When did you join NAPS and how long have you been a member?

I joined NAPS on 9/11/2001 when I started with McCall Staffing Association! I will never forget that date! I became CPC certified the next May. At first, it was a job requirement but I quickly saw the value and have personally maintained my certification through education since then. The Certified Personnel Consultant or CPC education keeps me current on employment law in my state and nationally. I started as an employee of a member firm and now almost 20 years later, I have been an independent recruiter for 11. Jennifer McCall was a board member when I worked with her and she introduced me to this great organization and the wonderful experiences and knowledge that members not only bring but share!

What is your involvement with NAPS today?

I am currently a very active member of NAPS and serve as secretary on the executive board. I work closely with our conference committee, specifically with our vendors. As an organization we want to make sure they are getting the best value and make sure they know how grateful we are for their support of NAPS. Throughout the year, we are asked for referrals to different products or services and we make sure we are recommending from our conference vendors. It makes it easy to do so when you know the “real” people behind the product. The NAPS conference not only allows us to see first-hand what the product does, but it allows us to put a name and face to it. Recruiters are natural networkers and there is no place better to network than a NAPS Annual Conference.

What have been the biggest benefits you’ve realized come from being a NAPS member?

Education and relationships! I have been certified since 2002, and the education has kept me current and differentiates me from my uncertified colleagues. It is my mission to provide a quality product in an ethical manner. By attending our lunch and learns along with the annual conference, I am confident that I am current on all new laws well before they go into effect. In 2019 NY (my state) alone had many new initiatives and they were not all standard across the state. You add that to the national list and we were busy. NAPS had a few legal updates via webinar in addition to our annual update provided at the conference. I am grateful to NAPS and Littler for providing us the access to legal updates. The relationships I have formed through NAPS are just as valuable. As an independent recruiter, I rely on my colleagues to be my sounding board so to speak. There are times when you face moral or ethical challenges OR just a difficult situation and you need an opinion, I have built a strong circle of friends I can rely on to guide me. That is not to be confused with “tell me what I want to hear.” They are professionals and provide honest feedback—they are all willing to have the difficult conversations. This year, 2020 has been especially hard and through it all NAPS and my colleagues have been there for moral support, ideas to weather this storm, collaboration and most of all provided HOPE for the future. Yes, I am talking about people who are my competitors, but in NAPS we are a community that works together to provide our clients with the most ethical recruiting practices. Our certification depends on this and we hold each other accountable. I am grateful that I can always email, text or call a friend!

What would you say to someone considering joining NAPS?

If you are considering NAPS...DO IT! You will not be disappointed in the value this organization will add. There are so many benefits to being a member. They are all listed on the website or feel free to call me! As I said being part of the NAPS community means there will always be someone there for you. To name a few there is certification, education, “ask an expert,” the conference, relationships and discounts. I personally love a deal and we are always working to bring more mutually beneficial programs to the table. I would love to see more collaboration with vendors and hope we can make this happen in the future. You really can’t go wrong with joining NAPS. If you are a recruiter, an owner or a vendor in the industry NAPS is the place to be, get known, get in the know and thrive!

What upcoming plans, initiatives or events are you most excited about in 2020?

Well normally I would say the NAPS conference as it is the best way to get most of the benefits in one place, but we will have to wait until 2021! See you in Vegas! This year though, we have had webinars to keep us in the loop and the town hall with industry veterans to help us through this pandemic. The NAPS at-night study group for certifications prep is new in 2020, and it has been a great success. I studied with co-workers on lunch breaks but this takes it to an entirely new level. The group is moderated by our president, Trinette Cunningham, and any questions can be posed to veteran recruiters or to our legal counsel—another benefit of being a member. I recently took a look at the lunch and learns for the rest of 2020, and there are so many to choose from and all sound like you will walk away with something to elevate your business. NAPS is continuing to provide programs to educate the membership in a timely manner and provide content that is up to date and needed with current issues.

Anything you would like to add that we have not covered?

For me NAPS is an extension of my company. Working alone can make you feel isolated and disconnected. I have learned more from being part of NAPS than I did when I worked for an established company. My employer was a great recruiter and a wonderful mentor but times change and if you are isolated and do not change as the environment changes, you will be left behind. NAPS has opened up a whole new world of ideas, processes and procedures. Before I joined NAPS I was not sure how I compared to my colleagues in the industry. I was not clear on what metrics I should be using. NAPS recently took a survey asking for data from members, then compiled that data to be shared with all members. We are in the process of updating and rolling this out again soon. I used this data to assess where I was compared to others in the industry, and I used it as motivation to strive for what I want going forward. NAPS is a true community and connects industry colleagues internationally, and the conference brings us together, for networking, education and fun!