All About Onboarding: How I Hire at Education Outside

Today I had the pleasure of speaking with Laura Espino, People & Operations Manager at Education Outside, an organization that sparks children’s interest in science and connects them to the natural world through hands-on learning in school gardens. Prior to scheduling our chat, Laura had been working for the organization for two and half months as an AmeriCorps Compliance Manager, and in that short period of time, she transitioned to her new role. Wow! How’s that for moving at lightning-speed?!

All About Onboarding: How Laura Espino Hires at Education Outside

Laura, tell me a little bit about your role and recent transition at Education Outside.

I had been recruited by Education Outside because of my experience with the Americorps program, where I managed a much larger organization. I led every part of their onboarding program—recruiting, hiring, training, case management, etc.

I found the listing for Education Outside on Idealist! I came to the organization two weeks before our Americorps program started for the year and was able to hit the ground running. I’m also enjoying that now I can focus on specific aspects of the Americorps program and working with the staff.

So you found your job on Idealist! We love to hear stories like this. How did you hear about us?

I have been using Idealist for ten years. I first heard about it in college and found all of my volunteer positions there; I also regularly check Idealist Career Advice for all of my job searching resources! It's funny, now that I'm the person doing the hiring and onboarding at my organization, I'm using Idealist to post Education Outside's job openings—it's a full circle moment!

How did you get into HR and onboarding work?

My career started in the classroom and got more involved with enrichment programs around literacy, adult education, and service learning. Then, I transitioned into managing programs and various teams. The deeper I got into providing quality programing, the more I wanted to learn. I’ve have been doing volunteer work since high school and did two AmeriCorps terms while in college, so I know how effective service learning is. Today, I get to work with a great team of people, supporting the amazing work of our emerging garden educators.

How much hiring do you do at your organization?

I came in right before the program started, so much of the recruitment was already done, but I was able to onboard 30 new members. I came at the height of that wave and now am definitely in the heart of the whole hiring process.

What is the best way for a candidate to demonstrate that they believe in the mission of your organization during an interview?

Candidates should be able to demonstrate their interest in our work via their college or work experiences—no matter how small or short. For us at Education Outside, they should highlight that they have an interest in education, the environment, or working with kids using their resume or cover letter. During the interview, they should be able to easily articulate why they want to work with us and that they’re enthusiastic about the work.

What things should candidates know about your organization and its mission when applying for a job?

They should know that we are a science/environmentally-focused organization with an emphasis on elementary students, and that we are a service organization, partnered with AmeriCorps.

I think that there are programs similar to ours that are food-oriented but we are way beyond that. Our curriculum is aligned with the standards of the students’ science classes. It’s a rigorous science curriculum that they go through. It’s more than a school garden- they are learning really hard science throughout the year getting to spend time outside in nature.

What do you wish interviewees asked you?

Whenever I hired for Americorps members, I always liked when candidates would ask, “what would you hope that an Americorps member would bring into the organization?” It shows they already are thinking ahead and wondering what they can bring to the position and the organization.  (P.S. For more ideas on what to ask during a job interview, check out our ever-expanding list of ideas!)

Please share a story of a time a candidate stood out to you. What did they do to set themselves apart?

I remember a few years ago a candidate who came in to interview and was really honest about his lack of experience, but he was so excited and eager to have an opportunity to do good work and help others, and he was really committed to learning. He clearly had potential. Even though his learning curve was really high, he ended up having a great year.

That’s something special about the Americorps program—it hires members, not staff or employees. We hire to serve the organization’s needs but also develop the Corps members. it’s a benefit for both.

What’s a common mistake you see among job seekers?

I’ve found that for many people, the idea of ‘professionalism’ is very strict and dry. Coming into an interview trying to seem ‘professional’ comes off as forced and keeps me from seeing the candidate for who they are. Act appropriately, absolutely. But, find the balance between your idea of your professional self and your true self.

When we go over the Life After AmeriCorps series of workshops, I work with our members and coach them in soft skills like etiquette- how to look professional but also be relaxed and able to show your true self. Have a balance between your professional self and “true self”. If they are too nervous, I don’t get to know them. I’d rather have them make a silly, minor mistake than not be able to gauge their personality whatsoever.

What do you expect to see from a new hire 30 days after employment? 3 months? 1 year?

In 30 days, I expect to see that they still have the enthusiasm they showed in their interview, that they genuinely wanted the position and now they are psyched. At three months: that they are handling their work well and know when and how to ask for help if they are struggling or aren’t understanding something. By one year, they should feel and show a sense of ownership over the work and the mission.

What’s one trait that all candidates need if they want to work in this cause area, regardless of role?

Resourcefulness. I chatted about this with my colleague and for environmental issues and education in public urban schools, you’ll never have everything you need to do the best job you can. You won’t have enough notebooks, and budget, time and access are issues. We try to make sure they (Corps members) have what they need to do good work, but they need to get creative with what they have around them.

What are three things every AmeriCorps applicant should do and why?

I think it really helps when I see in the application a background in gardening but also that they have other experiences too (perhaps languages). Candidates should be thinking of themselves as a whole, not just the skills that we are asking for. They should be thinking in terms of what else they can contribute to the organization with their skills, even if it is not something that we are asking for. We value and look for the rich diversity in our applicant pool. We look for skill and passion, but also for a person’s valuable life experiences and background.

I want them to portray in their applications that they are a whole person. It helps us see how someone is going to fit with the rest of the group. Every time I look at a candidate’s application I consider the program they are specifically applying to, but I want to know what they want to do after. Are they interested in discovering who they want to be in the future, not just what they want to do next year? I want to see what they are planning for themselves, how they see themselves growing.