‘Focus on the Skills You Have.’ How Highlighting Your Wins Can Elevate Your Career

As the Lead Recruiter at Jabil, Kirin Sanborn has spent the last 15+ years building a career in recruiting. For the past two and a half years, she has played a crucial role at Jabil, leading innovative recruiting strategies and overseeing talent acquisition. Her efforts have been instrumental in ensuring that the company attracts and hires the best candidates to support its growth, production goals, and values.

Jabil, a global manufacturing company, creates components for over 400 of the largest brands in a wide variety of markets, from healthcare to smartphones and household appliances. When speaking with potential candidates, Sanborn loves “highlighting our large footprint. Our company is often larger and more impactful on their everyday lives than they imagined.”

She also enjoys sharing the abundant growth opportunities accessible to all Jabil employees: “Jabil encourages growing from within through skill-learning programs, succession planning, cross-training, and stretch projects. We empower our employees to take ownership of their careers and express interest in opportunities within the company.”

To learn more about life at Jabil and her top advice for job seekers, we spoke to Sanborn about her role and tips for other women looking to elevate their careers, including go-to interview questions and guidance on navigating the application process.

What’s the most memorable piece of career advice you’ve received?  

Don’t fall down, fall up!  Don’t be afraid to make mistakes. Each failure is a learning opportunity that can lead to growth and improvement.

What advice do you have for women looking to elevate their careers in your industry or job type?

To start, raise your hand and speak up.  Also, take advantage of opportunities to get involved, find opportunities to collaborate with others, and share best practices. Lastly, seek out mentorship.

What tips do you have for women considering a career change and wanting to break into a new role or industry? How can they best make their application and skills stand out? 

Focus on the skills you do have and not what you don’t. Do some research on the industry you are seeking and pull out skills and experiences from your background that relate to it. Tailor your resume to the job you are applying to. Highlight skills that match the job description. Add a cover letter or introductory statement to your resume stating your intention to pivot your career.

Let’s talk about the interview. What are your go-to interview questions for all candidates?

1. What three things are you looking for in your next job opportunity?

2. What do you hope to achieve in this role in your first year?

What are the top three qualities you look for when interviewing a candidate for a role?

1. Technical proficiency

2. Problem-solving ability 

3. Passion for their field

What are your biggest tips for what NOT to do when applying or interviewing at Jabil?

Don’t apply with an outdated resume that contains inaccurate information or grammatical errors. 

Don’t give vague answers: Be specific and provide examples to support your claims, showing you have real experience and knowledge.  

Don’t be unprepared: Failing to research the company, its culture, and the role you’re applying for can make you seem uninterested or unqualified.

Don’t ignore body language: Poor eye contact, slouching, or fidgeting can convey nervousness or disinterest. Practice good posture and confident body language.

How do you suggest candidates prepare for an interview at Jabil? What information must they have when interviewing?

Research our company: Understand Jabil’s business model, our services, and our company culture. Knowing this will help you tailor your responses to show how you can contribute to our goals. 

Review the Job Description: Make sure you understand the specific requirements and responsibilities of the role you’re applying for. Highlight relevant skills and experiences in your resume, and be prepared to discuss them in detail during the interview.

Showcase Your Experience: Be ready to provide specific examples from your past work that demonstrate your qualifications. Structure your answers clearly and concisely using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).

Research your interviewer:  Look up the interviewer on LinkedIn.  It’s helpful to put a face to a name and understand their background before the interview.  Maybe you’ll find some commonalities that you can use as an icebreaker!

We hear from many women that getting past automated application systems is hard if they don’t have a personal connection at a company. How do you suggest women get through automated systems? 

The best way to get through the automated systems is to tailor your resume to the job you are applying for.  Your resume should highlight the same skills and keywords as those in the job description. 

Also, making connections through social media, networking organizations, events, or referrals doesn't hurt. However, I always recommend you submit a formal application for the job. This makes the process easier for the recruiter and eliminates delays should you be selected to proceed in the hiring process. Also, often, when you apply through a company’s applicant tracking system (ATS), your application is automatically added to a pool that other recruiters can access for other jobs you may not be aware of.  

Finally, what’s your top advice for acing an interview?  

Be Authentic:  Don’t just say what you think the interviewer wants to hear.  They want to know who you are.

Highlight your Accomplishments:  Speak to your accomplishments and the contributions you have made in your job history.  Be ready to dive deeper into the steps you took to achieve the results you are highlighting.

Ask Questions: Ask  1-2 good questions related to the job, company, or team.