Rachael Del Pino ’09MSM Shares Journey to Becoming Top Tech Recruiter

When Rachael Del Pino ’09MSM, a recruiter for Microsoft, was an undergraduate student at San Diego State University, she began doing data processing for the recruiting department at Gateway, Inc., a computer company founded in 1985.

At the time, Del Pino thought her job would be temporary, and was just something to help pay her bills through college. But then, an opportunity opened on the team to assist with interview coordination of the candidates for the then-booming company.

In 2007, Gateway was acquired by Acer Inc. for $710 million.

“I realized I enjoyed being the first impression of the company that the candidates got to see, and I liked being able to help navigate their trajectory,” Del Pino recalls.

After she left Gateway, she took a job at NCR Teradata, a software company.  She began moving up the corporate ladder, and by the time she received her bachelor’s degree, was promoted to junior recruiter. She moved on from NCR to a University Recruiting role for a mortgage bank, handling recruitment of early in career professionals in the southeast United States.

After gaining more experience in the role, she relocated to the Orlando area and launched herself into a recruiting role at Lockheed Martin, where she was recognized for her expertise and excellence in helping the defense contractor find the best employees.

She took advantage of the company’s tuition reimbursement program by enrolling in the executive development program at UCF’s College of Business. Del Pino was part of the first cohort to go through the Professional Master of Science in Management, Human Resources Track.

“I knew I always wanted to get my master’s degree,” Del Pino says. “I think someone told me once that education is something that no one can ever take away from you, and that just stuck with me.”

Rachael Del Pino

Del Pino was attracted to the new program because it provides an alternative to the MBA degree for students who desire specialized study in management and human resources, and its 20-month program dovetailed nicely with her own schedule.

The program was offered in downtown Orlando, and Del Pino would walk from her condo to class two nights a week.

“It provided a great work-life balance,” Del Pino says, “And I knew its curriculum would give me an advantage and allow me to move into roles that had more of a leadership focus.” 

By this time in her career, Del Pino says the practice of human resources had evolved considerably.

“When I first became involved in human resources, my co-workers and I worked in pods in a giant open warehouse,” Del Pino recalls. “Our desks were backed up against each other, with no privacy and no way to discuss confidential information. It was a different time.” 

In her current role with Microsoft, as well as in her previous roles with Lockheed Martin and Raytheon, Del Pino is one of the first people that potential new employees meet. The situation can be fraught, especially if the individual has never utilized a recruiter.

Del Pino recalled one individual who had just been discharged from the military.

“When someone is transitioning from the military into public life,” Del Pino says, “There can be differences from a military CV that may not translate into a commercial resume. I often have to read between the lines and ask deeper questions about the work they were doing in the military, and how it would mesh with the skills the employer needed.”

As a recruiter, Del Pino’s knowledge about a company – including its current industry trends – is part of her homework whenever she interviews a recruit, but it’s a practice that any job seeker should take advantage of.

“It’s always a good idea to make sure a company is a right fit for you and to make sure that it matches and aligns with your goals and ethical convictions,” she says.

Before Del Pino meets with a recruit, she has already met with the hiring manager and discussed their needs and expectations for the role. She also wants to know what it is about the role that would energize a potential candidate.

“I want the candidate to be excited,” Del Pino says. “I love telling them about any cutting-edge technology that they’re going to be working on, or if there is an interesting mission they’re going to help support, or even how important this position is for the culture of the company.”

The topic of salary is also, of course, a part of the conversation. In her current role with Microsoft, the Washington-based company is required to disclose salary ranges for all its positions. The other states are California, Colorado, Connecticut, Maryland, Nevada, New York, and Rhode Island.

Del Pino knows some individuals might be reluctant to discuss salary needs; she generally includes that subject early in the interview process for the sake of transparency.

“It’s just better to have this conversation sooner rather than later so everyone is aligned,” Del Pino says. “I recently spoke to a candidate, and even though we couldn’t agree on a salary this time, I will likely reach out to them for another role that we have coming up.”

When Del Pino participated in National Networking Knight, she provided some of the insights she’s gleaned from her two decades of recruiting.

National Networking Knight brings together members of our nearly 400,000-strong alumni worldwide to share experiences and to connect with both young and seasoned alumni in diverse industries, bolstering the strength of our Knights network.

“I just love that UCF offers the opportunity to meet with the hiring managers from different companies,” Del Pino says. “I was happy to be included in the one-on-one time with area coaches and recruiters.”

There was a variety of alumni who had questions about their resumes, Del Pino says, but the common thread with everyone was that they wanted to just talk about options they might have if they decided to search for other employment opportunities.

“I stay pretty busy with my duties at Microsoft,” Del Pino says, “But I still do some resume writing and coaching on the side. I have a real heart to help people who need authentic resources and prefer not just using an AI generator.”

For her role at Microsoft, Del Pino says she prepared in the same manner as she recommends her clients.

“I saw the position posted on LinkedIn, and I applied,” Del Pino recalls. “I did have a couple contacts in the organization and that probably helped me. Still, they definitely have a robust interview process, and I had to make it through that, just like anyone else.”

Del Pino says she has been able to achieve successive advanced roles in her career because of her UCF training.

“I made some great contacts in my cohort,” Del Pino says. “We have all leveraged each other in different stages of our career. Because we’re all in the same industry, sometimes it’s good to touch base with each other just for a quick opinion on various topics.” 

Del Pino says she is happy to try to demystify the world of recruiting and/or searching for a job.

“In any company I’ve worked for, the process is very similar,” Del Pino say. “There is something about a candidate’s resume that stands out – it looks like they have a quality or skill that looks to be a good fit for the position.”

And then, during her conversation with the recruit, Del Pino is listening for them to be able to successfully articulate how those skills could make them the best fit for the role, based on the job description. It also doesn’t hurt if the recruit has reached out to Del Pino on LinkedIn. The latter shows Del Pino they are interested in the position – and they are eager to share why they would be a good match.

 “Employers have the ability right now to be very picky about the candidates they’re selecting,” Del Pino says. “And even though we have a lot of applicants right now, I never mind if someone pings me and asks if there have been any updates on their application.”

Del Pino says that a recruit’s conscientiousness is super important, because it shows that they are aware of other people and the world around them. She also appreciates “responsiveness” as a valued quality in a recruit.

“At some point or another,” Del Pino says, “Everyone is going to be looking for a job. In general, there are going to be ups and downs in everyone’s career. One time, it took me nine months to find a job.”

Del Pino says she had interviewed multiple times for a much-wanted position and didn’t get it. Having been through that experience as a candidate has made her more mindful of the experience that her candidates undergo everyday.

“UCF has a lot of master’s level programs designed for individuals who are interested in human resources,” Del Pino says. “This HR management program was perfect because it had a great blend of my top two interests, and what I felt would propel me to the next level of leadership.  And I feel the program has made all the difference in my career trajectory in the past fifteen years.”