What am I good at?

I’m good at making people feel supported, whether I’m leading a training session or just being someone a friend can talk to. Professionally, I have a knack for taking complex information and turning it into something clear and engaging. Personally, I’ve learned I’m good at staying grounded under pressure and encouraging others when they need a boost. I bring both heart and strategy to the table, which helps in almost any setting.

What do I value?

I deeply value growth and connection, both for myself and for others. I’m constantly trying to learn more about people, about systems, about myself, and I appreciate spaces where curiosity is encouraged. I also value balance, even if it’s a work in progress. Whether I’m showing up for my team at work or carving out time for family or a quiet walk, I want to be intentional with where my energy goes.

How did I get here?

I’ve gotten here through a lot of hard work, curiosity, and leaning into what feels right. Moving from New Zealand to California at a young age shaped how I see the world and taught me how to adapt. Working in customer service taught me the value of empathy and communication, and evolving into a trainer helped me discover my passion for teaching and enabling growth. My journey has also heavily relied on trusting myself through change, and applying learned skills to shape the way I approach life and work today.

Where am I going?

I don’t have the full picture figured out, but I know I’m moving toward a life that feels both meaningful and aligned. Personally, that means staying close to the people who matter most and creating space for joy, even in the middle of all the busy. Professionally, I’m working toward becoming a more strategic voice in learning and development, potentially through instructional design or senior/management training roles. Personally, I’m learning how to advocate for myself more, whether that’s through asking for what I need or simply slowing down when things feel overwhelming. I don’t have all the answers yet, but I’m trying to build a life that aligns with my values, one intentional step at a time.

Personality Summary

According to my Enneagram results, I’m a Type 6 – Loyalist, with a 6w5 wing and a social subtype. That basically means I’m someone who values security, likes to be prepared, and tends to be a loyal and steady presence once I feel safe in a relationship or environment. I spend a lot of energy thinking ahead, planning for what could go wrong, and trying to keep things running smoothly for the people around me.

When I think about how this connects to the Big Five personality traits, a few things stand out. I’d say my extraversion is moderate. I’m pretty socially aware and tuned into group dynamics, but not necessarily the loudest voice in the room. Agreeableness is also somewhere in the middle. I’m supportive and cooperative once I trust someone, but I’m naturally a little cautious at first.

My conscientiousness is definitely high. I’m organized, responsible, and I like to feel prepared. I’m not one to wing it. On the flip side, my neuroticism is probably also on the higher side. I tend to worry, overthink, and play out worst-case scenarios in my head (it’s a skill and a curse). As for openness to experience, I enjoy learning new things and asking questions, but I prefer structure and clarity over chaos or big leaps into the unknown.

Employer’s Perspective on Strengths and Weaknesses

From an employer’s point of view, someone with a Type 6 personality brings a lot of stability, reliability, and foresight to the workplace. I’m the kind of person who shows up, follows through, and takes commitments seriously. I don’t cut corners, and I’m usually thinking three steps ahead, trying to identify any issues before they become real problems. That kind of proactive mindset can be especially valuable in roles that require risk management, planning, or attention to detail. I also tend to be highly loyal once I’ve built trust with a company or leader, which means I’m likely to stick around and invest in the team’s long-term success.

That said, an employer might also see some challenges. I can be hesitant when it comes to change, especially if I don’t fully understand the “why” behind it. Because I like to feel secure and informed, I might ask a lot of questions upfront or take longer to adjust to sudden shifts. I can also fall into overthinking or second-guessing myself, especially in high-pressure situations where decisions need to be made quickly.

Still, in a workplace that values transparency, clear communication, and structure, I’d likely thrive. I bring a deep sense of responsibility and a desire to contribute meaningfully, especially when I feel like I’m part of something steady and worthwhile.

Avery or Jaime?

