We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Kathy Konzen. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Kathy below.

Kathy, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today We’d love to hear about the things you feel your parents did right and how those things have impacted your career and life.

My parents taught me to never give up and try new things that interest me. My mom used to say I would get knocked down but I would always get up again. I will try almost anything, both career related and in life to see if it brings me joy. If it doesn’t, I move on to the next thing.

My dad gave me my love for life and nature. He taught me that life is short and if you waste time on things that don’t matter to you or bring you happiness, you do not get that time back. I went to law school later in life because it was a bucket list item. I knew I probably wouldn’t end up practicing law for very long, but I wanted the education and I wanted to at least try it as a profession. It has led me to the career position I have now as an executive recruiter, and the education was something that can never be taken away or replaced. It taught me perseverance, which I use regularly in my personal life as an ultra runner. Just keep going and put one foot in front of the other, especially when you want to quit.

Awesome – so before we get into the rest of our questions, can you briefly introduce yourself to our readers.

I am a former practicing attorney, business development executive and recruiter. I fell into the recruiting industry by accident. I was recruited by a company to recruit attorneys for law firms and in house positions about 15 years ago. I spent several years working in the legal recruiting space, and started working with C-Suite executives a few years ago. I am currently a partner in a boutique recruiting firm where we focus exclusively on executive level positions across multiple industries. I focus on developing deep relationships with my clients and I meet my candidates where they are to align them with their next career opportunity. I thrive on helping others achieve their career goals and spend time getting to know each candidate so I can guide them along their journey. I have worked for small and large companies, from self-funded start-ups to high-growth, publicly traded companies. I enjoy working with all levels of leadership to uncover and solve complex hiring needs. I am proud of the deep relationships I have built throughout the years, and I hike and enjoy time outside of work with some of my former clients and candidates.

What do you think helped you build your reputation within your market?

I show up. I follow up with information I say I will provide, make introductions and connections, and offer any other type of support I can to my network. I am not about the next placement or sale. I am about creating trusting relationships within my network which means people can rely on me to do what I say I am going to do. Your reputation and your word are all you have and I believe in cultivating all my relationships as if that person may someday be my client or my boss. I treat everyone how I want to be treated on a daily basis.

We’d love to hear a story of resilience from your journey.

I was part of a mass layoff from a company back in 2017. I wasn’t sure if I wanted to continue in the legal vendor space, so I decided to start my own family law practice. I had never practiced family law, but have a strong work ethic and desire to help others. I loved working with my clients, I did not enjoy the bureaucracy of the legal system. So I closed my law practice and went back to doing what I love, which is recruiting people for their next dream job. I had to start over and rebuild my network and rebrand myself. The good news is I developed such strong relationships over the years that they welcomed me back with open arms.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.mattesonpartners.com
• Linkedin: linkedin.com/in/kathykonzen