Meet Your Whitridge IT Recruiter

06 June 2017 0

Meet Your Whitridge IT Recruiter

NAME: Dennis Condon

TITLE: Staffing Specialist

TIME W/ WHITRIDGE: 7 months

1.    What is your background both educationally and professionally? And how did that lead you to recruiting? 

I got my BA degree in Public Relations from Iona College in New Rochelle, NY (May 2011).  Upon graduating I moved home to Boston and shortly after took on my first “real job” at John Hancock working as a Payroll Customer Service Rep.  I spent a lot of time on the phone with financial agents/brokers handling ad hoc commission related service requests.  

Two years later I was promoted to a Financial Reporting Analyst position.  As a Financial Analyst, your head is always buried in spreadsheets and you’re analyzing metrics to provide color on forecasts, budgets, and trends... when I’d look at the sales numbers it made me question why I wasn’t out there selling.  

At John Hancock, I enjoyed the phone-time, running meetings, and training new people.  I always knew I wanted to get into sales but not necessarily in the financial field. I worked with a wonderful group of people at John Hancock and it was tough to leave, but I took a risk and accepted a new position with Worldwide Express (UPS reseller & Freight Carrier) as a territory manager in March of 2016.  This was a very challenging sales job and it ended up not being the best fit long term. Nonetheless, this company’s training program was great and prepared me for my role as an IT Recruiter. 

As a Territory Manager at WWEX my role was a 90% outside and 10% inside sales… I was cold calling, banging on doors all day, and made phone calls every AM & PM with the intent to set appointments with C Level Executives. The WWEX experience hardened me. Coming from a Finance background and transitioning into a hard-core sales role was a challenge.  I loved the action, but the industry wasn’t for me. The more I talked to recruiters the more interested I became in the staffing industry. I thought to myself, “I’d be good at this. I won’t be driving all around Mass banging on doors, but I’ll still be communicating over the phone with new and diverse personalities.” So, I applied for a job at Whitridge Associates as a Technical Recruiter and was fortunate enough to be brought onboard in November of 2016.

2.    What is the best thing about IT recruiting and what do you think are the biggest challenges? 

The best thing about IT recruiting is that technology is infinite.  It’s never going away.  It’s only expanding, so there will always be a need for talent acquisition.  The biggest challenge in the IT staffing industry is that we’re dealing with people and people are, more often than not, unpredictable – but that’s also what makes it exciting. 

3.    When you’re not at work as a Tech Recruiter, what is your favorite thing to do? 

In my spare time, I enjoy being with girlfriend, Morgan and spending time with family and friends, especially on the Cape.  I’m also a passionate traveler who loves to see new things.  I’m a big believer in the phrase, “a rolling stone never gathers any moss.”  

4.    Tell us one interesting (or odd – no judgement here) fact about yourself? 

I’m a righty but my left eye is stronger than the right and I cut my steak holding the knife in my left hand… It’s a pity this skillset didn’t come in handy back in my baseball days as a switch hitter.

5.    What do you love about Whitridge? 

The people.  It’s a very welcoming environment.  When I came onboard everyone I work with was so quick to lend a helping hand, from sharing ideas to providing constructive criticism.  We are all competitive, but at the same time we all want to see each other do well.

This blog post was written by Danielle Higgins, Social Media Coordinator at Whitridge Associates

About Whitridge Associates

Whitridge Associates provides expert talent to a diverse group of technology companies, financial services, defense contractors and healthcare providers throughout the country. With a history of 22 plus years of unparalleled service to both our clients and consultants, Whitridge is one of the most highly regarded staffing companies in New England. Whitridge was recently recognized as an Inavero’s Best of Staffing® Client and Talent Awards winner, one of the top 100 fastest growing staffing companies in the United States and was presented with The Excellence Award from TechServe Alliance the industry’s leading trade association.

Whitridge helps our clients and candidates achieve business success.  Think Whitridge. Think Success. www.whitridge.com