Lauren Turner’s well-timed transition from teaching abroad

Pivoting careers is scary.

How do you find an employer to take a chance on you when you don’t have the industry experience to back you up? Lauren Turner felt this fear first-hand after living abroad for four years and returning home to the US. She needed to find a stable job in a brand-new industry, but she had no idea where to start.

Lauren earned her bachelor’s degree in mass communications and a master’s in journalism before pursuing her passion for reporting. After graduation, she juggled four part-time jobs without health insurance or benefits and quickly realized she needed a career with more stability.

Lauren had always dreamed of living abroad, so she took the plunge during this period of uncertainty and moved to South Korea. There, she fell in love with teaching English and stayed for several years. Her favorite part of the job was connecting with students of all ages and learning their unique needs. If the US education system was set up differently, she would have continued teaching back home. Unfortunately, she found that she needed to pivot once again.

After returning to the US, she realized that she didn’t have a clear path ahead. One of her friends recommended Schechter Reed, so she reached out and set up a meeting. It became clear that Lauren’s positive demeanor and transferrable skills would make her the perfect fit for almost any company.  A few weeks later, Lauren landed at SAIC in a contract recruiting coordinator role.

SAIC provided her with mentors, broadened her experience by training her in multiple sectors, and taught her how to recruit from the ground up. Lauren found that she could connect with people easier because of the life experiences she gained from her previous jobs in journalism and teaching.

It turned out that Lauren was a natural at recruiting. After 9 months as a contractor, SAIC hired Lauren directly and she was thrilled! She is so grateful for the people who took a chance on her, provided resources to ensure her success, and guided her through ups and downs.

We are so proud of Lauren, and we hope her story inspires others who might be considering a career change.