Leadership, Community And Values Initiative
CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Taking Risks Leads to Rewards
Carolyn Hostetler, a Recruitment & Training Manager with Housing and Food Services, has learned through life experience that taking career risks can lead to exciting and satisfying results.
I often relied on mentors and advisors to coach me through career development decisions. While a student at the UW, I worked for Housing and Food Services and in a pharmacology lab. In both positions, I learned successful methods for managing and developing employees. Being resilient, and willing to try again when a decision did not go as planned, were lessons I learned from my mentors.
In 2003, I was hired as a Desk Services Supervisor with HFS. I co-supervised a student staff team with a focus on building trust and taking risks, both personally and professionally. I took advantage of the many resources the University has to offer to further develop my career. I went through the Strategic Leadership Program, and then the SLP mentorship program. I also attended various POD training courses and have received an HR Administration certificate. By taking ownership of my own success and growth as an employee, I proved to my supervisors that I was capable of greater responsibility. In 2006, I was promoted to Department Recruiting & Training Manager with HFS. I now work with a wider group of staff, both within and outside HFS, and am learning how an organization functions from a broader perspective.
