Talent Acquisition Specialist

TALENT ACQUISITION SPECIALIST

HR Talent Acquisition Specialist Recruiting Strategy People Focused Leader Experienced HR professional with 15 + years success in recruitment, onboarding, employee development and strategic operations across corporate and non-profit sectors. Adept in managing full cycle hiring, building high-performance teams and aligning talent initiatives with business growth. Recognized for collaborative leadership, data-informed decision making and creating inclusive high-touch candidate experiences

THOUGHT LEADERSHIP: Articulate vision for high-impact HR functions across workforce planning, recruitment, talent management, and L&D, leveraging expertise in education, organizational development, and change management. Bring passion for excellence and enthusiasm to motivate HR teams and make large-scale impact in large, thriving organizations.

WORK CULTURE: Spur change and optimize performance by building winning people strategies across large-scale organizations. Enhance inclusive climate organization-wide; aid leaders and employees with tools to thrive. Review bandwidth and optimize resources. Maintain relationships, assisting in staffing recommendations to position company for growth.

EMPLOYEE DEVELOPMENT: Reflect voice of employees by creating paths for progression. Deliver HR solutions to drive climate of belonging and maximize team performance. Offer solutions with diverse professional background in education.

HR FUNCTION & ENGAGEMENT: Drive growth via change management, organizational infrastructure, processes, and policies. Chart paths and craft competency models to advance employee and organizational advancement.

LEADERSHIP STYLE: Transformative change agent and intuitive leader with ability to lead teams with natural communication skills. Trusted advocate for all with deep expertise in HR principles, policies, and best practices. Assess complex challenges and relay solutions to key stakeholders to initiate change. Enhance well-being in the workplace to achieve set business objectives. CAREER HIGHLIGHTS

WASSEY WEALTH MANAGEMENT Atlanta, GA 2024–Present BRANCH OFFICE MANAGER/HR LIAISON

Direct branch operations, aligning organizations’ vision with HR functions to deliver optimal performance, client satisfaction, and retention. Optimize client relationship management and drive operational efficiency. Lead public relations and community engagement, implementing branded content across social media platforms. Boost brand visibility, engagement, and revenue growth. Enrich recruiting, financial well-being, employee relations, progression, and training development. Business Development, Marketing, Growth, & Performance

• Drove business development 40%, expanding client base and presence. Crafted new website for marketing. Identified and pursued new client opportunities within local market. Developed and executed client acquisition campaigns.

• Accelerated growth and scalability by ensuring performance-driven work environment. Delivered culture of continuous improvement and operations leadership.

• Oversaw daily HR operations, directly managing HR team members and ensuring compliance with all employment laws, company policies, and procedures.

• Optimized client services with deployment of Salesforce CRM. Improved tracking of client communication, engagement, lead acquisition, and portfolio management.

• Built customer-focused, collaborative culture with team. Ensured a targeted focus on people, process, and performance. COUNCIL FOR OCCUPATIONAL EDUCATION Atlanta, GA 2023–2024 ASSISTANT EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Oversaw operations, HR functions, and policy handbook with portfolio of 35 schools. Partnered directly with senior leadership team to execute programmatic and HR strategy. Steered learning and development, facilitating virtual trainings to advance team volunteers and administrative staff. Ensured member institutions met viability requirements, performing thorough performance/financial reviews and composite scores. Maintained the Commission Meeting Agenda and compliance tracking system, improving accuracy and meeting execution.

Educational Program Strategy, Professional Development, & Learning & Development

• Achieved and maintained accreditation by serving as site observer, working with stakeholders to determine programmatic needs. Crafted strategies to improve educational programs.

• Optimized professional development with virtual L&D, crafting strategies to enhance internal growth and knowledge base. SANDRA SACRESTANO

Atlanta, GA 516-***-**** ******.**********@*****.*** linkedin.com/in/sandrasacrestano/ SANDRA SACRESTANO 516-***-**** Page 2

• Performed evaluations and orchestrated on-site accreditation visits to enhance non-degree-granting and applied associate degree-granting institutions.

• Improved collection and storage of sensitive documents by streamlining data collection and storage processes with new accreditation software implementation.

• Streamlined tracking, data entry, and analysis of incoming audited financial statements for non-public institutions affiliated with Council on Occupational Education.

CELSIUS NETWORK, LLC Atlanta, GA (remote) 2022

PROJECT MANAGER, HUMAN RESOURCES

Tapped to lead HR function, overseeing innovative projects around L&D, recruitment, and professional development. Tasked with optimizing employee performance, retention, and operational efficiency. Engaged with key stakeholders to ensure alignment with requirements, deadlines, and goals. Improved cross-functional communication, led vendor selection/management, addressed risks and issues, and reported on project status.

Learning & Development, Performance Enhancement, & HRIS Enhancement

• Drove recruitment and learning and development by orchestrating professional development efforts for students from top universities and colleges. Created and led competitive global internship program.

• Enhanced performance management and training. Crafted new strategies and tactics to spur engagement, including two-hour employee performance workshop tailored to executives.

• Implemented HRIS enhancement by conducting software testing and presenting solutions-focused suggestions.

• Developed new RFP/RFQ rewards platform, soliciting vendor selection and management project.

• Improved HR standardization with formal descriptions, success factors, and performance metrics for various positions. QUEENSBOROUGH COMMUNITY COLLEGE Queens, NY 2007–2022 COLLEGE DISCOVERY PROGRAM DIRECTOR (2020–2022)

Promoted consecutively, overseeing program’s daily operations, $850K budget, and team leadership. Oversaw team of 13 (5 direct reports). Leveraged background in academic advisement. Steered engagement, retention, and solicited support to ensure student and program success.

Engagement, Retention, & Team Leadership

• Drove engagement, boosted retention, and mentored teams, expanding peer and mentoring opportunities in collaboration with College Access Research Action.

• Advanced support and program outreach, presenting at national industry conferences to offer ongoing support to mathematics department.

• Developed solutions and optimized resources to achieve seamless transition to remote learning/virtual learning environment during COVID-19 pandemic.

ACADEMIC LEAD ADVISOR, ACADEMY ADVISEMENT (2016–2020) Oversaw team of 15, managing caseload of 200 students and following progress through term at the university. Served as Associate Director, overseeing department of academic advising. Cemented foundation in HR principles of engagement, talent retention, performance tracking, and successful program delivery. Technology Implementation, Stakeholder Engagement, & KPI Tracking

• Facilitated adoption of innovative technology, collaborating with key stakeholders and IT team.

• Improved data gathering and reporting to analyze performance tracking.

• Achieved 50% increase in enrollment in co-requisite courses in partnership with key members of faculty. COLLEGE COUNSELOR (2007–2016)

Counseled students serving as academic and career advisor. Engaged with counterparts at City University of New York as Council Chair and liaison with CUNY Seek program. Orchestrated Reaching for Excellence ceremony to enhance student success. EDUCATION & PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Master of Science, School Counseling Long Island University Bachelor of Arts, English Long Island University Courses: Unconscious Bias Developing Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging Programs Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, & Belonging Leading Inclusive Teams Diversity & Inclusion in the Workplace Foundations of Diversity & Inclusion at Work TeachOut

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