Reflecting on 2022, Walt Graham sums it up in one word — weird. “It’s been a weird year,” says the President of The Lee Group, a trend setter in the…
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Anita Bloxom impacts lives.
She’s not a first responder. Nor does she work in health care or academics. She is a matchmaker of sorts, though not the kind that specializes in Match.com.
Bloxom is Branch Manager for The Lee Group’s Newport News office. Officially, she aligns clerical and industrial candidates with employers to create the optimum fit for both.
In lay terms, that means listening to an employer’s hiring needs to gain a full understanding of the exact candidate who can fill that void.
On the other end, she doesn’t just ask a candidate a series of cursory questions. She takes a deep dive into what type of job best suits their interests from a holistic perspective.
Then she creates a match that meets the criteria for both.
“I really enjoy changing people’s lives by finding them jobs and helping them build careers,” Bloxom said. “One of my favorite things about my job is celebrating the success stories of clients.”
One memory, in particular, stands out.
In preparation for a face-to-face interview, a candidate consulted Bloxom for advice on outfits, sending pictures of potential interview apparel. After back-and-forth text conversation, the candidate shared a selfie of her in the outfit she selected.
She was hired on the spot!
“I’ve been in contact with the client and they’re really enjoying having her in the job and she really likes the job,” Bloxom says. “That was a great satisfactory moment for me. It goes right along with The Lee Group purpose.”
Essentially that’s to align talent and grow businesses, which in turn changes lives for the better.
Bloxom started at The Lee Group in something of an unorthodox way. Browsing postings on The Lee Group website during her own job search, she spotted its in-house position for Branch Manager. She read the testimonials about the company and read the bios of the current staff members. She thought she’d be a perfect fit given her years of experience in human resources for Target, but wasn’t sure whether to mention that while talking initially with Lee Group Vice President of Operations Sarah Fulton.
She didn’t have to. Fulton brought it up.
“It all worked out perfectly,” Bloxom said. “I’m actually working with some of the industrial folks I used to have a lot of contact with when I worked at Target.”
Now Bloxom feels at home as part of The Lee Group team, and she’s eager to give other professionals that same opportunity.
Another bonus for her: At Target, the Hampton resident endured a commute every day that involved a bridge-tunnel. She’s thrilled to work on the Peninsula, adding, “It worked out perfectly.”
