Employee Spotlight: Mona Smolenak, the extroverted Jersey girl

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For the past 20 years, Mona has been working in the staffing/recruiting field. “I started out recruiting for scientists in the pharmaceutical/chemical industries and I eventually discovered there was a broader market and need for engineering/information technology staffing.”

Mona, her older sister, and younger brother were raised 12 miles outside of NYC in New Jersey. Graduating from Rutgers University with a major in Environmental Science, this “middle child” went on to work at CDI for 15 years in various offices across New Jersey, Philadelphia, and eventually, Irvine, California. “11 years of that were in recruiting, and 4 years were as a National Accounts Manager.”

Now a member of the Crescent family, she works as a direct hire recruiter with a focus on Sr. Management/leadership positions in the IT/Engineering Sector.

“Mona just won Recruiter of the Month for May 2016,” says COO, Bob Steuernagel, “and I expect she’ll win many more in her career here. I’m really glad that she joined Crescent and I know that she will continue to raise the performance bar for all of us!”

“One of my first experiences at Crescent was meeting the Irvine team during the interview process,” recalls Mona. “There was synergy and an immediate comfort level. I left the meeting with a very good vibe.” Her vibes proved to be on point when exactly one year later she can still say, “We laugh in the office all day long, which makes our work very enjoyable. I am learning new recruiting techniques every day…it’s a very collaborative team which is highly motivating for me.”

“I am an extrovert so I love meeting new people and finding out what makes them tick,” Mona says. “I am very approachable and open, and my sense of humor is goofy – I can’t take myself too seriously.”

While we all adore having her here in the office, there is someone who adores her even more, her husband Josh. “I am married to an incredible, warm, super-intelligent, and sophisticated man. I love spending time with family and friends, listening to live music, being outdoors, reading fiction and non-fiction, and traveling.”