Turning Passion Into Purpose: From Career Coach to Recruiting Tech Company Founder With Ariel Lopez

One of the best things about the work that I do is that I have the opportunity to connect with so many talented people doing great things to make the world of work – and the world – better for us all in the future.

Early last year, while looking to expand my network of leaders with diversity and inclusion expertise, I reached out to my network and asked a simple question – “Who should I know that does great work in this area?”

What followed were over 90 recommendations, and I was able to make some great new connections, have some great conversations, and add to my list of potential referral partners in the future.

The first person who responded to my question was Daniel Chait, the CEO & co-founder of Greenhouse, an HR tech company that helps organizations become great at hiring.

Daniel was quick to recommend that I connect with one of his mentees – Ariel Lopez.

Ariel followed up with me shortly thereafter, and suggested that we connect briefly to get to know each other better. I enjoyed chatting with her so much, that I made introductions for her to a couple of leaders in my network as well, not because she or they had any specific need at the time, but because I could see that Ariel is someone who is making things happen, and I felt that they needed to know more about her and her work as well.

Which brings us to where we are today, where I’m also introducing Ariel to many of you. Pro tip: that’s how effective networking, relationship building, and follow up works, and you’ll hear more about how Ariel values that process in our conversation today.

So, without further adieu, let me introduce you to Ariel Lopez – a career coach, entrepreneur, and public speaker with an expertise in digital media and technology. Ariel is the Founder and CEO of Knac, a platform that provides recruiters with a more efficient tool for screening applicants, managing their pipeline, and ensuring that they don’t miss out on great talent.

With over a decade of recruiting experience, Ariel has had the privilege of helping some of the biggest brands in the world to build great teams, and as a career coach, she’s worked with thousands of marketing, advertising, and tech professionals to help them grow in their careers and find lucrative opportunities.

Passionate about the future of work and making the job search more humane, Ariel’s ultimate goal is to help people to find career happiness, and to live their best lives.

Topics Discussed In This Episode:

Why Ariel loved coaching people in their career journey, and how that experience set her on the journey to helping people to find jobs that they’re passionate about, and care for.
Ariel’s recommendation for people interested in finding a career that they love.
The importance of resilience and confidence for reaching career goals.
How identifying your leverageable skills can help you take charge of your career, and make wise choices.
Ariel’s tips for networking and building relationships during COVID times.
The importance of figuring out your values, and the pillars that you will focus on and speak to as a thought leader.
What inspired Ariel to start a company focused on helping candidates to break through barriers and gain access to opportunities.
The trait that most Founders need in order to keep pressing ahead on any Founder’s journey.

IMPACT MAKERS PODCAST – EPISODE 54

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Key Quotes From This Episode:

“Keep the why strong. If your why is strong, you’ll be flexible with the how.” ~ Ariel Lopez

“Take your ego out of it. That’s very helpful in knowing that it’s not about you. Anything that happens in your journey that doesn’t work out, ultimately wasn’t meant for you.” ~ Ariel Lopez

“Figuring out what your leverageable skills are is probably one of the things that most professionals don’t know how to do well. You have to review your experience and your background, and figure out what skills are transferable into the new job that you want. The funny thing is that you probably have more transferable skills than you think.” ~ Ariel Lopez

“You’re going to have great conversations, and people are going to say no. You’re going to have great conversations, and people are going to say, this sounds cool, but I can’t do anything right now. And, you can’t take that personally, You have to accept it as ‘this is a no for right now, but that doesn’t mean a no forever.’ Having that approach to some of the people in our network has been life changing.” ~ Ariel Lopez

“Network you ass off is always my piece of advice — and trust the process.” ~ Ariel Lopez