Social Media Community Engagement

PALAK THAKKAR

630-***-**** **************@*****.*** www.linkedin.com/in/palakthakkar78

PROFESSIONAL SUMMARY

Results-driven Senior Corporate Recruiter with over 5 years of full-cycle recruitment experience, including high-volume, specialized, sales, and executive-level hiring at JPMorgan Chase. Proven success in developing and executing strategic sourcing plans, building strong talent pipelines, and partnering effectively with hiring managers. Skilled in leveraging ATS systems, social media, and community engagement initiatives to attract diverse, top-tier candidates. Adept at managing end-to-end recruitment processes while delivering exceptional candidate experience and seeking to bring my recruiting expertise, relationship-building skills, and strategic mindset to a dynamic and growth-focused organization.

CORE COMPETENCIES

Strategic Planning for Recruitment & Retention

Talent sourcing and pipeline development

Candidate engagement & relationship building

Stakeholder collaboration (hiring managers, recruiters)

On-site/Virtual Event Management & Planning

Project Planning & Lifecycle Coordination

Cross-functional Team Collaboration

Stakeholder Communication & Reporting

Creative Marketing and Analytical Skills

Recruitment Metrics & Reporting

Campus & High-Volume Recruiting

Budget & Vendor Management

DEI Hiring Initiatives

Community Engagement/Public Speaking

ATS/Sourcing & CRM: Taleo, ICIMS, ORC-Oracle Fusion, Workday, Jobvite, Monday, SuccessFactors, Salesforce, PSYCAS, LinkedIn Recruiter, HandShake, Indeed, ZipRecruiter

Data & Communication: MS Word, PowerPoint, Excel, MS Teams, Zoom, Google Suite

Event & Reporting Tools: Cvent, Adobe Connect

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

IT Project Coordinator (Contract)

York Solutions – Prime Therapeutics May 2025 – July 2025

Managed the full lifecycle of application cloud migration projects, coordinating tasks, timelines, and resources to ensure on-time delivery.

Scheduled, facilitated, and documented cross-functional planning and status meetings with IT, cloud engineering, cybersecurity, and business teams.

Substitute Teacher

Burlington 301 School District November 2024 – May 2025

Implemented lesson plans provided by full-time teachers across elementary, middle, and high school classrooms.

Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist Recruiting & Event Strategy Expert

JPMorgan Chase March 2019 – February 2024

Managed the full recruitment lifecycle, overseeing job postings, candidate sourcing, screening, interviews, and extending offers to ensure a smooth and efficient hiring process.

Successfully recruited for high-volume, specialized, and executive-level roles across various business lines, consistently meeting hiring goals.

Developed and executed strategic recruitment plans to attract qualified candidates through job boards, social media, referrals, and professional networks.

Led campus recruitment efforts for competitive internship programs, including software engineering, by building partnerships with top-tier universities.

Organized and facilitated on-campus and virtual events, info sessions, and technical workshops to build employer brand and pipeline diverse talent.

Created job descriptions, screened resumes, conducted interviews, and managed onboarding for internship and early-career roles.

Launched and led a virtual hiring team using Zoom to streamline national recruitment operations and enhance cross-functional collaboration.

Successfully planned and executed events for the newly acquired Chase Travel group, including hiring fairs, networking mixers, and community job events.

Spearheaded end-to-end event planning: secured venues, negotiated contracts, coordinated vendors, created social media campaigns, and managed logistics such as AV, food, swag, and entertainment.

Designed and executed targeted marketing strategies (email, social, community outreach) to increase participation and visibility for both virtual and in-person events.

Built and maintained strong partnerships with community organizations, including colleges, churches, employment agencies, and libraries, to attract diverse and local talent.

Implemented inclusive sourcing strategies to reach underrepresented talent groups, contributing to organizational DEI goals.

Led hiring for new branch openings during market expansion, ensuring talent readiness for operational success.

Acted as a subject matter expert in recruiting, participating in client intake meetings, staying current with business changes, and advising hiring managers.

Conducted offer negotiation and compensation conversations to align candidate and company expectations and close hires efficiently.

Delivered resume writing workshops and mock interviews for internal staff and external partners, promoting career readiness and job search success.

Tracked event success metrics, including participation rates and hire conversions, using insights to inform future recruiting strategies.

Championed diversity, equity, and inclusion by embedding inclusive language in job descriptions, sourcing from diverse platforms, and educating hiring managers.

Educated candidates on the company’s value proposition, growth potential, compensation philosophy, and benefits to drive candidate engagement.

Maintained exceptional candidate and hiring manager experience through strong communication, timely updates, and relationship building.

Director of Admissions, Graduate Programs

Illinois School of Professional Psychology (ISPP) April 2016 – November 2018

Managed and oversaw the comprehensive enrollment process for Graduate program applicants in local, national, and international markets.

Proctored monthly/bimonthly clinical interview days on campus which included the coordination of candidate invitations and travel arrangements, support of the faculty during individual and group interviews, selection of student panel speakers, and other event-related duties.

Arranged logistics and room bookings, catering, and audio-visual equipment set-up.

Coordinated with faculty members and departmental heads to identify Interviewers and panel members.

Established and forecasted enrollment plans and class outcomes with the National Clinical Dean and Senior Enrollment Director.

Effectively managed a small team of admissions advisors and support staff, providing guidance and oversight to ensure effective management of enrollment operations and exceptional support to prospective students.

Conducted performance reviews and coached on best practices.

Conducted one one-on-one or web presentations with prospective local, national, and international students to provide an overview of the Master and Doctorate program in Clinical Psychology.

Assisted prospective students in applying and enrolling for the Doctor of Psychology in Clinical Psychology program through an APA-supported website, PSYCAS.

Verified that all required documentation is received and handled according to DCEH policies and procedures before files are sent for academic review and/or student beginning classes.

Reviewed and presented applicant files to the admissions committee for review.

Collaborated with the Dean and the Admissions Chair to develop new recruitment strategies to increase student enrollment & retention.

Reviewed and evaluated international transcripts to ensure the minimum admissions requirements are met.

Work with international students and provide them will all necessary documentation to apply for the student visa.

Reported conversions of inquiry to the applicant, an applicant to a new student, and for local inquiry generation and database marketing in conjunction with the primary College of Clinical Psychology Admissions Head.

Audit admissions files to ensure all necessary documents are in, such as official transcripts and POGs for registration.

Participated, planned, and managed student recruiting and enrollment events such as grad fairs, APA, IPA, MPA conventions, career fairs, open houses, interview days, and new student orientations.

Established a strong working relationship with departmental deans/faculty, directors of continuing education, and campus organizations at all feeder schools in the region/market.

Served on the scholarship committee and managed annual scholarship budgets.

Established, built, and maintained personal customer relationships with all families recruited into the academy, resulting in record enrollment and retention levels.

Worked closely with the marketing department on the development and implementation of departmental marketing collateral including brochures, direct mail, email, signage, and web pages.

Expertly use database (Campus Vue, STAR Portal, CRM, ImageNow) to enter and track new student applications, all supporting applicant documents, and student status changes, in a timely and compliant manner based on DCEH policies.

manner based on DCEH policies.

Senior Admissions Advisor/ Program Manager

Career Education Corporation (CEC) – AIU Online & Le Cordon Bleu August 2011 – January 2016

Managed the entire Blue Ribbon Kitchen culinary Enthusiast Program for all 16 Le Cordon Bleu Campuses.

Designed and created classes for the culinary program at LCB- Bleu Ribbon Kitchen, by conducting Market research and analyzing the classes in demand.

Collaborated with the campuses to have the classes approved to ensure they have staff and classroom availability to teach the classes.

Once approved, schedule, and post new classes on the Bleu Ribbon Kitchen Website via NopCommerce.

Worked with BRK ambassadors (Campus Presidents) to maintain the schedule and open additional sections for classes as needed.

Assisted clients with reservations, cancellations, and rescheduling of workshops.

Analyzed and resolved customer service issues as they occurred.

Maintained and updated the Google calendar as new classes get posted, canceled, or sold out.

Maintained and updated the BRK waitlist to ensure quality customer service.

Generated daily enrollment reports to keep campuses updated on the number of enrollments for scheduled workshops.

EDUCATION

DePaul University, Chicago, IL

Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration (Marketing/HR)

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