Monday, October 28, 2013

A glimpse into the life of . . .

          BRIDGET JOHN
I am especially excited for you to "meet" Bridget since she is a former manager of mine and someone I really look up to, both professionally and personally.

I was fortunate to work under her when she was the director of human resources at the Minneapolis Marriott. She has an incredibly kind heart but knows exactly how and when to be firm, and you can't help but to admire and respect her, no matter who you are (I saw this firsthand in a wide variety of people).

She is a fantastic HR professional and is now a senior HR generalist at Andersen Corporation, and what I really like (probably for selfish reasons so I feel better about myself) is that she didn't even know she was interested in the field until quite a few years into her career.

"For the most part of my career I always was an admin and really enjoyed it.  But somewhere along the way, HR interested me from a perspective of helping people. 

When I first started, I really enjoyed the variety of work – it was new and different. A lot of it was administrative, but then it progressed to me wanting to learn more and dealing with employee relations.  I started to take more responsibilities, and through feedback and self-fulfillment realized I was good and had a passion for HR. 

Through hard work, good work ethics and opportunities provided by my managers, I was able to develop my career successfully."

First job ever: Worked in college as an admin in the international office on campus and the audio visual department

First job after college: Receptionist at Minneapolis Marriott
Dream job: Working out of home.  Doing administrative work or something like a meeting planner type – but working out of home.

What advice would you give someone interested in pursuing the same profession? You have to like dealing with people.  Second, do not be so stringent on rules – treat them as guidelines for some occasions when it benefits you to partner with other departments to support a decision that makes sense. 
When its concerning legality or ethics, then yes, don’t budge.

What advice do you wish you could give your 25-year-old self, career-related or just in general? Choose a career that makes you happy and is fulfilling.  Tell your loved ones what you are feeling at the time and never miss an opportunity to say “I love you” to them.  Life is truly too short, so enjoy moments in your life completely and try not to take too much for granted.  If it’s true, tell your children you are lucky to have kids like them, and once in a while ask them how you are doing as parents.

One of the most profound things I learned at a later age that I would pass on to younger people is “the fact that everyone does it one way doesn’t mean it’s the right way.”

What hobbies and activities do you enjoy in your spare time?
-Watching my son play baseball and basketball 
-Reading a book on the deck, enjoying a glass of wine

What is number one on your bucket list? To travel to Ireland and watch U2 play in a small pub

Favorite ice cream flavor: Tie between cookies and cream and tin roof sundae 

Thank you, Bridget!

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