Join us each month for a series highlighting the unique career journey of our employees.
This month, we talk to a Senior Change Management Analyst.
1. When did you start with Centric? Tell me about your career path (prior to coming to Centric).
I started with Centric on April 25, 2016. Prior to joining Centric, I worked for Johnson & Johnson in Information Technology, for about six and a half years.
I worked in a number of different roles during my tenure there. To name a few: I was a delivery manager, project manager, testing lead, testing coordinator, and change management lead.
2. What are some unique/funny/interesting stories you can share about your journey?
I don’t know about funny, but I firmly believe that everything happens for a reason and that things always work out how they are supposed to. By the end of 2013 and start of 2014, I had decided that I wanted to go back to school for my MBA. I toyed with the idea of going part-time so I could continue working at J&J, while they contributed to my education.
So, I took my tests, applied to a few schools for part-time programs, and looked into documentation for tuition reimbursement. Long story short, I didn’t make the cut for some of those programs – and the reimbursement policy was restructured to the point where it wouldn’t have helped me.
That meant my priorities had to change. After taking a moment to regroup, I decided to attend an MBA event, where I met a recruiter for Case Western Reserve University and made the decision to go back to school on a full-time basis – like I had initially planned.
From then on, everything fell into place.
I was accepted to Case, was awarded a merit scholarship, graduated, and shortly after, I found Centric. It all happened so fast.
3. If you had to pinpoint a definitive moment in your career, what would that be?
My definitive moment was early in my career, actually. It happened during a conversation with my first manager at J&J. Toward the end of my rotation, I asked her to describe how one knows if they have attained all they can within their career.
Lisa (my manager) looked at me and smiled. She simply said: “You’ll know.”
She told me to keep going and striving upward until I reached a point in my career where my titles didn’t matter, the money I was making was sufficient, and I was making the impact I wanted to make.
Once you realize that for yourself, just stop, she said. That’s when you know you’ve hit your sweet spot.
4. What motivates you and drives you to keep going?
I love to learn. Anything that I do is pretty much driven by that.
As long as I’m learning something new in a subject I have an interest in, I’m super happy with life. I also like a challenge and to push my boundaries.
5. How does your current role fit into your career path/goals?
My current role within change management perfectly fits my career path/goal because I’m growing in my role. I’m learning more about the people side of change, especially how to make people realize that change is good, rather than this dreaded task.
It’s also teaching me a lot about myself, including how I like to interact with people and how to spend more time coming up with creative solutions.
6. Please describe consulting at Centric. What is this job like? Describe what your typical day looks like.
So far, consulting at Centric is great. I really enjoy establishing a good rapport with my client and building a solid relationship with them the longer I’m here.
My typical day looks like this: I drive down to my client site and work side-by-side with them on their change management project. During lunch and at the end of the day, I tend to read my “Centric business-related” emails and updates.
After work, I typically go to Yoga, networking, or recruiting events. I like that I have time to do things that I enjoy – as well as things that support Centric.
7. How did you find Centric? Or, did we find you? What did your recruiting process look like?
I found Centric during an “Information Session” at Case Western where I met Kevin Bracy, our leader in Cleveland, and Talent Acquisition Manager Carmen Fontana there. The next day, I visited the Career Fair. That was sometime in November of 2015.
I believe Carmen interviewed me initially in November and then I met Bonny Lafave in December for next steps. The next time I talked to Bonny was in February 2016.
At the beginning of March, I met with three Centric Cleveland employees and attended a recruiting event to meet more of the team. I met with one last member of the Cleveland team in late March 2016.
In April, I received my offer. And I started on April 25!
8. Is your practice currently hiring? Or, is the company currently hiring for roles like yours? If so, what positions are open?
There is usually general hiring going on, mostly for specific niches.
9. What mix of skills, personality, and values do you find most important for a consulting role like yours?
To be a consultant, you need to be a self-starter who can work autonomously and easily adapt to new, ambiguous situations.
You need to be comfortable operating in any type of environment. You should also be adaptable and have good interpersonal skills.
As far as values, I believe as long as you are open, honest, have a strong sense of integrity, and have a passion for working within your community outside of work as well.
All of these things will make you well-rounded to take on whatever comes your way.
10. What tips would you share with future Centric recruits?
- Be flexible – Consulting is fast-paced and can be erratic at times, so definitely be able to move and shift quickly with ebbs and flows.
- Be patient – The process is slow, but that’s for a reason: We are making sure you fit with us, while letting you vet us with the same scrutiny. Take advantage of it.
- Be honest – There are no robots here. Don’t say what you think we want to hear. Just be yourself.