Have you met Meghan Thesing? She is a celebrity at KellyMitchell! Meghan is the Managing Director of our Chicago and Columbus markets. Meghan's extraordinary personality, sense of humor, and professional expertise bring so much value to our team. We had the opportunity to sit down with Meghan for a Q&A where she shared some insight into the staffing industry and specifically, how KellyMitchell goes above and beyond.
How did you begin your career at KellyMitchell?
“After graduating from college, I began my staffing career at a different company. It was a completely different approach than KM. Recruiters simply submitted candidates into different MSPs — or managed service provider systems. I was building automated campaigns and didn't speak with anyone on the phone. I loved the staffing portion, but I was missing a personal sense of fulfillment.”
Meghan then joined KellyMitchell. As a CEM at KellyMitchell, Meghan’s goals are to drive new relationships, new business, new clients, and new opportunities. Meghan’s passion for being able to interact personally with clients is prevalent throughout our entire conversation.
KellyMitchell provides the right IT talent and teams our clients need by understanding their priorities and expectations. Our priority is to develop impactful, lasting relationships — deep connections. This is not always an easy feat to accomplish in business partnerships! We asked Meghan how she prioritizes this.
When you manage client relationships, what is key to maintaining a good relationship?
“Honesty, transparency, and building and maintaining relationships are most important in the staffing industry — and, being a sponge. Having a natural curiosity can help you stay one step ahead of being successful when partnering with clients.”
KellyMitchell serves as the trusted advisor — an extension — of clients’ teams, so we support exactly what they are looking for. Clients have different initiatives. Success looks unique to each client. Meghan shares, “We slot in the right profile into the teams to alleviate some stress and take off the workload so teams can continue to grow and succeed.” Reciprocating commitment helps to build a successful partnership.
It’s important to have an open and honest line of communication which can be challenging to accomplish in any relationship. But, Meghan emphasizes this is key in the staffing industry.
What are the qualities that help individuals thrive in staffing?
“Intrinsic motivation. No two days are alike in staffing. It is a roller-coaster, which makes it an interesting and fun industry to be in. You will not feel stagnate in whatever role you are in.” In any industry, intrinsic motivation will help you succeed, but especially in staffing.
“Creativity. This doesn’t mean you need to be the best artist. I mean creativity by trying something new and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone.” Meghan prioritizes this personally and professionally with her team! Individuality makes a huge difference when connecting with clients and building internal relationships.
“Hard work. If you work hard, you can write your own career journey at KellyMitchell.” KM gives our team members the tools and training to build a strong foundation — whether it’s in business services or operations. The opportunities are endless.
Speaking of building a strong foundation, the concept of “soft skills” or personal attributes that enable you to interact successfully with other people continues to trend within the staffing industry. We took this opportunity to ask Meghan her thoughts on this.
What are your thoughts on the increasing prevalence of soft skills in recruitment?
“There are both positives and challenges that arise from this. It’s incredible because individuals can have the opportunity to enter the tech industry despite not checking off every technical skill on the list. The challenge comes when an individual feels character is more important than technical qualifications.”
At the IT level KM staffs, Meghan recognizes certain roles require proficiency in hard skills to be successful. For example, software developers need to know the different coding languages required for certain projects or understand the ins and outs of artificial intelligence.
The topic of AI and its applications have been building prevalence everywhere it seems. Have you seen the robots gliding through grocery stores? That’s AI! And, it has fully immersed itself in the staffing industry as well.
How do current trends in AI and automation play a role in staffing?
“The staffing industry relies on people. Artificial intelligence and automation play a role in staffing. When integrated intentionally, both can be a huge value-add to an organization.”
KellyMitchell has been an early adopter of a variety of technology and applications. A guiding principle we adopted early on is that technology can help enhance how people work, but it cannot replace them. AI can help recruiters save time by pre-screening candidates and their talent, and so on. It also has an unintended benefit — it is a step in minimizing bias.
Meghan shares that “AI is helpful but at the end of the day, recruiters are necessary.” Jobs and careers are such a huge part of individuals’ lives, so it’s important to still have a personal connection to discuss their futures. Recruiters working together with AI technology can save time and help fill positions more efficiently.
What makes KellyMitchell stand out in the staffing industry?
“As a director in the Chicago and Columbus markets, my focus is on leading my team to ensure we continue to grow and provide the best opportunities for our candidates and outcomes for our clients. We are always working to spread our consultant and client base and maintain diversity in our markets. Working at KM, I have an amazing sense of fulfillment creating relationships and growing and welcoming new team members to KellyMitchell.”
Meghan’s team shared a fun story — They said they feel a bit like they’re in scene from The Lion King when she welcomes a new technical recruiter or client engagement manager to join the team. The one where Mufasa says “Look, Simba, everything the light touches is our kingdom?” Meghan introduces Chicago like that.
You can see every incredible skyrise from the office, and Meghan will say, “look at those buildings. There is opportunity out there. It is our job to go out there, recognize the need for talent, and match the right individual to the initiatives.” Meghan’s fantastic sense of humor and motivation is never lacking!
As you can tell from Meghan’s fantastic sense of humor, we love the work we do, and we have fun doing it.
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As an award-winning staffing company, KellyMitchell continues to grow and make a difference for our employees, candidates, and clients! We are always thrilled to connect and meet new people.
Looking to partner with us or join Meghan’s team? Connect with Meghan on LinkedIn!
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