“nVent is on an extremely exciting growth journey! I see this as a great opportunity for someone early in their career to make their mark and bring bold ideas.”
If you’re a recent or soon-to-be college graduate pondering your career path in human resources (HR), Makenzie’s story at nVent might just inspire you. Upon completion of her degree, she found the perfect platform to explore her passion for HR through nVent’s three-year, rotational leadership development program (LDP).
“I chose nVent because they offered a great rotational program in HR,” Makenzie shares. “I saw this as an opportunity to be exposed to a number of different areas and understand where my passion lies.”
nVent didn’t disappoint. For her final LDP rotation, Makenzie was afforded the chance to work at one of our manufacturing facilities in Solon, Ohio for our Electrical & Fastening Solutions business segment. This helped her acquire new skills and a better understanding of how our products were created.
During her second rotation Makenzie was given a great opportunity. She was asked to help develop the people analytics (PA) department at a time when it was barely a year old. “I got the unique opportunity to learn and understand our most manual data processes,” she explains. “With a better understanding, I then helped to transform and automate those processes.” Why did this matter? Because data is critical for storytelling and significant for making crucial business decisions. It also helped us become more efficient as an organization.
Makenzie is now an HR Business Partner (HRBP) at our headquarters in St. Louis Park, Minnesota where she supports all Enterprise functions. She is also the beneficiary of the groundwork she established earlier in her career with data automation. “It has been a fun opportunity to help with the creation of some of our core PA processes, and now be the end-user as an HRBP,” says Makenzie.
At nVent, Makenzie found a culture centered on Respect and Teamwork – one of nVent’s core values. The company fosters a supportive environment where everyone is ready to lend a hand. “I very rarely ever hear someone say, ‘that is not my job.’ More often, it’s ‘how can I help?’ I think this says a lot about our people,” Makenzie states.
Even with nVent’s rapid growth, we still feel personal to many of our teammates, which Makenzie sees as an advantage. “While we are continuing to grow, we are in a unique position of also having a small company feel,” she observes. “I see this as a great opportunity for someone early in their career to make their mark and bring bold ideas.”
Makenzie’s career journey at nVent has taught her the importance of building a strong cross-functional network and remaining curious. She encourages others to seek diverse perspectives and embrace knowledge from functions outside their own.
Her final piece of advice is to take on challenges head-on, even if they seem daunting. “Raise your hand for the uncomfortable opportunities,” she advises. “Challenging yourself to step outside your comfort zone will pay dividends.” She puts this into practice and boldly lives by a motto given by her boss: “just do it, scared”. It hasn’t failed her yet.
Learn how you can bring bold ideas, be authentic and build the future of a more sustainable and electrified world: nVent.com/careers.