Karin was born and raised in New York. She graduated from New York University with a B.A. in French Literature and the following honors: magna cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, and Pi Delta Phi. She told this reporter that she became interested in French literature because she “loved hearing, speaking, reading and writing the language.” She is also fascinated by French history and culture and Karin's top memory from college was reading Marcel Proust in French.
When Karin isn't working, she enjoys ballet, theatre, films, cooking, gardening and traveling. She revealed she is a “major foodie” who loves “to cook and eat food of all sorts including everything from artisanal cuisine to Tapas, Vietnamese and Thai.” The candid recruiter acknowledged she hasn't yet found food she doesn't like. Some of her favorite restaurants include North Fork Table & Inn, Mercat, 26 Seats, Indochine and Osteria Morini. Karin has traveled to Spain, France, Italy, Ireland, Argentina, the Galapagos Islands, Mexico and Chile. She hopes to visit Lhasa, Tibet, St. Petersburg, Russia and Marrakech, Morocco in the future.
The proud New Yorker roots for the Knicks and the USA Davis Cup Tennis Team. Karin is also an avid reader. She recently re-read Emma, the classic novel written by the English author Jane Austen and she is currently reading The Brothers Karamazov, the final novel written by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky.
Karin's Successful Career Path and Tips for Legal Recruiters
Karin was asked what it takes to become a successful legal recruiter. She stated, “Being a good legal recruiter requires creativity, empathy, hard work, perseverance, optimism, a highly developed intuition, discretion, and respect for others. I have always been and continue to be the friend in whom others confide and whose advice they seek. I believe that this quality has served me well professionally as I easily put myself in another's shoes. That ability combined with my emotional intelligence plays a key role in all of my relationships, both personal and professional.”
The legal recruiter continued to say, “I am an extremely hard-worker and never give up, whether I am conducting a challenging search or mastering a new skill. For example, I started playing tennis when I was in my early 30s and through hard work, determination, and a belief that I could become proficient I became a very solid intermediate level tennis player (notwithstanding the fact that I had never been adept at ball sports). I bring this same tenacity to my work as I believe that where there is a will there is a way!”
What motivates Karin to work as a recruiter? This extremely focused individual said her primary motivation is to add value to the lives and careers of her clients and candidates. The legal recruiter explained, “I derive tremendous satisfaction from knowing that I am helping a firm grow a practice area or that I am assisting a candidate at a professional crossroad, whether that means figuring out the candidate's long-term plan or helping him or her make an immediate transition.” Karin emphasized that the most important thing in her life is the quality of her relationships. “I love knowing that I have helped someone make an important, life-changing decision in his or her life.”
Karin discussed how she became involved in the legal recruiting industry. The businesswoman explained, “I became a legal recruiter by a lucky accident of fate. I had recently graduated from college and was planning to work for a year or two before doing a graduate degree in comparative literature. I was introduced to one of the few individuals doing legal search in New York at that time and I learned the basics of legal recruiting by observing and listening to her.”
She noted that during this time, there were probably only twelve or so legal recruiting firms in the city, and most of them were not particularly qualitative; many of them never met their clients nor their candidates. Many of the legal recruiting firms, at that time, just sent out resumes with no thought to finding a good fit. Karin pointed out that many of these firms did not take a personal approach and stressed that her company makes great matches, not just placements.
The businesswoman talked about what she is known for professionally. She said, “As a professional, I believe I am known for being extremely knowledgeable, experienced, honest, discerning and discreet.” Karin thinks that clients and candidates find her to be an excellent listener whom they trust and who helps them achieve their goals. The recruiter added, “I relate to what's going on for them.”
Karin also talked about her strengths and weaknesses as a recruiter. She declared, “As a recruiter, I consider my strengths to be knowledge, experience, perseverance, optimism, discretion, and good judgment. My weakness is that I can be honest to a fault, however, I also regard this weakness as a strength.”
Does Karin have a mentor? Also, is she currently acting as a mentor? The recruiter shared, “My mentor was my older sister who was an extremely wise, insightful, practical and caring person. My sister had a knack for always helping me figure out the best solution, regardless of the complexity of the problem. I have mentored many of our recruiters over the years and they continue to seek out my judgment and advice when faced with challenging situations. I am also extremely close to my nephew and I know that he considers me to be one of his primary mentors.”
