Profiles from the Pack: Shalako Thomas

For Shalako Thomas, the third time was the charm when it came to graduating from college, but that didn't stop her from staying around Madison College. Now, she brings her knack for high-touch customer service skills to the school's HR team as a recruitment coordinator. 

Tell us about your journey as a student, alum, and now an employee at Madison College? 
I was first a student in 2007, and that was my second try at college; unfortunately, it didn't work out. So, I came back in 2014, and the third time worked for me. I interviewed for a student help job in HR at the start of 2016. I'd never worked in HR before, but ended up loving it. I eventually graduated, then went to UW-Madison to finish my bachelor's degree, and kept working in Madison College's HR department. Eventually, a full-time position at the front desk opened up, so I interviewed for that and got it, and the rest is history.

Your LinkedIn profile says that you “put the humanity in HR.” What does that mean to you?  
I believe in providing really great customer service. The stereotype is that HR is often seen as the bad guy. We're not the bad guys. We're not the principal's office. An instructor once said that I put humanity in HR, and I thought that was such a great line and appreciated the compliment.  
Now I work in talent acquisition, so I deal with both internal and external candidates, and I focus on keeping that process as positive as I can. With any job opening, only one person will get hired. But if we can keep that process positive for everyone, they’re more likely to come back and interview again, possibly for a different position with us. 

Do you have an accomplishment that you're most proud of at Madison College?  
I was a non-traditional student, and I am really proud that I stayed the course and have a career now. That says a lot about the supportive environment at Madison College: the school wants you to succeed.

What advice would you give to other non-traditional students thinking about going back to college? 
There is a lot of pressure on today's high-school students to go right to college. But if you don't feel like that is your path, that's OK.  
Find out what your path is. College doesn't have to be the very next step. Go out and work and get that experience - that's important too. You'll learn lots of skills that you can bring to positions in the future. And if it takes three or four tries to make college stick, that's still time that you've spent building skills and getting some classes under your belt.

What's your super skill? 
Definitely customer service. The importance of customer service skills is sometimes downplayed, but when you think about interactions you feel good about, it's often because you've had a good customer service experience. Over the years, I've gotten a lot of positive feedback about my customer service orientation. Hopefully, everyone here knows they can come to me with questions, and I'll keep the energy positive and forward-looking. 

Finish the sentence: "If I were not in this role at Madison College, I would be…"  
I would definitely be working at a wild animal rehab center. But for now, I’ll settle for taking care of the five cats we have at home.