California State Automobile Association Partners with Upwardly Global

Paola's history

Born and raised in Colombia, Paola Mendoza graduated from business school in Spain, then moved to San Francisco in June 2001. She turned to her school's alumni network to help her start her career, but wasn't making the connections she needed.

In August 2002, Paola met with Jane Leu, Upwardly Global's Founder. For the first time, according to Paola, she believed she could restart her career here in the U.S.

She says, "I learned to interview the 'American way,' which was extremely helpful when the right opportunities came along."

CSAA joins the Upwardly Global Team

Earlier in 2002, Upwardly Global met with diversity and staffing teams from the California State Automobile Association (CSAA). The group eagerly agreed to consider Upwardly Global's candidates, and two of their HR employees, Derrick Carr and Michael Greenhouse, joined Upwardly Global's Workplace Diversity Advisory Council.

Paola meets CSAA

Paola attended an event sponsored by CSAA and was impressed by their commitment to diversity and to services addressing the cultural differences of the Bay Area population. When Upwardly Global's Lisa Lepson told her about an open position in CSAA's Membership Services department, Paola jumped at the chance to apply.

She got an interview and made it to the final round. Although her meetings went well, CSAA chose to hire another candidate, a former CSAA employee. But Lisa Misasi Chang, a CSAA Senior Employment Specialist, was impressed with Paola's skills and held onto her résumé and credentials.

When a similar position opened up in March 2003, Misasi recalls, "I immediately thought of Paola because she had done a great job keeping in touch with me. She had even been checking our Web site, and contacted me right away after seeing the position. She interviewed with us again and we happily extended her an offer."

On a good path

Paola says, "Thanks to Upwardly Global's connection with CSAA, my résumé got seen by the right people. I've been here almost four months now and things have been going really well."

Paola's supervisor, Connie Yee, agrees. She says, "Paola is a joy and an asset to CSAA and my team. Her background and experience from Barcelona, Spain and Santafe de Bogota, Colombia has brought new and enriching techniques to our competitive intelligence research and analysis area. Derrick Carr, CSAA's Manager of Staffing and Retention, adds, "The excellent customer service and prescreening by the Upwardly Global staff was extremely helpful in bringing Paola Mendoza to CSAA."

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