For the latest episode of the Strivin & Thrivin podcast we had a chat with Genevieve Gorin, People and Culture Manager at hipages Group, about her HR journey through the Big Apple and the importance of embracing your curiosity.
Braving the Big Apple
For Gen, her intrigue into HR was sparked by a family friend mixed with a passion for people.
“I always knew that I wanted to work with people, but I also wanted to be in a more business and corporate environment as well. [So] a mix of being inspired by someone I knew within the industry, but also wanting to work closely with people in their daily life of being at work.”
So how did she actually end up in her role at hipages? That story is one that takes us half way across the world to the Big Apple.
“I started off in that HR admin coordinator role at a larger organisation called Knight Frank … I was only there for six months when I decided I wanted to move to New York.
“I went over there and I got a role as a recruiter with a company called Rent the Runway … it was an awesome role. I did the recruitment for all of the stores across America.
“Unfortunately, 2020 came and then covid happened … so I decided to come back home … Then I got a role at a tech startup called Tiliter. I was the first human resources employee there, so that was also really, really cool … I was there for two years and then I moved onto my current position.”
Embrace curiosity
Having transversed the full spectrum of the HR world, Gen has never been afraid to follow the path curiosity took her down.
“In areas that I am more interested in [I will have] that conversation with my manager to see how I can maybe take on some of that work … I also love reading up on different things, what other companies are doing.”
So what’s her advice to those feeling the itch to discover something new?
“I would say speak to as many people as you can. Just learn about all different areas, all different industries. Even now I still do that. I like learning about people’s experiences and what they love about their job or what they don’t like about their job.”
Put things in perspective
Following your curiosity can be hard, but as Gen was once told, it’s about putting things into perspective and embracing the challenge – after all, nothing good ever came easy, right.
“The best career advice I had was from someone at Rent the Runway when I was finding my role really, really challenging … someone said to me, I want you to leave this role for something better and more of an opportunity, not because you think you can’t do it.
“Don’t run away from the challenge. Run towards something that’s gonna be even better.” (You bet we’re getting that quote printed out and stuck up on our walls).
Secrets to success
Curiosity was certainly an overarching theme of this chat. When talking about overcoming challenges, Gen’s advice is to follow your intuition.
“I find you need to be a little bit more curious as to why you’re doing something. Not just, oh, this is how it’s done. Maybe just challenge things a little bit more. Don’t really accept the way that things are if you feel like it’s not right.”
Other than curiosity, what does Gen think has been her key to success so far?
“There’s so many challenges and there’s so many things that you might find hard and negative and really affect your mood. But you really need to be quite resilient and not let it affect you too much, especially if you are dealing with performance management or having difficult conversations.
“Come to those situations with a more positive light and say, this conversation has to happen, but I’m gonna deliver it in the most empathetic and best way that I can.”
Want to hear our full conversation with Gen or catch up on some other episodes? Click here to listen now.
