Welcome to #WeAreGreenKey, where we shine a spotlight on our powerhouse agency team.
We chatted with Kayla Jones, Technical Writer on the Corporate Marketing Team at Green Key. Kayla has been with Green Key for six years. Originally a member of the Pharma team, she transitioned to the Corporate Marketing team in 2020. Kayla let us in on her opportunity to switch teams, her efforts to enhance training programs at Green Key, and the importance of a strong marketing strategy at the company.
What inspired you to pursue a career in technical writing?
I started at Green Key as a temp in 2016 as an onboarder in the Pharma division. Pharma is audited by clients several times a year, so you have to make sure all your ducks are in a row. While I worked for them, I set out to start a handbook for my specific role. I got about halfway through and realized I actually like documentation and formalizing things. I have a degree in Anthropology and was planning to go to grad school, but as I was finishing the degree, the pandemic hit. That kept me working at Green Key, but I knew we had to transition training to online learning. A lot of our training wasn’t standardized, because we have employees and offices all over the country. I spoke with the partners about jump starting this project, and because I knew Green Key so well, they let me try out this new role.
Essentially, we took two old recruiting handbooks, meshed them together, and updated them to current trends and technology. We sent them out to recruiters who have been in the field for years, because they are our subject-matter experts. They were able to provide feedback, which allowed us to put our spin on our first round of trainings. From 2020 to 2022, we have been able to fill in the gaps and make training more engaging and interesting. Our new goal is to increase retention because of that.
What was the transition like from the Pharma team to Marketing?
It was a very good transition. I felt ambivalent in my Pharma role; I wanted to take a more global look at everything happening at the company. I’m grateful to Green Key for giving me the shot to do this. That’s one of Green Key’s strengths. Everyone cares, from the top down. They have a willingness to invest in people and they want you to succeed.
How do you feel your experience as a Staffing Specialist helps your role now as a Technical Writer?
It gave me some insight into exactly how recruiters feel. I got to know the business and manager expectations. I knew where some of those gaps were and how to go about filling them in.
What motivates you to keep returning to work every day?
I think there’s so much potential with our LMS (Learning Management System) and to continue to innovate on the learning side. We can really leverage the deep wells of recruiting. There are people at Green Key who have been here for 10+ years, which is rare for a recruiting agency. I think there is a lot more I can give to and learn from Green Key.
Why do you think a strong marketing strategy is so important in recruiting?
Recruiting is essentially based on our individual brands. Understanding that helps with client and candidate relationships, because it all comes down to mutual respect and the relationship between the two. It’s important that our recruiters understand the Green Key brand and what that brand means for themselves. Thankfully, training can help enforce and teach people about Green Key branding and our expectations on how we operate.
