Cathy Kennedy is a Director of Business Development at Johnson Service Group. She’s been with JSG for over five years in our San Jose office and has an extensive background in sales. We sat down with Cathy to get to know her better and learn a little more about her role at JSG.
You have an extensive background in sales. Tell us a little about your sales career.
I started my sales career at Better Office Systems (now known as Ikon) selling copiers. After about 10 years, I made the transition into the staffing industry as an area sales manager. After a few years, I ended up back in the copier business.
However, after some time, I realized I wasn’t passionate about the industry anymore. After selling thousands of copiers, I didn’t feel as satisfied each time I made a sale. As a result, I made the transition back to the staffing industry as a Director of Business Development for JSG and I’ve been here for over five years now. I have truly developed a passion for helping my clients find great candidates.
What’s different about working for JSG than the other organizations you’ve been a part of?
I love working for JSG. I have the opportunity to run my own business. My position is much more hands-on than the other sales jobs I had in the past. I fell in love with being able to help my clients find great candidates for their teams as well as help people make their next career move. It’s really rewarding helping people find new job opportunities.
At JSG, I have the opportunity to build partnerships with my clients and candidates. I personally know each of my contractors. Having these relationships helps me retain my business and keep them working. JSG offers tons of flexibility and the harder I work, the more successful I will be.
What’s an interesting part of your job that most people don’t know about?
At JSG, I have the opportunity to do a little of everything. I’m kind of a mixed bowl. I am the single point of contact for my clients and get to work directly with the hiring managers. We have great relationships and trust one another, which allows us to quickly fill their critical positions. Essentially, I am an extension of HR.
And with the unemployment rate being only 2.8 percent in the Silicon Valley, I also get the opportunity to help our team recruit when I have some spare time.
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