In this edition of our KM Career Spotlight, we sat down for a quick Q&A with Jamie Orf, our Vice President — East & Central Region . We’re excited to share a bit about her unique career path and background at KM that is so inspiring to so many of us!
How did you begin your career at KellyMitchell?
“I remember the exact time and place I received the job offer and took the leap of faith!” Jamie reflected on a transitional time in her career, at which point she realized she was seeking a more fulfilling, purposeful role, and decided to give KellyMitchell a shot.
Jamie had stumbled upon a KellyMitchell job posting for a recruiter role online — and even though the position was not exactly what she had envisioned for her professional “next steps,” she was intrigued by the staffing industry and the rewarding thought of being able to help people find their dream jobs.
After an interview with Kim Paxton, now Executive Vice President, and Mark LoCigno, our president and co-founder, Jamie had an inkling she was stepping into something special — and she never looked back! “Life is pretty freaking good here. I am not going anywhere unless they kick me out!”
How has your career evolved since joining the company?
“You don’t always know what next steps even exist, but if you get really good at what you do today, opportunities will present themselves.” Jamie shared her “non-traditional” career evolution at KM, from starting out as a recruiter, quickly moving into her Team Lead role, and then jumping headfirst into a very different opportunity within KM as Director of Organization and Talent Development.
In that role, Jamie led our HR, administrative, and internal talent acquisition teams. “I am so grateful to have been able to experience another side of the business and the hard work that goes on behind the scenes.”
For those of us who know Jamie, we’re not surprised that although she was a fantastic leader and grew an impeccable team on the HR side, she missed the client-facing fun of staffing! She shifted back to sales where she grew and led the St. Louis team as Director of Sales and was recently promoted to Vice President – East & Central Region.
How do you typically spend your days in your current role?
“We’re a training organization, so my time is spent coaching and developing our teams from St. Louis, Atlanta, Chicago, Columbus and Cincinnati.” Jamie is also very involved with internal hiring at KellyMitchell and enjoys meeting a wide variety of candidates.
She explains that “typical days” semi-exist because of the great rhythm her team is in. Her team always kicks off the morning together to ensure they are walking away with the tools needed to be successful in delivering the best talent for our clients — connecting the right people with the right opportunities.
Jamie finds excitement in the ever-evolving environment and embraces change. She thrives on the new challenges and scenarios that pop up every single day due to the constant state of self-assessment, always asking “What can we do differently? What can we do better?”
Why do you choose to stay in the staffing industry?
“I am someone who thrives at a fast pace and a certain amount of pressure. I like to be stretched towards big goals and feel like I am in control of my success. I also know myself well enough to realize I need to feel a real purpose behind all of my hard work.”
Jamie expressed her love of the exciting sales environment along with the fulfillment of making a lasting impact on peoples’ lives. “There are a lot of careers that have one component or the other, but typically not both.” Jamie is motivated by making a difference and loves collaborating with people across KM, as well as with our client partners — “It’s never boring.”
What do you enjoy most about KellyMitchell?
“The list is endless. But really, it’s the people and the growth opportunities.” Jamie has been with KellyMitchell for 12 years, which may seem like a long time to many! For Jamie though, the time has flown by with our organization’s big focus on growth.
“Growth leads to a lot of advancement opportunities for individuals (myself included). I have been so fortunate to be here as we’ve grown and find myself earning opportunities to cultivate my own career.” While we do have well-defined career paths at KellyMitchell, Jamie recognizes that what is even more thrilling is the undefined career paths that result from hard work and the growth that is achieved.
“I have held multiple positions that didn’t exist when I started. They were established based on the fact additional structure within our team was required to support our growth. This not only makes KellyMitchell incredibly special, but it is also incredibly rewarding.”
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We’re so thankful for the rockstar impact that Jamie makes on our team! If you’re interested in learning about open positions at KellyMitchell, connect with us!