Jennifer Reed, Director of Talent Strategy for 43 North, shares insight into her role and work
This past week I sat down with Jennifer Reed, the Director of Talent Strategy at 43North. Jennifer comes from an experienced background in talent acquisition, human resources, recruiting and more! She has been in her current position with 43North for about 3 months now and is already making an impact. I asked Jennifer about her background, her line of work, and more!
Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you got to your current position
“I grew up about an hour and a half south of Buffalo on a dairy farm which is a little bit different, and when I was looking for a college I was looking for something comfortable since I wasn’t used to living in a city. I graduated with a Bachelor’s in international business and french and later went on to pursue a master’s in art history. I moved to Boston, MA to pursue a career in an art gallery and was hired at one. About a week in I decided it wasn’t for me and started interviewing for other jobs. I sort of fell into talent acquisition from there and started my career working in an agency setting. I then came back to Buffalo and worked for a variety of companies in HR and Talent Acquisition before coming here to 43North.”
What are your daily responsibilities with 43North?
“I would say no day is ever the same here. Right now we are in the midst of bringing in our Year 5 winners. In the beginning when the new companies get here we have a lot of workshops and meetings where we get to know these new companies, where they are with their hiring, planning, and more. I help out with everything and anything HR related for these companies.”
What is your favorite part of your job?
“My favorite part of the job would probably be getting to know all of the companies. They all have a very different mission and that is also really exciting from a Talent Acquisition perspective. I really like the variety. I like that one company might need five engineers and another company could be looking for a creative person, or someone in life sciences. It’s really fun to help recruit for all different types of roles!”
What challenges do you see when recruiting for tech?
“In tech, specifically in this area, we need to educate our companies to the fact that we do have tech talent in Buffalo! I just saw some data recently showing that it is actually easier to recruit for tech here, and cheaper!”
What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced so far in your career?
“It’s really developing a strong trust relationship with every CEO or owner that comes in. I have to get them to know that I am an expert in my field and that I can really provide help to them. As the CEO of a startup you want to hold everything close to the chest. I want them to understand that I am someone they can trust, and that it is my primary goal at 43North to help them succeed!”
What is one piece of general advice you have for applicants?
“Tailor your resumes! Definitely think about every single resume you send in for a job as an advertisement. Don’t bog yourself down trying to put every single thing you have ever done in your resume. Typically a recruiter will spend thirty seconds to one minute to decide if they are interested in reading further. Instead of blasting the market with 100 standard resumes, send 10 tailored resumes that specifically outline why you are a fit for the role. That will deliver much better results!”
Your thoughts on the Buffalo tech/startup scene?
“We have a really exciting couple of years ahead of us. The companies coming into 43North for the Year 5 portfolio have a lot to offer and I think we will see some really great things from them. We also have some really great success stories under our belt like ACV Auctions. All of our Year 4 winners are staying in the area and I think we have a really great opportunity to change the landscape of Buffalo and bring technology to the forefront. I’m really excited to see what is going to happen next!”