Since joining the Acara team in early 2022, Recruitment Specialist Franchesca has assisted our aerospace, defense, and semiconductor clients in finding top talent. Destined for a career that allowed her to interact with people daily, Franchesca began working in the talent acquisition industry after graduating from college.

In the latest edition of our “All In at Acara” series, learn how Franchesca Martinez leverages her extroverted personality to connect candidates and clients, align their goals, and place job seekers in their ideal position to help businesses thrive and grow.

Southwest roots

While I currently reside in Scottsdale, Arizona, I grew up in Orange County, California—home of Disneyland Resort. As an extrovert, I wanted to pursue a career where I could interact with people daily. I attended the University of Arizona and received a bachelor’s in communication and a minor in business administration. Upon graduating in May of 2021, I worked in the talent acquisition industry and recruited healthcare, accounting, and finance candidates.

Journey to Acara

In early 2022, I discovered Acara on LinkedIn. While speaking with company representatives, I learned about the industries they recruit for and their management team’s level of engagement. I knew I eventually wanted to recruit for roles in the semiconductor space—one area where Acara excels—and was immediately sold on the position.

Role and responsibilities

As a Recruitment Specialist, my day-to-day responsibilities include talking to candidates for client positions in the semiconductor industry. I ensure that job seekers meet our client’s expectations, schedule interviews, and negotiate job offers—accomplishing this through our applicant tracking system (ATS). After extending a job offer to a candidate, I walk them through the entire onboarding process up until the first day at the job. Even after they are placed and working in their new position, I ensure candidates know I am always available to assist them and check in to see how they are settling into their roles.

What excites me most about my role is talking to candidates and helping them land their dream job. Being involved in a placement from start to finish is special because I act as their advocate. I enjoy answering the candidate’s questions and helping them in any way I can to get them started in a new position or career. Making connections with clients is also rewarding and essential to success as a recruiter.

The Acara experience

If I had to describe Acara in one word, it would be genuine. I truly look forward to going into the office to interact with my colleagues, and I believe it’s rare to have such collaborative relationships with the people you work with. Acara leadership gives their recruiters the tools and support they need to succeed, and my coworkers make my job more enjoyable as we learn and grow together as a team. Whenever a Vice President or Director comes into the Phoenix office from out of town, they make us feel valued and appreciated. For example, we recently went to Culinary Dropout and Top Golf to participate in fun team-building activities.

A changing industry

The talent acquisition industry is advancing day by day. Since starting with Acara, I have noticed an influx in the number of responses that I receive for job postings—100+ candidate applications for each position. I predict this response rate will continue or even increase as technology makes for a more positive candidate experience. In fact, ten years from now, I envision more technological advances within Acara’s own ATS systems, which will make our processes more streamlined. There will be even more flexibility in the workplace as remote and hybrid options continue to rise.

Life outside of work

I spend most of my mornings on the go. I usually try to get a Starbucks “pink drink” for the day before I head into the office. An ideal day off of work would include sleeping in, running errands, going out to dinner, and enjoying some form of martini. It’s always been a dream of mine to visit Japan. I am fascinated by how advanced their technology is, even down to how their snacks are made and sold!