I chose to major in International Studies at UCSB because I really enjoyed learning about different cultures and reading about history from different perspectives around the world. It’s so important to have a holistic view of the world so you know how to be more objective in life and in difficult situations. I learned so much about how to engage with and understand different people. Empathy is a skill I use daily in recruiting and is such a necessary trait to have in this type of job because you have to get to know your candidate beyond what is on their resume in order to understand what motivates them.

When I was in my second year of college, I went back home for the summer to work at my mom’s restaurant as a waitress to make some extra money. I had no intentions at that point of interning anywhere. I was just trying to make it on my own financially. In my first few days working at the restaurant, we had a customer who came for lunch almost every day. I never really knew what he did career-wise, but I just served him and was nice to him. He ended up getting to know my mom and me quite well (since he really loved her food). Turns out, he was a Sr. Producer at NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams and asked me if I would be interested in interviewing with him for a summer internship. 

A few days later (and a few sleepless nights of being so nervous about potentially not nailing the interview), I went in and met with a few different producers. They asked me what I was studying in college and why I was interested in journalism. They told me to tell them about myself and what my long-term goals were. I remember thinking in my head “just be yourself” and trying not to look like I was extremely nervous.

A few days later, I got a call that I got the internship and immediately went shopping for a whole new wardrobe. My little sister and all my friends thought I was so cool, and I remember thinking, “Yeah, this is it. I made it.” I spent my summer there transcribing interviews for the 2008 Olympics and translating some interviews from Arabic (which I’m semi-fluent in) to English. It was a blast and I felt like the luckiest person in the world.

The great thing about that internship was that it made me realize that news/journalism really was not the career I was after—it was interviewing people that I really enjoyed. I didn’t know yet that you could have a career doing that. I’m so grateful for that internship because it helped me figure things out that summer—now here I am doing what I really love.

I really enjoyed the transition from working at larger companies to a smaller startup environment like Nasty Gal. When I was at Robert Half or at Internet Brands, though I was learning so much and making a lot of progress in my career, I didn’t feel like I was making enough of an impact to feel satisfied with myself or the direction I was going in my career. I also am obsessed with clothing and knew I wanted to eventually get into recruiting in the fashion industry.

I have to say, when I took the job at Nasty Gal I was thrilled, but it was a bit of a culture shock for me for the first few weeks. I came from companies where there were defined roles and I knew what I was doing and what was expected of me. That did not exist at Nasty Gal yet. I knew I needed to build the company’s talent pool and network, and Sophia gave me a lot of autonomy to do it, but that’s about all I knew. It was a smaller company then—around 70 employees—and full of such passionate people who wore many hats. I knew I was going to need to do the same to survive in this environment. I felt like I got thrown in to run my own business.

In my first year at Nasty Gal, we hired 128 people. Talk about making an impact on a business! The biggest change I made was learning to roll up my sleeves, and roll with all the change and growth that I helped to create. Nasty Gal still has an extremely entrepreneurial culture and everyone we hire has an opportunity to make a real impact on the business.

I love working at Nasty Gal. I love the people who are die-hard Nasty Gals. I love the product and the lifestyle it promotes. I love being myself at work, which I feel very comfortable being. I believe strongly in Nasty Gal and its potential to be the leader in how we think about product, retail and content. I believe in the fact that we are doing something here that no one else has done before and I’m excited to be a part of that!

Working at such a well-known fashion brand comes with responsibility. No matter where I am—at work or out and about on the weekend—I’m representing Nasty Gal. About a year ago, I was at the grocery store on a Friday night (exciting life, I know), and I noticed someone following me around the store. When I got to the checkout line, the person who had been following me approached me and asked me if I was Iris, the recruiter from Nasty Gal. I was really creeped out, but I knew my reaction could make or break her opinion of me and of the brand. I quickly responded yes, and she proceeded to tell me about how she was obsessed with Nasty Gal and she had submitted an application and would love the chance to interview with me. I gave her my card, and I’m pretty sure I made her week. I also ended up interviewing her, though we didn’t have a position available at the time. Being a recruiter is 24/7 and so is representing such a well-known brand like Nasty Gal.

My boss and I also travel to New York once a year now to build our presence there and find great talent to interview. We usually end up hiring a few and relocating them out here! It’s a huge advantage that we’re so well known because it makes us desirable to candidates all over, and the fact that candidates are willing to move their entire lives for Nasty Gal speaks volumes to that.

Sophia is inspirational, hilarious and extremely creative. She’s also committed to her responsibilities here and she makes things happen. She trusts everyone to do their job, which I really appreciate about her. She’s humble enough to know there are some areas she is not an expert in and she trusts others to help her build and grow Nasty Gal. I think that’s how we’ve been able to evolve so much as a brand.

