I design performance management systems, develop training programs and deliver coaching to help employees grow their skills and help companies improve their performance. I also manage the employee onboarding process to get new hires up to speed faster, keep them engaged and ultimately reduce turnover.

EDUCATION | Bachelor of Science degree in Human Resource Development - with specialization in Training and Development, Master of Science degree in Management.

HOW TO GET STARTED | Always keep in mind that there's always more to learn. Value feedback from others because it'll make you a better facilitator. Read evaluations and make corrections to the course or your delivery. Be prepared to wear a lot of different hats - consultant, facilitator, developer, etc.

MUST HAVE TRAITS | Good interpersonal and problem-solving skills, attention to detail, being humble, having a knack for learning, patience, friendliness, being assertive, able to deliver constructive criticism without being offensive, knowing what questions to ask to get people talking. Because you can develop all the training in the world but the real learning often happens when other people share their on-the-job experiences.

how I got started | I had an internship in college designing a professional sales training program. I enjoyed working with the subject matter experts, taking their information and putting it into a structured format that made it easy for others to follow and understand. When I graduated there were a lot of opportunities in the training field, so I was lucky to get several job offers. I started as a Courseware Developer and worked my way into a Product Manager role - where, instead of writing the training, I oversaw the quality of the course and interacted with the customer.

why this job?| I was a Computer Technician in the Navy for 6 years - dealing mostly with electronics and computer programming. It was great experience, but I didn't want to do it forever. I came across Human Resource Development and decided it was a good match for my personality and my skills - plus I loved the idea of helping people learn and be better at their jobs.

why I love this job!| I love the satisfaction of knowing that when I deliver training it's worthwhile to the participants' time. It's great when they walk away knowing more than they came in with, and they really feel like they got something out of the class. I have a lot of fun facilitating team-building programs - it's cool when people are having so much fun they don't even realize they're learning at the same time. Coaching and mentoring employees is great, too, because it's an opportunity to turn someone's negative moment into a positive growth experience.

my typical day| My days are busy. I'll check voicemail and email first thing in the morning and spend the rest of the day responding to questions about handling performance management issues, talking to Managers regarding their requests for new training courses, developing or delivering training, monitoring statistics on the performance management system, and helping people set objectives and measures.

what they are | It's easy to get stuck in "analysis paralysis" when trying get sign-off on a new course. You develop the training, but it goes through so many hands and gets tweaked so much it's no longer what you created. Developing training right the first time is also a challenge, because you're often just learning about the subject yourself. It can be difficult to convince some Leaders that training is a smart investment, as opposed to an unnecessary cost. And, it's also tough working with poor leadership/managers - because it resonates with the employees and creates a culture of bad performance.

all about growth | There are a lot of different paths...you'll typically start as developer and move into a facilitator or consulting role, then into a Manager of Training and Development, and finally into a Chief Learning Officer or Director of Employee Engagement, Talent Management or Professional Development position. That's the corporate-level executive responsible for all performance and learning in organization.

my website|