Today we’d like to introduce you to Amy Bates Strayhorn
Amy, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
When Malcolm Forbes spoke at my college graduation, I took to heart what he said. He encouraged people to have three different major careers within their lifetime, and seven positions within those major careers. In my decades of work life, I have had at least twenty-one different jobs within several major careers including social work, photography, sales and recruiting, as well as launched five businesses- some more successful than others.
Basically, it comes down to helping people get what they want and need. For the past twenty years, as a recruiter, I have been the catalyst for more than 1,000 employees to get the jobs they need and want to further their careers, make more money, improve their families situation, or find professional happiness. The companies who hire them, are more successful, make a larger impact, make better products, and make the world a better place, because of those employees. I introduce companies to people they would not have been able to find, and employees to companies which would never have been on their radar. I have placed employees and consultants in all kinds of fields, including information technology, engineering, and operations – even food technologists and master gardeners!
AmyStaff began as a culmination of all of my life and professional experiences, and a chance to do this with integrity, honesty, and empathy for all involved in this employment matchmaking world. My mission is to do this with the sincere interest and desire to champion every person and company or organization, especially those who may not have full awareness or representation, and deserve the chance to further their professional and organizational goals and meet their full potential.
Starting my own company has shifted my thoughts of time and how to use it. I am the proud mom of three daughters, stepmom of three more daughters and four sons – 10 children and 10 grandkids. For myself, and the people involved in AmyStaff, my wish is that all of us have balanced lives and balanced time with not only work, but the reasons why we work.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Navigating the workplace in the 1970s and 1980s was tough for women. Support systems, guidance, and equal treatment were scarce, and there was no work-life balance or family-friendly cultures. Having to rely on oneself with constant strength was stressful, exhausting and lonely.
As a single working mom in a new town, with three children, one with a chronic illness, I developed a fighter instinct and a driver mentality, never being able to falter or rest, as a way to survive.
Over the years, and in starting AmyStaff, I have finally found the beauty of not holding on so tight to an outcome, and learning that there is something bigger than I and my own agenda. Listening, asking for help, and staying open in all situations, while leading with kindness and grace, feels so much better to me and I hope, to those with whom I interact.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about AmyStaff?
AmyStaff is a staffing firm located in Chesterfield, Missouri. Companies and organizations hire us to find employees and consultants for their businesses. Hiring takes a lot of time for managers and executives- posting positions, weeding through resumes, interviewing candidates, checking references, while honing in on relevant skills, attributes and talents that will ensure success. We take care of all of that and more, while finding people that the company would not be able to find on their own.
We specialize in all levels of employees and consultants from entry-level, associate level, seasoned professionals, manager and director level, executive and C-suite placement for corporations and non-profit organizations from small to large.
We are able to place people in all types of roles, from information technology to engineering, all corporate roles, like operations, sales, human resources, marketing, accounting, and everything in between.
We also really listen to hiring managers and candidates to determine real and hidden needs and goals. Therefore, we can provide the right hiring match quickly the first time to both parties, like when a jeweler presents the perfect diamond on black velvet.
Since AmyStaff was started by a female entrepreneur, empowering women in the workplace is important to us.
We all have a different way of looking at and defining success. How do you define success?
Success is making an impact in the world, and understanding that every single action has a ripple effect and can be positive or negative and can last generations.
If I do my job right, and place people in companies where it makes things better for both, it is not just the employee and the company who benefits. It is the families of those employees. It is the other employees of the company, and the products they make, or the people they help, and on into the next generation, I like to think and hope.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://amystaff.com
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/_amystaff_/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557676142127