Being a business owner, faced with the decision between hiring Avery or Jaime, each having their own distinct performance output, it is crucial to weigh the pros and cons based on what I am looking for in an employee. If I had to pick one right now, I would likely lean towards hiring Avery, as I know that when it comes to being crunch-time, they will likely exceed all expectations and get the project/task done. Exceptionally high performance like this is a necessity when striving for innovative, problem-solving employees, and likely produces the same, of not better level of work than someone who is consistently “pretty good.” I need to be able to count on someone to give me all they’ve got to ensure deadlines are met, so if I can’t ask for you to work a little bit harder when it really matters, that does not sound like a good fit for my company’s needs. Despite being inconsistent, Avery’s bursts of high-performance potential are just what I am looking for to ensure we remain competitive in our market.

Best Jobs for Avery

Someone like Avery would best fit a research and development role, or something creative, like marketing, where breakthrough ideas are required. Avery could consider contract or freelance work, where they are only required to work on specific projects, allowing them to maximize those bursts of high potential, and give every project their all.

Best Jobs for Jaime

For someone like Jaime, with their consistent daily performance, roles that require stability, reliability, and routine execution would be better suited. Perhaps something in administration, or customer service, even quality assurance, but a role that allows Jaime’s dependability to shine. Jaime would ensure smooth operation and customer satisfaction through reliable, consistent work.

Final Thoughts

Ultimately, it would really depend on the role I was hiring for and understanding the unique strengths of each candidate and how they relate to the requirements of the job.

My Brand

When it comes to my brand as a potential employee, I would say I’m all about being an empathetic leader and creating meaningful connections through learning experiences. I bring a lot to the table as a Learning and Development (L&D) professional, focusing on building high performers and creating environments where people can thrive. My strengths include being natural a problem-solver, developing and delivering engaging training sessions, and coaching others to become their best selves. An area of improvement I am working on is my ability to delegate. I do not like adding to others’ plates, especially if the task is something I can do myself. Something that makes me unique is my overall experience. I have worked my way up many ranks, so I now have the ability to provide first-hand insight into my leadership and training skillsets.

Help Wanted?

Hey, I’m Grace, and I might just be the corporate trainer you’ve been looking for ✨

I’m not a regular trainer, I’m a cool trainer. I don’t just stand in front of a room (or webcam) and talk; I engage. I excite. I leave an impact. Whether it’s through creating dynamic training sessions, or coaching individuals to bring out their best, my end goal is to make real change happen.

What makes me stand out? I’m not just about meeting learning objectives or completing content in a timely manner. I’m about building resourceful learners, and encouraging teams to excel, innovate, and work well together to get results. While my main focus is on the development of my learners, I will not shy away from the opportunity to improve myself as there is ALWAYS something new to learn!

Let’s talk and see how I can help take your team’s performance to the next level. I’m ready to bring my expertise, creativity, and passion for learning to a new challenge.

Visibility Strategy

To get my message and my branding out there, I’d make sure to use platforms like LinkedIn, where I can share insights on leadership, training, and personal growth. I’d also engage in industry events and webinars, where I can connect with potential employers who value quality training programs. A bit of personal networking and attending conferences would allow me to get my brand out there and find the perfect organization ready to make use of my skillset.

I will always laugh at the job responsibilities associated with my current position as a corporate trainer. This role would require the following:

• Delivers live and virtual (online) instructor-led training to employees
• Leads or supports learning projects as assigned
• Perform other duties as requested or assigned

That’s it. They did a VERY good job of keeping the description vague enough to encompass any and all supporting tasks that may be required, and in doing so, likely avoided the chance of a lawsuit surrounding working outside of your job function.

Thankfully, the job description did not really influence my decision to apply for the role. I had already known that getting into training was something I wanted to do AND had already been somewhat head-hunted by the two managers on the team.

My experience on the job very much aligned with the listed description and responsibilities (see below) – the main focus of the role is delivering training content to different departments that we support. When not actively training a class, I’m assisting our design team with developing and updating the content to be delivered, or I’m partnering with internal clients determining what updates need to be made to existing material. All of these required tasks are included in the job description, so I’d say my role sticks quite closely to the listed experience. Adding a responsibility such as “perform other duties as required” is also a great way (from a job analysis perspective) to keep things vague enough to allow flexibility in day to day tasks. It is hard to claim “that’s not my job” when really anything could be considered an “other duty.”

