Until recently, I wasn’t sure what I wanted to be when I grew up. When I graduated from the University of North Carolina at Wilmington in May of 2013, we were still recovering from a recession and it was difficult to find a job. I decided to move back home and took a position in sales while I did some soul searching.
Fast forward one year, I was in Raleigh having lunch with a friend who told me about a job opening for a recruiter position in the area. While I didn’t know much about recruiting, the industry sounded exciting to me. I love interacting with people and learning about who they are, where they’ve come from and where they want to go. This seemed like a perfect opportunity for me because it allowed me to focus on my strengths. A career in Human Resources wasn’t something I had even thought of before, but I was willing to give it a try and see where it would take me.
In September of 2015, I joined Coleman Research as a Recruiting Associate. Since then, I have been promoted to Senior Human Resources Associate. While I’ve had the opportunity to work on several HR initiatives, my primary focus has been on recruiting and often I am a candidate’s first impression of the company. Through my exposure to Human Resources at Coleman, I have been able to confirm my interest in pursuing a career in the field. Therefore, as a next step, I decided to get my Professional in Human Resources (PHR) certification and take advantage of our Educational Assistance Program. Through this, Coleman offers $1000 per year to all employees who have been with the company for a year or longer to help contribute to the cost of continuing education. This is a great way for employees to develop professionally without spending a lot of money to do so.
After months and months of studying laws, standard business practices and memorizing terms, I finally passed the test and received my PHR certification – what a relief! The best part of it all was that I didn’t have to pay for it. It’s comforting to know that I work for a company that cares about my professional development and is willing to invest in my career.