Kforce Employee Spotlight: Heidi Louden
Heidi Louden, our Talent Attraction Director, and consistent top-performer, has been with Kforce for six years. This hardworking mom loves shopping, watching her daughter play college lacrosse, volunteering for Meals on Wheels and most of all—her job. Learn what brought Heidi to a career in recruiting and what has fueled her success.
What is your current role at Kforce?
I’ve been with internal staffing for the past six years. I hire all our internal recruiters, salespeople and operations professionals in Los Angeles, San Diego and Phoenix. Living in Tampa and working for the West Coast means working longer hours to adjust to the time zone, but I love my markets, so that makes the extra effort worth it. I’m the only recruiter working that differential, so it’s special to me.
Describe your career path.
I’ve been in the recruiting industry for 22 years. I started out in football recruiting my freshman year of college. I went to Bowling Green State University, and I showed the recruits around campus. After college, I went to a staffing firm to find a job, and they ended up hiring me internally. I was there for 14 years.
Kforce is my fourth job since I graduated college, which is unique. In today’s job market, you typically see more movement.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up?
I went to college as an education major and wanted to teach high school business, so I tried student teaching. Afterwards I thought, ‘Yikes! I can’t do this.’ I was 20 and the students were 16 to 18 years old. We were too close in age.
I changed my major in my junior year—which is late for a college student, but I regrouped and switched to a business major. I got my marketing degree, which helps me every day in my current role. I still love aspects of teaching and helping others learn, but I’m glad I figured out what I wanted to do before I graduated.
You’ve won a lot of awards in your time at Kforce—Top Performer of the Year, Top Performer of the Quarter a few times. What do you attribute to this success?
I live by three things:
- Stay two steps ahead of your competition.
- Stay in control. There are three things that I know I can control: my effort, my attitude and my technique.
- Never give up.
It’s important to be persistent and consistent and take ownership of your career. I’m in the top three of 15 recruiters right now and I typically always am. I live by this advice in all aspects of my life, not just work.
What is your favorite Kforce moment?
Finding out that I was going on the PIP trip to Costa Rica in 2014. Ticket day was new, so I didn’t see it coming. I thought ‘Oh my gosh, I’m in the top ten percent!’ Being in the top ten percent of the Firm isn’t easy to do.
What is your favorite part of your work week?
I love making offers to candidates! Taking a candidate from a job application, to that initial call, to the interview process, and hopefully to an offer is so rewarding. I work so closely with candidates and get to know them. I often feel like I’m the one getting the job!
The excitement of making an offer hasn’t stopped in 22 years, which is crazy. Think of how many offers I’ve made! It never gets old.
Why Kforce?
I’ve been in the industry so long, and it was the first company where the culture was there. I love our core values, especially stewardship and community. Every six to eight weeks, my team and I volunteer for Meals on Wheels in Tampa. Everyone gets busy with life and it’s difficult to find the time to volunteer, but I love having the opportunity to give back during work hours. I also enjoy working alongside people who are passionate about giving back.
What advice would you give to someone who’s just starting out in their career?
- Take notes! You can’t absorb everything, but you can always look back at your notebook.
- Keep pushing forward and make sure you listen. Listening is crucial.
- Never give up and always ask questions.
- You are the CEO of your desk. You’re in control of your work and career.
