Employee Spotlight – Kelly Calandra

Tell us a little about yourself….
I am married and have 2 grown kids (empty nester) and a loving Beagle who is now king of the castle. I have spent most of my life in New Jersey but hoping to move to Florida in the near future. I enjoy working out on my Peloton, traveling, good food and wine, and spending time with my friends and family.

How has your career grown since starting at Marcum Search?
I began working here at Marcum Search as a part time, temp employee to help source for the IT team. A few months later was moved into a Recruiter position. I have several years of recruiting experience within the healthcare and pharmaceutical industries, but the positions I currently work on are far more technical than the position I have worked on in the past. I took some years off from recruiting and had the opportunity to work in my towns school district and which also allowed me to be home with my kids. My career here at Marcum Search has grown and continues to grow everyday. I have always been on the ‘internal’ side of recruiting and have been learning what it is like being on the ‘other side’. I love recruiting and helping people and there is always something new to learn.

My favorite quote is…
“You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending” C.S. Lewis

Three words to describe myself…
Cheerful, Helpful and Team Player

My perfect day is…
Going to brunch, a day at the beach followed by a nice happy hour with live music (on the beach or water of course).

Advice for my 16 year old self…
Don’t be afraid to take a chance. If you don’t take the chance, you will never know what could have been.

Number 1 on my bucket list…
To travel back to Italy and explore the coast

The person who had the biggest impact on my life is…
My mom.
My mom was a hard working, single mother who raised 2 kids, sometimes working more than one job to be able to give us a good life. She gave me the strong work ethic that I have and I was able to pass that down to my children.

In my career I am most proud of…
I am most proud anytime I can find a qualified candidate who is not looking for a job change, but then after a phone conversation, pursues the opportunity. I am even more proud when they get hired.

A funny or memorable experience from your career or personal life?
A memorable experience would have to be given this opportunity to work for Marcum Search. I took a sabbatical from recruiting in order to be home to raise my kids and be able to go to all of their activities. Twelve years later when my youngest graduated high school, I tried to get back into the industry but was told ‘too much experience’, ‘too high level’, ‘been out of it too long’…..But Marcum Search took a chance on me and here I am and could not be happier to be doing what I love again.