Over the last four years, director of recruiting Angela Burns helped transform her department. She’s become a knowledgeable and believable resource, and an associate others count on.
In February 2022, Angela sat at the Central Support Office National Awards dinner as her name popped up on the big screen. The next thing she knew, other associates were speaking highly about her success.
“We were always firing questions at you, and you would answer each one decisively and directly,” partner and executive recruiter Zach Rainwater said. “I knew in that moment the level of leadership you were going to bring to this team. I was extremely excited to work for you. You’ve absolutely earned this since day one.”
Loop asked Angela what she remembers from the awards night, advice on tough conversations and more…
Question: What does it mean to become a partner?
Answer: Being a partner is something I’ve been working towards since the Saturday morning I interviewed with Larry. I sat in the atrium at 8 a.m., looking at the partner wall and thinking, “My name will be on that wall someday.”
Q: What were you thinking when you saw your family at the end of the red carpet?
A: Honestly, I may have blacked out when the video played. I realized partner Bob Lloyd and Ashley Smith were talking about me. I had a moment of confusion and thought I was dreaming. I knew my family was waiting to greet me on the red carpet, but it was still surreal. I remember hugging my husband and my girls grabbing me. I love when this career milestone happens that families are involved.
Q: Share a lesson you’ve learned from Larry.
A: I was working with Larry, and he was giving me feedback. I remember him saying, “When in doubt, don’t.” That feedback stuck with me and reminds me to always follow my gut.
Q: Any advice for associates who wants to earn partner?
A: My recruiting team usually hears me say this – get your head right and make it happen. In our world, you get hung up on, ghosted and turned down. You have candidates who make it to the end of the interview process and don’t join us. You must have short-term memory and keep the right headspace, or you’re not going to get there. Keep looking forward.
Q: What’s your favorite part of our culture?
A: I like that we are a performance-driven culture. I want to perform for myself and hire people who want to perform at an elite level. If you don’t work hard and put in your best effort, you won’t get recognized for showing up.
This carries over to personal life too. We don’t have participation trophies in our house. For instance, my son is a sophomore and made the freshman lacrosse team. He was upset, but we asked him, “What are you going to do next?” You have to work hard. You don’t know what could be next if you don’t keep climbing.
Q: Any advice on providing direct feedback?
A: Use feedback as a gift. We explain to candidates that it’s doing the right thing for the candidate and for us as a business. We have tough conversations with our team as well, but only to help them improve. At the end of the day, we want our associates to succeed and be rewarded and recognized. It’s important to live the Circle of Success, whether it’s a reward or a consequence.
Q: What’s your biggest accomplishment so far?
A: I worked with Larry to reengineer the recruiting department twice. We found out what would take us to the next level. Ultimately, it’s finding the right people to fit in our process now. I’m also proud of my work with partner and VP of talent acquisition Chris Jemo. We’ve built a talented recruiting team and continue to elevate our expectations and the talent we bring into the organization.