In honor of National Nurses Week in May, we interviewed Katie C., Associate Sales Recruiter, at CONMED. Katie joined CONMED in 2022, but prior to that, she was a Neonatal Intensive Care Unit RN. Katie brings a unique perspective to CONMED with her invaluable experience helping others as a nurse.
Hear from Katie, below!

1. How has your experience as a nurse helped you in your role as a sales recruiter, and what unique perspectives do you bring to the job?
One of the very unique perspectives I bring to my role now is the clinical side. When I’m talking to candidates on the phone, I dive pretty deep into the products and the clinical side of things. It helps get them really excited about the products, encourages them to learn more and hopefully sets them up for success during their interviews. Another unique skill set I bring is my service orientation. Just as I took care of my patients, I tend to stay close and take care of my candidates. Nothing makes me happier than helping someone break into this industry or land a new role. I act as a guide with my candidates throughout the process and am that person that they can lean on.

2. How do you go about identifying and recruiting top talent in the medical device industry, and what strategies have you found to be most effective?
I am really passionate about bringing talent into this industry and this company. I had zero recruiting experience before taking this role, so I know that I, myself, am a true talent hire. I do not take that for granted and I work to prove every day what I can accomplish. One of my main focuses is to find those candidates that are passionate. This is one of the hardest industries to break into, and I want to bring in people that are excited, passionate, and resilient. I enjoy listening for what makes a person tick, why they want this industry, and what they think they can bring to the table with their unique backgrounds.

3. What excited you about the transition from nursing to sales recruiting, and what challenges have you faced during that transition?
My husband is a medical device rep, so I had a lot of exposure to the industry. I always knew if I got out of nursing, I would enter the medical device world. I was excited to bring my clinical background and people skills to hopefully bring something new to the organization.
The main challenge that I faced was entering the corporate world and learning the proper ways to go about things. Working for a corporate company is a night and day difference from working 12+ hour shifts in an ICU at a hospital.