From Heidelberg to HR apex: Alum, HYPE keynote finds foundation for success

HR exec Gabriella Parente is well-positioned to give advice to students about landing that first – and right – job. As a 2002 Heidelberg grad, she has been right where they find themselves today.

On Wednesday, Gabriella returned to her alma mater as the HYPE Career Ready® keynote speaker. As the founder and CEO of HR Power Partners, coaching top leaders at companies like Google, Capital One and LinkedIn, her training and coaching programs have reached more than 1 million people worldwide. She brought her unique understanding of what drives successful companies to campus. Hint: It’s their people.

“Just like you, I knew I wanted to follow my heart and dreams, but I didn’t want anyone to tell me what to do,” Gabriella said.

Reflecting on the strong career preparation and personal growth she experienced at Heidelberg, she told the students, “I know you know exactly what you need to know.”

As a senior at Heidelberg, Gabriella knew she wanted to move somewhere warm, so she spent the year researching companies and networking for her dream job in Florida. With a firm goal in mind, she customized her job search.

This strategy – research and persistence – worked for her, as she landed her first HR position quickly. But that’s not always the outcome.

“Too many of us, we settle into jobs or majors, really because we just don’t know what we want. But it is perfectly OK to want something and really go after it. In fact, it’s healthy,” she said.

After two weeks on the job, the company’s HR manager left, and Gabriella found herself, at age 24, handling the entire HR function for the company’s 400-person manufacturing team. That came with plenty of challenges, but also opportunities.

“For the first time in the modern workforce, being younger is actually a benefit. “You know AI and social media like no one else,” she told the students, noting that they should use those skills to their advantage, especially when networking for jobs.

While her first job was difficult, she stuck it out. That was the basis for advice to students entering the workforce: No matter how difficult their first job is, stay at least one year. If they don’t, promotions and new jobs will be hard to come by.

“I wanted to quit that job every single day,” she recalled, “but the things you don’t like in life are honestly the best things because you learn so much.”

She shared a quote by Nelson Mandela that has guided her through her work life: “I never lose. I either win or I learn.”

Finding her “IN” people

To this day, Gabriella is grateful for her Heidelberg experience because “it really did prepare me with the skills I needed to succeed.”

She found a lifelong mentor in political science professor Dr. John Bing, now retired, who sat in the front row for Gabriella’s HYPE keynote. “He pushed me, put me on the spot and challenged me, but I learned so much,” she said.

From giving campus tours, she learned selling skills. From serving on a search committee at the recommendation of another ‘Berg mentor, Dr. Marc O’Reilly, she learned interviewing skills. “I got comfortable trying new things and now, I get to use all of those skills all over the world,” she said.

“You just don’t get a Dr. Bing or a Dr. O’Reilly at an Ohio State.”

She encouraged ‘Berg students to find their “IN” person – a faculty or staff mentor who can help you reach your goals, even when you feel stuck.

“When that happens, know that you’re not alone. Use the people here at Heidelberg to guide you and help you create that lightbulb moment. …”

“My 20 years in HR have reaffirmed my belief that you do already have what it takes inside of you. You know what to do. So now, go do it.”