When I first started my role at Nasty Gal, what I really needed to do was get to know her and what she looked for in candidates. When Sophia interviews candidates she really wants to get a feel for their vibe. She knows more than anyone what it takes to be successful here and she’s really good at gauging that within 10 minutes of meeting someone. Of course, she does ask the important questions, but more than that she has to “feel it.” I had to learn how to “feel it,” too, and I work on that everyday.

I always do the “what would Sophia think?” test when I’m talking to people and it really helps me decide if I should put them in front of her. In her book #GIRLBOSS, she has an entire chapter dedicated to interviewing talent entitled “On Hiring, Staying Employed, and Firing.” That will give you a great idea of what she looks for when she hires.

I think Sophia trusts me a lot more than she did when I first started here and I know she appreciates the work I do and how I’ve grown with the company. She inspires the employees everyday by always thinking of ways she can make something work instead of ways it can’t. She would do anything for her employees to help them succeed. She’s a positive person. It really is a privilege to be able to work with her and learn from her.

I have a lot of support from an amazing team. My boss Kimberly Hunt, Nasty Gal’s Chief People and Culture Officer, is committed to helping me with whatever I need to get my job done. So is Sophia. My Recruiter, Chloe Polanco, also keeps things light and fun for me and keeps me grounded so that I can actually see the bigger picture when I have my head down trying to source the right candidates as fast as humanly possible. We have a lean recruiting team here and it’s extremely important for me as the head of recruiting to prioritize our work. How I support thinking about an organization this size really depends on how well I understand the business and the needs of the business as it will evolve. I have to be able to see the future as well as understand the importance of every single employee’s role here to be able to help them build a strong team.

I think in order to remain calm in this type of role you have to know that timing is everything, and that you have to set the right expectations for your hiring managers. More so than that, it’s an important practice for our team to always be “pipelining.” That means we are constantly talking to talent, even if we do not have a specific role open for them. The purpose behind that is to be able to fill a position faster when something does become available because we already have a pool of pre-screened talent to choose from. This helps to keep the workload much more manageable so we’re not stressing out when we have 20 to 25 positions to fill at a time. Understanding the business and planning ahead is the best way to avoid stress.

I think in order to be really good at a role like this you have to have extremely high integrity, great intuition, a sense of urgency and the ability to slowly build a really great reputation. In recruiting, your reputation is everything. It’s how you get hiring managers to trust you to hire a team of people who they will work with every day.

I’ve learned a lot about people through interviewing so many candidates and I’m learning to be able to read between the lines in people’s answers to certain questions. In this type of role you have to have a pretty decent understanding of the impact of every single role at Nasty Gal and have an even broader knowledge of how that fits into the business. It takes time to gain that knowledge, but you learn as new positions open up and you’re asked to fill them. You spend time learning about different departments and what they do at work every day and it helps you find the right talent. Practice makes progress. 

Technology is a very big piece of how we recruit here, we’re always online looking at profiles and researching candidates before we talk to them and before they come in for an in-person interview. I think no matter how technology evolves, it’s still important at Nasty Gal to meet everyone face to face. The culture fit for us is key and that’s difficult to assess through a computer or phone. We’ll even fly candidates in from Australia, Europe and the UK just to be able to meet them in person and make sure they like our office and the area they may end up living. 

Getting a feel for potential employees is all about how you engage them throughout the interview process. From the questions you ask, references you check and the offer process, you are learning about what motivates them and are slowly becoming a part of their lives. When I meet with candidates I try to picture them in our office space, interacting with our employees and speaking to Sophia or other members of leadership. That helps me figure out if I can see them in our environment, and if I think they’ll be successful here.

When I first became a recruiter, I was so excited because I would get to help people everywhere find jobs and change their lives. In my first few weeks, my boss at the time said to me: We’re here, first and foremost, to help companies find great talent, not to help everyone in the world find a job. That stuck with me because while I do connect candidates with their dream jobs (and I really love that part), the main priority is to lead Nasty Gal to success by finding great people to get us there.

My advice to a new corporate recruiter (or even an agency recruiter) is just that. Always keep in mind that you are in your role to help the company you work for find great talent. That should be your main priority. 

I wake up looking forward to the fact that I have no idea what is going to happen every day at work because every day is different. I love my coworkers and the candidates I meet. I talk to 20 to 30 different people a week and it’s so fun!

In my career I want to stay challenged, motivated and grow as a leader. I see myself at Nasty Gal long-term, and I’m going to continue to roll with the punches and help make Nasty Gal an amazing place to work!

EDITOR'S NOTE: Iris is now a Career Contessa Mentor! Click here to book personalized career advice with her.