Jillian was a connection I made via the Ladies Get Paid conference held in Greenpoint last year. She is in a partner management role at Greenhouse Software, whose mission is to help companies be the best they can be at something very important: hiring! I’m excited to share Jillian’s profile as I know we have many tech- and HR-interested followers who will benefit from it!
Thank you, Jillian!
Name: Jillian Trubee
Location: New York City
Education: University of Colorado, Boulder; graduated with a degree in Business Administration with an emphasis in Human Resources Management
How did you determine what you wanted to study in college?
My parents are restaurant owners; my dad is the chef and my mom runs the front of the house. Growing up, I experienced their entrepreneurial spirit and watched first hand how to run a successful business. I decided to pursue my undergraduate degree in Business, knowing that I would be exposed to different facets of business and could explore different career paths as well.
Walk us through your initial job search strategy and how you landed your first full-time role.
I knew early on that I wanted to be on the east coast. I had Boston or New York in my mind from the get-go so knowing where I wanted to be allowed me to narrow my search. I scoured job boards and applied to anything that seemed interesting (at the time, I didn’t know what I wanted to do and probably still don’t :)) I also had a pretty large network of friends and family that I was able to tap into when it came down to looking for opportunities.
I landed my first job out of school through a friend as the Executive Assistant to the CEO at a small boutique recruiting agency in the chic Meatpacking District. It was my first job interview in NYC post-graduation and I didn’t get it right off the bat but knew that it was the job I wanted. I interviewed elsewhere for the rest of the summer but was respectfully persistent in following up with the CEO and letting her know how much I wanted to work for her. Interviewing at other companies for various positions made me even more decisive that I wanted the job at the recruiting agency. At the end of the summer, I got the job!
How did you go from that first role to your current role—what was that journey like for you?
I was at my first job for a year when I decided that it was time to move on to something new. Again, I scoured every job board imaginable and ended up applying to a TON of jobs. I was diligent in keeping track of every job and role I had applied to in a spreadsheet so that I wouldn’t apply twice and could keep track of the responses I was receiving.
After a long search process, I got an interview opportunity with a startup called Greenhouse Software. Greenhouse is a hiring software aimed at helping companies be great at hiring so of course, the process was already different from anything I had experienced in the past. They were thoughtful in their approach to interviewing me and I was able to meet with different people from various teams at the company to give me a holistic view of the company. After three weeks of interviewing, I got the job!
What advice do you have for young women who want to get into the tech industry?
Just do it! If you’re looking to go into software development, take some coding classes. There are some great coding academies out there that will even help you find a job after you’ve completed the course. If you’re just looking to get into a tech company, then figure out which companies speak to your values and look at their career sites. Almost all tech companies are hiring entry-level customer support and salespeople and these are great entry points into the tech world.
What has been your biggest career “hurdle” and what did you learn from it?
When I joined Greenhouse, I started on the recruiting team but early on I realized I didn’t see myself growing as a recruiter, I wanted more flexibility in my career where I could flex many different skills and have more options with any future job I wanted to go after. I knew I wanted to stay at Greenhouse though because I believed in the organization and the work we were doing. Luckily I had an amazing manager who encouraged me to work on projects outside of the recruiting team. Doing so allowed me to see where there was an opportunity at Greenhouse to make an impact and create a role for myself but in doing so, there would be a big learning curve. I would need to learn about APIs and how different systems could build integrations into our software. I didn’t have that kind of background so I had to find resources at Greenhouse who could help me fill my knowledge gaps.
During this hurdle, I learned that it’s important to ask for help and to not be afraid if you don’t know something. It’s better to say “I don’t know” to someone and get the answer than to provide them with the wrong information. I had to do a lot of that and it was very humbling.
Do you have a mentor? Who do you look to for inspiration and support?
Mentorship is still something I’m working on but eager to figure out. I’ve been at the forefront of building out Greenhouse’s Women’s ERG, which will hopefully pave the way for women at Greenhouse to mentor and find mentorship.
I find inspiration and support from a lot of the people I work with, especially my team. I work on a best-in-class team that constantly supports me and inspires me to bring my best self to work every day. They are my sounding board and are always there to lend an ear. I feel very lucky to work with such incredible women AND men.
I also have an amazing friend and family support system that are my everyday cheerleaders and encourage me to explore the things I want to do and support me along the way.
What does collaboration over competition mean to you?
I remember I had a job in which my boss had told me to mind my own work and not ask anyone else at the company for their input or feedback since they were also busy with their own work. That was disappointing and hard because I always thought two minds are better than one.
In my current role, we value collaboration and it’s important to me to work together with people in order to achieve my goals. I couldn’t do the work that I’m doing without help from others.
In the world of business, I think it’s extremely valuable to support one another and lift each other up. I am a huge advocate for women in business and ensuring that I help all women in any way I can to achieve their goals or feel safe to share their issues and needs. That’s what collaboration over competition means to me.
Final words of wisdom to all the young women out there who are strategizing to reach their education and career goals?
Pay attention, get involved, expose yourself to everything you can, and don’t be afraid to ask for help! There are so many people out there that are willing to help you advance your education and career aspirations. Always persevere!
If you are open to connecting with our readers, how can they reach you?
Connect with me on LinkedIn or find me on Instagram @Jilliantrubee
