Human resources pro keeps focused through job search

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Updated: August 4, 2011 4:20PM

The economic downturn may have hit Judy Favia early, but she hasn’t lost her focus. In March 2008, she was laid off from a director of human resources position when her employer, a manufacturer for housing products, started struggling.

Since then, she’s been focused on finding a similar role in a full-time, in-house capacity. At first, the interviews came easily.

“I had a lot of interviewing activity in 2008, but in early 2009, when the economy really started taking a hit, things kind of fell,” said Favia, a longtime Naperville resident. “This year, I’ve been seeing a little more activity.”

While searching, Favia is working as a human resources consultant and always keeping eyes on her ultimate goal.

“I would like to be part of a team with a senior level reporting structure,” she said. “I am interested in a director or vice president level position in human resources.”

Favia brings a lot to the table. She graduated from St. Mary’s College with a degree in psychology and went on to get her graduate degree in organizational behavior from Benedictine University in Lisle. Her professional experience is vast, and she has held senior human resources roles in a variety of companies in the Chicagoland region.

“I am extremely competent in my area,” she says, adding that, in addition to her consulting work, she is a part-time human resources instructor at a local university. “I am very good at assessing human resources processes to see if they fit in with a business. I figure out how HR will add to the success of a company.”

Favia’s effectiveness as an employee is echoed in the words of Tom Roscrow.

“I worked with Judy for three years when we were doing an HR restructuring of our organization,” said Roscrow, a resident of Aurora, Colo. “She was an absolute pleasure to work with and did an incredible job sourcing candidates for new roles in our company.

“She not only found people with good skills, but people who fit well into our company culture. She has a sixth sense on how to hone in on a company culture, which really is a skill.”

Although she’s seen interviews pick up this year, Favia said she still battles with the issue of being overqualified.

“I see a lot of employers looking for people with no more than seven years of experience,” she said. “That is an issue for me because there are so many people out there competing for the same position.”

Why should companies look at her instead?

“Someone who has a wealth of experience can be effective immediately in an organization,” she said. “I don’t need a lot of handholding. I can go in an set up processes without someone showing me how it is done.”

Want to get in touch with Judy Favia? Call her at 630-309-0058 or e-mail her at judyfavia@voyager.net.

Are you a Naperville-based job seeker interested in being profiled in our “On the Hunt” column? Contact Katie Morell at katie.morell@gmail.com.