WELCOME TO FEMME REVAMP
This blog was created based on my fascination with the word “femme” and what it represents. Through a quick Google search, you’ll inevitably see lexicons, like “femme fatale” and “butch/femme”, with social controversy and sexist connotation.
The origin of the word “femme” simply means “women” in French.
As a minority who works in talent acquisition, diversity, equality & inclusion aren’t just a box to check off, but something that's embedded in my daily life. I’m humbled by the people I’ve gotten to know in the past 15 years. Those who stand behind women of all races, creeds, ages, and sexual orientation.
By no means am I qualified to speak about the topics being covered in this blog, but that’s why I'm happy to recruit trusted voices to share their experience. Femme Revamp is a place for me to pay homage to some of these incredible humans.
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Femme:
Oxford Dictionary
Informal noun for “a woman.”
Wikipedia
“Femme is a lesbian identity that was created in the working class lesbian bar culture of the 1950s.”
Merriam-Webster
“A lesbian who is notably or stereotypically feminine in appearance and manner.”
Urban Dictionary
“An overtly feminine dressing/acting lesbian, as opposed to a butch woman, sometimes used to describe a gay man.”
Femme Fatale
“An attractive and seductive woman, especially one who will ultimately bring disaster to a man who becomes involved with her.”
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Meet Angela Tai
As a Taiwanese who migrated to North Carolina at the age of 11, Angela dreamt of moving to the Big Apple. She accomplished that goal when she convinced her parents to pay for her hefty tuition at SVA. With that, she was in college at 17 and unprepared as ever. In the last 2 decades, Angela adopted 3 different names, from Liang-Chi Tai to Liang-Chi Tai-Wimmer, and now Angela Wimmer through marriage (though she goes by Angela Tai professionally). The final configuration of her name came in the midst of her applying for her U.S. citizenship in 2016, during the same month Trump was elected President. In fear of Trump’s draconian immigration stance and uncertainty around his policy towards Taiwan, Angela made the executive decision of Americanizing her identity, (just in case) it might help her chances of securing the blue passport she and her family worked so hard to obtain. She is still a proud Taiwanese who has consumed her fair share of stinky tofu and bubble tea.
In 2016, Angela founded AD Talent, a boutique executive search firm catering to tech-enabled businesses like Samsung, HUGE, Daily Harvest and Verizon. The company consists of 7 competent recruiters who she refers to collectively as “her” team. In reality, she’s merely the one who opened the door and tried to stay out of the way as they unleashed their talent. Needless to say, she feels lucky to have the coworkers she has.
As a recruiter who lived through the 2008 recession, she had numerous heart-felt conversations with people looking for employment. Angela was privileged enough to utilize her recruiting powers for good and helped some of her candidates find work. The most meaningful placements included parents that were willing to do whatever it took to help their families survive the “wave”.
She currently lives in the West Village, NY with her husband and their 7 thriving plants, including a prized orchid (yes, they have favorites). In her spare time, she volunteers for City Critters and Habitat for Humanity Africa.
Values.
Everything we do is based on three simple pillars: trust, transparency, and accountability. From our interaction with clients and candidates to our internal team culture, we live by these values.
On average, we spend 1/3rd of our lives at work. We embrace the busy times and downtimes equally. We motivate and nurture each other so that we grow as a team. We celebrate individual success and happiness. We see mistakes as opportunities to fine-tune our craft. Finally, we try to have fun and make the best of the time together here at AD Talent.
Culture.
In our quest to create a more just workplace that embraces talent across all genders, races, family situations, creeds and sexual orientations, we encourage a personalized work style that focuses on individual productivity versus the “appearance of work.” As a company, we utilize technology and various workshare platforms to hold ourselves accountable to our business objectives even when we’re not onsite sitting in an office. Instead of using inflated buzzwords that are masculine and exclusive, we craft real job descriptions that are meant to attract and include diverse talent. We replace work-hard-play-hard with a work-smart approach. Unlimited PTO has a definition, and not just another way for the company to bet on its employees passing up on taking their well-deserved time off. We hire talent not based on what they've accomplished in their previous positions but how their strengths, contributions, and merit integrate with the team. We are transparent with compensation discussions.
More importantly, we don’t use "culture fit” as an excuse to reject people.