Greater Things

Last week marked 2 months with Regent Bank. Two months since I took a deep breath and turned the page to a chapter that I knew nothing about.

Since January 2016, I had worked for Addison Group--a recruiting firm based out of Chicago, but with a local OKC office. I focused on positions within Information Technology and in July of 2017 I moved to a team with a focus specifically on permanent placement, rather than contract or contract to hire. As the months since that change ticked by, the previous success that I had enjoyed was no longer prevalent. My work ethic didn’t change, I still dialed and strategized and chased leads, but the results weren’t evident.

I have always found my worth in my profession and I feel the best about myself when I am succeeding in the workplace. From a young age, I held myself to high standards in the classroom and that standard remains, even after my classroom was exchanged for a cubicle.

During my last year at Addison Group, my performance suffered even though I was working just as hard. In a commission job, when your performance suffers, so does your paycheck. I started thinking about the effort I exerted week in and week out to earn a paycheck that didn’t reflect the hours and heart I put in to the job. The business formula just wasn’t working for me anymore. I was getting to the office early and still stressing about pending deals at home in the evening and on vacations. I was constantly “on,” waiting for the next email, the next phone call, and the other shoe to drop. 

For someone with control issues, recruiting isn't the most peaceful profession. The stress and pressure that I was shouldering at work started leaking into my marriage and friendships. I started thinking seriously about whether this was a job that I could continue when Tanner and I start a family one day. I watched some serious bad-ass moms juggle their babies and billings, but I didn’t want to be one of them. And if I didn’t want to be one of them, then why spend a few more years in a role that wasn’t going to get me any closer to what I really wanted?

And what did I really want? When I started to mentally make my profession priority list, stress-free came to mind. I needed a job where my paycheck depended on performance, sure, but where my paycheck wouldn’t suffer when clients made decisions that I couldn’t control. I wanted a role where my vacation days would be true vacation days and I wouldn’t always have to be on edge for an email with bad news.

I understand that I am the one who let the ups and the downs of the staffing industry get to me so much. But when you are someone that gets that value from your professional performance and it’s been a year since you’ve felt successful, the discouragement isn’t all that surprising. Don’t get me wrong, I love Addison Group. I’ll always love Addison Group. Even now, I will still refer any candidate looking for a job or a client seeking talent to what I consider the best staffing firm in OKC. I formed invaluable business relationships and many of my coworkers are my close friends.

I began my job search in early July. I felt like a fresh college graduate--what did I want to do with my life? When I was younger I wanted to be a teacher, but with the current educational crisis in Oklahoma, I wasn’t interested in pursuing that dream in the public sector. I applied to a private school, but was turned down due to lack of experience. I couldn’t argue with them -- teaching your dad and grandparents in a stuffy North Carolina attic with a 5x3 whiteboard doesn’t make an all-star educator. I thought about internal, corporate recruiting and applied to some well-known local organizations, with little traction. The irony was not lost on me that while I navigated my candidate’s job searches and interviews, I was having very little luck with my own private search.

Finally, I caught a break. A friend of mine knew of an opening at Regent Bank and had a relationship with the OKC market president. She wasn’t entirely certain what the job would entail, but I was interested in learning more. I’ve always been a black and white, check the boxes, type of gal, and banking appeared to line up with those characteristics, from the little that I knew!

I interviewed on a Friday afternoon and was struck by the incredible culture. My biggest fear was missing out on the culture that Addison Group provides and Regent Bank pleasantly surprised me. I learned more about the role that I could be taking on and took the weekend to discuss the opportunity with my buying committee (husband, parents, banking friends, etc).

I ended up accepting the position, but dreaded the hurdle of giving my notice. I carried a pit in my stomach throughout the week at Addison Group, waiting for my drug screen and background to come back clear. It was an emotional exit, but I know I still have some fabulous friends in that office. I also received the unexpected gift of time off before my start date at Regent Bank and use those 10 days to play pretend trophy wife (yoga class, errands, etc). As always, by day 2 I had made it through most of my to-do list and had to slow down #typeAproblems.

In the last 60+ days, I’ve absorbed acres of new information and my colleagues have been exceedingly patient with me. Everything I knew about banking before August was only what I needed to manage our own personal accounts, so the learning curve was inevitable. I’ve started to find a true work/life balance and rarely think about work after leaving for the day. This balance has spilled into other areas of my life and last week I practically leapt off the scale with a victory shout at 6 AM when I noted I was 15 pounds down since making my health and fitness a priority three months ago. I don’t feel physically and emotionally drained when I drive home from work. Instead, I reflect on the concrete tasks that I completed.

My season in recruiting was fierce and fast and fun, but I'm holding out for the greater things to come.