What inspired you to pursue a career at Figure Eight Federal?
I have supported the defense and intelligence arena for over twenty years. I chose Figure Eight Federal because I knew the President and had worked with him in a previous company. It was a great decision; I’ve been here over 4 years now!
Can you give us an overview of your role at Figure Eight Federal?
As the Recruiting Manager, I plan, design and execute our staffing program to build high-performance teams while providing HR related guidance and operational assistance. I do wear many hats, as a lot of us do, so I also support our team and infrastructure in other areas such as training, HR and marketing. For me, I love the opportunity to be exposed to other areas of the business and continue growing and learning.
What aspects of your work do you find most fulfilling or exciting? / What do you like about the location of F8F?
Sourcing a well-rounded candidate that you feel will excel and help bring growth to the company is very fulfilling. I really enjoy working with our candidates and finding a match! We’re in a new location and it’s awesome! Very convenient, especially for those that like to take the metro to work. The area provides everything you could want.
What hobbies or activities do you enjoy outside of work?
Outside of my 18-month old grandson, Cassian, and my two puppies, I love competition (watching and participating) so I am a sports (Go Steelers) and reality TV fan. 😊 Nothing better than some internal competition to keep people motivated and wanting to be the best.
What advice would you give to someone interested in joining pursuing a career at Figure Eight Federal?
Visit our website, learn about what we’re doing. It’s a very exciting time to be a part of Figure Eight Federal. I have worked at small companies and some of the large defense contractors out there. Everyone should enjoy where they work, culture is very important, and I think we excel at that.
As ChatGPT has become so popular, what are you seeing from a recruiter’s perspective?
More cover letters than ever before, and they’re very well written. It appears that many people are using ChatGPT to help them write better but if they’re just using what is provided it can read like a template. I have had several cover letters specifically that look almost identical to each other. That can be confusing to a reader who is left to try and figure out if the candidate is “real” or not. ChatGPT should be used as a prompt to help someone write and provide ideas. If the prompt is too general, such as, create a cover letter for a software engineer with “x” experience, and the individual doesn’t work with the results to make it their own, it may end up being a disservice to them.
What lesson have you learned in your career that you would provide to others?
Don’t burn bridges (it’s an oldy but a goody), especially in the defense contracting world. You never know what path your career will take and someone that’s a co-worker one day could be a customer or boss the next. Focus on building your own brand and being a positive impact on the business and others.
What job opportunities are you currently open at Figure Eight Federal?
This can change quickly, as we continue to grow with new opportunities, but data annotation specialists and engineers are on the fore front. Especially engineers with Ruby experience.