Matching the right person with the right job is an essential component of running any successful business. At Action Property Management, that process begins with a team of recruiters who determine which candidates get referred to hiring managers.
As a senior staff recruiter, Susan Winton has mastered the art of identifying which people are the right fit for Action. In the first five minutes of a conversation, she hopes to answer two key questions: (1) Does this person possess the skills needed for the job? and (2) Is this person already aligned with Action’s values?
If both of those questions are answered in the positive, the candidate gets moved forward.
Susan’s professional experience goes back several years. As an avid outdoors and sports enthusiast, Susan moved to Boulder, Colorado to attend the University of Colorado. The miles separating her from her family were difficult, so after a year and a half she dropped out and eventually found her way back to Southern California. Along the way, though, she skied as much as she could in the Mountain West states of Colorado, Montana, and Idaho.
The following year, Susan enrolled in a social sciences program at Chapman University that included studies in political science, sociology, and psychology. Upon graduation, she turned her attention toward law school.
While in law school, two internships opened her eyes to who she was as a person and to what a legal career might look like. After contemplating those facts, Susan decided that her personality might hinder her success in the field, so she again pivoted and re-enrolled at Chapman to pursue a master’s degree in Human Resources.
With roots deeply planted at the school, Susan took a job with Chapman’s recruiting department where she stayed for 10 years. A departmental restructure eventually led her to pursue other options. As a result, she went to work in the HR department of a non-profit organization, but was eventually restructured out of that position as well.
Susan Winton
”In order to be a successful recruiter who matches the right person with the right job, Susan had to be the right fit for her own job.
Uncertain about her future, Susan took a temporary job as a contract employee for Action. In this role, she was helping to bridge a gap in the recruiting team for the San Francisco region. The three month assignment turned into a year, and eventually, she was hired as a permanent employee.
“One of the things I love about Action is their commitment to promote from within,” she said. And she should know. Susan has now worked her way up from a temporary contract worker to staff recruiter and now to her current position as senior staff recruiter.
Susan also confesses to having a passion for learning. “If I could get paid to go to school, I would do it all day,” she said. Fortunately, Action offers opportunities for career advancement through their own internal school. The leadership development program, known as Leadwell, seeks to train Action employees to become the best leaders they can be. Susan is currently enrolled in that program and is enjoying the process of fine-tuning her leadership skills.
Outside of the office, Susan enjoys being part of a family that loves sports. Her husband even played professional soccer at one point, and her uncle is the proud owner of two Super Bowl rings from his career as an offensive line coach for the Washington Redskins and St. Louis Rams.
As retirement approaches, Susan dreams of the day when she can move to Montana where her lifelong friend lives. For now, though, she is committed to life in Southern California and regularly makes the drive out to Palm Springs to help care for her elderly father.
In order to be a successful recruiter who matches the right person with the right job, Susan has to be the right fit for her own job. As her tenure at Action has shown, she is indeed a perfect match. The mountains of Montana may be calling, but the Action team is proud to keep her for as long as she will stay.
