Alex Trevisan

4/13/15
CNS 220
Informational Interview #2
I conducted my second informational interview with Kendra Armstrong, who is
currently working in human resources with Bank of America. Kendra graduated from Wake
Forest with a degree in communications and Spanish, and we connected on LinkedIn via the
Wake Forest Career Connectors group. I was curious how Kendra ended up in human
resourcing without experience in the field during her undergraduate years. Out of college, she
worked as a financial analyst for a brief period of time, and then moved into internal
consulting for about three years. She knew she could make a fine living if she were to further
pursue a career in this industry, but she was not fulfilled by her work. Kendra had an interest
in human resources, which she took more seriously after deciding that consulting would not
be part of her future career path.
Kendra decided to go to grad school at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, where
she would specialize in business and HR management. After beginning grad school, Kendra
took on an internship within the field of human resources, specifically relating to the
leadership development sector. Here, Kendra worked with staff members at the top of the
totem pole, specifically concerning interview prototypes for promoted individuals as well as
benefit packages. Kendra also worked as a teaching assistant at the University of WisconsinMadison for the topic of management and human resourcing. Here she led discussions on
organizational behavior in the business sense, and facilitated students in analyzing and
applying such concepts within the realm of human resourcing.
Kendra now works in a generalist role for the human resourcing team at Bank of
America in Charlotte. Her duties range from staffing to compensation negotiations to
employee relations. She claims that she enjoys this position best, because of her interactions
with various client groups. When she was working with senior leaders with her leadership
development internship, she did not feel as rewarded as she does when helping clients with
their individual issues and assisting them in finding new opportunities. Kendra informed me
that there are many sectors within human resourcing aside from a leadership development or
generalist position. Human resourcing is also responsible for compensation design, reporting
annual proxy, front line revenue generation, risk management, facilities management, global
mobility, and labor relations. Because she is working in a financial firm (Bank or America)
not all of these responsibilities are required. I was particularly interested in the global
mobility sector, which entails assisting employees in international relocation, leading me to
inquire about travel opportunities in human resourcing. Kendra told me that learning and
recruiting teams require the most amount of travel within the field. Companies such as
General Mills or Johnson and Johnson offer opportunities for employees to move every six to
eight months.
Lastly, I asked about the skills necessary to work in human resourcing. Kendra told
me that necessary skills are dependent upon the sector you work in and the kind of company
you work for. For her, verbal communication skills are more important than written
communication skills. No matter what, you must have a good understanding of the group you
support (i.e. Bank of America or Johnson and Johnson), be able to converse on the issues
within your line of business, be able to be considered a trusted business partner as well exert
influence. Kendra assured me that it takes time to become trusted and be influential, but each
will come with patience and strong work ethic. It seems that human resourcing is an option in

the world of work where I could excel, but I am not sure it is the right fit for me. As Kendra
gave more details about her daily duties, the idea of working in an office ensuring fluid
relationships of other business partners appeared dull and monotonous. This interview was
beneficial in that it gave me a more realistic image of what human resourcing entails, which
enabled me to form an more informed opinion about this potential career path; I have
concluded that this is most likely not a realm of work I would like to pursue.