Summary
Overview
Work History
Education
Skills
Timeline
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Valerie Becknell

Summary

Strategic Talent Acquisition Manager with 8+ years of experience leading high-impact hiring initiatives across diverse corporate environments. Skilled in managing recruitment teams, developing scalable talent strategies, and aligning hiring efforts with organizational goals. Strong advocate for data-informed hiring, inclusive practices, and exceptional candidate experiences.

Overview

19
19
years of professional experience

Work History

Talent Acquisition Partner

Life Fitness / Hammer Strength
03.2024 - Current
  • Partners with hiring managers to identify current and upcoming needs, develop or refine job descriptions, and identify targeted sources.
  • Manages the full-cycle recruitment process, guiding candidates throughout the hiring process, from initial contact through offer acceptance, for a myriad of corporate candidate profiles.
  • Applies data-driven decision-making while consulting with internal team about hiring strategies, sourcing approaches, and initiatives dedicated to attracting quality talent.
  • Maintains a productive, diverse candidate pipeline to meet present and future recruitment needs.
  • Collaborates with the marketing team to develop an employer brand strategy that focuses on enhancing brand awareness, attracting top talent, and optimizing the candidate experience.
  • Developed and implemented a standardized interview scorecard strategy to ensure fair and consistent evaluation of interview performance, company-wide.

Recruiting Manager - Marketing

Wayfair
06.2021 - 12.2023
  • Managed and developed a team of up to six recruiters and managers to provide best-in-class service to internal stakeholders and candidates alike, with a 98% offer acceptance rate.
  • Lead corporate hiring for a 500+ person marketing and creative organization, while forecasting employment needs, reporting and analyzing recruiting data, and building recruitment funnels to maintain a consistent stream of top-quality candidates.
  • Partnered with senior executive stakeholders on recruitment strategy, organizational planning, and consulting on market trends and obstacles.
  • Subject Matter Expert in the independent contractor and freelancer hiring process and protocols, and sole manager of recruiting agency relationships for corporate profiles. Leading a project to convert a cohort of 30% of an organization to full-time equivalents (FTEs).
  • Organized employee engagement surveys, analyzed results data, and formulated plans to increase satisfaction, with a Manager NPS (Net Promoter Score) of 100%.
  • Led and collaborated on cross-functional organizational innovation projects to drive efficiency and effectiveness within the recruiting process across the entire Talent/HR organization, including implementing a new mental health program, with 34% of the company population enrolled in the first month (up from 3% in the previous year).
  • Managed successful training programs for new hires and established employees to keep all employees educated on recruitment policies and procedures.

Senior Recruiter

Aquent
02.2017 - 06.2021
  • Successfully recruited top digital, creative, and marketing talent for B2B and B2C clients in a myriad of industries, including tech, consumer goods, financial, manufacturing, and more.
  • Managed end-to-end recruitment activities from intake to offer stage, securing a position as a top-five revenue-generating recruiter within the company in the last year of tenure.
  • Collaborated with internal stakeholders on sales and marketing strategies to build meaningful client and talent relationships.
  • Grew the business year-over-year with top clients and talent, while seizing growth opportunities throughout the organization.
  • Identified as a top performer for hard-to-fill UX, CX, and UX Research placements (with over a 90% fill rate), and consulted with colleagues around the country on recruiting strategies.
  • Recognized as a top performer in filling hard-to-fill CX, UX, and Product Design roles, achieving a 90%+ fill rate, and serving as a strategic advisor to colleagues nationwide on recruitment best practices.

Marketing Manager

Multiple Companies
10.2006 - 02.2017
  • Over a decade of Marketing experience prior to career shift to Talent Acquisition
  • Details on role responsibilities and employers upon request

Education

Bachelor of Arts - Psychology & Criminal Justice

Indiana University
Bloomington, IN

Skills

  • Team management
  • Talent acquisition strategy
  • Hiring demand forecasting and planning
  • Data analysis and reporting
  • Diversity, equity, and belonging
  • Contract negotiation
  • Coaching and mentoring
  • Offer negotiation
  • Employer branding

Timeline

Talent Acquisition Partner

Life Fitness / Hammer Strength
03.2024 - Current

Recruiting Manager - Marketing

Wayfair
06.2021 - 12.2023

Senior Recruiter

Aquent
02.2017 - 06.2021

Marketing Manager

Multiple Companies
10.2006 - 02.2017

Bachelor of Arts - Psychology & Criminal Justice

Indiana University