What area do you work in within the VPFA portfolio?

I work in Human Resources, Finance and Administration Shared Services (FASS).

What is your current position, and what are your job responsibilities?

My current position is Recruitment Specialist. My job is to serve as an HR facilitator and search advocate to provide recruitment resources, service, and expertise to all units supported by FASS. Responsibilities include coordinating full-cycle recruitment, facilitating meetings, communicating with applicants, etc. The goal is to ensure searches are conducted fairly and efficiently, and unit staffing needs are fulfilled.

What has been your career path; how did you end up in your current position?

I studied English in mainland China and Hong Kong for my degrees. While I wasn’t clear about my career after graduate school, an HR generalist internship opportunity came up to me. In the internship that later became my job, I found my passion in people and recruitment. I then changed my career to recruitment consulting. (Then I quit my job, moved back to China, and became a YouTuber with 38K subscribers. That’s a whole different story.)

In 2021, I moved to the U.S. with my husband. I applied for my current position on the closing date when I happened to see the posting. I felt lucky as it aligned perfectly with my experience and passion. I have been here for three years now and I can’t think of a better place to be.

All in all, somehow I ended up somewhere I never imagined eight years ago as a fresh graduate, but I love it. My social media bio is “Just go with the flow and the rest will follow”. I guess that explains my career path!

What do you like about your current position?

The biggest thing I like about my current position is the wide variety of people I work with and learn from. From recruiting Trades professionals to IT professionals, from recruiting for the Police Department to the Child Care Center, I’m always making new connections and picking up new knowledge in fields I never set foot in before. As a recent immigrant to the U.S., what can be a better way to learn about America than doing what I do?

Share a little about yourself personally:

• Family: My family is in China. I’m an only child but I have a lot of cousins. My husband’s family is in Oregon and Alaska and we visit each other often. My husband and I adopted a senior cat a year ago. We named her Edamame.
• Favorite food: Authentic Sichuan cuisine, without question.

How do you want to be remembered?

Just like my name - simple, bright, resilient, fresh as a daisy!

(Original spotlight: June 2023. Updated August 2024)