Karin is also influenced by the Dalai Lama. She stated, “The Dalai Lama inspires me. Although he had to flee his homeland at an early age and although he continues to live in exile, it is clear that His Holiness creates joy within and without. He also has the most infectious laugh!”
The recruiter had the opportunity to meet the Dalai Lama at a luncheon in New York. She recalled that there must have been two hundred people at the luncheon. Karin said, “The Dalai Lama's generosity and spirit are tremendous and uplifting. He helps an enormous amount of people and has no agenda.”
Considering her many years of experience in the legal recruiting industry, many readers may want to know where Karin sees the legal field in the next five years. She said, “I forecast continued movement of partners, an ever-expanding global presence for U.S. law firms and in-house legal departments, and a continued expansion of financial and non-financial companies' legal, compliance and regulatory functions.”
What does Karin look for to find the right fit? What makes a great candidate? The successful recruiter shared, “When looking for the right fit, I focus on finding candidates with credentials, skills, and career goals which are relevant for that particular search. I also look for qualities in the candidate which lead me to believe that he or she would fit in well with the culture of that particular organization.” She went on to say “what constitutes a great candidate varies from search to search and from client to client.” Karin elaborated by saying that what is good for one candidate may not be good for another. The businesswoman explained that you might call twenty people, but only one individual will be the right person for that position for a variety of reasons.
The legal recruiter reflected on how she got through her toughest obstacle and how she processes fear. Karin said, “I have been faced with many obstacles in my life. My sister passed away in 1999; this was an incredibly difficult time in my life as she had always been my best friend and mentor. I got through this difficult period with the love and support of family and friends and a commitment to honoring my sister and her values every moment of every day.”
As for fear, Karin illustrated, “When processing fear, I always imagine the worst-case scenario and what I would do if it occurred. Coming up with a plan for ‘what if' is my method for coping with fear. I find that focusing on the solution makes a problem far less anxiety-provoking.”
Has Karin learned something of value from her mistakes? The legal recruiter answered, “I always learn something of value from mistakes!” She acknowledged she is a bit of a perfectionist and is self-critical. Karin highlighted, “Life is a learning experience. When you stop learning, you are done. There is always something to learn since the world is constantly changing.”
So where does the businesswoman derive her confidence? Karin replied, “I was brought up by parents who worked hard and believed in always doing the right thing. My parents instilled in me that same work ethic and commitment to integrity so I grew up believing, and still do, that if I'm going to do something, I'm going to do it well.”
Volunteer Activities, Non-Profit Organizations and Membership with Associations
The businesswoman supports a number of not-for-profit organizations, including: UNICEF, The Doe Fund, the New York Humane Society, the ASPCA, ARF and the World Wildlife Fund, amongst others. At one point, Karin participated in a program called Everybody Wins, in which she worked with a disadvantaged elementary school child in order to improve the student's reading skills. The recruiter said, “It's important to give back to the community in any way you can.”
In addition, Karin is a former chair of Soho Repertory Theatre and former co-chair of New York International Ballet Competition. She also mentioned that Greene-Levin-Snyder Legal Search Group has, over the years, successfully completed searches for several not-for-profit entities.
Greene-Levin-Snyder Legal Search Group currently has memberships with the following professional associations: NALSC (National Association of Legal Search Consultants) and WEBENC (Women's Business Enterprise National Council).
Number One Priority, Favorite Quote, and Future Goals
Karin's number one priority outside of work is the quality of her relationships with family and friends. She added, “My ongoing and ever growing closeness with family is, in my opinion, my greatest accomplishment.”
The recruiter's favorite quote is by David Henry Thoreau: “Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined.” She is inspired by this quote as it's a reminder that if there is something you want to do, you should pursue it. Karin stated, “Why wouldn't you do it? Run for your dream. Go with confidence and believe.”
When asked about her future goals, Karin answered, “I would hope to continue adding value to the lives and careers of my candidates and clients, as well as to my partners, the entire GLS team, my friends and last, but far from least, my family.”
