Love and Cinnamon and HR Wildwood

My world exists in a combination of all of these great realms: HR, Social Media, Yoga, Family and Friends, Cooking, and Volunteering. I'm blessed with an overabundance of time and energy. Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., you can find me at HRU, Technical Resources in Lansing, MI. I'm a technical recruiter working to find my clients the best talent I can for their job orders whether they be contract or direct hire opportunities. Between the hours and after I do much more.

I grew up in Sanford, Michigan (with one champion of a sister and great parents) in an imagination filled 50 acres of woodlands, streams, swamps, bogs, wild blackberries, squirrels and deer. I attended Saginaw Valley State University for my undergraduate degree in Psychology. I wanted to get a PhD in Social Psychology and do something incredible in the world. I was rejected from every PhD program I applied to - I lacked focus. Thankfully, the University of Chicago offered me a consolation prize; a Master's degree.

I spent one blissful year in the great city of Chicago attending the University of Chicago for my Master's in Social Science (focusing on non-profit management). I was on my own in a one bedroom apartment in Hyde Park with my trusty companion - my blue point Siamese cat, Loki. I started experimenting with cooking and healthy baking. My first attempts at healthy blueberry muffins and health crazy oatmeal cranberry cookies were admittedly not too tasty. I kept up the experimenting when my husband and I moved to Massachusetts so that he could attend the University of Massachusetts for graduate school. I love cooking. I love baking. I love sharing my creations. Food is love.

In August 2010 I moved from Massachusetts to Lansing, Michigan. I started a Twitter account: @emilywhitemi My name is Emily White and MI stands for Michigan, the strong willed and friendly state I call home. I started getting involved in my community and came back to yoga as a time buster while seeking employment.

I was lucky and strategic in my job search. My resume was fine tuned and out there on CareerBuilder and Monster. I sought jobs on company websites, newspapers, LinkedIn, Idealist, and Craigslist. I'm a recruiter...jobs are what I do! I landed this position at the end of August.

I started networking and attending local events. If you can't find something to do in Lansing, Michigan you're just not trying! I found out about a wonderful young professionals networking group. I sent an email to the team and was invited to became part of the communications team for the Grand River Connection.

Throughout my life I have always been involved in Habitat for Humanity. It started with the Tri-cities Habitat team when I was in 7th grade, moved to the Saginaw Habitat team through my job at the Dow Chemical Company, and I decided to pick up the figurative hammer again in Lansing. I'm part of the community relations committee at Habitat Lansing. I manage their twitter account @habitatlansing.

Through classes at Hilltop Yoga, I connected with an outstanding yogi and incredible soul. I started going to yoga at both Hilltop and Just B Yoga. I became the volunteer promotions manager for Just B Yoga in January 2011.

I met wonderful people at both yoga studios and became further entrenched in Lansing by joining the Lansing Jaycees this month! I'm fairly certain I can consider my plate full...but I'm always available and willing to help when I can. I review resumes and cover letters and offer job search advice on a regular basis. You can connect with me on LinkedIn at http://www.linkedin.com/in/emilywhitemi.

This blog will morph into a personal journey blog.

HR Wildwood will be dedicated to HR, Social Media, and career oriented topics.

Welcome!