Summit Interview with Lana Bryon

Lana Bryon

1. Give us a short description of your job, scope and team:  I lead field recruitment for the Canadian market, which includes all operations management and professional services; as well as programs for hourly recruitment.  I have a team of 5 Talent Acquisition Specialists and 2 coordinators.

2. Tell us about you (home town, residence, family, education, etc.): I grew up in a smaller town, Newmarket, and have recently returned to a small town, Georgetown – I am a country girl at heart, and would love to own an acreage and farm some day. I am very close with my family, including my amazing nieces. I completed a BA at Western University in Political Science, and not knowing what I wanted to do, drove out West to Calgary to do an MA in Political – which confirmed for certainty I did not want a career in politics.

3. How did you get into Recruiting?  It was definitely not a planned career; like most agency recruiters - I went to an agency to look for a new job, and they hired me as a recruiter.  I never thought I’d end up in HR, but joining a corporate HR team was definitely the best career choice I’ve made.

  Lana in Ait-Ben-haddou, Morocco

4. What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you? I’m an open book – so I don’t think much would surprise anyone. Perhaps that I wanted to be Prime Minister most of my childhood, which is a bit of an odd ambition for a child!

5. What are your top 3 goals you hope you and your team accomplish in the next year? 1) Replicate our national Co-Manager Assessment at the Assistant Manager level, for a more objective and consistent approach to hiring. 2) Launch and expanded College Recruitment program; 3) Improve technology, branding and ease of hire for hourly recruitment in our stores.

Canada's Talent Acquisition Team at Mid Year Off-Site

6. What do you like most about your current job? What do you dislike?  My team, hands down – I am grateful for the high performing talent I have on my team, and working with them makes me smile even on the most challenging days. The think I dislike, is sometimes not being able to execute innovations into actions fast enough.

7. Do you have a work pet peeve in yourself or others? My biggest pet peeve personally, or at work is when there is a lack of communication – if you don’t share your frustrations or actively pursue solutions, then you are a part of the problem!

8. What is the best thing for you about working for Walmart? That we are encouraged to always be innovating and evolving the business.

9. When does the day start for you? It all depends on when the first meeting is!

10. When you are off work how you do relax? In my world relaxing = Oil painting, kickboxing, any outdoor activities, travel, and sometimes a good movie.

11. Can you give us a few unchecked items on your Life’s Bucket List: 1) Skydiving; 2) Machu Picchu; 3) ½ marathon on the Great Wall of China

12. If you could have dinner with some notable person dead or alive – who would it be and why?  Salvador Dali.  He was a genius and I think probably one of the most interesting individuals in history. 

13. If you had a Magic Genie and one wish; what one project on your plate would you ask for help on? I’m never afraid to reach out for help on projects, it’s all about collaboration and cross functional input to achieve any project – I think instead, I’d wish for the Magic Genie to make it easier for my team to continue finding great talent.

14. Fill in the blank: “I’ve been fortunate to _____: have an incredibly supportive and loving family”

15. Where do I spend most of my disposable income:  Travel and adventure.

16. What 1 book would you recommend colleagues read? Atlas Shrugged, as it was the most impactful book I ever read.

17. What is your biggest productivity challenge?  Not getting too distracted by the new too much to finish executing the old.

18. Do you have one internet tool / smart-phone app that you cannot do without? Google Maps – I’m navigationally challenged.

19. One word to sum me up: Happy.