Shayne, Director of Recruitment and Operations at Galileo Learning: Advize Career Interview
A lifelong passion for service propelled a remarkable career journey from volunteer work assisting the homeless to leading large-scale recruitment efforts at Teach for America and Galileo Learning.
This individual's success, including achieving top recruiter status nationally, showcases the ability to scale impact and consistently exceed expectations while managing multi-million dollar budgets and large teams.
The interview reveals the vital importance of people skills, critical thinking, and the capacity to seamlessly shift between strategic vision and granular detail in recruitment.
A fulfilling career highlight is the positive impact on candidates' lives, offering job opportunities and facilitating career advancement.
Challenges are addressed head-on, employing constant adaptation and experimentation to overcome obstacles like high employee attrition in seasonal roles.
The education industry's diverse career paths and the ability to make a meaningful contribution are emphasized, advocating for passion and resilience.
Advice to aspiring professionals includes embracing diverse software solutions and identifying transferable skills from various backgrounds, such as sales or teaching.
The interview concludes with numerous entry-level recommendations, highlighting the diverse pathways to a fulfilling career in recruitment within a chosen industry.
Advizer Information
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Job Title
Company
Undergrad
Grad Programs
Majors
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Job Functions
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Shayne Walton
Director of Recruitment and Operations
Galileo Learning
UCLA
Relay Graduate School of Education - MA, Teaching, UCLA Anderson - MBA
Political Science, American Studies
Education
Human Resources (HR)
Worked 20+ Hours in School, Greek Life Member
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Career Path Of Director Of Recruitment And Operations At Galileo Learning
Shayne's career path reflects a lifelong passion for service and "making a big impact," starting with early volunteer work and culminating in a successful career in recruitment. From unpaid internships assisting the homeless to leading recruitment teams at Teach for America and Galileo Learning, where they now recruit over 2,600 summer staff members, their journey showcases a remarkable ability to scale impact and consistently exceed expectations, including being "the top recruiter in the country" at TFA.
Main Responsibilities of a Director of Recruitment and Operations at Galileo Learning
Shayne's main responsibilities as Director of Recruitment at Galileo Learning encompass managing a team of four to six direct reports, overseeing a large-scale recruitment process ("15,000 applicants, a $100,000 budget"), and setting the overall vision and direction for recruitment strategies, including vendor selection, college outreach, and diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) metrics; this also includes long-term strategic planning to ensure scalability and success ("where will Galileo be five years down the line").
A Day In The Life Of A Director Of Recruitment And Operations At Galileo Learning
A Director of Recruitment and Operations at Galileo Learning starts each day with a short, strategic stand-up meeting to adapt recruitment strategies quickly, followed by a series of check-ins with various teams and partners, allocating dedicated work time to address roadblocks and complete action steps from meetings; the afternoon involves candidate reviews, interviews, and troubleshooting, reflecting the "on-call" nature of management.
Most Important Skills for a Director of Recruitment and Operations at Galileo Learning
Shayne, a Director of Recruitment and Operations, emphasizes the importance of "people skills and relatability," alongside the ability to "operate in gray space" and think critically. This is complemented by strong operational skills, using systems and data analysis to remove impediments for their team, and the crucial ability to shift perspective from a "10,000-foot view" to granular detail, a skill particularly valuable in balancing strategic vision with execution.
Favorite Parts Of Being A Director Of Recruitment And Operations At Galileo Learning
Shayne, Director of Recruitment and Operations at Galileo Learning, finds the most rewarding aspect of the role is "giving people a job," citing the profound impact on candidates' lives, from offering "their first job ever" to facilitating "a significant step up in income." This ability to positively change lives through the recruitment process is what makes the career most fulfilling.
Biggest Challenges Faced By a Director of Recruitment and Operations at Galileo Learning
Shayne's biggest challenge as Director of Recruitment at Galileo Learning is recruiting entry-level seasonal employees; the company's inability to offer "top of market" pay, coupled with high "attrition" due to candidates ghosting or accepting other offers, creates significant difficulties in filling positions, even with a large applicant pool. This necessitates constant adaptation and "trial and error" to find committed candidates passionate about STEM education.
Favorite Parts Of Working In Education As A Director Of Recruitment And Operations
Shayne, Director of Recruitment and Operations at Galileo Learning, finds the education industry rewarding because of its diverse career paths and the opportunity to make a meaningful impact; Shayne highlights the "heart work" involved in ensuring that "if we hire the right people...kids are gonna have a great time," particularly referencing Galileo's scholarship-driven STEM camps for low-income students.
What Type Of Person Thrives In The Education Industry, According To A Director Of Recruitment And Operations At Galileo Learning
Shayne, a Director of Recruitment and Operations at Galileo Learning, identifies passion as crucial for success in education, stating that individuals must be "deeply passionate about the work." The ability to be "wildly driven" and resilient in the face of daily challenges—from teaching setbacks to failed recruitment strategies—is key to thriving in this industry.
What A Director Of Recruitment And Operations At Galileo Learning Wishes They Had Known Before Entering The Education Industry
Shayne, a Director of Recruitment and Operations, advises aspiring professionals to be open to experimenting with different software solutions, stating, "try every software, figure out what's gonna make your life easier," because a willingness to "fail and make mistakes" ultimately leads to improvements, as seen with their team's successful adoption of Asana for recruitment despite initial challenges.
Entry-Level Positions For Aspiring Recruiters
Shayne, a Director of Recruitment and Operations, highlights diverse entry-level options for undergraduates interested in recruitment, including "recruitment internships" and roles like recruitment coordinator, where one might "be scheduling interviews" for basic positions. Their own career trajectory, starting in teaching and transitioning through roles with titles like "recruitment manager" which can vary widely across companies, underscores the transferability of skills from related fields like sales and even teaching, emphasizing that "anything you want to do that is deeply within the industry your passionate about" is a viable path.
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