We were lucky to catch up with Keirsten Greggs recently and have shared our conversation below.

Keirsten, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Was there an experience or lesson you learned at a previous job that’s benefited your career afterwards?

The most important lesson I learned from a prior job was knowing when to move on to the next opportunity. In 2011, having exhausted every available stretch project, special assignment, and talent development opportunity within the TA/HR department, I was promoted and transferred to a newly created role outside of TA that would allow me to utilize the skills I had gained in one of the business units I had been supporting. Unfortunately, this role only lasted a little over a year before it was eliminated and I was laid off. I had spent 8 years at an organization – not realizing the last 3.5 were rooted in a survival mindset with fear of thriving.

In 2015, I was similarly positioned in a large TA organization that I had outgrown. Again, organizational changes presented opportunities for me to transfer or be promoted and I pursued them vigorously, yet unsuccessfully. So, in early 2016 when a former coworker offered me the chance to lead TA Operations at a competitor organization, I didn’t’ hesitate. I should have. I had once again jumped out of the frying pan into the fire. After a few months I was laid off again – after fixing the problem I was hired to fix and I was the most tenured TA Leader because all of the others (including the person who hired me) had left knowing our part of the organization was being divested.

In 2017, I took a recruiting role out of desperation. It was horrible. I call it Dante’s Inferno because it was 9 days of hell. This time, instead of choosing the comfort that doing a job I was good at in a place that was toxic and offered me no growth, I resigned and leaned into the unknown that ultimately led me to starting TRAP Recruiter, LLC.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your insights and we’ve got a few more questions for you, but before we get to all of that can you take a minute to introduce yourself and give our readers some of your back background and context?

Cited as a top HR Influencer to watch in 2023 by Nectar HR and a 2023 HR Unite TA Trailblazer Award winner, I am the founder of TRAP Recruiter, LLC, a Talent Acquisition Consultancy that brings trust, relationship building, accountability, and a proactive approach back into the recruiting lifecycle. With over 23 years of TA experience, I’m passionate about helping orgs attract, select, and retain the best people, including historically-excluded, underrepresented candidates, as well as helping job-seekers find their voice in the hiring process. I do this through consulting, facilitating workshops, hosting training sessions and webinars, coaching job-seekers, and more. When I’m not actively solving recruiter problems and bridging the gap between job seekers and employers, I host two live podcasts, TRAP Chat Live and Wins, Woes & Wine (sponsored by, Visage).

How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?

When business was slow in 2018, I took a full-time recruiting contract to restaff an entire department. This was the first time I had to balance and separate being TRAP Recruiter and a representative of a global organization. TRAP Recruiter, LLC was still “new” and relatively unknown so I had to take care not to fully give up on what I was trying to build in favor of working for someone else. It was during this time that I really started focusing on and building a content library that was true to the TRAP Recruiter brand.

What’s worked well for you in terms of a source for new clients?

My reputation and the relationships I have built personally and professionally that created a a network of some of the best and brightest across industries. To name a few,

– The Performance I Create (PIC) blogger team saw my #RecruiterProblems Memes and guest posts on Sarah Morgan’s The Buzz on HR Blog and afforded me the opportunity grow my blogging skills with an established brand. This led to other guests writing opportunities and podcast appearances.

– Former coworkers who brought me on as a consultant/contractor to work on projects.

– Job seekers and interns turned employees (of organizations who recommend me to others who need assistance navigating their job search.

– Friends, family, acquaintances who bring me in to speak at their organizations and/or recommend me to organizations.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.traprecruiter.com
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/traprecruiter/
• Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TrapRecruiter
• Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traprecruiter/
• Twitter: https://twitter.com/TrapRecruiter
• Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCOR-nEZHnJjBW6WowL6yMeg
• Other: https://linktr.ee/traprecruiter