Interview with Kim Burk

1. Tell me how you first got interested in working in HR.
   • Growing up my parents were highly involved with our local soccer organization and swim team. When they weren’t coaching or organizing, they were recruiting and deploying a great overall experience for me and all my friends. After spending my childhood watching my parents volunteer their time to create a positive experience I thought to myself “how can I do this for a living?” The summer after my freshman year, I interned on a US military base in Japan with Camp Adventure Youth Services. I taught military children and their families how to swim. That internship solidified my interest in training and development of adults.
2. What has surprised you most about working with Cleveland businesses?
   • Their genuine interest in developing a great employee experience. The entrepreneurs I’ve worked with really want to know how to keep their employees engaged and growing.
3. What do you find most challenging about the HR field?
   • HR is a balancing act. The biggest challenge we come up against is balancing the need to find the right talent with coaching leaders to engage their team.
4. What’s the best thing to happen since you started working with CHR?

• It’s a million little things…announcing a promotion, co-creating a recruitment strategy, developing a leadership training that helped an emerging leader grow professionally. To me, the greatest satisfaction is having an impact on the success of businesses across Northeast Ohio and on the lives of the people in it.

1. What do you wish other people knew about their HR department?
   • The HR department is more than just benefits and compliance administration. We provide valuable resources that support the goals and mission of the organization.
2. Tell me about what influenced your decision to work in HR.
   • The moment I broke my ankle playing soccer at the age of 11, I knew right then my dreams of becoming a professional soccer player were dashed. Not because I broke my ankle but because I was enamored with the behind the scenes work that made everything come together so brilliantly. At that moment I began my journey reading articles on developing sports (soccer to swimming to baseball) organizations. At that time I knew I wanted to be a part of that.
3. What might someone be surprised to know about you?
   • My first flight was a solo trip to Germany at age 16.
   • My goal is to make the perfect apple strudel.
   • My favorite dessert is ube ice cream.
   • I met my husband playing soccer and once a year we travel to England to catch a match. #COYB
4. What would you tell someone who is thinking about hiring CHR?
   • Trust the process. There is a method to our approach that will yield the short/long term results you are desiring.
5. As a consultant, what sorts of HR trends do you see?
   • In recent years I have seen a major shift into:
     • Investing in mental health (EAP programs)
     • Creating overall employee experience. Organizations are starting to invest into their Employer Brand and taking a real ownership on social media by displaying what its really like to work there.
     • Investing in training, developing stretch assignments, and finding new ways for peer interaction.
6. What do you do when you aren’t working?
   • Cheer on my favorite teams: Everton Football Club, Cleveland Indians, and Cleveland Browns
   • I enjoy baking, swimming and running with my dog Peanut.
   • Traveling with my husband Brian and son Luke.

11. What prompted you to want to work at ConnectedHR 2 years ago?
    • I knew I wanted to work in a position that would push me beyond my limits. CHR gives me the opportunity to make an impact on various organizations across NE Ohio and have the balance I desire with my family.