Welcome to the first installment of our Power Women in Recruitment Month. Over the next few weeks, we will celebrate some of the incredible women that make up the recruitment industry, highlighting their career achievements along the way.
This week in our video series, The Experts, we hear from Emily Costello, VP of Channel Relationships at Robert Half.
RIX: What challenges do women face in staffing?
Emily Costello: Being a woman in staffing, I think that I’ve found that first of all, it’s not just the staffing industry that women have challenges in. I think that, unfortunately, at times we have to be a lot more strategic in our approach and the way that we prove ourselves in the business. Honestly, for me in the staffing industry, I think I’m surrounded by a lot of really powerful women. Staffing is not just a man’s world, thankfully, so I think that we’re able to kind of navigate by teaming up with each other, and having mentors in our own industry that kind of help us to position ourselves in a valuable way in our business.
RIX: What woman inspires you and why?
Emily Costello: So I guess I’ve thought of this question before because I’ve been asked it before and I’m going to stick to my answer because it’s the honest one… I think my mom is the most inspirational in my life. She’s the oldest of nine children. Grew up in upstate New York, very poor. They didn’t have plumbing until she was a senior in high school and she just has been a strength for our family. A breadwinner, first to put herself through college in her family. Went into a side of technology which was not even really a practice at the time, and being a woman in that field, in the medical field doing those things, it’s just very inspiring to me as a young woman, and as a mature woman now, you know, someone that I just constantly look to when I need strength in my own life.
RIX: What’s your proudest moment?
Emily Costello: There are so many, honestly, in a 21-year career some days just surviving the day is a proud moment! But I would say that probably my current role is something I’m very proud of. It was really a concept, an idea, and really being able to take that vision and make it something quantifiable. You know, being able to have an impact in the company based on your individual efforts is something that I really take a lot of pride on. And kind of seeing today, over seven years, now we have a team that supports our channel relationship efforts and we’ve been able to make some great strides in that area and really grow the portfolio for Robert Half.
If you’re interested in hearing more insights from Emily Costello, check out Welcoming New Challenges: A Q&A with Emily Costello.
What do 2,000+ staffing professionals say are the priorities, challenges, and trends that matter to them in 2019? Find out at the brand new site for global recruitment insights and data.
