Meet Rachel Winterstine! Rachel is our Director of Recruitment & HR Business Partner. Rachel’s passion for people and supportive approach to the recruitment process is an incredible asset for the clients of Paragon. Her commitment to managing effective client recruitment programs combined with her unique ability to develop strong candidate relationships in this highly competitive market is tremendously valuable to the organizations she supports. Beyond recruitment, Rachel’s areas of expertise include onboarding, workplace investigation facilitation, HRIS support, benefits administration, and employee relations. In 2022, she earned the title of Director of Recruitment and expanded her supervisory responsibilities within Paragon.
Why do you enjoy working at Paragon HR Consulting? What specific aspects of the company culture or work environment do you appreciate? I enjoy working at Paragon because my co-workers are like family to me. I truly enjoy seeing them at our work events and interacting with them. Even though we don’t all sit in an office together 5 days a week we are able to connect from all of our onsite or work-from-home locations. I enjoy the flexibility of being onsite or working from home along with the trainings we have to help us continue to learn and grow. We also work very well as a team, and everyone always steps in if someone has a question or needs assistance with a project.
In your free time, what activities or hobbies do you enjoy pursuing? (Optional) How do these activities contribute to your personal and professional growth? I enjoy spending time with my three children, going to the beach, working out, going for walks and interior design. These things are great ways to unwind, unplug and regroup.
Could you share how you got started in the field of HR? What motivated you to pursue a career in this field? I finished my bachelor’s in business management from Albright College a few years ago and was not sure what avenue I wanted to pursue. I was out to lunch with Brad and Danielle and was always fascinated with the HR stories they told me. We struck up a conversation and Danielle mentioned I had a great people personality and that is something you cannot teach in HR. She offered me a PT work-from-home recruiting opportunity while I was home with my newborn. I started off with lots of training from her and quickly picked up all aspects of recruiting, she then offered me a full-time job and I accepted! I believe this field is exactly where I was meant to be, I have always been a people person, very social and thrive in that type of environment but I also care a lot so recruiting helps me help people and that has been so rewarding. I genuinely get excited to help people find a job and I tend to connect with the candidates and cheer them on throughout the process, I feel invested and enjoy this part of the process so much.
What do you find most fulfilling about your role at Paragon HR Consulting? Is there a particular aspect of your work that you find particularly rewarding? Recruiting is the most fulfilling for me because I know I am helping someone better themselves financially and more. To change jobs is a huge decision and I am happy to be assisting them with that process. I also enjoy making the first impression for whatever client I am working for. I am the first person this candidate will interact with, and I pride myself on being professional, upbeat, kind, down-to-earth, and supportive. Being upbeat is who I am so I truly enjoy that aspect.