve-minute read. Ideally, these ideas will help you avoid any major pitfalls as you start down the path of helping others find their paths. And if you’ve already got a few years under your belt, know that it’s never too late to keep refining your approach.

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