e m p l o y e e m a t t e r s |
5
Often, the first impression people get of Aflac comes
from our Talent Acquisition department. This is the
team of employees who screen, interview and hire
new employees.
Jonathan Barron
is a recruiting
specialist inTA, and it’s his job to support the recruiter
by performing tasks such as screening candidates
and phone interviews. After each interview, he then
determines if the candidate should be referred for an
interview with a Corporate Recruiter.
Jonathan is a recent hire in the area, so
he is well aware of the stress of a looking
for a new job. “I want to be a recruiter, but
didn’t have the qualifcations I needed for
the job,” says Jonathan. “I took a lateral
move to start out in an entry level posi-
tion in the area so I could gain the skills
I need to get to the job I want.” Jonathan
has been in his new position a year and is
happywith his choice. “Take advantage of
the opportunities that Afac gives you. If
you don’t have the qualifcations for your
dream job, it doesn’t mean you can’t get
them and move to where you want to go.
It may take time, but you can get there.”
Jonathan and others in the TA depart-
ment are our frst line of review. Because
he screens candidates, he is the frst im-
pression that many potential employees
get of Afac. He says it is his job to make
sure that the candidate walks away with a
positive experience — even if they aren’t
ofered the job. One of the ways he does
that is by conveying the Afac culture and
by looking for someone who can easily
adapt to that.
“Afac is an insurance company. We deal
with customers who are often down on
their luck. The frst thing I look for is
someone who can empathize with them.”
Once Jonathan has determined that a
candidate should receive an interview,
he refers them to a Corporate Recruit-
er, like
Sonya Henderson
. Sonya’s job
is to partner with the business unit of
the hiring area to discuss the recruit-
ing strategy, source candidates, review
resumes and perform interviews, make
recommendations to the hiring manag-
er and extend an offer.
Sonya knows that she can make or break
a person’s image of Afac. “We are a well-
respected company,” she says. “I try to
make it a positive experience by educat-
ing candidates on our culture and by al-
ways embodying The Afac Way.” But her
favorite part of the job is extending an of-
fer. “I take a lot of pride in ofering some-
one a job. It makesme feel like I did some-
thing to help Afac accomplish its goal of
hiring the best talent that’s out there.”
When completing a resume, Sonya rec-
ommends employees look at how closely
their job skills match with the position
they are interested in and to list them on
their resume. Resumes should be con-
cise, no more than one or two pages. And
“don’t be afraid to brag on yourself,” she
says. “Highlight your signifcant accom-
plishments. Be proud of them!”
• Identify what you
really want to do.
• Work with your supervisor
to create an Individual
Development Plan (IDP).
• Job shadow someone who
has the job you want if
scheduling allows.
• Determine what skills are
needed for the job you want
and go out and get them
through:
»
»
Harvard ManageMentor
classes
»
»
Corporate Learning classes
»
»
A degree
• Get a mentor
(both internal and external).
• Take ownership of your
development. Don’t wait for
your supervisor to approach
you with ideas.
• Ask for feedback and be open
to constructive criticism.
• Have a professional image
every day, not just on
interview day.
• Partner with HR for a mock
interview to prepare for the
interview process.
“Take advantage of the opportunities
that Aflac gives you”
– J onathan B arron
Tips
t o g e t t i n g the
job you want: