Veronica Southern
Orland Park,IL
Summary
Dynamic Talent Acquisition Specialist with a proven track record at PepsiCo, excelling in innovative sourcing strategies and community outreach. Expert in recruitment marketing and candidate assessment, I effectively engage passive candidates and streamline the hiring process, enhancing organizational talent pools and driving successful placements across diverse sectors.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
Work History
Talent Acquisition Specialist
Infrastructure Engineering
10.2023 - Current
- Managed recruitment process for 8 major markets including Chicago, Indianapolis, Detroit, New York, New Jersey, Atlanta, Houston, and Los Angeles, ensuring alignment with business needs
- Sourcing, Screening and Interviewing of all potential New Hires for all IEI Markets
- Lead Alignment/In-Take Meetings with Hiring Manager and their Team
- Drove marketing and promotions for open positions across various platforms to enhance candidate visibility and attract talent
- Managed marketing efforts for open job positions using ATS (Paycor), LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, alumni networks, and multiple social media platforms.
- Coordinated IEI’s internship program across all markets, selecting schools for career fairs, trade shows, and industry events to connect with potential candidates
Talent Acquisition Manager
Quest Food Management Services
08.2021 - 07.2022
- Managed recruiting process and marketing strategies for over 100 accounts/units in Midwest, enhancing visibility of open positions
- Engage with both Hiring Managers and District Managers around proactive measures for attracting talent for Open Reqs
- Developed innovative sourcing tactics for challenging demographics and units, addressing staffing needs in IL, MI, WI, and IN schools
- Managed the usage and review of software, artificial intelligence, and other tools for talent acquisition and recruiting workflow.
- Reviewed and qualified vendors and third-party agencies to supplement recruiting efforts for challenging units, ensuring effective partnerships
- Manage the Community Partnership Outreach, University/Schools Relationships and other Workforce Centers or Non-for-Profit Organizations related to Recruiting and Staffing programs
Talent Acquisition Partner
Aramark
03.2019 - 07.2021
- Partnering with all levels of the organization around recruiting and hiring Non-Exempt Hourly Candidates for various positions within Aramark’s Food and Facilities division
- Employed innovative strategies and resources to attract qualified candidates
- Pipelined candidates to support new business for anticipated hiring needs
- Coordinated and conducted job fairs and special events to attract potential candidates
- Assisted various internal clients to meet their unique staffing needs.
- Connected with various community partners in the Central Region to leverage their programs for sharing job opportunities within their immediate and surrounding counties.
Sr Corporate Recruiter (PT – Contractor)
Brindley Engineering Corporation
08.2017 - 11.2018
- Sourced, recruited, and interviewed potential candidates from designer/drafters to senior level engineers in the industrial processing space. Collaborated with department managers to create and develop job postings for various media.
- Crafted targeted strategies to engage passive and active engineering professionals, enhancing talent pipeline for civil/structural, mechanical, and piping design roles.
- Partnered with hiring managers to define staffing needs and articulate job requirements, ensuring alignment with departmental goals.
- Developed targeted recruitment strategies for diverse engineering roles.
- Executed comprehensive interviews to evaluate candidate qualifications and cultural fit, supporting informed hiring decisions.
Recruiter (Contractor – Randstad)
US Foods
04.2018 - 07.2018
Corporate Recruiter (Contractor – Advanced Resources)
Ingredion Incorporated
03.2016 - 07.2017
- Led corporate recruiting across operations, maintenance reliability, human resources, legal, finance, and accounting, ensuring alignment with organizational talent needs.
- Conducted alignment meetings with hiring managers and stakeholders to define requirements for new open requisitions.
- Posted requisitions and sourced, screened candidates to identify qualified talent for various positions.
Employment Specialist (Contractor – Advanced Resources)
NorthShore University HealthSystem
09.2015 - 01.2016
- Conducted phone screens and in-person interviews for potential candidates, while also managing the coordination of onsite interviews and onboarding of new hires.
- Collaborated with hiring managers on open requisitions and posting strategies across job boards, social media, and other career sites
- Negotiated and calculated offers for exempt and non-exempt candidates
Senior Recruiter (Contractor- Advanced Resources)
The Chicago Community Trust
12.2014 - 04.2015
- Sourced, screened, and recruited candidates for various nonprofit disciplines, including development, grant making programs, executive assistants for CFO and CEO, data analytics manager, and program associates.
- Coordinated and conducted phone screens, onsite, and Skype interviews with candidates and hiring team.
- Wrote, posted, and revised job descriptions for open requisitions in collaboration with Sr HR Director and hiring managers.
Senior Recruiter (Contractor - Advanced Resources)
LanzaTech
07.2014 - 10.2014
- Led recruitment efforts for diverse roles in renewable energy sector.
- Developed and implemented innovative sourcing strategies to attract top talent.
- Sourced, screened, and recruited scientists and engineers including chemists, R&D specialists, biologists, and process and mechanical engineers
- Collaborated with hiring managers to define candidate profiles and job requirements.
- Marketed employment opportunities through social media, job boards, professional groups, associations, universities, and various media tools
Senior Recruiter
USG Corp
05.2013 - 06.2014
- Sourced, screened, and recruited corporate-level professionals in manufacturing and building materials.
- Collaborated with hiring managers to define job requirements and candidate profiles.
- Utilized applicant tracking systems to streamline the recruitment process.
- Collaborated with hiring managers to determine job requirements and develop job descriptions.
- Conducted intake meetings with hiring managers to define role requirements and expectations.
- Posted open requisitions across various platforms and social media sites to attract candidates.
Senior Recruiter (Contractor)
Randstad Sourceright US
12.2012 - 06.2014
Senior Recruiter
Honeywell Analytics
12.2012 - 03.2013
- Recruiting and Sourcing for various professional including Engineering, Chemical Engineers, Human Resources, Accounting, Marketing, Logistics, Supply Chain, Branch Managers and Warehouse Supervisors
- Responsible for Sourcing and Posting of career opportunities to various media including Social Media, Job Boards, Associations, Schools and Alumni Sites as well as Media Print
- Pre-Screen of all candidates, negotiate Salaries, Vendor and 3rd Party Relations as well as Campus Recruiter and Job Fairs
Talent Acquisition Specialist (Contractor-Advanced Resources)
WMS Gaming
Chicago, IL
03.2012 - 09.2012
- Collaborated with hiring managers and supervisors on open requisitions, job descriptions, and recruiting strategies to align talent acquisition efforts with business needs
- Recruited, screened, and processed applicants for open positions, ensuring a strong candidate pipeline and quality hires
- Recruited disciplines include Artists, Multimedia Engineers & Artist, various Principal Senior Engineers, SW Developers, Testers/QA and Designers, Principal and Director levels recruited in this Gaming Technology environment
- Posted open requisitions on job boards, social media, and through networking and referrals to attract diverse talent
Recruiter (Contractor)
E.ON Climate & Renewables
Chicago, IL
07.2011 - 03.2012
- Full-Life Cycle Recruiter in Climate & Renewable (Wind Energy) for Operations, Engineering & Development
- Recruited for disciplines including electrical, civil, mechanical, I&C engineers, construction managers, turbine erection specialists, project managers, and wind farm analysts
- Screened candidates, scheduled interviews, negotiated offers, and coordinated relocation and hiring manager interviews
Sr Recruiter (Contractor)
Sakonent (CRM 2.0 Consulting Defined)
Chicago, IL
08.2010 - 05.2011
- Executed full life-cycle recruiting for CRM consultancy, focusing on software development professionals in cloud computing and SaaS environments, including business analysts, technical architects, project managers, and account/engagement managers.
- Recruited for CRM software development platforms, including CRM On Demand, Siebel, Salesforce.com, and Blackbaud.
