A Day In The Life Of A PXT Recruiting Leader

Terri Abbe is a Sr. Manager of Recruiting for the People eXperience and Technology team and part of the G&A Recruiting Organization at Amazon. Terri recently celebrated her 8 year anniversary with the company, where she has made countless contributions while building her career. Her team of Recruiting Managers, Client Lead Recruiters, Sourcing Recruiters and Program Managers is growing and looking for talent acquisition professionals to join her team.

What is your favorite Amazon memory? Customer obsession is real here! My first job with the company in 2013 was leading the Corporate Customer Service Recruiting Team., made up of some wicked smart tech and non-tech recruiters. I learned quickly what it means to have the empty chair in every meeting on behalf of your customer. I shadowed associates on live customer calls and saw the exceptional care taken with every call. Most importantly the family of recruiters I was surrounded by amplified my love for the work. To this day, the #csrecruiting team stays in touch and celebrates each other’s career success!

What accomplishment at Amazon are you most proud of? Becoming a Bar Raiser. Developing myself on such a deep level as an assessor of talent, and learning about so many different job families has enriched my Amazon experience. It is an honor to support and facilitate hiring decisions that bring great talent to Amazon.

What brings you passion/excitement to your role and team? My team! I love to watch them learn, grow, and be there for them if they stumble. I love brainstorming with them and creating plans together. Helping to accelerate the careers of others is energizing.

How do you foster diversity and inclusion on your team? Listening, seeking out the experiences and perspectives of others. I am human, and when I make a mistake, I own it. I keep an open-door policy and I amplify the voices of those that don’t feel heard. I am proud to have built diverse representation in all the teams I have managed… it’s the right thing to do and it fosters better decision making.

What do you do for fun/ work-life balance? To me, balance is when two parts are equal, and at any moment one part may fall out of balance. That philosophy doesn’t work for me. I strive for work-life harmony. For me, harmony is achieved when a pleasing combination of multiple inputs are all working well together and I am fulfilled at home, at work, and at play. To achieve harmony, I follow my heart, keep my family first and the rest tends to fall in line.

What is your favorite leadership principle and why? Ownership – I’m an entrepreneur at heart and like to lead my recruiting team as if it were my own business while maintaining high standards of service. Thinking like an owner means taking risks and trying new things to support customers.  

Best place you have ever traveled? I absolutely loved Italy! The positive spirit of everyone I met, the rich history and culture allowed me to enjoy myself and continuously learn along the way. Not to mention it might be the best espresso I’ve ever had!

Best work from home tip? Make and keep appointments with yourself. Use your calendar to manage self-care moments, whether it is getting up to stretch, take a walk outside, for reflection, or to accomplish a household task. These little moments in time help cut through the noise of a busy day.

PXT Recruitment Opportunities