From Broad Curiosity to Clear Purpose: Grace Tissell’s Job Search Success Story

With broad interests and genuine curiosity across many areas, Grace Tissell found it challenging to narrow her career focus and confidently articulate a single career direction. But through self-reflection, strategic networking, and a strong support system, she found her fit in human resources, landing a role at Inatai Foundation that aligns with her professional goals and values. Here is her story. 

What do you do for a career? Who do you work for? 

I’m a human resources professional with experience across multiple HR functions, including talent management, benefits, organizational development, and now HR operations. 

I’ve intentionally sought roles that allow me to learn broadly and deeply, because I’m motivated by understanding how systems work and how they can work better for people. Exploring different facets of HR has strengthened my leadership and helped me show up more effectively in each role I hold.

I currently work at Inatai Foundation as the Human Resources Operations Manager. I found the role during a career transition through LinkedIn, and it immediately stood out as aligned with both my professional goals and my personal values. 

Beyond the scope of the work itself, I was drawn to Inatai’s clear and unapologetic commitment to advancing equity and racial justice across Washington State and beyond. As a Washingtonian, especially in the current political climate, I was encouraged by an organization that is explicit about what it stands for and willing to name that this work is inherently political.

What do you like best about your career? 

What I like best about my career is twofold: I love helping people be successful, and I love improving the overall work experience. People spend a significant portion of their lives at work, and I believe they deserve environments that are positive, healthy, and psychologically safe places where they can grow, develop skills, and build meaningful careers.

I’m also deeply interested in how organizations function as ecosystems. I enjoy understanding how different roles and functions affect one another, and how feedback and data can be used to improve systems, so they support people more equitably. This includes identifying structures or practices that may unintentionally create barriers to success, and working to improve or remove them.

Earlier in my career, while completing my Master’s degree in Organizational Development and Leadership from the University of Texas at Dallas, I had the opportunity to apply these interests more directly. 

In a previous role, I engaged in OD-related work such as using systems thinking, assessing organizational culture, and supporting research efforts through surveys and focus groups. These experiences strengthened my business acumen and have shaped how I approach HR today, bringing a thoughtful, data-informed, and people-centered lens to operational work.

What resources ​have helped you in your career and your job searches? Are there specific tools or tactics that have contributed to your success? 

Several resources and strategies have consistently supported me in my career and job searches, most notably relationship-building, thoughtful networking, and using tools like LinkedIn.

Networking has become especially important in today’s job market. With the high volume of postings on job boards, it’s common for candidates to receive automated responses, or no response at all. Building genuine connections has helped me move beyond that experience and learn more about roles and organizations in meaningful ways.

Some tactics that have been particularly helpful for me include:

• Informational interviews: I’ve found value in reaching out to people whose career paths I admire and asking to learn more about their journey, often over coffee or a short virtual conversation. These conversations provide insight, perspective, and often lead to advice or introductions to others doing similar work.
• Using LinkedIn strategically: LinkedIn has been an essential tool in my job searches. Keeping my profile up to date, tailoring it to the types of roles I’m looking for, and being intentional about keywords has helped recruiters find me when sourcing candidates.

Overall, approaching job searching as a relationship-building process, rather than a transactional one, has made a meaningful difference in my career.

Throughout your career, what obstacles have you encountered when doing a job search, and how did you overcome them? 

One of the biggest obstacles I’ve faced during job searches has been clarifying what I actually wanted to do. I’ve always had broad interests and genuine curiosity across many areas, which sometimes made it difficult to narrow my focus or confidently articulate a single career direction.

To work through that uncertainty, I leaned on a variety of career and personality assessments, including CliftonStrengths, MBTI, O*NET, Holland Codes, and the Truity Career Aptitude Test. While none of these offered a perfect or definitive answer, they helped me put language to my strengths, interests, and patterns. 

Having words for what energized me made it easier to explore potential paths and notice what resonated with me over time. Through that process, I eventually found that human resources was a strong fit for both my skills and my natural way of engaging with people and systems.

Another challenge I encountered was maintaining momentum during the emotional ups and downs of job searching. Rejection, especially repeated or unexplained rejection, can be discouraging and take a real toll on mental health. I learned that caring for my well-being wasn’t optional; it was essential.

During those periods, I leaned heavily on my support system—friends, mentors, and trusted “cheerleaders” who reminded me of my strengths when I couldn’t see them clearly myself. 

They encouraged me to keep going, offered perspective I didn’t have in the moment, and helped me stay connected to a sense of purpose rather than self-doubt. That combination of self-reflection and community support ultimately helped me move forward with resilience and clarity.

What piece of advice would you give to job seekers or professionals trying to advance in their careers? 

My biggest piece of advice is to get connected. Who you know, and who knows you, can become a gift not just to your own career, but to others as well. Networking can feel intimidating, especially if it’s framed as transactional or self-promotional. I’ve found it much more sustainable and meaningful to think of networking as relationship-building.

Approaching connections with curiosity and generosity, wanting to learn from others, understand their paths, and offer support where you can, often leads to relationships that are mutually beneficial over time. These relationships might open doors in the future, provide insight in the present, or allow you to give back when someone else is navigating a transition.

I’d also encourage professionals to stay open to learning and growth, even when it feels uncomfortable. Career advancement isn’t always linear, and clarity often comes through experience, reflection, and conversation rather than a perfectly defined plan. Investing in relationships, being open about what you’re exploring, and staying connected to your values can create opportunities you may not have anticipated! 

Everyone’s job search story is different, but each individual story can inspire and empower others who are on their own unique path. We love to hear how our readers have found rewarding careers in Portland, and we want to share these stories with you to inspire you in your job search and to help us all better understand the local job market.