How Emily Ryan’s Story has Always Revolved around People

Emily Ryan’s curiosity for people’s stories has taken her everywhere from studying communications to interviewing New Orleans business owners to, ultimately, recruiting at Orion. As she found her fit on the Talent team, she learned how energizing it can be to work with the kind of driven, exceptional people she spends her time hiring.

Curiosity and College Magazines

Growing up, I loved to read and write. I was the editor for my high school magazine and received the English award for my grade. When I got to college, I realized I loved the combination of reading and writing with culture and current events, which led me to study communications.

I was especially interested in people who have moved to the U.S. and are experiencing this country in a brand new way. There’s so much to discover in what people find here and what they leave behind. I loved learning about the ways people reimagined their lives because it made me feel less stuck in mine.

Throughout high school, I had a very strict routine: class, tennis, homework, and sleep. I was so focused on getting everything done that I didn’t really think ahead. In fact, I think I used my routine to purposefully avoid thinking about the future. So learning the different ways people interact with life – whether it has to do with religion or work or even day-to-day schedules – opened up new ways for me to think about my own life.

I carried this curiosity with me into my writing for my college’s magazine. I interviewed people in New Orleans who were doing everything from running clothing drives to reviewing local restaurants to starting their own breakfast sandwich businesses. I found anyone who was doing something interesting and got their story out there. I loved exploring the ins and outs of the New Orleans community.

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Finding a Fit in Recruiting 

When I graduated, I wanted to find a job where I could continue talking to interesting people and hearing their stories. A few of my friends and family were in recruiting, so I essentially interviewed them to learn what their roles looked like. My sisters-in-law specifically were hiring at Alpine Investors and Evergreen, and they both found a lot of fulfillment in their jobs. Through talent acquisition, they were able to learn the business quickly, help business leaders plan their team structures, and gain a lot of autonomy early on in their careers. Their positions on the hiring team enabled them to shape their company’s culture and growth.

I started doing outreach and talent sourcing at an agency before joining Evergreen on a contract basis. I loved the people and saw how much they believed in what they were building. They were all so proud of their work. When I left the company, I wondered how I would ever find a better culture fit for myself – until I came to Orion.

Everyone at Orion has such a strong sense of self, and I think that’s a huge reason why we’re successful. We’re able to show up for each other honestly. No one pushes work through just to get it done. We do our best because that’s what we do. 

Starting Over to Start Stronger

When I first joined the team, I initially struggled a lot. I wasn’t successful in sourcing strong candidates, and I felt like everyone on the team was accomplishing more than I was. The more I struggled with sourcing, the more rushed I felt to show some progress.

I realized that what I was doing wasn’t working, and I had to start from square one. I set up meetings with my team members and asked them to show me exactly how they found the most compelling candidates. I asked the elementary, embarrassing questions I was afraid to ask and essentially started over in the learning process. Once I slowed down and prioritized the right steps, I found better candidates and took steady steps toward making my own first hire.

As I got better at sourcing, I also felt more confident to engage with the team. I worked more closely with our Investing team and spent more time at our operating companies. I met with presidents and financial leaders across our organization to better understand their day-to-day challenges. Spending time with the team made me a better recruiter who was able to describe roles more accurately to candidates, provide real life examples, and discuss how the entire organization works together.

Developing as a Long-Term Leader 

For myself, I’m looking forward to graduating from the Leadership Development Program and taking the skills of the program with me. I’ve leaned into my leadership development goals in a way I truly did not expect, and I’m proud of myself. I want to keep doing this introspective work. 

On our Talent team, I’m excited to continue building our sales hiring function. These hires have a direct impact on the organic growth for our organization, and our new focus on them has enabled me to work with the brilliant recruiters across our organization. Ashley Thompson (Orion Director of Talent) taught me so much about creating new scorecards, partnering with hiring managers, and working new procedures into existing routines. I meet with Julia Ferry (Helios VP of Talent Acquisition) every week to ask her a trillion questions about sales hiring processes and effective outreach. I’m excited to keep learning from the experts on our team as I expand my own hiring capabilities. 

At some point, I hope to manage a team and teach them what I’ve learned, but I’m pretty focused on the near-term for now. I still can’t believe I get to work at Orion every day. The people here remind me of the people outside of work I care about and look up to the most. Our team is amazing, and I can’t wait to keep growing with them.