Walker Advertising was founded with a mission: to help people in underserved communities get legal access. And since the company’s founding in 1984, they’ve done just that, becoming the #1 trusted legal brand in the Latino community and connecting millions of consumers to experienced attorneys.
With such success in the Spanish-speaking market, Walker is ready to take their mission a step further, venturing into English-speaking sectors and rapidly growing their team in order to do so. The fully remote company is rated most highly for Management Opportunities, Flexible Work Hours, and Equal Opportunities for Women and Men—but it’s their VP of Media, who’s part of this major hiring push, who can speak to what day to day at the company is like. Meet Nicole Cordero, and hear first-hand why you should apply to Walker’s open positions.
Read more: He Leads: Ben Henderson Is CEO of Walker Advertising
Nicole Cordero
Vice President of Media at Walker Advertising
Her top three must-haves at work:
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Women in Leadership
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Management Opportunities
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Support for Diversity
You’re in charge of media at Walker Advertising. Talk a little bit about your career leading up to this role. What got you here?
Relationships, relationships, relationships! So many things to share and not enough space to share them. Early in my career, I focused on building meaningful relationships with the people I worked with, the partners I interacted with, the clients that I served, and the bosses or mentors that I had. I focused on building a strong reputation in my industry, by taking pride in my work, and trying to excel and be the best that I could be. My background is in advertising and marketing, primarily in the direct response and performance marketing fields.
When opportunities would come up, often I had someone from my past or in my network connect with me to chat about them. In addition to networking and building relationships, platforms like LinkedIn and online communities have been great places to get connected with recruiters and hiring executives—that is how I ended up learning about the opportunity at Walker Advertising. Lastly, hustle and take chances! I try not to be afraid of taking risks and be open and nimble to change.
How would you describe your leadership style? For instance, what are your priorities as you juggle business and people management?
I like to promote a communicative, open, collaborative, and flexible environment for me and my team. I like to lead by example, the expectations that I have for others are the same expectations that I have for myself. I like to help people sharpen and develop new skills so that they can continue to grow in their careers, get promoted in the organization, or just get really good at what they are passionate about. I encourage and welcome collaboration, brainstorming, and feedback.
I think both business and people management are equally important, and one can’t be achieved without the other. If people are happy, have the tools and resources that they need, and feel passionate and a part of the work that they do, it is much easier to accomplish the business objectives. I make time for everyone on my team individually at least once on a weekly basis. I like to plan team outings, events, or activities to connect us more and learn from each other. I also encourage people to truly take time off, practice self-care, and make time for the things that bring them joy.
You’re hiring a lot of new positions right now, just as Walker is moving into the English-speaking market. What’s your vision for the department moving forward?
Our company and my media department are growing fast! In the past, our organization mostly focused on traditional marketing primarily in California. Now, we have grown to a nationwide organization, and we have expanded across other areas of marketing like digital marketing and new media like streaming. The vision that I have for the media team is simple: to become a best-in-class media group that drives successful outcomes for the business through advertising and media innovation, while building a community of professionals who can excel and enjoy their work every day.
Founded by a woman of color, mission-driven Walker Advertising helps people get legal access when they need it most. Their top metrics, all of which have perfect 5.0 ratings, are Management Opportunities, Flexible Work Hours, and Equal Opportunities for Women and Men, the company offers wellness perks such as morning meditations, emotional support services, and discounts on meal plans and travel. Click to explore their company page and browse their latest remote roles!
Work-life balance and mental health are increasingly important to women on the InHerSight platform. Are there ways you personally prioritize either or both of those things? What about as a leader?
Work-life balance can mean different things to everyone. For me, it is being able to be fully present while I work and be fully present outside of work and know when I need to prioritize one over the other. With Walker being fully remote, I can plan my schedule the way that works for both my family and my outside life, as well as plan for what the company and my role needs, so I can continue to lead and manage a critical department for the organization. I also have people on my team who depend on me, so being fully present and dedicating the time that they need is very important for me and our success as a team. I like to organize my week in advance and try to stick to a calendar and schedule planning as much as possible so I can make time for each appropriately. Being organized helps my mental health.
I would also say that practicing self-care and having a physical activity plan is another thing that has helped me, particularly during times when I travel a lot, or when things get stressful. I love music, cooking/food, and doing yoga or an outside activity (my physical activity plan is always a work in progress). I also love hanging out with my family and my dog! When I have time off or on weekends, I try to do the things that bring me joy so I can recharge and feel excited for the new week ahead.
I was a single mom for a good portion of my career, and I always tried to find organizations and leaders to work for who understood my situation and allowed me to do what I needed to do to take care of my personal life and be fully present there, while still achieving my responsibilities and contributing to my job in a meaningful and productive way. Sometimes to get to a place like that in an organization or with your boss, you must build trust first, so being someone who was reliable, diligent, communicative, and responsive helped me do that quickly.
I would also say that surrounding yourself with the right people in and outside of work is key to finding that balance. You need your group that you rely on and personal relationships with partners who can see eye-to-eye with you so that you can support each other. That is critical in my opinion.
Say a woman interested in working for Walker Advertising is reading this. What aspects of the company should she be most excited about in your opinion?
We were founded by a trailblazer woman who identified a problem in our society and in the legal system and found a way to solve it. We provide access to legal services for communities and segments of the population that historically have been neglected or underserved. As someone who is an immigrant to this country, and as a Latina, I know first-hand how challenging navigating the legal system can be, so this mission resonated deeply with me. We are also an extremely diverse workforce and promote and prioritize women's development and leadership across our organization. We are fully remote, which I think is very exciting still because we can have more work-life balance while continuing to be innovative, successful, and a hard-working, fun crew. In my team, we have people across six different states—I love that!
In addition to our collaborative and diverse culture, I would highlight that Walker presents significant opportunities for people who are looking at joining a rapidly growing company where due to our size, you can have influence and make an impact across all levels of the organization. It also allows lots of room for learning new skills and participating in new and exciting projects consistently.
