Meeting with Lee
This week we chat with Lee Doheny, Head of HR, Manufacturing and Production Recruitment within Optimize to discuss topics such as career choices, motivations and advice.
Question: “Do you have any motto/quote that you work to or believe in?”
I sure do. It concerns motivation & leadership. “A person always doing his or her best becomes a natural leader, just by example”. I also live by “Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard”.
Question: “What motivates you on a day to day basis?”
Pursuing a career in HR & People Management was always a desire of mine. HR is all about people and supporting them on a day to day basis. I am intrinsically motivated to help others and guide them with the best advice in every situation.
From a Talent Management perspective, it is rewarding to assist individuals in changing their career or landing a “dream job”. From a more general HR perspective, HR reporting, Training and Development and Employment Relations are all important to keep businesses functioning.
To be able to assist with guiding employees through grievances, facilitating upskilling of employees, etc. is something that further fosters my motivation. Following a career path that serves your inner purpose will ultimately lead you to success in the days ahead.
Question: “Tell me about your early career experience”
I set up my own venture supplying sports accessories to local GAA Clubs a few years ago as I thrived on people interaction and the resulting satisfaction. From there, I was keen on pursuing Human Resources as a career. Whilst engaging in my undergraduate degree, I set about fostering many professional relationships within HR. I did this through LinkedIn and personal connections.
I completed an internship in McKesson Corporation as part of my undergraduate programme (more details on blog: Life as a Graduate Recruitment Consultant).
Question: “Why did you choose Recruitment?”
I chose Recruitment due to the multi-dimensional aspect of it.
Key interfaces of the role would be maintaining professional client relationships, candidate engagement, social media and reporting. Transparent communication is essential. It facilitates open conversations between you and the receiver, establishes trust and gets ‘buy in’. Furthermore, organisational skills are key.
Knowing where you need to be, having a plan for the day, setting daily and weekly goals and keeping a de-cluttered space will all help in becoming a more organised individual. Also, a paramount skill is customer service. It is in my identity to provide an exceptional service to both candidates and clients that I engage with. Keeping clients & candidates informed, follow up calls, checking in, etc. will all serve you well in fostering positive working relationships.
It is important to note that no career is concrete. Don’t worry if you try something and it does not work. Many skills (organisational, etc.) are transferable and can be applied to other sectors and industries!
Question: “What is the best piece of advice you ever got?”
Tough question! I would say the best piece of advice was to always stick to your values and be a leader. There will always be negativity and difficult stakeholders [managers, co-workers, friends, etc.] – you have to navigate through that.
If you have a question for Lee or if you would like to discuss career opportunities, contact Lee directly via the options below.
E-mail: Lee@optimizerecruitment.ie
Mobile: 085 8072559
