Our Lead(H)er series features impressive women leaders in the tech industry. In this Q&A, we are featuring Olivia Salas, Sr. Director, Global Ops & SI Partnerships at Bullhorn.
Where did you grow up and how would you describe your childhood?
I grew up in Dallas, Texas in a family of 6. We were lucky to be surrounded by lots of family, most notably my grandmother. She was the center of our world; most of my childhood was spent at her house learning everything about our family, history and culture. Our family gatherings were epic - we could easily fill a restaurant with 40+ of us!
What did you study in college and what was your first job out of school?
Going to college (Texas A&M University) was one of my proudest moments - I was the first in my entire family to attend college and leave home (moving 3 hours away was a big deal in our family!). That being said, I was like a lot of first generation students - didn’t really know what I wanted to do or even where to start. I was lucky to have stumbled across a Latino student organization that had an amazing sponsor who quickly became a mentor for me. She taught me how to navigate being away from home and finding my place in a school of over 50,000 students. Through her guidance and that of other mentors along the way, I decided to pursue a degree in Psychology and earned a Bachelor of Science degree. My first job out of college was working in an Admissions Office for a University in Houston, where I was responsible for recruiting and supporting other first generation students. My passion for wanting to help others led me to pursue a Masters in Clinical/Counseling Psychology a year later.
Can you share the details on your career path and what were the critical moments that got you to where you are today?
My career path has been anything but linear. After completing my Masters degree, I thought I wanted to be in a clinical setting and work with families. Instead, I took a much different path; I found myself back in a recruiting position, this time, at a corporate office for a large retailer (RadioShack). The early years of my career were spent learning how to navigate a large organization, how to take risks and how to take on any and all new projects. A critical moment in my early career involved me taking part in a large company layoff where I was responsible for decisions that would impact the lives of others. Two important lessons that I learned and still carry with me today are: (1) always take the time to recognize and acknowledge the contributions of others and (2) make sure your skills are transferable. It’s important to be able to relate back to the broader business.
From this experience, I decided that I wanted to be part of the solution of helping others find their right fit for their careers and support their professional development. I was blessed to have the opportunity to be part of a small consulting organization; over the course of 15 years and 8 mergers and acquisitions, we became a leading global SaaS organization implementing talent software solutions. With each M&A activity, we essentially became a new startup and with that new challenges and opportunities to try new roles/ responsibilities. My time at Outmatch (now Harver), allowed me to grow not only as a professional, but ultimately a leader - in my last role I was responsible for all Client Operations which included leading our Strategic Consultants, Implementations Specialist, Project Managers and Global Support Teams. Like many of us, coming out of the pandemic I chose to take a different path with my career and branch out from my comfort zone - after 15 years at Outmatch it was time for a change. I took some much needed time for myself and decided to do some consulting work and then took on a role leading a Customer Experience team for a Human Performance organization. However, life has a funny way of opening up opportunities when you least expect it. At the beginning of 2022, one of my previous mentors reached out to me about a great opportunity at Bullhorn - again helping to build an operation and processes to support the business and customer experience, two things that I love to do. So here I am…10 months later and loving it.
What is your current role and responsibilities?
Today I am the Senior Director, Global Ops and SI Partnerships at Bullhorn. Bullhorn is the global leader in software for the staffing industry. More than 10,000 companies rely on Bullhorn’s cloud-based platform to power their staffing processes from start to finish. My responsibilities include overseeing our Professional Service Global Operations and leading our SI Partner ecosystem. I lead five teams including, Global Service Operations, SI Partnerships, Global Documentation, Product Consulting and Hypercare. While each of these teams have their own individual goals and responsibilities, we are ultimately responsible for ensuring our internal teams and SI Partners are enabled and ready to provide our customers with a great implementation experience.
Looking back, is this where you thought you’d be professionally? Was it always your goal to be in this position?
No way! The 20 year old me thought she would be a licensed psychologist, but in a funny way I am still leveraging my love for human behavior and continuing to apply it to a corporate setting. Having a background in Psychology absolutely helps in relationship and team building.
For people who are looking to be in a similar position, what advice would you give to others in terms of helping them achieve their career goals?
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Take risks and don’t be afraid to try something new.
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Build your network across the business, don’t just stay in your bubble.
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If you get the chance, try working at a startup or small business - while it can definitely be challenging, it will teach you how to be flexible and scrappy.
What are the most important skills that you need to do your job well?
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Relationship Building/ Networking: This is by far one of the most important skill sets needed for any role. Much of our success relies upon our ability to support one another and work cross functionally.
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Ownership/Accountability: Each day presents a new set of “challenges” and you have to be willing to roll up your sleeves and come to the table with solutions, even when they may not be the most favorable.
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Be Humble: Don’t take yourself too seriously. Remember there will always be people smarter than you - take this as your opportunity to learn from them and grow.
What do you find most interesting/rewarding about your work? What’s the most challenging?
Being able to lead and support my teams is really the most rewarding thing for me. I love to see people take on new challenges and see the wins - being part of that journey is really exciting.
There are new challenges everyday, but honestly it's what keeps things interesting. Just a new puzzle to solve!
What is your proudest professional accomplishment?
Supporting up and coming female leaders is a passion of mine and I was very fortunate to have had the opportunity to start a Rising Leader program at my previous organization. Creating a program and safe space where we could share and learn from each other was really amazing.
Q&A
What do you enjoy doing in your free time?
These days I don’t have much free time - I am a club volleyball and softball mom that spends most of my time shuttling my daughter between practices and weekend tournaments. However, when we can get away my husband and I love hitting up wine country!
How do you manage stress?
Spending time with my family and friends - helps keep things into perspective.
How many cups of coffee do you have in a day?
No coffee for me…but bring on the iced tea!
What advice do you have for recent college graduates?
Never underestimate the importance of having a mentor(s) in your life. There will be many times in your career where you will need someone on your side to confide in, provide guidance, and challenge your thinking. Make sure that you are actively looking for and nurturing these relationships. I cannot tell you how much I have learned from the mentors in my life and how each of them have helped shape who I am today.
