Obviously CHRO Karen Weeks

11/16/23 • 35 min

Karen Weeks is the founder of Shine at Work, a coaching company geared toward setting people up for career success. She is also the Chief People Officer at Obviously, the innovation influencer agency. When we spoke to Karen, she had only been at Obviously for a week, and she spilled the tea on how she landed the job and how she’s adjusting to her new role. We also discuss the changes she’d make to Obviously’s onboarding process, why she prioritizes relationships above all else (and how she builds them in a new environment), and how to gently rock the boat at your new job while “proving yourself” as a new employee. Karen believes that you cannot be interviewed without asking questions, and she outlines some of the questions that potential recruits should be asking. Then, we learn about Shine at Work, the importance of “why” in their intake process, common characteristics of successful clients, and the trends that Karen sees being adopted by many in the future of HR.

Key Points From This Episode:

How Karen landed her new job and how she’s settling into her role at Obviously.
The changes she’d make to Obviously’s onboarding process after going through it herself.
How she went about building relationships at her new job and what she prioritizes.
The balance between gently rocking the boat and trying to prove yourself as a new employee.
Who Karen listens to and engages with first when trying to understand a new company.
How she prepared for the interview for her current role.
Finding the problem: the questions you should be asking in your recruitment interview!
How Karen feels when recruits don’t ask questions in their interviews.
The ins and outs of the company she founded, Shine at Work.
A peek into Shine at Work’s intake process and the importance of “why.”
Perseverance and other traits of success.
The trends and technologies Karen sees flourishing in the future of HR.

Quotes:

“Strong managers make you, as a leader, stronger.” — @career_changers [17:56]

“What’s the right time to work with us? – When you’re trying to think about what to do. The reason for that is because you’re honestly in a better place emotionally to go through that decision-making.” — @career_changers [25:57]

“I always want people to be running towards something, whether that’s an internal opportunity, staying where you are and re-engaging, or changing jobs. Doing it before you’re at the breaking point is actually the healthier time to do it.” — @career_changers [26:29]

“If you’re working with a personal trainer and you hit your weight goal or your marathon goal – you don’t usually stop working them – They help you stay in shape. That’s what we also do with folks. Your career is a journey. We can partner with you along the way as well.” — @career_changers [28:03]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Karen Weeks on LinkedIn

Key Points From This Episode:

How Karen landed her new job and how she’s settling into her role at Obviously.
The changes she’d make to Obviously’s onboarding process after going through it herself.
How she went about building relationships at her new job and what she prioritizes.
The balance between gently rocking the boat and trying to prove yourself as a new employee.
Who Karen listens to and engages with first when trying to understand a new company.
How she prepared for the interview for her current role.
Finding the problem: the questions you should be asking in your recruitment interview!
How Karen feels when recruits don’t ask questions in their interviews.
The ins and outs of the company she founded, Shine at Work.
A peek into Shine at Work’s intake process and the importance of “why.”
Perseverance and other traits of success.
The trends and technologies Karen sees flourishing in the future of HR.

Quotes:

“Strong managers make you, as a leader, stronger.” — @career_changers [17:56]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Karen Weeks on LinkedIn

Previous Episode

Small Door's Serge Clivio & Nicole McLeod

Every interview should be a ‘culture’ interview and your goal as an interviewer should be to hire people who feed the company’s soul. Today we are joined by not one, but two incredible guests! Talent acquisition gurus from Small Door Veterinary, Nicole McLeod and Serge Clivio are here to discuss all things recruitment. Tuning in, you’ll hear about Small Door and its mission, how Nicole knew she wanted to work in recruitment and why she joined Small Door, Serge’s interview process, and so much more! Our guests then share their interesting interview techniques and beliefs before delving into the ‘secret sauce’ of success. Finally, Serge and Nicole tell us what is next for them in their careers.

Key Points From This Episode:

Welcoming today’s wonderful guests from Small Door, Serge Clivio and Nicole McLeod.
Nicole tells us about Small Door and the company’s mission.
Nicole’s experience of hiring Serge and how she knew he was the perfect fit for his role.
The kinds of questions Serge asks when interviewing for a role.
What made Nicole want to join Small Door and when she moved into her current role.
Serge shares his beliefs about a company’s ‘secret sauce’ to success.
How Nicole and Serge assess people in their ability to feed the soul of the company.
Why Small Door sees every interview as a culture interview.
How they set potential recruits up for value-based questions in their interviews.
The importance of asking open-ended questions when interviewing a potential recruit.
Our guests tell us about what is next for them in their careers.

Quotes:

“Something that’s really important to me is transparency with anyone I work with.” — Nicole McLeod [0:07:20]

“You will not succeed in your role as a recruiter if you do not – see the growth of the actual company principles.” — @SergeClivio [0:08:42]

“Each hire should be better than the last and that’s the only way that you’re going to grow a company.” — @SergeClivio [0:16:25]

“Culture is caught not taught!” — Nicole McLeod [0:17:38]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Serge Clivio on LinkedIn

Nicole McLeod on LinkedIn

Small Door

Talk Talent to Me

Hired

Next Episode

Juxtapose Head of Talent Lorraine Buhannic

Lorraine tells us all about her decision to get into talent acquisition, why she loves working with earlier-stage clients, how we can be more deliberate in our career decisions, and what her career planning coaching process is like. We also discuss what people going through career transitions ask most often before she explains the Juxtapose model. Finally, Lorraine tells us the kinds of challenges she expects talent leaders will face in the near future.

Key Points From This Episode:

A warm welcome to today’s guest, Lorraine Buhannic.
Lorraine tells us about her transition into her new role at Juxtapose.
Her choice to go into recruiting and why she chose this field.
Why Lorraine wanted to work with earlier-stage companies.
How you can be more deliberate in your career decisions.
Lorraine walks us through the process of going through career planning coaching with her.
The kinds of questions people ask during career transitions.
The Juxtapose model, how it works, and how they hire leaders.
Why hiring should always be the first priority for businesses.
Lorraine tells us some of the questions she asks leaders throughout the coaching process.
What challenges she anticipates talent leaders are going to face over the next year.

Quotes:

“When you build a really awesome talent foundation, the sky is the limit!” — Lorraine Buhannic [0:03:46]

“I want to feel more empowered when I’m thinking about what to do next.” — Lorraine Buhannic [0:09:32]

“Hiring needs to be priority number one because, at the end of the day, if you don’t have the right people, it’s going to be really hard to scale the organization.” — Lorraine Buhannic [0:20:58]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Lorraine Buhannic on LinkedIn

Juxtapose

Talk Talent to Me

Hired