I think 2018 was my biggest year in terms of personal growth. Over the past few years I grew a lot as a professional, as I consistently took on more and more challenging roles and learned so much more about HR than I thought I would by this point in my career!
I’m using a new goal setting tool for 2019 called the Power Sheets, by Cultivate What Matters. Part of the exercises while preparing to set 2019 goals included to write down accomplishments, what went well and what could have gone better. When I wrote out the accomplishments, I was honestly surprised to see the length! Not because I didn’t think I could have done it all, but because I didn’t realize how much had really been done. I was SO PROUD! As I mentioned in my last blog post, I haven’t been taking the time I should to reflect during the year , celebrate the wins, as well as adjust what isn’t working.
Blog – I got ClairePetrieHR.com going in December, but didn’t post by first blog until January 17th. My first blog post was about the first LinkedIn video I had done, and what the experience was like. Creating and sharing LinkedIn videos this year has brought me so much opportunity. Can you believe that I was afraid of being on camera? The more I practiced, the more I loved it! And now, I’m even comfortable speaking on camera in front of other people.
Conferences – Around mid-January I had also found out that I was invited to be a #SHRM18 blogger. I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t. I had never even been to an annual conference, or known that the blog squad was an actual group. In years’ past I had followed the great posts on the SHRM blog about the various conferences, but thought it would be years until I was able to afford to go, or find an employer that would support my journey and experience there. (If you missed my picture slide show from the conference, you can see it here!) What an experience of a life-time. I met so many wonderful HR pros in person who I looked up to on social media. I made so many friends, learned so much, and had so much FUN! Being able to go to #NYSHRM18 in September and #SHRMLead in October rounded out my conference experiences for the year. While at #NYSHRM18, I won a free conference registration for #NYSHRM19 for being the most engaged on social media. I’m incredibly grateful to have that expense paid for, and have had the opportunity to bring together so many HR pros during the conference from my live tweeting efforts!
Podcasts – Never did I think I’d ever be featured on a podcast, let alone 6 during 2018! Thanks to my friend Hishem Azzouz for inviting me to be one of the first guests on his podcast, and helping me get comfortable with the whole idea! He was so welcoming and made sure our conversation flowed. I loved the experience and couldn’t wait to do it again.
Personal brand – There is so much that goes into this one, but I truly believe that having a digital presence is crucial to sharing and growing your personal brand. Although you certainly have a brand without a digital presence, being active on LinkedIn and Twitter this year allowed people to get to know me, and be able to reach out to me! I was able to have so many Zoom calls with people from all over the world who I would have otherwise never met. We shared stories, advice and our expertise to help each other grow. To everyone who has hopped on a call with me this year, I am so grateful for you. Thank you for allowing me to be a small piece of your journey and success! Along with this, I attended a lot more events than I ever have. I went to New York City’s LinkedIn local event in April and ended up meeting a career coach who is now a dear friend of mind, and a personal brand coach who I ended up hiring! I also attended and helped put together 3 LinkedIn locals in Buffalo that were a huge success. Through having a strong presence online and in my community, I was able to grow and strengthen professional relationships.
Organizations – I was able to expand on the work I was already doing with the UB School of Management and DisruptHR Buffalo, as well as join some new organizations! I joined UB’s Young Alumni Leadership Council (YALC) which has been so much fun. Networking with other alumni, volunteering in the community, and gaining exposure throughout the UB community. After joining the YALC, I was invited by the UB Alumni Association to present my very first webinar in October and I received really positive feedback from it. I look forward to doing more webinars in the future! I also started on the board of my local SHRM Chapter BNHRA as Secretary in June, and as of January 1st will assume the position of Professional Development Director. I’m so excited to use my network in the Buffalo community to bring great speakers and content that our members will find valuable.
Certification – Passing the SHRM-CP December 1st was the cherry on top of a great year. My HR Director also took the SHRM-SCP in December and passed. I am so happy for her. It also felt really good to be recognized by our CEO for getting the certifications, and knowing that he sees value in the certs and all the knowledge we have gained during the study process.
Work – To wrap up, my first year in the staffing world was a success! All year it was a hot topic people would ask me about: why leave corporate HR after all of these years to go over to the agency side? I met my current boss at a “Women in Leadership” networking event in the spring of 2017 and we clicked really well. At the end of 2017, she told me there was an opening on her team and I knew it would be a great fit. The culture, leadership and flexibility were all things I really needed in my next position. I also have a passion for, and am really good at recruiting and client management! I love to consult and train, and in my current role I can do this both with my candidates and companies I recruit for. People often assume working at an agency means entry-level/unskilled temporary staffing. I handle difficult positions at the professional level that are direct-hire, and partner with companies who are serious about hiring and retaining top talent. It’s the best decision I could have made. I feel accomplished, valued, and the work is so rewarding. I know there will be even more growth and opportunity within the company this coming year too (:
This is much longer than I intended it to be, but it was a great exercise for myself. I think it’s important that I take the time to be proud of a great year! Next year though, I’m going to make sure to celebrate the wins and reflect on them along the way (: I hope you do too! I can’t wait to read about your success!
Claire is Coaching 