Our November 2019 Employee of the Month
In the early 2000s, when Kim Farris transitioned from a human resources generalist to a recruiter role at Columbia Regional Hospital, she was initially reluctant. She quickly came to enjoy being a recruiter, but she had no idea that someone else would try to recruit her, until Boone Hospital Center called.
"I was happy in my role. I wasn't looking for a new job," Kim says. "Out of the blue, they called and asked if I wanted to consider a nurse recruiter position. I tried everything to politely decline and somehow end the phone call. By the end of the conversation, they had me scheduled for an initial interview. Two weeks later, I was in the hot seat of a panel interview with ten nursing directors drilling me with questions."
Kim, who grew up in Sturgeon, Mo., discovered her love for working in human resources when she took an HR course while working on her bachelor's in business & Public Administration at the University of Missouri. She was determined to get her first post-college job in HR and was grateful when Columbia Regional hired her to be a generalist.
"I loved the generalist role due to having a variety of duties and responsibilities. My director eventually convinced me to try recruiting. I didn't really want to focus on one aspect of HR after being a generalist for so many years. However, I think she knew my outgoing personality would be a great fit as a recruiter. I ended up loving this role as well."
16 years later, Kim still loves her role as a senior talent acquisition specialist, though she prefers to the more straightforward description nurse recruiter. Kim not only interviews and hires nurse applicants, she also goes out into the community to encourage present and future nurses to join the Boone team.
Any day of the week, Kim may be talking to a room of nursing students about Boone Hospital's nurse residency program or handing out brochures and swag at career fairs. She'll even approach nursing students who are visiting Boone for their practicum or job shadowing.
Kim's job also focuses on nurse retention, and she is involved with several professional development programs. She enjoys being able to answer questions from the nurses she's helped bring on board about anything, from benefits to tuition reimbursement to referral bonuses.
"I feel like I bond well with nurses of all ages," Kim says. "I enjoy finding something in common with them and getting to know their personality. The best part about my job is finding the right fit, so people enjoy their job and look forward to coming to work."
Kim also loves introducing nurses to the culture of Boone Hospital. She says, "I was showing a nurse applicant around one of the floors last week to introduce him to the team. The nursing staff was very polite, explained what they did on their unit, and welcomed him."
She also appreciates her Boone family of coworkers from Human Resources, Employee Health and Training and Development. She says, "They will jump in to help anytime necessary, and they always have my back!"
Kim's Employee of the Month nomination was several pages long, with compliments and gratitude from the many nursing leaders who rely on Kim's work ethic and positivity. She was overwhelmed by the outpouring of praise and says, "I am very gracious, honored and humbled to receive so many nominations by my internal customers at Boone!"
As Kim sees it, all Boone Hospital Center employees are recruiters, too. She says, "Applicants tell me every day why they have applied. The majority of the time, they had an awesome experience in some form or know a Boone employee who loves working here, which prompts them to apply. Thank you for referring these top-notch applicants!"
Despite her outgoing personality and excellent public speaking skills, Kim says she's shy and avoids the spotlight. Instead, she prefers spending time with her close-knit family, including her daughter (and Boone Baby), Adi, and family dogs Zoe and Roxi. She also loves spending time with friends, sports, travel, photography, and music.
"And, of course, people-watching!" Kim adds. "It's a given in the HR field."
Congratulations, Kim!