Five Questions with Jane Ashen Turkewitz
As a successful entrepreneur, Turkewitz pivoted from marketing to her own executive recruiting business, leveraging her strengths and creating her dream career.
What did you want to be when you were 12 years old?
I believe I wanted to be a professional singer. I was a dreamer vs. a practical child.
Did that dream come true or did you pursue a different career path? If anyone has actually heard me sing, they would
know that my dream did not come true. When graduating, I pursued a career in marketing in the media industry and that’s where I cut my teeth in business.
At what point in your professional life did you know it was time to make a change? After 10 years in marketing, working for companies like the New York Times and Disney, I grew restless and knew I needed to pivot into a career that had me utilizing my people skills as well as my marketing and sales capabilities. That’s when I transitioned into recruiting. It was—and continues to be—such a culmination of all my skills and all that I can contribute to the workforce in a meaningful way.
What is one of the most memorable moments of your career? As a recruiter and, dare I say, “Influencer” in the career space, whenever I get a private note from a candidate who is struggling in terms of getting a job, and that person shares with me that s/he takes comfort from the encouragement I provide with my daily blog posts, I know what I’m doing is important. It is incredibly rewarding. That said, three distinct moments stand out for me. One, when I successfully placed a gentleman who had been consulting for years and couldn’t get any recruiters to pay attention to him. Two, when I successfully placed a marketing director who had taken five years off to be a mom and also couldn’t get anyone to talk to her. And three, with an advertising professional in Puerto Rico who had reached out to me with a plea for help in getting an agency job in New York after Hurricane Maria devastated the island. Recruiters were ignoring her. I posted something on my LinkedIn page asking my network if they could help this woman who had an amazing agency background. The number of people in my network who came forward to
help her brought me to tears. She ended up getting a
phenomenal job in New York. I did not get paid but it, hands down, was one of the best things I’ve done in my career. There’s nothing like helping people.
What piece of professional or personal advice would you give to your younger self? It’s fairly simple. If you do not ask, you can’t expect to receive.
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Jane Ashen Turkewitz is the Founder and Chief Talent Officer of Hi-Touch Executive Search, a recruiting firm that specializes in placing VP through C-level candidates in digital media, emerging technology, and cannabis companies (emerging markets).