Aug 2024 – Present · 1 yr 9 mos

• I am thrilled to share I am starting a new role as Director, Job Search Advisor with Open To Work.
• Helping Job Seekers is truly one of my passions. So when I was asked to join the Open To Work community I jumped at the chance.
• Open to Work is a world class job search community to give Job Seekers the best insights, mentorship and best in class resources to help you find your next job, fast.
• www.opentoworkcommunity.com

Jul 2024 – Present · 1 yr 10 mos

• After 20+ years leading Global Talent Acquisition for one of the world’s largest and most respected companies, I now consult with organizations to create recruitment strategies that drive sustainable growth. Acting as an extension of your team, I bring big-picture strategy with hands-on execution. You get a partner who understands how to scale, solve and actually deliver.
• My work spans multinational corporations and high-growth startups across a range of industries, giving me a deep understanding of diverse hiring challenges. I bring a strategic, hands-on approach that blends vision with execution, helping companies hire smarter, scale faster, and navigate growth and transformation with confidence.
• I help organizations:
• ✔️ Optimize recruitment processes
• ✔️ Improve the candidate experience
• ✔️ Oversee Employer Branding Initiatives
• ✔️ Create and elevate their hiring strategy
• ✔️ Create compelling & clear Job Descriptions
• ✔️ Standardize and Scale Interview Processes
• ✔️ Align talent strategy with broader business goals
• ✔️ Build sustainable, high-performing talent sourcing pipelines
• There’s nothing more rewarding than helping great companies find great people and taking Talent Acquisition to the next level.
• Let’s connect. I’d love to hear what you're working on and how I can help.

Apr 2024 – Present · 2 yrs 1 mo · Chicago, IL

• https://topmate.io/melissagrabiner
• Having interviewed thousands of candidates, reviewed and edited thousands of resumes and LinkedIn profiles and negotiated hundreds of job offers, I have the knowledge and expertise to guide you towards professional success.
• 🔸 Resume rewrites that showcase your true value
• 🔸 LinkedIn profile makeovers to attract recruiters
• 🔸 Interview coaching & salary negotiation tips
• 🔸 Personalized job search strategy & mentorship
• 🔸 Networking support to help you open real doors
• What sets me apart is more than two decades of experience leading Global Talent Acquisition for one of the world’s largest companies combined with a genuine ability to connect with people on both a professional and personal level.
• Having worked as both a hiring manager and recruiter, I bring a 360-degree perspective to the job search process. This hands-on experience gives me the insight and expertise to guide you strategically toward professional success.
• I’m passionate about helping others unlock opportunities and reach their full potential. I’ve seen firsthand how a compelling resume and optimized LinkedIn presence can open doors, shift careers, and elevate personal brands.
• My expertise lies in helping professionals clearly articulate their value by showcasing strengths, highlighting accomplishments, and positioning them as leaders in their field.
• Whether you need a standout resume, a stronger LinkedIn profile, or support in building your personal brand, I’m here to help. I’m also committed to mentoring others in any way I can.
• Read client testimonials! (perfect ratings from every client)
• https://topmate.io/dashboard/testimonials/all

Apr 2024 – Present · 2 yrs 1 mo

• Collaborate with Founder to ensure successful feature launches.
• Provide brand advice and recommendations for new features at Limelight.
• Support testing of new features and give recommendations on launch strategies.
• Provide advice on new features to be launched based on market trends to inform feature development decisions.

May 2021 – Present · 5 yrs · Greater Chicago Area

• Head of Talent Acquisition for start up and early stage Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Companies.
• Partner with executive leadership to architect and implement enterprise-wide talent acquisition strategies aligned with business objectives, growth goals, and workforce planning.
• Advise C-level stakeholders and HR teams on recruitment best practices, employer branding, DEI initiatives, and workforce scalability across global markets.
• Design and optimize end-to-end recruitment frameworks, enhancing efficiency, candidate quality, and time-to-fill through process improvements and data-driven decision-making.
• Lead strategic initiatives including succession planning, executive search, and high-volume hiring for critical functions across multiple industries.
• Build and mentor high-performing internal TA teams, providing tools, training, and leadership to elevate recruitment outcomes and internal capabilities.
• Conduct audits of existing talent processes and systems (ATS, CRM, assessments) and recommend modern, scalable solutions to support long-term hiring success.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to early-stage startups and Fortune 500 companies, aligning talent strategy with organizational transformation, M&A activity, and rapid growth phases.

