Nicole Boucher
, AssociateWhy did you choose Booz Allen?
I came to Booz Allen as my second job out of college, and it was an opportunity for me to move into recruiting from fundraising. Booz Allen’s reputation impressed me, and I felt the firm would provide me with a variety of opportunities and a lot of career growth.
Why have you chosen to stay at Booz Allen?
I’ve chosen to stay here because of the people I work with, especially the people on my team. Everyone here is extremely intelligent. I’ve also stayed because the firm made it easy for me to do so. When my husband had to move to New York, Booz Allen gave me the opportunity to continue working for the company, and when we moved back to Virginia, it did the same. That flexibility around my personal life has allowed me to remain here and has given me opportunities to grow in new areas.
What type of work do you do at Booz Allen?
I’m a regional sourcing lead. I develop strategies and manage recruiters and sourcers for regional operations outside the Washington, DC, metro area. Currently I have 15 sourcers working for me, looking for candidates and providing background on their expertise.
What excites you about your work?
I’ve been with the firm for 10 years, and it excites me to see how much we’ve grown. I also like to bring people into the firm and get them excited about what a great company this is. On top of that, it’s great to work with client staff to understand the new contracts that are coming out. When they tell us about an upcoming proposal, our ability to help bring the right people on board makes a real impact on the firm and our clients.
Do you have a mentor at Booz Allen?
I find having a mentor is very valuable when I need to run things by someone. This was especially true when I was working offsite—I was able to go to someone who already had experience in certain situations, who could guide me about how to network and get things done quickly and easily. My mentor was my connection back to the main office and helped me understand even more about the company.
What differentiates Booz Allen from other companies that you could work for—what makes Booz Allen special?
I believe the people here make Booz Allen special—their intelligence, their drive. People here don’t just come in from eight to five and do their jobs; instead they ask what else they can do for the firm, what else they can do for clients, to provide new and different solutions.
How has Booz Allen helped you be ready for what’s next in your career?
Booz Allen has given me the opportunity to try different things, even to fail at different things, and then try again and succeed. The company has given me great resources, but hasn’t held my hand. I can go out and try things my own way, knowing I have back up and support the entire time.
How do you help Booz Allen be ready for what’s next? How do you help your clients be ready for what’s next? How has your and your team’s work made an impact for the firm?
My team helps the company be ready for what’s next by adopting new recruiting technologies, trying different methodologies, and identifying candidates with hard-to-find skill sets. We work with the diversity team, the critical sourcing team, and the research team to gather competitive intelligence, which we provide to client staff to illustrate what the active candidate market looks like in a particular region—how many potential candidates have the required skill sets and how many are looking for work. In some cases, our information can help shape a proposal or even determine whether the company bids on a proposal or not.
Can you talk about a time that you saw one or more of our Core Values displayed?
I see teamwork demonstrated all the time. For example, we often get a huge push in a certain area, and when that happens, everyone digs in and works hard and gets things done. People are quick to ask, how can I help, how can we work together to complete the work? Even the client staff gets involved. In addition to teamwork, the entrepreneurial spirit is really valued and nurtured here. If someone has a new good idea, the company lets them run with it and develop something that has not been done before.
