Erin Oltersdorf Makes an Impact in Recruiting

For the past decade, Erin Oltersdorf has been on the front lines of Campus Advantage culture. As Corporate Recruiting Manager, she’s often one of the first points of communication for potential new team members, answering questions and ensuring a positive experience from day one. Leveraging her experience in parenting, college admissions, and communications, Erin infuses compassion and curiosity into her recruiting and hiring processes. And though it can be challenging, Erin stays motivated by her passion for creating connections and her love for helping people on a personal level. Read on to learn more about Erin’s day-to-day responsibilities, how she joined the Campus Advantage team, and her favorite things to do in her free time.

Tell us a little bit about your current role and how long you’ve been with the company.

It’s been about 10 years, which is crazy to say! When I first joined Campus Advantage, it was just myself as the Corporate Recruiter, but then HR — and our team — eventually grew as a whole. That’s when I started taking on more responsibility as the Corporate Recruiting Manager. In this role, I help lead our recruiting team and efforts to identify and attract top talent that align with Campus Advantage’s values and needs. I work closely with our hiring managers to provide support and guidance throughout the entire hiring process, from the time they’re opening a position to making an offer to the new team member’s first day. Specifically on the recruiting side, I primarily focus on the corporate home office positions and remote opportunities. Jenny Higgins, our wonderful Corporate Recruiter, works with a lot of the on-site managers for their open positions. As a team, our goal is to provide a high level of customer service to our teams as well as to our candidates, and ensure they have a positive experience.

What first attracted you to work for Campus Advantage?

Originally, I was only going to be helping as the Corporate Recruiter for a couple of weeks in a temporary position. But I fell in love with the company and was fortunate enough that it became a permanent opportunity for me. In that temporary position, I felt like I saw the heart of the company and really saw the passion and energy and the desire to always do better and to grow our people. When I saw that, I was like, “This is a special team of people and company. I really want to be a part of this.”

What is your professional background?

Before Campus Advantage, I spent a few years working in admissions for a couple of different colleges and helping with their recruiting efforts. I then worked as a communications coordinator for a company that provides maintenance software solutions for the mining industry. In my role there, I did a lot of company communications and international recruiting for the team. It was a challenging position, but I enjoyed it and learned so much.

I am also the co-founder of a small nonprofit called Kids Compassion Project that is close to my heart. Our goal is to help bridge the connection between families and local nonprofits, teaching kids about compassion, about giving back by providing a hands-on service opportunity. It’s all about creating connections between families and their community, and instilling compassion in our future leaders.

What does a typical day look like in your role?

On a day-to-day basis, it’s a lot of ongoing communication with our hiring managers about their current open positions. Checking in to see if they’re hitting any roadblocks with recruiting or getting a healthy candidate pipeline for their positions. Making sure they have the tools and resources so they can identify top talent for their team. I also maintain the relationship with the candidates throughout the entire interviewing and onboarding process.

What three words best describe you (inside or outside of work)?

Compassionate – Whether it’s at work or outside of it, I always want people to know I care about them and that they feel supported. Compassion is contagious, and when you create an environment that fosters compassion, people are more likely to want to help each other out, share knowledge, and work together to find solutions.

Dedicated – I am committed to getting done what needs to get done and doing it as best as I can. It isn’t always easy. Whether that’s at work or in my personal life, it sometimes requires a little grit and perseverance.

Curious – I’m always curious and eager to learn about other people, cultures, new things at work, you name it really. I believe when you lose your curiosity and wonder, that’s when you stop learning and growing.

How would you describe the Campus Advantage culture?

Supportive – I feel really supported in my role. In some company cultures, you might be hesitant to reach out and ask for help, but that’s not the case at Campus Advantage. It’s an environment that really is supportive, and the team is there for one another. You feel like you’re in a safe place to ask questions or for help, which is very important.

Innovative – Campus Advantage fosters an environment that allows people to share ideas and, even more so, encourages it. People feel like they have a voice and can truly make an impact.

Dedicated – Campus Advantage is dedicated to our employees, residents, and clients. We are always striving to raise the bar.

What is one of your favorite moments with Campus Advantage so far?

Something that I always look forward to and that I have just loved in the years prior is getting together for our FOCUS Conference in Austin. I have enjoyed that time so much. The opportunity to connect with everyone and see each other in person is so great. It’s a time to learn and grow, but also a time of celebration. Our annual CAmmy Awards recognize individuals and teams, the work they’ve done and the contributions they’ve made for the previous year. For me personally, having those times to connect with people where I was a part of their hiring process is fulfilling. There are several people I remember interviewing for the first time years ago and have continued to see them grow within the organization. That brings me so much joy and fulfillment. I’ve been fortunate enough to be a part of many stories like that with Campus Advantage.

If you had to choose one core value that best represents you, what would it be and why?

I think it would have to be passion. In my current role with Campus Advantage, I get the opportunity to make an impact by working with our teams every day and finding great talent to join our company. I feel passionate about the fact that I get to help people on a personal level, find a career and company they can be excited about. They can feel like they have a place to grow and make a difference as part of an amazing team.

What motivates you to get up for work every day?

On a personal level, it’s my family. I get to be in a role where I can help provide for my family and be a role model for my three girls. Professionally, it’s about helping our company and our teams find great talent, and being able to help people find careers with us. Our jobs play such a significant role in our life. To help someone find a place where they can be excited about their career, going to work every day and their professional growth, that’s motivating to me.

Thinking about your most successful peers and teammates, what characteristics do they share?

Several people at Campus Advantage come to mind immediately, each of whom are leaders in their own way. While they have unique strengths and approaches, they are each motivating, inspirational, and help create and support the vision for the company and the team. There’s a focus on creating an environment that allows people to be themselves, creating a safe space for their teams, and for other employees, to ask questions and be vulnerable. They also make sure their teams have the resources to be successful and celebrate the wins, big and little, along the way.

What do you like to do when you’re not working?

Outside of work in my current phase of life, it’s a lot of time with our kids and family. They’re all very involved in sports and activities, so that’s a big focus for us whether it’s track or volleyball or gymnastics. I love to travel; being in Colorado, I have the opportunity to take advantage of the outdoors, so we enjoy camping as a family in the mountains, being in nature and hiking around.