From Resume Writer to HR Queen: My Passion Journey

I always grew up knowing that I wanted to be in the Business field. My parents own a business and I grew up appreciating the power of business and the opportunities it not only provides to the business owners, but also the the opportunities it provides to the employees. At the University of Florida, I studied Business Management. It was a very broad major and I was exposed to various functions of business such as Accounting, Marketing, Finance and Operations. I was also exposed to Human Resources. I enjoyed the class and got an A but never really thought about it much after the class had ended. I was very focused on getting an internship before I graduated. I was constantly at the Career Resource Center on campus doing interviews with various companies, tweaking my interviewing skills and perfecting my resume. In my senior year I was hired as an Intern for the City of Gainesville. It was a great experience and it was PAID. It felt great. I also had a job as an Administrative Assistant for a grad school Professor who taught Organizational Behavior. Another HR-related function. Still no light bulbs yet.

Fast forward to my first full time job in August 2011. I graduated with a Business Management degree but no clue what I wanted to do so I started in a Customer Service role at a contact lens distributor that hired only recent college grads. I knew during my interview that I would absolutely hate the job, but I also knew I needed a foot in the door at a good company, so I struggled through it for eight months while looking for other opportunities in other departments.

Within eight months, I was promoted to an Accounting role. I was happy to be doing something different but eventually became very unhappy. During this time, I had somehow developed a reputation among friends and family as the go-to person for resume updates and interview prep help. I was writing interview-securing resumes for free and giving out advice on how to dress and prep for interviews.

Two years out of undergrad, it was time to start thinking about grad school so I really racked my brain about what it is I wanted to do. I already had an idea of what I did not want to do, so what did I want? I knew I really enjoyed writing resumes and professional development but how would that translate into a career path?

I did what any millennial would do, I took it to Google and started researching. It was on this search that the words Human Resources popped up and the light bulb finally went off in my head. It all made sense!

I went to grad school while still working full time and studied Human Resources Management. My passion for the field grew more and more each semester. I eventually started my first HR job and fast forward 5 years and 3 companies later, I am still in love with HR. I have been able to advance quite quickly because I am not only passionate but adept. I am interested in my field. I am constantly reading and in tune with trends in my field. I am always striving to grow and develop. Loving what you do is an awesome feeling and I hope everyone will be able to find their passion and make it a career.

How did you find your passion? Comment below or email me at kelli@klanehr.com to be featured!