I don’t have a picture of the exact job posting, but I did capture the information and email it to myself at the time of applying:

Scenario

You come across a news article reporting that your favorite company was faced with a public lawsuit in which they were accused of widespread discrimination against individuals from an ethnicity, culture, or belief system you associate with.

Thoughts

Recent executive orders and policies that have been put into play are unfortunately somewhat relevant to our prompt for this week. While the widespread discrimination may not be in effect just yet, there are several companies out there that are “showing their true colors,” so to speak, and have dropped their DEI policies that were previously in place. Seeing which companies decided to agree to this was an eye-opening experience for sure and left me in a position of needing to reevaluate the way I felt about each of them.

Before jumping to any conclusions, I would first need to do my own research, confirming that the rumors (of dropping DEI practices, or facing a lawsuit surrounding widespread discrimination) were true. If the research was fruitful, I do believe I would feel differently about each company – we were meant to have come such a long way since the discrimination in our country’s history, it would be disappointing to know we were heading back in that direction.

This change in perspective would also very likely influence my decisions to support the company as well, especially if I had relatively easy alternatives to do business. It can be hard to boycott certain companies, especially if living in a place that does not offer much variation. But, if there is a choice available, I would absolutely stand with the company that does NOT have discrimination lawsuits against them.

I would not willingly apply to work for a company that had a public lawsuit against them due to discrimination. Personally, I want to be proud of the company I work for, I want to share that with my peers who my employer is. If there is any sense of discomfort or uncertainty when sharing that information, that is not the company for me.

Marketing/Product Design over Recruitment?

Organizations may prioritize marketing or product design over employee recruitment because of the more immediate and visible outcomes. Some industries work in highly competitive markets and need to quickly differentiate themselves from their competitors. Ultimately, having the product to sell and the creative means to market it, is what is going to drive sales and increase revenue. On the other hand, when considering start ups or smaller companies, there is likely less resources available. Less money to “play” with means a stricter budget, and more focus spent on hot to bring money in quickly.

Recruitment and employee selection are often considered to be more long term investments, not necessarily yielding financial returns very quickly. Some companies, as mentioned above, may have to choose between investing in a marketing strategy, or product development, over strategic hiring practices due to their current financial standings.

Strengths and Weaknesses

One possible strength associated with not prioritizing recruitment and selection and instead focusing on aspects such as marketing or product development include being able to respond to immediate business needs. Those smaller or startup businesses referenced earlier may be much more focused on bringing in revenue to ensure they can keep operations running. Having a product line and an effective marketing strategy is a crucial step to bringing in customers and making sales.

The weakness to this decision, however, comes with potential long term consequences. By not paying necessary attention to recruiting and selecting the right employee, companies may face higher turnover thus leading to higher expenditures down the line. Having a workforce that lacks the right skills, or doesn’t blend culturally, can lead to reduced employee morale and productivity.

Experiences

The last job I applied for was for my current position as a corporate trainer, about 2.5 years ago. I was already working for the company, so the application process was fairly straight forward. The managers of the two training teams already knew me and had heard through the grapevine that I was interested in taking on a role as a trainer, so they had both reached out to me before the position was even posted to chat. The application process itself was very easy – we have an internal job posting site, so I uploaded my resume and applied to the role. Because the managers already knew me, it felt as though they already knew they wanted me to join the team, so the process was very quick. I interviewed with the Talent Acquisition partner and then had a few days to prepare for the panel interview to be had with the Training team leadership members.

This interview was different from anything I had experienced before. The panel I was interviewing with consisted of a Senior Trainer (who I had trained under in the past), the 4 department managers (including my prospective manager), and the director of the department. The interview consisted of three sections: common job-related questions, situational questions, and the final part (being the new experience) was needing to deliver a 20-minute presentation discussing adult learning principles. I had to create this presentation myself, performing necessary research to ensure I was discussing all the principles, as well as incorporating facilitation techniques to engage my audience as “learners.”

Impressions

This interview process definitely set high expectations for the department. It felt structured and really captured a wide array of skills in the 1 hour discussion. Being able to chat with the director and the different managers all at one time was a great way of getting to know the different functions within the Training team and left me feeling excited and hopeful about landing the position.