Michelle Oconnor

About Michelle Oconnor

With over 20 years of experience in HR, I\'m still learning every day. Over time, I have discovered that my heart truly lies in recruiting and finding those great matches between hiring managers and candidates. I have also discovered how much I enjoy teaching classes about hiring, biases and how to approach interviewing. My focus has always been on the \"add\" that candidates can bring to a team. I also enjoy the challenges that come along with developing HR programs, and my approach has always been to work collaboratively and to make sure every voice is heard.

Experience

1. Senior Talent Advisor - Strategic Programs

   Sound Transit

   Sep 2020 — Present · Seattle, WA, US

   Responsible for leading Talent Acquisition programs to include- University Relations Program - lead and develop virtual internship program, consult with hiring managers, and develop early career pipeline- Advertising Program – manage partnerships and contracts with LinkedIn, Indeed/Glassdoor and diverse organizations - Talent Connect Program – lead and advise Talent Advisors to place employees in temporary projects for professional development- Talent Champion Program – lead and advise a group of employees (20+) to partner with hiring managers throughout the recruitment process to create a positive candidate experience and to participate on interview panels and provide feedback- Hiring for Success Training classes – lead and present training on a weekly basis and ad-hoc requests from departmentsAdditional Responsibilities:• Manage full cycle recruitments from planning to offer stage. Guides candidates through and trains hiring managers in the full recruiting cycle. Performs initial interviews to determine candidate suitability for placement for targeted requisitions• Collaborates with the Civil Rights, Equity and Inclusion team (CREI) to identify potential roles and/or teams with areas of underutilization and strategizes a variety of outreach methods to ensure diversity of talent pools• Recommends and develops foundational relationships with contacts in business, academia, and other sources to build talent pipeline, strengthen and diversify the talent pool to reflect our communities

Education

• University of Washington

  Bachelor of Arts (BA), Integrated Social Sciences

• AIRS

  Professional Recruiter Certification (PRC)

• Edmonds Community College

  Associate of Arts and Sciences (A.A.S.)

• University of Washington

  UW Advancement LEAD graduate

• AIRS

  Certified Diversity Recruiter