Supporting talent management and organizational operations

Alyssa Weiskopf

Alyssa Weiskopf

Talent Management Specialist

By the Numbers

  • Provide hiring support to seven departments in OIT
  • Worked with 30 hiring managers to recruit for 48 positions

A day in the life

The majority of the work that I do for OIT relates to hiring and administratively supporting the organization. In my position, I have the opportunity to meet and work with many colleagues, which I enjoy. Who I work with and support constantly changes and depends on which managers are hiring and for what positions we are recruiting. My role in these partnerships is to keep the hiring process moving along. This involves checking in with the hiring managers to review the process and progress, arranging and supporting candidate interviews, and managing the steps along the way to making an offer and bringing a new employee onboard. It’s really inspiring to learn about the research and teaching that’s being done on the academic side at Princeton and to know that I and my department had a hand in bringing onboard the employees who support the IT services that enable these contributions. 

I get to work with colleagues who have been in OIT for more than 20 years, newer staff such as myself, and everyone in between.

Working in the Operations and Planning department, I also have the opportunity to work on special projects that benefit all of OIT. I am currently a collaborating member on two initiative teams. On one team, we are developing an orientation program for new employees that includes a tour of our beautiful campus and a series of information sessions that helps introduce the mission and culture of OIT. This year-long program showcases to new employees the different areas within OIT, the many resources at their disposal, and other essential information for settling into our organization. I am also a member of one of our diversity and inclusion teams, which focuses on recruitment and employer branding. Working with the team, I helped design and launch a brand new OIT Careers site and developed a summer internship program. On this team, I get to work with colleagues who have been in OIT for more than 20 years, newer staff such as myself, and everyone in between. I am proud of the website that we created. The content we created values different perspectives, and reflects the diversity of backgrounds and experiences the team individually brought to the table. 

It takes a team

The Organizational Effectiveness team, of which I am a member, works with leadership across the nine departments of the OIT organization to help make the strategic vision for talent management a reality. We work together to facilitate administrative activities that support our organization, introduce efficiencies, and engage our staff. In partnership with our colleagues in Human Resources, our team of six is responsible for hiring talent, developing talent and learning plans, managing performance, and recognizing, rewarding, and engaging our staff. Our department has added responsibilities around IT project planning and funding, financial planning, budget and accounting, contract and vendor management, and all other things that “keep the lights on” in our organization. 

Path to Princeton OIT

After majoring in education, teaching for a short while, and then working as a program director at a local day camp, I was ready to look for new professional opportunities. Unsure of what was next, I contacted a local staffing agency that placed me in a temporary customer service representative role with the Campus Venue Services team at Princeton University. This position led to a second and unique opportunity in OIT where I split my time supporting the Organizational Effectiveness team and the Information Security Office. This experience presented a great learning opportunity and enabled me to build strong relationships with colleagues across OIT. When a permanent opportunity presented itself, it was an easy decision to apply. 

When I speak with candidates they often ask about the culture at Princeton. I like to highlight the collaborative environment that I experience in OIT. We all bring our own unique perspectives and previous experiences together to further the mission of the University.

OIT and my career

Roles within OIT:  Department Office Support Specialist > Talent Management Specialist

While working at a summer day camp, my responsibilities required that I interact with a variety of staff members and many camp families. Through this experience, I learned to tailor my approach based on the clientele and who I was needing to interact with. I was able to bring this learned skill and apply it to the work that I do now. I may be supporting a hiring manager in Research Computing one day and the PeopleSoft Enterprise Resource Planning team the next. Through these interactions and partnerships, I am also learning more about a variety of new technologies. I am enjoying talent acquisition work. My interest in this area continues to grow and I look forward to furthering my career in this field. 

I experienced the great work-life balance and positive energy at Princeton in a temporary role. It motivated me to seek a permanent opportunity as the next step in my professional career.