The HR chief of an $18 billion holding company with brands like Vimeo and Daily Beast started out as an executive assistant. Here are the 3 steps she took to get there.
- Laura Sapp took a proactive approach to career development.
- She went from executive assistant to HR chief at IAC by going out of her comfort zone.
- Specifically, Sapp asked for feedback on her strengths, met coworkers in other departments, and was candid with her boss about considering a new role.
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Laura Sapp started her career as an executive assistant to IAC's chairman and then-CEO, Barry Diller.
Two decades later, she still works at IAC - an $18 billion company whose brands include Match Group, Vimeo, and Daily Beast - except as the head of talent for all 8,000-plus employees. She's held a series of HR positions at IAC, including the senior director of human resources and recruitment at Match.
Business Insider asked Sapp exactly how she moved up in her career and, perhaps more importantly, how she figured out what type of role she really wanted.
"It wasn't just me waking up one day and realizing I wanted to do it," Sapp said. "It was a series of little steps."
Here are those steps:
1. She wasn't afraid to ask for feedback
Sapp started by asking herself about her skills and passions. Then she corroborated the results of that introspection by asking coworkers for their thoughts.
Specifically, she asked people: "Here's what I think I'm good at. What's your feedback?" Through those conversations, she gathered she was skilled at talking to people, then pinpointing their strengths and the best positions for them.
"The natural thing that kept coming up," Sapp said, "was, 'You should try recruiting. You should try HR.'"
2. She cultivated cross-organizational relationships
Once she'd gathered that feedback and started considering a move to HR, Sapp worked on building her credibility.
Over the next year or two, she forged relationships with coworkers throughout IAC, serving as her own "biggest advocate." Even simply taking people to coffee or stopping by their desk to chat was valuable, Sapp said.
When a position in HR finally opened up, she applied like any other candidate. But since she'd already fostered those connections, people took her seriously when she said, "I really want you to give me a shot, and I think I can handle this. I might not be your traditional candidate, but I really think I have the hustle and the heart to be able to make it happen."
3. She told her boss she was interested in a new role
Sapp didn't hide the fact that she was contemplating a move to HR, or that she was meeting coworkers to find out about other facets of the business. When she landed the first HR position - manager of recruitment and human resources at IAC - she said Diller was "super excited for me."
In her role today, Sapp said, employees often get in touch with her to say there's another job at IAC they're interested in, but they're not sure how to proceed.
Her advice is always the same. "You should tell your boss. You should say, 'Listen, there's an opportunity at this killer brand that I've had my eye on. ... I would love to step up and just learn more."
Sapp added, "Just because you're learning more doesn't necessarily mean that you're jumping ship. And frankly, to me it shows that you're curious and you're interested in your own career."