New Career Services Director Brings Recruiting Experience to Elms College

Wednesday, August 31, 2011

Nancy Davis grew up in a teaching family, but never had plans to work in education. Born to elementary school teacher parents in Long Island, NY, she earned a bachelor's degree at Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, MD.

Her first job with the Children's Camping Association of America enabled her to work with parents searching for the right summer programs for their children. This path led her to working with international students seeking summer programs in the United States. Her experiences with mentoring, guidance, and program development eventually led her to become a recruiter. She spent a decade in Virginia, working with former military service men and women to help them with career placement. When she moved to Massachusetts to be closer to family located here, she continued working as an independent recruiter. 

When Nancy realized how much she missed working with a younger population, she decided that education was her field after all, and took on a career services position at Branford Hall. Upon reading the job opening for a career services director at Elms, it became clear to Nancy that this would be a better fit. "When I applied, I felt like my puzzle was coming together," she said, adding that her experiences as a student at a small Catholic liberal arts school were incredibly positive, and that coming to Elms felt like coming home.

She hopes to use everything she's learned over the years to help Elms College students and alumni with their career search and professional development. "I want to offer them the opportunity to really utilize their skills and knowledge to the fullest," she said. Citing her experience with various populations over the years, and in various stages of the recruitment process, Nancy is confident that her background combined with her enthusiasm and dedication will be a great asset to the Elms family. She also plans to keep students new to the job market focused and accountable.

"Finding a job is a job," said Nancy. She recalled recently reading an article that most people who conduct job searches online only spend an average of 45 minutes on actual job search tasks. "So how are you searching?" she asked. "Most people don't spend enough time looking," she said "and they don't go home to make 50 copies of their resumes to fully use their networks and make friends and family aware of their job search." She says job seekers can't be afraid to speak up for themselves. "If you sit and wait for the golden ticket to arrive in your mailbox, it won't happen, but if you get out there, they will keep showing up," she said.

Elms alumni can expect Nancy to help them with refreshing their resumes, preparing to change careers, or ongoing job searches. "I want to welcome them back to the college and invite them to be mentors, guest speakers, and to help us with internships and recruitment for our students," she said.

An avid tennis player and sports fan, she is also likely to lend her support at many Blazers games in the future. It seems Elms is indeed the right fit for the new director, who relishes working with young people. "I love hearing their ideas and being able to see the freshness they can bring," she said. "They keep me young."

Nancy currently lives in Longmeadow with her 12 year old son.