The Docs Team
The age old question: If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Let’s take that notion and apply it to PERM ads: If an ad runs in a newspaper and no one gets a tearsheet, did the ad really get published?
A lot goes into getting an ad to run in a newspaper. Research, outreach, proofreading, payment, follow up, follow up, follow up, follow up, and then document collection! At HQO Advertising, LLC, we have a dedicated documents team. They are experts at suppressing rage and turning on their Southern charm to cajole tearsheets from the most reticent of publications.
In our continuing series where you get to know us and we win you over with our wit and knowledge, we are speaking with Sunni Kelly and Danielle May; the duo who make up this important department.
Adriane: What is your role at HQO?
Sunni: I am the Documents Manager. I keep our spreadsheets up to date and act as liaison with the newspapers to get documents.
Danielle: I go behind Sunni and use the spreadsheets to set up reminders. I document tearsheets that we receive and package them out. My title is Documents Specialist.
Adriane: What do you like most about your position?
Sunni: I like that from doing it for so long, I know what I’m doing. Even though there are little surprises, I know what to expect. Also, being able to be a parent. If I was in any other job I would not be able to be there for them the way I have been. Usually, you have to choose. To be able to do both is a privilege.
Danielle: I’d say the same thing. It’s very flexible. Because my kids are older now, it’s easier for me to go into the office to work than to work from home because I get distracted there. My favorite thing is that the hours are flexible. You can be a mom and work. You just know what you have to do and get it done.
Adriane: How would you describe HQO?
Sunni: When other people ask me, “Where do you work?” and “What is that?” I tell them we are a very niche marketing company. “Well, our clients are all immigration attorneys and paralegals,” and I explain PERM. I always describe it as a smaller company, and our employees are all women and moms, and it makes our company stronger. There’s something about that that implies strength, and I like that.
Danielle: Because our boss is a mom, too, she understands if there are appointments or things that come up unexpectedly.
Sunni: These hardcopy documents, they may just look like papers, but somebody’s entire family may be waiting on this process to complete. The work we do is important to real people, maybe families like ours.
Adriane: What challenges you daily in your position?
Sunni: The changing environment as far as what is required for filing documentation. And media and how that is changing. The constant turnover of media groups, newspaper buyouts.
Danielle: It’s challenging when the papers say they send documentation, and it never comes.
Sunni: That’s because they are lying.
Danielle: I’m like, I document everything that comes in, and we have not received these tearsheets. And they’ll say, “Well, I’ll send another one,” and then it magically comes. Yesterday, we got [a large shipping envelope from a newspaper] and there was nothing in it. It wasn’t ripped open. It was sealed shut. But there was nothing in it?!?
Adriane: How do you feel HQO bridges the gap between employers and people seeking citizenship?
Sunni: Without the documentation that we provide, they wouldn’t be able to complete that process. It allows the lawyers and paralegals to be able to focus more on what they need to be able to for the individuals while we focus on the requirements from the DOL. We’re able to take that little bit off of the plate for the legal team.
Danielle: Yeah.
Adriane: How do you maintain a work/life balance with this position?
Sunni: Just like with everything. Sometimes it’s very work heavy and other times that it’s very family. It’s just dependent on what’s going on. Overall it’s a good balance.
Adriane: What previous experience has helped you to be more efficient in your current role?
Sunni: When [my youngest] was little I had a job where I had to be present from ten to six or whatever that shift was, and it made me resentful of where I was working because I was having to choose between my family and where I was working. So it was just a job. I think I give more of myself to this job because there’s more of a balance and I look up to Rebekah. I want to do a good job for her and the company. I believe in what we do and what our role is. That alone makes you want to do a good job. It’s not anything that I begrudge; if the time I have to do reminders is the middle of the night; you want to do your work.
Danielle: I stayed home with my kids until I started working for HQO. Taking care of four little ones. Multi-tasking!
Sunni: Danielle’s strength is in the details. So she goes and dots the I’s and crosses the T’s for me.
Danielle: Yes, we are a good team.
Sunni: We did a conference this year and a local conference in Atlanta. We got to see some of our clients. To be able to go and put a few faces with names was one of my favorite parts. Also, assembling the client gifts; that’s my wheelhouse and what I enjoy from my marketing and graphic design background.
Danielle: Yes, she’s so good at that, and I just want to get the stuff out!
Adriane: What’s your dream vacation?
Both: A sandy beach.
Sunni: Good sand. Not crappy sand. ;)
Thank you for joining us for our second segment of “Getting to Know HQO.” Let us know if there are more things you’d like to hear about in our upcoming discussions - we’d love to hear from you!
Written By: Adriane Lilly, Data Manager, at HQO Advertising, LLC