COLLEAGUE SPOTLIGHT: Amy Castoro, Irimi Group
Briefly tell readers your story. Give a bit of backdrop on how long you have recruited, and when you started seeing a change in the recruitment industry. Lead into when you started writing resumes and what made you decide writing was the best choice. Lastly, how long have you been writing resumes and how is it going thus far? Did adding the service end up being the lifeline you needed?
I have been a recruiter for more than 20 years. After graduating with a Bachelor’s in Organizational Psychology I joined a retained search firm which specialized in recruiting for the financial and consulting industries. I was then accepted into the Walt Disney Company Human Resources Management Training program and ultimately joined their staffing department. After five years I joined Grant Thornton as a Staff Consultant conducted senior level recruiting assignments for our clients. Four years later I joined the Adecco Corporation as a National Sales Recruiter hiring middle to senior level sales management. My spouse’s position was relocated to Pennsylvania and I joined Salveson Stetson, a Retained Executive Search firm where I have worked on assignment for the past five years. In November 2008 my recruiting work began to decline and I could see I was going to have to reinvent myself to adapt to the new economy in which there were more candidates than positions.
Since the decline of the recruiting industry I, like many of my peers, have launched my own business (www.irimigroup.com) offering career services. After more than 15 years experience as a recruiter assessing leadership qualities in candidates I realized I am well positioned to help candidates see where their breakdowns are and how they present themselves, or said another way, how their presence can help or hinder them in their interviews or their career in general. My approach is unique in that it is based on the principals of Somatics, or focusing on the congruence between what we say, and how we say it. Recently I became certified as a Somatic Coach and began offering workshops to help people explore the power of their presence through the interview and resume writing process. Resume writing and interview coaching provide real time processes to observe how someone can sell their experience, establish a connection, coordinate action, capacity to build relationships and establish trust. Their story about why they want a particular job or remain in a particular discipline communicates their passion and commitment. I offer workshops and one-on-one coaching, and conduct speaking engagements. In addition to my own business I work on contract assignments with Right Management, an outplacement firm, delivering resume writing and interview skills workshops. Today my client base includes people who want to gain the competitive edge in an ocean of available talent as they compete for few available positions.
I also offer consulting during the interview process for businesses to help select the best possible candidates from a large pool of available talent. My experience of assessing leadership helps hiring managers avoid the costly mistake of selecting the wrong candidate, or loosing a top tier candidate because of an un-seductive recruiting strategy.
The recruiting industry was hit hard by the balancing of the economy.
My ability to translate my skill as a recruiter into my own business has been the sole reason I am generating income. My career has equally balanced, where now I find myself in a position of being able to give back to candidates. Rather than saying no thank you, I can help them understand how they can present themselves in a more competitive way.
