Meet Erica Bodden of 8th Wave in Beverly Hills

Today we’d like to introduce you to Erica Bodden.

So, before we jump into specific questions about the business, why don’t you give us some details about you and your story.
I was in a very different space 3.5 years ago. In 2015, I felt like I had lost everything. My grandparents passed, my family relocated to Arizona, I went through a terrible break-up, and basically became a lone wolf. Although I was born and raised in LA, I felt lost coming back after graduating college. I wasn’t sure about who I was or what I wanted out of life. I was coasting by, taking temp jobs, and kind of just hoping for a change rather than creating one.

I landed a gig in recruiting for the construction industry in 2014 and I was miserable. I was cold calling hundreds of workers a day only to see if they were available for projects that needed someone there that night. There was no real relationship building involved in these calls. I was trying my best to engage with the workers so I wasn’t as miserable, but the way my time, strict metrics, and call script was set up, there was no way to really connect. I eventually felt like a robot going over a boring script every day and knew this was NOT for me.

I have always been intrigued by tech and it was booming in LA. Startups were popping up left and right and I wanted in on it. I couldn’t code to save my life, but I did know how to listen and was eager to utilize this skill to start a career in tech recruiting. I wanted to help grow these tech teams and build long-term relationships with some of the best engineers in the game. When I started my search, I was contacted by Jonathan Rios, who was the Head of Operations at the time at Calvin Group (now Marius Group). He set me up to meet with the CEO Matt Alling.

Meeting Matt has been life-changing. He taught me the importance of setting goals, being consistent, positive thinking, and coached me in recruiting. These skills allowed me to crush it at Calvin Group. After 2 years of working alongside Matt, he convinced me to take the entrepreneurial leap. I had always dreamed of being my own boss, but of course, I was nervous about leaving something stable to start a company of my own.

The first year on my own was a STRUGGLE to adjust to. There were times I doubted myself and wanted to give up, but thankfully I had my team and family always supporting me during trying times. There is still tons I’m learning in the middle of my second year of business, but my confidence and organization has come a long way. Owning a business and pairing talented individuals with innovative tech companies has been extremely fulfilling, and there is no turning back for me at this point.

Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
Not at all haha, I struggled with managing my time, budgeting money, remaining confident in my business decisions. There is honestly a new struggle every day I feel like I’m overcoming running my own business, which makes it that much more rewarding.

Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about 8th Wave – what should we know?
I own 8th Wave, a boutique recruiting agency. We specialize in recruiting across a variety of roles ranging from Software Development, Product/Project Management, Social Media, and Digital Production. We are known to connect and build real relationships with our candidates and clients. We listen to their needs and help candidates ride that wave of change in their professional career.

I’m most proud of the genuine approach 8th Wave takes in recruiting vs. other agencies.

We set out to understand the needs of our candidates before anything else, and that sets us apart from other agencies. We are dedicated to helping candidates identify that next step in their career. We are partnered and powered with Marius Group, so if I am not directly working with a company that fits your needs, someone in our network will be.

For my clients, I am a sharpshooting recruiter. I focus on quality over quantity and only introduce candidates who are ideal for the role. The goal is to facilitate the hiring process as much as possible. 8th Wave exists to understand what clients are building, thoroughly screen candidates, and ultimately be that source of knowledge for both clients and candidates.

Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
Jonathan Meadows and Ashani DeSilva have also been some of my biggest supporters.

Meadows was the Head of Operations at Marius Group while I was starting my company. He was always there to make sure my head was in the right place before I’d start my mornings. He helped me discover my “why”, which fuels me every day to give my all and keep this business going.

I looked up to Ashani when we worked together at Calvin Group; she was a beast at recruiting. I saw her take the leap and start her own company, and it definitely influenced my decision to do so as well. It’s great having someone I can call at any moment for advice or vent. We share similar experiences in our professional and private lives, and we just click. It’s refreshing having her on my team.

Contact Info:

• Website: http://8thwaves.com/
• Email: [email protected]
• Other: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericafbodden/

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