- Developed recruitment strategies to attract top talent in CRM consulting.
- Collaborated with hiring managers to identify staffing needs and role requirements.
- Screened resumes and conducted interviews to evaluate candidate qualifications.
Senior Recruiter
Ambitech Engineering Corporation
Downers Grove, IL
06.2007 - 05.2008
- Sourced and placed qualified candidates, scheduled and interviewed potential candidates, and negotiated salaries in an engineering/procurement/construction and construction management (EPC/CM) firm.
- Coordinate Career Fairs & Open Houses periodically for all locations; and, Internet researching, sourcing and posting of both candidates and openings
Talent Acquisition Manager
PepsiCo
Chicago, IL
05.2006 - 11.2006
- Full-life cycle recruiting on the PepsiCo Project One Up ~ staffing for the largest SAP implementation projects in the US; including Basis Administrators and Developers, SAP Security Specialist, and Logistics professionals
- Recruiting for SAP Modules including OTC, SD, FI, HR, CRM, SRM SCM as well as various functional and process areas for Project One Up (Data Management Organization (DMO), Readiness & Training (R&T), Logistics professionals and Manufacturing professionals)
- Responsible for running Ad hoc reports as needed, placing ads on various sites and job boards, and diversity sites
- Handling Employee Referrals resumes; networking and using Deploy Applicant Tracking System and Job boards as recruiting tools
Education
Human Resources Management
Roosevelt University
Skills
- Professional demeanor
- Sourcing strategies
- Candidate assessment
- Talent acquisition strategy
- Community outreach
- Interviewing techniques
- Recruitment marketing
- Boolean search proficiency
- ATS: Taleo, Paycor, ICIMS, PeopleSoft, Lever, Sendouts, Bullhorn, and CareerPlug
- Career fair management
- Passive candidate engagement
- Recruitment process management
- SharePoint
- Salesforce
- Paradox/Olivia
- Social Media Recruiting
- MS Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook, and Teams)
- Canva
- 60-WPM 10-Key by Touch
- Business savvy written and verbal communication skills
Other Career Engagements
Accenture, Full Life-Cycle Recruiter (TechniSource Contractor), 01/2004, 12/2005
Timeline
Talent Acquisition Specialist
Infrastructure Engineering
10.2023 - Current
Talent Acquisition Manager
Quest Food Management Services
08.2021 - 07.2022
Talent Acquisition Partner
Aramark
03.2019 - 07.2021
Recruiter (Contractor – Randstad)
US Foods
04.2018 - 07.2018
Sr Corporate Recruiter (PT – Contractor)
Brindley Engineering Corporation
08.2017 - 11.2018
Corporate Recruiter (Contractor – Advanced Resources)
Ingredion Incorporated
03.2016 - 07.2017
Employment Specialist (Contractor – Advanced Resources)
NorthShore University HealthSystem
09.2015 - 01.2016
Senior Recruiter (Contractor- Advanced Resources)
The Chicago Community Trust
12.2014 - 04.2015
Senior Recruiter (Contractor - Advanced Resources)
LanzaTech
07.2014 - 10.2014
Senior Recruiter
USG Corp
05.2013 - 06.2014
Senior Recruiter (Contractor)
Randstad Sourceright US
12.2012 - 06.2014
Senior Recruiter
Honeywell Analytics
12.2012 - 03.2013
Talent Acquisition Specialist (Contractor-Advanced Resources)
WMS Gaming
03.2012 - 09.2012
Recruiter (Contractor)
E.ON Climate & Renewables
07.2011 - 03.2012
Sr Recruiter (Contractor)
Sakonent (CRM 2.0 Consulting Defined)
08.2010 - 05.2011
Senior Recruiter
Ambitech Engineering Corporation
06.2007 - 05.2008
Talent Acquisition Manager
PepsiCo
05.2006 - 11.2006
Human Resources Management
Roosevelt University