Heather Darling: A Day in the Life

Change is good, embrace it.

Those are the words I’ve lived by throughout my personal and professional life. My daily routine of nearly 3 years changed entirely at the end of the summer 2020 when I joined the Keynote Search family as a Talent Manager.

Fast forward to today, and like the rest of the province, I’ve had to make the shift to further merge my professional and home life together.

Here is an example of one of my recent Mondays as a Talent Manager:

5:30 – 6:30am: Think about getting up and working out.

6:30 – 7:30am: Rise and shine – get the kids up and fed (both dogs and human) – and make a very important decision – breakfast blend in my bodum, or walk over to the local coffee shop. It’s important to safely support the locally owned coffee shops during this time.

7:30 – 8am: Communication and Lists. Respond to emails and prep my weekly/daily deliverables. I’m a HUGE supporter of creating a “To Do” list as it allows me to physically check off completed tasks – creating a sense of accomplishment throughout the day.

8 – 9am: After virtual school is set up (for my son), connect with the Keynote executive search talent team where we spend time going over projects and their tasks for the week.

9am: Full team virtual meeting to discuss the week’s projects, milestones and goals.

9:30 – 11am: Client Stakeholder Meeting: Connect virtually with our new client to discuss in detail the CEO role they have engaged us to fulfill. We ensure to come away from that discussion with a clearly defined position profile.

11 – 12pm: Time allotted to assisting the Talent Associates in the research and sourcing for open projects.

12 – 1pm: Lunch with my family, then outside for a walk with my son.

1 – 2pm: Virtual meeting with the Talent Associate assigned on one of my projects we have completed our sourcing on. We review the final shortlist of 5 candidates and prepare the presentation that we will deliver to the CEO and VP of our client.

2 – 4pm: Virtual video interviews for a General Manager position within the Ottawa construction industry. One of the two candidates is a perfect fit: technically strong, professional in their presentation and within the salary expectations. There’s just one catch – they are not sure now is the time to make a move.

4 – 4:20pm: Prepare the Tuesday “Priorities” list which includes meeting with the passive GM candidate to discuss how the position fits within their career path, and to help to visualize them as the next Leader at the Company (our client).

4:20 – 4:45pm: Jump on an unplanned call from the passive GM candidate! Take the time to walk them through the details of the company and their projects, the leadership’s vision and the position at hand. We talk about how a change in their career may be daunting at first, but in the end the rewards of taking that leap will be growth, knowledge gain and a better work/life balance. Change is good, embrace it.

4:45 – 5pm: Prepare for the day ahead and what it might bring!