In this new blog series, “Meet the #GTeam,” we’ll be showcasing some of our talented new team members and giving them an outlet to talk about their experiences before and after joining GroundTruth.
Meet Dominata Osei, our new HR Manager for our EMEA office in London! Dominata started her career in affiliate marketing, working in the industry at Next Jump and LBi, and most recently managed her last company’s HR department prior to joining the GroundTruth team. Dominata is full of insightful ideas and her outlook is impacted by her diverse range of experience. In this interview, she shares a glimpse into life at GroundTruth.
What drove you to work for GroundTruth?
The culture, values, people, technology, and its global reach. Not to mention the opportunity to grow and learn, and the potential to be part of something great.
You started your career in marketing and then moved into the HR field. What are some of the differences you’ve found working in these fields?
There are a lot more similarities than one might think between HR and Marketing/PR. I’ve adapted skills learned in Marketing like promotional skills and raising awareness, thinking more creatively about ways to promote initiatives and events. Learning to listen to different points of views and telling a story in a compelling and engaging way to suit the audience, as well as using different channels and means of communication. Marketing has also helped me learn how to personalise messages, agendas, etc. and being able to reach a wide range of audiences. The major difference between Marketing and HR, however, is HR is far more consultative in nature and you have a direct impact on an individual at a very personal level. You have the ability to potentially change the course of someone’s life either from a hiring perspective (you got the job!) to the guidance and support given during the course of their career right to the end (voluntary or involuntary resignation).
As someone who is experienced in HR, what are some things you consider when onboarding and recruiting for GroundTruth?
Onboarding for me starts with the promotion and engagement of future employees long before the job ads are up. It’s the promotion of our company and the employer brand, the idea an employee has of our company and the work we do in promoting ourselves as the employer of choice. When onboarding I consider how we can fully, effectively and efficiently set our new colleague up for success. So onboarding for me is not just on day one of the job, it’s before you even consider applying.
Recruitment and onboarding go hand in hand, onboarding is an extension of the recruitment process. It’s not enough to just place someone in a job, as an HR department it’s our responsibility to make sure every aspect of HR works together to benefit the candidate.
Here are some onboarding considerations I take into count:
- Try to approach it from the candidate’s point of view. Think about the common questions that new hires will ask and make sure all the FAQ-style information is presented during the first week.
- Telling the company history and story is essential, especially if it can come from the mouths of the founders when possible. It’s great to hear founders speak passionately and informally about the business and why it matters. Saying a quick hello ignites a new employees passion for the company and its values.
- Try to alleviate first-week stress by building in periods of mindfulness. Don’t schedule back-to-back meetings and trainings during onboarding. Sure it’s great to have new hires up and running straight away, but it’s always easier to provide time in the beginning for them to really learn the business. That’s why I pushed in my first few weeks to make our Learning Center available to new employees before they start, giving them time to digest all the information and learn more.
I know it may be a bit of a cliché to say this, but employees really are our most valuable business resource. Taking the time to make the right hire will make your team and company that much stronger, as well as saving money in the long run.
HR often establishes a workplace culture; how do you feel about GroundTruth’s workplace culture?
GroundTruth’s workplace culture is one that embodies and shares the same values and ways of interacting through and through: we’re passionate, relentless, respectful, and trailblazers. Almost everyone I have encountered here thus far displays these traits and it shows in the work we produce, the way we communicate and the support shown and given.
Thanks for reminding everyone of our values! How do you apply these 4 core values into your work?
It helps that I’m naturally passionate about helping people which has fortunately taken the form of HR which I bring into work every day. I’m relentless – I keep going until I find a solution or a resolution. I’m always asking why and why not and finding new ways. I’m respectful of others and of individual and group differences, I embrace and celebrate these differences and find a way to promote it.
A trailblazer to me isn’t just about ‘breaking the status quo’ or doing something innovative first, it can start from something as simple as improving on an idea or pushing and starting conversations. I seek to ‘break the status quo’ by not being afraid to walk on a path less travelled.
I seek to create an environment which helps encourage others to be courageous and to be trailblazers in their own way.
Finally, I seek to create an environment which helps encourage others to be courageous and to be trailblazers in their own way. It’s not just being the first to open the door, it’s also about keeping the door open for others to come in too. I think it’s good to remember that not everyone leads from being followed, some lead by protecting the pack from behind, which means you’re not afraid of what’s in front of you because you know who you’ve got behind you.
