In this edition of our “In the Limelight” series, meet Elizabeth Poll—a Team Lead. Elizabeth’s vast industry experience and her consultative and management talents make her an asset to Broadleaf. In her role, she enjoys finding solutions to challenges while fostering relationships with clients and her team.

Life before Broadleaf

I was born and raised in northern Minnesota in Duluth. I attended Minnesota State University, where I studied communications and psychology. After college, I moved to San Francisco, where I remained for five years working in property management and semiconductor sales. I moved to Chicago in 1999 and still live in the area.

Journey to Broadleaf

I started my career in talent acquisition in 1999 for a small staffing agency. I initially sought a sales role but was hired as a recruiter. In 2015, Carl Kutsmode—now Senior Vice President at Broadleaf’s sister company TalentRise—reached out to me through a former colleague. I joined Broadleaf as a Recruitment Consultant soon after and am part of the Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) client account team. On a day-to-day basis, I am responsible for handling open job requisitions, leading and mentoring other recruiters on the team, learning the intricacies of each client’s business, and maintaining regular communications with client hiring managers.

A passion for the industry

If I was asked to describe Broadleaf in one word, it would be team-focused. I work collaboratively with my clients, team, colleagues, and job candidates daily. As a manager and leader, I look forward to calls and meetings with my team. I like celebrating our wins in real time and being able to offer help when it is needed. I’ve had great leaders and mentors, like Suzie Mitchell, who believed in me and helped me achieve more than I could have imagined, and I now enjoy doing the same.

Since starting at Broadleaf, my role has become much more client-facing and consultative. We view our clients as strategic partners and strive to offer a consultative approach to recruiting rather than just filling an open job requisition. I love working with clients in different industries and learning about the products and services they provide to their customers.

Meeting challenges head-on

The RPO world is incredibly dynamic, requiring the Broadleaf team to pivot quickly to adjust to our client’s changing needs. Every day brings a new challenge, and no two days are the same. It’s my role to help keep my team motivated during economic downtimes similar to what we are experiencing now. My previous talent acquisition experience taught me the value of working with a sense of urgency, the ability to communicate with various levels of a client’s management team, and the importance of fostering relationships.

The future of the industry

When I started as a recruiter, I performed my job via telephone. Today, I work via text, e-mail, and video calls and utilize artificial intelligence (AI) and other technology platforms to help source and attract talent. I believe technology, recruiting, and sourcing platforms will continue to improve over the next ten years. Broadleaf must stay current on the trends and needs of this ever-changing industry and evolve along with it.

Out-of-office passions

Before work each day, once my teens are out the door for school, I take my dog Winston for a walk and try to get a workout in. When I’m not working, I enjoy reading, trying new restaurants, and spending time with my friends. My 17-year-old son plays football and runs track, and my almost 16-year-old daughter plays volleyball, so their games and events keep me busy. I also love to travel, and my family takes three to four trips a year. Eventually, I would love to spend three months traveling through Europe with my husband and children. My dad immigrated from Poland, so I’m a first-generation American. I’ve been to Europe before, but I would love to go back and share the experience with my kids. I am thankful for the flexible work options Broadleaf offers that allow me to do things I enjoy.