HRCI Champion: Olivia Ellis, aPHR

Starting a Career in Human Resources

You stepped into your first HR role the same year you graduated. What drew you to HR as a career path?

I entered Roger Williams University as a management and marketing major. Throughout college, I found myself drawn to the people aspect of marketing rather than the creative side. I enjoyed analytics and psychology and found it fascinating how behavior could be looked at through data.

I loved everything about management, from leadership and motivation to organizational design. I also learned about organizational culture and the way that a manager, work dynamic, or team impacts each individual’s life even outside of work.

I developed the belief that great organizations are built by great employees, and great employees are built through great leadership. Human resources felt like the perfect field for me, allowing me to blend my love for leadership, communication, and analytics to make positive change in the lives of others.

What made you pursue the aPHR while still finishing school?

It was a huge decision for me to pursue my aPHR while completing my bachelor’s degree in three years. I had set a goal to obtain a full-time position in human resources by graduation, so I could step right into the workforce. I knew this would be a challenge because of the job market, the competitive nature of my generation, and my lack of direct human resources experience.

I believed the aPHR could help me overcome some of those barriers. It not only added a credential to my resume but gave me the knowledge and confidence to feel like I belonged in the HR space. I could join conversations about HR topics and understand terminology I wouldn’t have known before. It also gave me something meaningful to talk about in interviews and while networking.

A Recruiter’s Perspective on the Candidate Experience

You were a new graduate seeking a job very recently. What do you carry with you from that experience now that you’re making hiring decisions?

This perspective has been especially valuable in understanding the difficulties new graduates encounter when entering the workforce with limited professional experience. Many entry-level positions still prioritize candidates with prior experience, creating a difficult cycle: employers want experience but aren’t always willing to give someone the chance to gain it.

I carry this perspective with me as a recruiter because I believe the candidate with the most experience is not necessarily the best candidate for a position. Qualities such as curiosity, proactivity, adaptability, and enthusiasm can be equally valuable. Candidates may also gain transferable skills through internships, academic projects, student organizations, or other experiences.

Recent graduates often bring a strong willingness to learn, take on new challenges, and prove themselves. I believe that potential deserves to be considered alongside traditional professional experience.

Is there anything you wish hiring managers had done differently for you as a candidate that you’re now intentional about doing differently for others?

The biggest frustration for me when interviewing was spending hours submitting tailored applications, reaching out to hiring managers, and networking, only to never receive a response from an organization. Even if I wasn’t chosen for the position, I wanted to know. Oftentimes it felt like my applications were being sent into a void.

As a recruiter, I now understand that the volume of applications can make it difficult to communicate with each candidate directly. But I also know how discouraging it is to never receive a response after putting so much effort into an application. I make sure to communicate with candidates throughout the interview process and send rejection emails as promptly as possible, so they have clarity and know where their application stands.

What has surprised you most about full-cycle recruitment now that you’re doing it day to day, versus what you expected going in?

Going into full-cycle recruitment, I knew it would be dynamic, documentation-heavy, and focused on relationship building. What surprised me was the number of moving pieces, especially when recruiting for more than a dozen roles simultaneously.

My role involves creating job descriptions, working with hiring managers to determine needs, collaborating with the executive team on strategy, sourcing and evaluating candidates, conducting interviews, and coordinating next steps. With roles constantly in different phases of the process, staying on top of everything can be challenging. I am enjoying my role immensely, but I can say it is more difficult than I thought it would be.

AI and the Changing Landscape of Hiring

You entered HR at a moment when a lot of your peers are using AI to write resumes and cover letters. Has that changed how you evaluate candidates, or what you’re looking for in an application?

It’s true that many candidates are using AI to write resumes and cover letters, and it can be clear when they do. When I see an application that relies heavily on AI, it can give me the impression that the candidate hasn’t put much thought into how they present themselves professionally.

Throughout college, I was told to keep personality out of resumes, cover letters, and even my LinkedIn profile, and to make things as generic as possible because that is what “professional” is. But in a world where so many resumes and cover letters look the same, personality can be refreshing. Working in the nonprofit space, we look for individuals who connect with the mission of our organization. Many of the candidates I hire did not submit “perfect” applications but created unique applications that showcased what they could do, not what AI could do for them.

Early-Career Perspective

Recruiting often means talking with candidates and hiring managers who have more years of experience than you. Has your age or experience level come up, and how have you navigated it?

Talking with and hiring candidates who are more experienced than I am was intimidating at first. Experienced candidates would talk about certifications, degrees, or programs I had never heard of. For example, when interviewing for housing roles, I have to determine how much knowledge someone has about affordable housing in the Boston area. To do that effectively, I had to learn a significant amount about the topic myself.

I quickly realized that to succeed, I needed to do enough research to determine whether a candidate was qualified for every role I hired for. In my first few weeks, I researched the job descriptions, made sure I understood the requirements, and read about the industries and relevant trends.

My age or experience level has never come up directly, but it did shape how I was onboarded. My manager gave me opportunities to shadow interviews and calls before taking them on myself. Being new to the field has also made me especially conscious of producing high-quality work and earning the trust of my colleagues.

What advice would you give to other recent graduates considering HR as a career, particularly in mission-driven or nonprofit settings?

The most important thing for me when starting my HR career was building a foundation of knowledge. The aPHR helped me refresh theories I learned in college, learn more about HR law, and think through real-life scenarios I would face as an HR professional. I also joined HR groups on LinkedIn, listened to podcasts, read articles, and attended webinars. Staying up to date on industry trends and learning from other HR professionals helped me feel more confident entering the field.

In a mission-driven or nonprofit space, it is important to be part of a mission you connect with personally. The organization I work for is the leading provider of day services to individuals at risk of or experiencing homelessness in Massachusetts. I have lived experience with homelessness, which gives me the motivation to further the mission of the organization and help others the way I was helped. That connection fuels me to put my best self forward consistently. My advice would be to find a cause you are passionate about, and you will feel fulfilled and motivated to do your best work.

Looking Ahead

Where do you see your HR career heading from here? Do you know if you want to stay in talent acquisition, or are you exploring other HR disciplines?

Many areas of HR interest me. Leaving college, my favorite was talent acquisition because of the communication and relationship building involved. Since starting my current role, I’ve become interested in other aspects of HR as well. Employee relations interests me because I enjoy getting to the root cause of problems and mediating between parties.

Long term, I would love to move into organizational design and culture. I often find myself studying the structure of my current organization, evaluating what works, what creates challenges, and what could be made more efficient. I’ve learned that it is not enough to develop a good work culture; you also need an organizational structure, policies, and practices that allow that culture to flourish. I would love to help make organizations more efficient and people-centered through organizational design.

Olivia Ellis, aPHR, is a recruitment specialist passionate about connecting people with meaningful work. Her approach to recruiting goes beyond filling positions, focusing on connecting purpose-driven talent with opportunities that advance organizational goals and improve lives.

Related Learning & Resources

• aPHR Certification
• HRCI Pro: Talent Acquisition
• Recruitment Analytics
• Introduction to Human Resources Management