Career Path of a Senior Recruiter at Career Group Companies
Nicole's career journey, beginning with a journalism degree and internships in community relations and sports public relations, transitioned through junior account executive roles in Denver and LA advertising agencies, where "the main aspects of the job were account management," ultimately leading to a senior recruiter position at Career Group Companies, leveraging transferable skills from previous roles. The transition into recruiting was a natural progression, built on experience in interviewing, client management, and project coordination.
Career Exploration, Account Management, Project Coordination, Communication Skills, Recruiting
Advizer Information
Name
Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
Industries
Job Functions
Traits
Nicole Bouchard
Senior Recruiter
Career Group Companies
University of Colorado, Boulder
N/A
Creative Writing, Journalism
Recruitment, HR & Related Professional Services
Sales and Client Management
Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member
Video Highlights
1. Nicole's career path demonstrates the transferability of skills across different industries. Starting in journalism, she transitioned to advertising and then recruiting, leveraging her communication, project management, and client interaction abilities.
2. Her internships in news, public relations, and sports provided valuable experience and helped her explore different career options before committing to a specific path. This highlights the importance of experiential learning.
3. Nicole's current role as a Senior Recruiter utilizes skills developed in previous positions, emphasizing the value of diverse professional experiences and career exploration. Her journey showcases that a traditional career path isn't always linear; adaptability and skill transferability can lead to successful career transitions.
Transcript
Could you walk me through your career path, starting with your experiences in college and internships or jobs you had before your current role?
I graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder with a degree in journalism and media studies. During college, after my first year, I interned at Channel 9 News in Denver, where I focused on community relations.
Following that, I transitioned into a public relations internship for a lacrosse team, working in sports public relations. I was exploring if that was a path I wanted to pursue.
After my internships, I began applying for jobs and landed my first role at an advertising agency in Denver. I worked as a junior account executive, which essentially meant I was a project coordinator. I collaborated with the creative team to oversee projects and also worked directly with clients. My clients were in the automotive industry, so I was using my journalism degree in that advertising role.
Then, I started applying for jobs in Los Angeles and moved there about a year later. At another advertising agency, I also worked as a junior account executive. I supported two account managers, and we focused on the consumer packaged goods (CPG) sector.
This included working with beauty clients and CPG food and beverage. The agency worked directly with clients under the Unilever umbrella, which was a fantastic experience.
I eventually became a candidate at my current company, Career Group Companies. I realized that while I loved advertising, the core aspects of my job involved account management. This meant project coordination, working with the creative team, and serving as the liaison between clients and the creative team.
The recruiting firm asked if I had ever considered recruiting. They noted how my background in journalism, interviewing, media studies, advertising, and account management all aligned with a career in recruiting.
I interviewed with Career Group Companies, and they essentially recruited me to become a recruiter. I've been there for five and a half years now. My initial title was Account Executive, which was more sales-driven than directly working with clients.
I do full-desk recruiting, which involves business development and sales, and then I recruit for those specific open positions. In recruiting, I interview and screen candidates daily, then present them to my clients. I'm doing something similar to my old jobs, managing many moving pieces to help place people in open positions, though not necessarily in the creative space.