“Willory’s emphasis on training and development has helped me tremendously. I have been given the resources, time, and opportunity to take on new challenges and been encouraged to take risks while being fully supported by my manager and the team. Willory has given me encouragement to try new things and given me the tools to do them successfully.“
Welcome to our series about what makes Willory truly unique: our team. Without the people on the Willory team we would not be recognized as one of the top workplaces in Northeast Ohio and have grown so significantly in the last eight years.
Get to know Willory’s HR Operations Manager & Consultant Christine Peters through her own words.
How did you find Willory?
I had recently moved to the Cleveland area from NYC and was looking to meet other HR professionals in the area. I decided to attend DisruptHR event. John Bernatovicz was one of the speakers that evening and gave a great presentation on leadership. What he said resonated with me, so afterwards I found him and introduced myself. After getting to know him and other members of the team, I knew Willory was where I wanted to be. I started a month later!
What have been some of your favorite takeaways/strongest developments from working at Willory?
We have a strong focus on prioritization at Willory – knowing our goals and setting priorities to help achieve those goals. I take this into consideration now and use it to plan out my time and make sure I’m focused on what’s important – within Willory and in my life overall.
In your opinion, what separates Willory from other recruiting firms?
The people. Willory’s culture attracts people who strive to be the best and do the right thing. Our niche expertise makes us uniquely qualified to support our clients with their HR and payroll needs – whether it’s though finding them the perfect fit candidate, helping them transform their employee life cycle practice, or through selecting, implementing and optimizing the technology to support it all. The same care goes into helping our candidates find the right work environment. Since our focus is narrow, our expertise can go deep.
Do you have a favorite event/conference that Willory has been a part of? If so what stood out to you?
Disrupt HR has a special place in my heart for reasons mentioned. Other than that, there was a Cleveland APA meeting where the Willory Team dressed up like the characters from the Wizard of Oz. I’m sure Bob was warm in that lion suit, but it made an impression. In general, the APA meetings have a lot of great content and you can tell there is a lot of camaraderie between its members. They are truly a great group!
What is your proudest accomplishment while working at the firm?
The first is almost silly – more of a personal quirk. I am an Excel fanatic and pride myself in being able to build complex spreadsheets. There are several spreadsheets that I’ve built – both internally and for clients – of which I’m (embarrassingly) proud. Of course, no one really wants to look at the eloquent formulas behind the calculation provided it works, so I find I’m alone in admiring this work. Lol.
More importantly – I was honored by the team with an MVP award for 2017. In hearing their comments about why I was selected, I felt a rush of gratitude and humility. I was so proud to have earned their recognition, and I strive every day to continue to deliver for them.
How has Willory helped you in your career development?
Willory’s emphasis on training and development has helped me tremendously. I have been given the resources, time, and opportunity to take on new challenges and been encouraged to take risks while being fully supported by my manager and the team. Willory has given me encouragement to try new things, give me the tools to do them successfully, shown me the support needed to overcome challenges, and the belief that I will succeed.
How is your work life balance? What do you spend most of your time doing outside of working at Willory?
I try to spend as much time as possible with my family. I have two young daughters who do a lot of activities – ballet, piano/guitar, swimming, and gymnastics. We took them to Costa Rica last fall to learn how to surf and had an amazing time. I am also a lifelong theater lover, so we subscribe to the Playhouse Square Broadway series. We had the opportunity to take the girls to see “Hello, Dolly!” last fall. It was my first real musical theater show, and now it is theirs too! Coming from New York City, I’m thrilled that we have access to such high-quality productions here in Cleveland and that I can share the theater experience with my daughters.
