Washington, District of Columbia, United States
Over my 15-year career in talent acquisition, I've led significant organizational growth, built hiring processes designed to reduce bias, and focused on creating a better experience for candidates. I've spent my career in education and nonprofits, most recently as Managing Director of Talent Acquisition at Merit America, where I care deeply about equity in hiring. Outside of my day job, I also offer career coaching and resume reviews to job seekers navigating this market. š Resume and LinkedIn Reviews I offer resume and LinkedIn reviews, full resume rewrites, and 1:1 coaching calls. You'll get honest feedback from a recruiter's perspective: what's working, what's not, and specific suggestions to help you stand out. Sliding scale starting at $25 because quality career guidance shouldn't be out of reach. š More info and booking: buymeacoffee.com/katierakusin/extras ā¤ļø What I love about my job I get to connect people with opportunities that can change their careers. I'm passionate about building hiring processes that are fair, transparent, and consistent, and about treating candidates like people, not applications. Empathy matters in this work, and I try to bring it to everything I do. š©āš» What you might see me post here: š¹ What actually happens behind the scenes in hiring š¹ Honest takes on what recruiters are actually thinking š¹ Advice for job seekers navigating the market š¹ Insights on equitable hiring and candidate experience š¹ Articles, podcasts, and resources I find interesting āļø Beyond work: I'm a mom to an eight-year-old, a voracious reader (about 100 books a year), and someone who subscribes to way too many magazines and newsletters. š© For partnerships or collaborations: [email protected] š Feel free to connect! (All views expressed here are strictly my own and do not reflect the views of my employer.)
Leading Merit America's talent acquisition strategy and team as we build a diverse, talented staff that powers our mission. My work focuses on: ā¢ Building and coaching our TA team to excel through clear goals and continuous development ā¢ Creating competency frameworks that work across all departments, giving us a consistent foundation for hiring and growth ā¢ Revamping our job architecture with clear levels and titles that make sense for our organization ā¢ Developing hiring approaches that are fair, inclusive, and focused on finding the right skills ā¢ Using data to make smarter decisions about where to find talent and how to improve our processes ā¢ Working with leadership to stay ahead of hiring needs as we grow ā¢ Training managers on how to interview effectively and reduce bias ā¢ Building flexible structures that help us handle hiring surges without compromising quality ā¢ Creating clear paths for internal mobility so we retain our best people My focus remains on strengthening our inclusive hiring practices while developing systems that scale with our growth and support our mission of creating pathways to family-sustaining careers.
Led Merit America's talent acquisition during a critical growth phase, focusing on building fair, effective processes that supported our mission: ā¢ Boosted diversity in our hiring panels with practical strategies that got us to 50% BIPOC representation, making our process more inclusive and effective ā¢ Built a tight-knit TA team that scored 100% positive ratings across management, teamwork, and innovation measures ā¢ Used data to drive our strategy, helping us hit ambitious hiring goals while maintaining quality ā¢ Redesigned our interview process to focus on real skills and competencies, moving away from "gut feel" hiring ā¢ Created systems that could handle our rapid growth without sacrificing candidate experience ā¢ Worked closely with hiring managers to eliminate bias from their interview approaches ā¢ Developed talent pipelines for hard-to-fill roles, reducing our time-to-hire for critical positions ā¢ Established practical frameworks for evaluating talent consistently across teams ā¢ Managed our recruitment budget and built strong vendor partnerships that extended our reach ā¢ Transformed how candidates experienced Merit America from first contact through onboarding
Led KIPP DC's talent acquisition strategy during a period of significant growth: ā¢ Managed a dynamic 14-person recruitment team across three specialized sub-teams, handling everything from candidate outreach and selection to onboarding for a network of 20+ schools ā¢ Built a multi-year talent pipeline strategy that tackled both immediate vacancies and long-term staffing needs, creating sustainable talent pools for hard-to-fill positions ā¢ Coached and developed three associate directors who led their own teams, pushing them to grow while holding everyone to high standards ā¢ Created clear roadmaps for our recruitment goals, making sure everyone from school leaders to recruiters understood our priorities and approach ā¢ Designed hiring systems that actually worked - competency-based interviews, practical skills assessments, and training that helped managers make better, fairer hiring decisions We consistently met ambitious hiring targets while improving the diversity and quality of our candidate pools, supporting KIPP DC's mission to provide excellent education in underserved communities.
Ran point on all recruitment for KIPP DC's growing network: ā¢ Managed the entire hiring cycle for 20 schools plus headquarters, bringing in about 300 new team members each year ā¢ Worked directly with school leaders and the senior team to spot hiring trends, track how new teachers were performing, and refine our approach ā¢ Built and implemented targeted recruitment strategies that attracted strong, diverse candidates to teaching and operational roles ā¢ Trained principals and department heads on how to interview effectively and avoid common hiring biases ā¢ Tracked what was working (and what wasn't) in our retention efforts, using the data to create a more compelling employee experience ā¢ Led a team of 10 recruiters, balancing their development with hitting ambitious hiring targets ā¢ Organized quarterly team retreats that combined strategic planning with professional growth During my time as Director, we consistently filled our positions with high-quality candidates while building a more diverse team across all levels of the organization.
Owned the hiring process for KIPP DC's secondary schools and central office: ā¢ Managed the full hiring cycle for all middle and high school positions plus headquarters roles ā about 150 hires annually ā¢ Partnered with 20+ hiring managers who all had different needs and styles, becoming their go-to talent advisor ā¢ Rebuilt our applicant tracking system in Salesforce, making it actually useful for tracking candidates and measuring what worked ā¢ Coached a team of three recruiters who grew into effective talent scouts under my guidance ā¢ Kept detailed real-time data on our open positions, using metrics to improve our process and cut time-to-hire ā¢ Provided regular updates to school leaders that kept everyone aligned on hiring priorities ā¢ Developed stronger relationships with Teach For America and local universities, creating talent pipelines for critical roles ā¢ Planned and led recruitment events that significantly boosted our candidate pools I became known for my data-driven approach, strong relationship with school leaders, and ability to find exceptional candidates for the hardest-to-fill positions.
As the Vice President of Operations at YEP-DC, I oversee the daily management of the YEP-DC listserv and emails and manage the selection process for the leadership team.
ā¢ Instructed primary grade students diagnosed with learning disabilities, emotional disturbance, and with moderate-to-severe needs in self-contained and inclusion setting ā¢ Provided data-driven instruction in all subjects using Fountas and Pinnell and Wilson Reading Program assessments
ā¢ Admitted to a highly selective cohort committed to raising student achievement in Washington, D.C.ās highest need schools ā¢ Participated in six-week summer training institute