Summit Interview with Dave Watson

Dave Watson

1. Give us a short description of your job, scope and team:  I lead Field Management Recruiting for both Walmart US and Sam’s Club US.  I have a wonderful team of 14 recruiters spread-out across the US, divided into 2 teams (East & West).  We handle all the market level & above positions, and we assist with interns, management trainees and developmental store/club management sourcing.

2. Tell us about you (home town, residence, family, education, etc.): I am an Air Force brat, so we moved every 2 years growing up…but finally settled in the Phoenix, AZ area for about 20 years.  My wife and I are about to hit our 20^th anniversary and we have 5 children (3 in High School!)

3. How did you get into recruiting? I was a territory sales rep for cell phone and pagers in 1998, and one of my clients was an IT recruiting firm. The owner offered me a job and the rest is history.

4. What is one thing people would be surprised to know about you? When I’m not at work in corporate attire, my hands and clothes are usually quite dirty at home working on an old car or remodeling something on my house.

Walmart & Sam's Club Field Management Recruiting Team

 5. What are your top 3 goals you hope you and your team accomplish in the next year? 1). through historical data, establish demographic profiles of retail managers that retain and perform the best. 2). Use that data to adjust who we source. 3). Show a measurable impact on retention and performance of store/club management.

6. What do you like most about your current job? What do you dislike? I love my team!!!  Even though we’re spread out and we don’t see each other daily, we have a lot of fun connecting online and we support each other.  Also, my boss gives me a tremendous amount

Dave Watson at a Foreigner concert with daughter Rachel

of autonomy.  At the moment, there’s nothing I dislike…knock on wood. ;-)

7. Do you have a work pet peeve in yourself or others?  Long term associates who are afraid to take a chance again just because they have seen something fail in the past.

8. What is the best thing for you about working for Walmart? So many things to choose from and to fix…I never get bored.  I have been a bit of a job-hopper in my career because I like learning new things and fixing things.

9. When does the day start for you? I work from home 2-3 days per week.  I log-in typically around 7am and answer a few emails, then take my younger kids to school.

10. When you are off work how you do relax? Anything with power tools or power sports…about the only thing that keeps me sitting still would be good college football on TV.

11. Can you give us a few unchecked items on your Life’s Bucket List:  Get back to Portugal and tour my old stomping grounds; then tour Europe by train. We also want to do the same in Hong Kong and Thailand where my wife lived as an ex-pat growing up.

12. If you could have dinner with some notable person dead or alive – who would it be and why? This is one of those trick questions; right??? I should say Jesus. ;-)  But aside from him, probably George Washington so I could hear him tell his own account of the night crossing the Potomac.

13. If you had a Magic Genie and one wish; what one project on your plate would you ask for help on? Becoming a leader in leveraging Big Data.

14. Fill in the blank: “I’ve been fortunate to _____": advance to this point in my career while having the time with a wonderful family.”

15. Where do I spend most of my disposable income: Date nights with my wife, and restoring a ’68 Mustang with my son.

16. What 1 book would you recommend colleagues read? It’s My Ship

17. What is your biggest productivity challenge? Procrastinating over the big stuff.  I do much better when I tackle the big things early.

18. Do you have one internet tool / smart-phone app that you cannot do without? YouTube…it contains how-to videos for everything…critical for a DIY guy/gal.

19. One word to sum me up: Stress-free