May 2021 – Oct 2021 · 5 mos · Greater Chicago Area

May 2020 – Apr 2021 · 11 mos

• Promoted to this role after only seven months of joining the organization.
• Led the Global Talent Acquisition Strategy for four divisions to include critical segment talent pipeline development, executive search, strategic sourcing and division and enterprise recruiting initiatives in a fast-moving, highly dynamic global technology and software & solutions organization.
• Served as the Americas Lead for Diversity & Inclusion initiatives and programs.
• Developed the strategy to ensure hiring top talent is a systematic business process and supports the Employer Value Proposition internally and in the marketplace.
• Developed and executed annual strategic Talent Acquisition plans that establish annual, monthly and project-specific hiring needs as well as meaningful goals and objectives/performance scorecard.
• Established and nurtured effective working relationships with various VPs, HRBPs, and business leaders in order to create partnerships that yield results and establishes credibility for the function as a critical support of leadership.
• Implemented creative ideas for improving the Talent Acquisition process and outcomes focused on continuous improvement; identify key sourcing channels, develop creative sourcing strategies that ensure candidates are “best in class/best fit” for the organization.
• Worked with Senior Leadership to understand current and future workforce needs and develop ongoing improvements to processes including strategic sourcing and candidate pipeline and development.
• Created meaningful and actionable KPIs and metrics used to optimize processes, technology and resources.
• Managed, developed and motivated a team of recruiters across multiple locations.

Sep 2019 – May 2020 · 8 mos

• Performed full lifecycle recruiting to include sourcing, pipeline development, candidate presentation, interviewing, offer preparation, presentation and negotiation in a fast-paced environment.
• Strategically sourced candidates, across various levels and functions, utilizing innovative and advanced sourcing techniques, integrating elements of direct sourcing, social media, research, networking and relationship building.
• Served as a consultative and proactive business partner with hiring leaders resulting in ongoing internal client satisfaction.
• Developed talent acquisition strategies that resulted in effective ongoing talent pipelines aimed at filing roles quickly.
• Managed numerous global Talent Acquisition projects.

Aug 2018 – Aug 2019 · 1 yr · Bannockburn, IL

• Takeda is a Fortune 500 R&D Driven Global Pharmaceutical Company
• Provided strategic Talent Acquisition Leadership for BioLife Plasma Services, a division of Takeda. Responsible for designing, managing and executing the vision to develop and implement all recruitment activities, from sourcing to hiring top and diverse talent, for US operations covering over 5,500 employees in 130 ocations across thirty-five states, plus all Corporate positions and BioLife’s training facility.
• Functioned as an effective, key and trusted advisor and partner to Senior Leadership, over 500 Hiring Managers and HR Business Partners in a large, high volume, fast paced and matrixed environment by proactively aligning the talent acquisition solutions to achieve strategic and organization initiatives to support the evolving culture and business plans.
• Successfully recruited and hired for all BioLife and BioScience Corporate positions, across numerous functions and levels, to include Sales, Marketing, Human Resources, IT, Business Analysts, Procurement.

Jun 2016 – Jul 2018 · 2 yrs 1 mo · Bannockburn, IL

• Developed & implemented full-cycle Talent Acquisition processes while driving consistent optimization and pipeline progress to attract candidates across multiple locations and levels.
• Worked closely with numerous Hiring Managers and Business Partners to develop workforce plans resulting in deep bench strength for critical roles.
• Managed, lead and developed a team of seven employees and three contactors residing in multiple locations.
• Developed and executed numerous social recruiting strategies to create proactive and targeted searches to help generate more targeted candidate pools and increase the quality of employee referrals.
• Drove continuous improvement in the applicant/candidate experience, data and analytics, productivity and planning of hiring.

Jun 2009 – May 2016 · 6 yrs 11 mos

• Baxter is a Global Fortune 500 Healthcare Company
• Controlled recruiting costs & organizational disruption through implementation of internal pipelining programs.
• Managed an overall recruiting budget that consisted of core recruiting operational tools, negotiating with vendors and contract support; provided cost effective solutions to maximize reach to potential candidates.
• Created and provided Talent Acquisition based ongoing educational and recruitment marketing resources to the organization.
• Ensured the Talent Acquisition Team continuously supported business strategy, goals, shared values, culture and philosophy of both the team and organization.
• Led numerous Talent Acquisition activities through organization wide expansions, reorganizations & restructures.
• Served multiple times as a Project Manager, effectively managing change while delivering results and securing employee buy-in at all organizational levels.
• Led numerous process improvement activities to identify, assess and execute company-wide recruitment and pre-screening process improvements.
• Reported and presented sourcing metrics and results to summarize weekly activities and ROI of recruiting resources to Senior Leadership.

Nov 2001 – May 2009 · 7 yrs 6 mos

• Responsible for conducting, investigating and resolving numerous, confidential and complex Employee Relations issues; recommended course of action with effective resolutions, working with Senior Leadership and Legal.
• Traveled to over 35 locations throughout the country to facilitate and manage facility closings.
• Directed, implemented and oversaw numerous HR processes during two acquisitions and divestitures.
• Created talent management plans, organizational inventory and talent planning and review initiatives including assessment, development and succession planning to identify talent gaps and develop strategies to build organization capabilities to meet current and future business needs.
• Educated over 300 hiring managers to ensure compliance with all corporate policies and government regulations including but not limited to: Affirmative Action, EEOC, ADA, FMLA and FSLA. Co-designed and facilitated leadership training to minimize legal risk to the organization.
• Served as a Strategic Business Partner and Change Agent aligning the HR Function with organizational and business needs to drive initiatives which supported employee value and morale.