Starting your first career can come with a lot of unknowns. For Matarazzo Kucher, Green Key Academy provided an opportunity to learn the recruiting industry from the ground up while gaining hands-on experience before stepping into his role as a recruiter.
With no prior recruiting experience, the Green Key Academy gave him the foundation and confidence to navigate Green Key’s systems, understand the recruiting process, and learn from people across the organization. Now that he has completed the program and transitioned onto his team, he reflects on what initially drew him to recruiting, what he learned along the way, and the advice he would give to someone just starting their career.
Finding the Right Career Path
When considering his first career opportunity, Matarazzo knew he wanted a role that would keep him engaged and give him the opportunity to work with different people throughout the day.
Recruiting stood out because of the variety it offers. Rather than doing the same thing every day, he liked the idea of working with different people, learning about different roles, and having the ability to focus on areas that interested him.
“I was interested in recruiting because I really enjoy speaking with different people throughout the day. I also liked the idea of having a role that would be different every day and give me opportunities to focus on different areas that interested me.”
That combination of variety and relationship-building made recruiting an exciting career path, even though he was starting with no previous experience in the industry.
Starting with Green Key Academy
With recruiting being a completely new industry for him, the opportunity to participate in the Green Key Academy was a major factor in his decision to join the company.
“I had never worked in recruiting before, so I was really interested in the training program and the opportunity to learn as much as I could before starting the role.”
The program provided early exposure to Green Key’s systems, processes, and teams, helping him transition into his recruiting role with greater confidence.
One of the biggest benefits was getting hands-on experience with the ATS system during the program. Becoming familiar with the system before joining his team helped make the transition into his recruiting role much smoother.
“It was really helpful to learn the ATS system before joining my team. Having that familiarity beforehand made me feel much more comfortable once I started in my role.”
Learning What Recruiting Is Really Like
Before joining Green Key, Matarazzo didn’t have much experience or knowledge of the recruiting industry. Once he began the Green Key Academy and transitioned into his role, he quickly learned just how fast-paced recruiting can be.
What stood out most was the level of flexibility recruiters have in structuring their days. Rather than following the exact same schedule every day, recruiters have to prioritize their time, manage different responsibilities, and figure out how to structure their day in a way that allows them to be successful.
“I didn’t know much about recruiting when I started, but I’ve learned so much about the industry since then. It’s a fast-paced environment, and I really like that you have the flexibility to structure your day in a way that helps you be as successful and productive as possible.”
That flexibility was also one of the biggest adjustments he faced when starting his first career.
“The biggest adjustment was not having a set schedule of what to do every day.”
Fortunately, he had support from his managers and teammates as he learned how to navigate that flexibility. Seeing how more experienced recruiters structured their days gave him examples to build from while he developed his own routine.
Learning From the People Around Him
One of the most valuable parts of the Green Key Academy was hearing directly from people across Green Key.
Guest speakers from different teams shared their experiences and talked about how they approach their roles and structure their days. For Matarazzo, hearing those perspectives provided practical insight that went beyond the basics of learning recruiting.
“One of the most valuable parts was hearing from guest speakers across the different teams. It was really helpful to hear about their experiences and how they structure their days, and it gave me a better idea of how to organize my own day for success.”
The program also incorporated role-playing exercises, giving participants the chance to practice navigating situations they could eventually encounter as recruiters.
That experience has continued to be useful in his role today. Working through different scenarios during the Green Key Academy helped him feel more comfortable when similar situations came up in real recruiting conversations.
“The role-playing exercises were very helpful because we worked through different situations that I’ve actually encountered as a recruiter. Going through those scenarios during training made me much more comfortable handling them when they came up in my role.”
Finding Support at Green Key
While Green Key Academy provided the foundation for his transition into recruiting, Matarazzo says the people at Green Key have been one of his favorite parts of the experience.
The collaborative environment has made it easier to ask questions and continue learning after completing the formal program.
“The culture and the people have been my favorite part of my experience at Green Key. Everyone is very friendly and outgoing, and whenever I have a question, people are always willing to help.”
That willingness to help has made a difference as he continues to grow into his role and navigate the day-to-day responsibilities of recruiting.
Advice for Starting Your Career
For anyone entering the workforce or considering recruiting without previous experience, Matarazzo’s advice is simple: ask questions and be willing to step outside your comfort zone.
“I would say to ask as many questions as possible and don’t be afraid to step outside of your comfort zone. Green Key Academy really encouraged us to do that and to learn as much as we could.”
That’s something he experienced firsthand through Green Key Academy. The program encouraged him to ask questions, practice unfamiliar situations, and learn as much as possible before stepping into his recruiting role.
For someone just beginning their career, that willingness to learn can make all the difference.
And for Matarazzo, Green Key Academy provided the opportunity to do exactly that — learn something new, build confidence, and take the first step into a career in recruiting.
Interested in starting your career at Green Key? Learn more about Green Key Academy and explore current opportunities on our Join Green Key page.
