Someone Believed in Me Before I Believed in Myself
Years ago, someone believed in me before I fully believed in myself.
That someone was Joe Woerner.
Looking back, it's hard to believe how much has changed.
Before agency recruiting became my world, I had already spent years in manufacturing. I started my career in Project Management at a Tier 1 automotive supplier, where I gained a firsthand understanding of the daily realities of production, customer demands, launches, and the countless challenges manufacturers navigate every day.
Later, I became the HR Manager for an engineering company, where recruiting became part of my role. I interviewed candidates, filled positions, and genuinely believed I understood what recruiting was all about. Looking back, that combination of operational and HR experience gave me a foundation that I still rely on today when partnering with manufacturing clients.
Then I met Joe.
Joe saw potential in someone who understood recruiting from the corporate side but had never worked a recruiting desk. He believed I could make the transition - and because of that opportunity, an entirely new career unfolded.
There was just one small detail...
I had never sold anything in my life.
My entire career had been in operations and HR, where recruiting was about supporting the business - not developing new clients, making sales calls, or building a book of business. The thought of "selling" was completely outside my comfort zone.
Yet Joe wasn't concerned. He saw something I couldn't yet see in myself. He believed that if I focused on building relationships, understanding people's challenges, and genuinely helping others, the business would follow.
Looking back, he was absolutely right.
What I thought was sales turned out not to feel like sales at all.
It was listening more than talking. Asking thoughtful questions. Being curious. Building trust. Developing a genuine interest in the industries and companies I served.
The placements were simply the natural outcome of those relationships.
Agency recruiting reinforced something I had always believed: empathy isn't a "soft skill" - it's one of the most important skills in this profession.
It was something I had always valued, but recruiting gave me the opportunity to put it to work every single day.
You can't represent a candidate well if you don't understand the pressures your client is facing. And you can't represent a client well if you don't understand what matters most to the candidate. Real recruiting happens when both sides feel heard.
I've always seen my role as being the bridge between two people who might otherwise misunderstand each other. Sometimes it's helping a hiring manager see beyond the résumé. Other times, it's helping a candidate understand the business realities behind a lengthy interview process or a difficult hiring decision. When both sides feel understood, better decisions are made - and lasting partnerships are built.
Years later, I honestly can't imagine doing anything else.
Agency recruiting taught me that there is an entirely different side to our profession that most in-house recruiters never get the chance to experience.
It isn't just about finding résumés. It's about earning trust quickly, understanding what truly motivates people, navigating difficult conversations, and helping both candidates and clients make life-changing decisions with confidence.
There are countless tips, techniques, and lessons that I wish I had known during my years in HR. Looking back, they would have made my job so much easier - from identifying the right candidates more efficiently to asking better interview questions and understanding what truly motivates someone to leave a good job for a great opportunity.
I was fortunate to receive exceptional formal training through MRI and earn my CSAM certification. That training gave me a strong foundation. But like any profession, knowledge alone isn't enough. The lessons that truly shaped me came from applying those principles every day alongside people who had mastered the craft.
Even more valuable than the recruiting techniques, however, were the lessons I learned from Joe as a leader.
Agency recruiting can be an emotional roller coaster.
You celebrate a placement one day and wonder what happened the next.
There are weeks when everything falls into place - and weeks when nothing seems to.
Joe had an incredible ability to reframe those difficult moments.
He could take what felt like a disappointing day - or even a disappointing month - and somehow help you recognize the progress you had actually made.
Instead of focusing on what hadn't happened yet, he focused on what had moved forward.
One more client conversation.
One better interview.
One stronger relationship.
One lesson learned.
Those weren't failures.
They were momentum!
That perspective has stayed with me ever since.
At the time, I didn't realize those lessons would one day shape the way I would lead my own company.
Nearly 5 years ago, I made the decision to start Expert Connections.
Building a business has brought an entirely new set of lessons, challenges, and rewards. But one thing I think about often is how much of my leadership style was shaped during those early agency recruiting years.
Today, I have the privilege of leading my own team.
When one of them is having a difficult week, I often find myself thinking, "How would Joe frame this?"
More than anything, I hope I can be the kind of leader for them that Joe was for me - someone who sees potential before confidence catches up, celebrates progress as much as results, and reminds people that difficult days are often the ones that teach us the most.
Joe, thank you for seeing something in me that I couldn't yet see in myself.
Thank you for taking a chance on someone who had never sold a thing in her life and showing me that success isn't about selling - it's about serving, listening, building relationships, and understanding people.
You believed in me before I fully believed in myself, and you shared your knowledge with incredible generosity.
You taught me that recruiting is both a science and an art, but more importantly, you showed me what great leadership looks like.
The best leaders don't just build successful businesses - they build people who go on to build their own. Thank you for being one of those leaders.
All these years later, I'm still grateful for that opportunity.
I hope, years from now, someone on my own team will look back and say they felt the same way about working with me. If that happens, I'll know I honored the example Joe set for me.
Sincerely, Silvia 💕
