Meet Allyson Whitton, General Manager – Permanent Placement Division
Q: Can you tell us a bit about your life before LGC?
I grew up in a small town about an hour from Seattle. To this day, it only has one stop light! I had actually applied to a job posting for a barista and when I was invited to interview, I asked if there were any management roles available. I’d been a barista through college and was interested in taking on a leadership role. I was invited to the LGC office for an internal interview and was hired as a Staffing Manager for the Seattle office in 2017.
I loved the work I was doing with LGC, but my mom had worked in education my entire life so I left in 2018 to pursue my Master’s degree and become a special education teacher. That was incredibly rewarding, but I always wondered what would have happened if I had stayed with LGC. I adored my students, but the business of education was a bit too bureaucratic for me to continue being a part of.
My husband and I decided to move our family to Arizona, which prompted me to reconsider the direction I was taking my career. The thought in the back of my mind about what could have been if I had stayed at LGC was still present. I decided I would seek a new role in staffing and recruiting, and I reached out to my former boss at LGC to ask if I could use her as a reference. She said I absolutely could, but that if I ever wanted to come back and work for LGC again, she would love to have me.
While my experience was within the temporary staffing side of the business, she asked if I would be interested in joining our perm team, which focuses on the direct placement of management and executive level roles. It sounded like a fun challenge. I didn’t really know what I was getting myself into, but she assured me that I would be great at it. I joined the perm team in January of 2023.
Funnily enough, I was sure I would be let go during my first week. I trained in Seattle and on the morning of my third day, I began having really intense abdominal pain. It became unbearable, and I had to leave early. I ended up needing emergency surgery. I was unable to complete my training, but used every conversation I had with my team, our clients, and our candidates as a learning opportunity.
It’s so interesting thinking back to those first few training days. Our manager at the time would use terms and acronyms regarding the hospitality industry, and I felt like I would never catch on to all of these nuances. I quickly learned that immersing yourself in an industry day in and day out allows for a crash course in those nuances. I now consider myself a part of the hospitality industry, and it’s a huge part of my life.
Q: Can you walk us through the process of moving up to the role you’re in now?
I began producing results as a recruiter early on in my time here. I was told not to worry too much about bringing in new accounts, but I could quickly see that sales was a great way to learn more about the industry.
I began bringing in a lot of our new accounts on the perm team. Bringing in new accounts puts anyone in a position to lead, because you’re working with other recruiters to find the client the best candidate(s) for the role. I found that a lot of my time was being spent talking to the rest of the team about these positions and how to find the best candidates.
About six months into the role, the demand from the accounts generated started to grow rapidly, and we recognized the need to hire someone just to work on those positions. That is when we hired Ellen, and her and I became a great team. I was bringing in new clients and requisitions, and Ellen was recruiting and placing amazing candidates in those roles. At this point, I became involved in other areas within LGC as well. This was all creating opportunities for me to lead. I held a few other titles within the company, but my passion was for the perm team. Finally, I was promoted into the General Manager position.
Q: What are some of your favorite parts of what you do?
The best part of my job is the people I work with. My team is incredible. It sounds cliche when people talk about their work family, but these are the people who check on me when I’m sick, who celebrate with me in success and who lend a shoulder to lean on in difficult moments. I love my team.
Speaking of the technical aspects of the work I do; I have the most fun doing business development. I love to speak with clients and learn what makes their businesses ‘tick.’ It’s intriguing, and it maintains a variety in my day to day, because every business is different.
Q: What would you say are some of the more challenging aspects of your job?
In my opinion, the most challenging aspect of recruiting is telling a candidate who may have been very excited about a particular role that they are not being selected for it. We speak with so many amazing people every day, and I wish we had enough roles for every single one of them. My hope is that our candidates feel respected in knowing that we aren’t leaving them hanging, and that they remain encouraged in their search for their next adventure.
Q: Have there been people along the way who have been impactful in your journey?
Marci Coyne taught me so much about finding the most amazing candidates, and how to steward relationships with both candidates and clients in a way that makes everyone feel valued and considered.
Ellen Kanuch is the first person I hired since being back with LGC, and she’s been an amazing colleague, friend, and confidant. We make a great team. While she’s moving on to work in meeting planning and marketing, I’m so grateful for the time I had with her on my team!
George Lessmeister has seen my drive and vision for this program and provides me opportunities to grow into that vision. I continue to learn from him about how to lead my team and this program.
Q: Do you have any words of wisdom to share?
One of the biggest things I’ve learned is that when I hit a wall, I need to look for the window. Everything is figure-out-able. I can spend time making a million excuses about why something can’t be done, or I can begin to execute and find that way that it can be done.
Q: Lastly, what do you like to do outside of work?
My family is very involved in our local church, so a lot of my free time is spent doing Church activities. I have three beautiful kids, and a husband that I get to hang out with every day. Seeing the world is a priority for me, because I love to learn from different people groups.
This year, I’ve been privileged to visit Costa Rica and South Africa, and am heading to Slovakia next week. I love to play board games. In fact, in an interview I one time answered the question, “Tell me about yourself” by telling the interviewer that I enjoy playing board games while listening to medieval music. I think that left him amused and confused. I’m awkward and goofy, but I suppose that makes me relatable.
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About LGC
Since 2003 LGC has been building connections between businesses with staffing needs and job seekers looking for new opportunities. Our range of solutions includes temporary and permanent placements (and everything in between) for a variety of industries. With offices located nationwide, we can tap into a dynamic pool of talented professionals. We have a passion for creating partnerships that last and work hard every day to ensure both clients and candidates reach their employment goals.