Kemar Christian

What do you do and why is it important?

I recruit for our Direct Care, Administrative, and sometimes Clinical teams in Southeast Michigan. I look for people with compassion, who love what they do, and have an interest in caring for folks with mental illness or developmental disabilities.

How did you get into recruiting?

My major in college was sociology, and my minor was communications. Toward the end of college, I started considering a career in HR, but was close to graduating and didn’t want to take bunch of additional classes to change majors. So I graduated, leaned on what I learned in sociology, and worked my way up in HR to the point where I started recruiting.

Your main recruiting focus at Hope Network is Direct Care staff. How did that come to be?

I used to be a Direct Care worker myself, actually! Long ago. I know what Direct Care professionals go through, so I offer a unique perspective when recruiting them.

What advice do you have for job seekers right now?

Don’t be discouraged if you’re not exactly where you thought you’d be at this point in your career. Be patient.

Who is your proudest hire?

I once hired a woman as an entry-level Rehabilitation Assistant, she eventually worked her way up to Shift Supervisor, and now she’s a Program Manager. She’s definitely come a long way. I knew she was going to go far.

What was your biggest mistake on the job and how did you learn from it?

Being too nice. I put myself in a position where I was everyone’s go-to person. I made myself so available to everyone that I became bombarded with work that wasn’t my own. I learned to make boundaries.

What’s the biggest misconception people have about recruiting?

Often times, new hires mistakenly think I’m their boss. I get why it happens – I’m their first contact at the company – but it’s still funny.

Why should job seekers consider working at Hope Network?

The career mapping opportunities. There’s a lot of places you can go here.

What’s something your closest coworkers don’t know about you?

I was kicked out of my first college. It’s a long story involving a professor and resident assistant. It worked in my favor, because I ended up getting a scholarship at the college I graduated from.