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Rich Rothman |
2. Tell us about you (home town, residence, family, education, etc.): I am originally from New York City, born in Brooklyn, NY. My family moved to the Princeton suburbs of New Jersey in the late 70s, which is where I grew up. I am the only person in my immediate family without a crazy, thick New York accent as I was a small child when we moved out of NYC. I loved growing up in New Jersey (Jersey gets a bad rap and I promise it is nothing like what you see on TV) and continued my education at Rutgers University College of Pharmacy where I graduated with honors in 1998. I currently reside in Lumberton, NJ, which is about 30 minutes east of Philadelphia, PA, with my 16-year-old son Jonathan, and our dog Luke (Scottie) and work out of the Walmart Divisional Office in Horsham, PA.
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Health & Wellness Talent Acquisition and Campus Team |
3. How did you get into recruiting? Great question, as I
never thought I would have landed in recruiting or HR, and I have Walmart to
thank for countless opportunities and my career progression. My career
began as a community pharmacist, and it was very rewarding as I truly loved my
patients and staff. As a pharmacist, I always had a passion for teaching
and training pharmacy students, and I also served as a preceptor for Rutgers
University. (As a preceptor, I was often matched with final year pharmacy
students as part of their experiential education, where they would spend 4 to 6
weeks in the pharmacy.) One late evening in early 2007, right
before closing the pharmacy, I noticed a job opportunity on the Wire for a
Regional Talent Specialist. I had no idea what that meant, as to me it
sounded like a job on “American Idol”. When I read the job description,
the Home Office was looking for pharmacists to support H&W campus relations
and recruiting. Since I had a passion for working with students I
immediately applied. I was then promoted out of the pharmacy to Regional
Talent Specialist for H&W in the Northeastern US, followed a few years
later to Sr Mgr Talent Acquisition H&W for the Eastern US and Puerto Rico,
and then was asked to lead the entire team in May 2013. Years ago, if people
asked me what I do for a living, I would answer, “pharmacist”. Now when I
get asked that question, I can answer that I am an HR professional, who can
view the business through the lens of a pharmacist and have the privilege of
leading the best H&W recruiting team in the business.
4. What is one thing people would be surprised to know
about you? People
would be surprised to learn that I have my motorcycle license.
5. What are your top 3 goals you hope you and your team
accomplish in the next year? First and foremost, I would like my
team to continue with their professional development and celebrate their
success as they promote into new roles within HR or the business. My
second goal is to ensure that the hundreds of new small format stores open with
a pharmacist staff. Lastly, I would like to introduce new recruiting
tools and a new intern program to the optical side of the business in order to
strengthen our optometrist pipeline.
6. What do you like most about your current job? What do
you dislike?
I love the fact that we are providing the talent needed to make healthcare more
affordable and accessible nationwide. There is also quite a bit of travel
in my role due to the professional relations and campus side of my
business. As a single dad of now a teenager, the amount of travel can
become stressful, and every now and then I miss an event in my son’s
life. I am thankful for the support I receive from my immediate family,
appreciative of the flexibility from Walmart, and I try never to miss a “big”
event in my son’s life.
7. Do you have a work pet peeve in yourself or others? My work pet peeve centers
around meeting and conference call etiquette and those who double and triple
book themselves in their calendar, or who attend meetings but are not “present”
and spend their time replying to emails or texting.
8. What is the best thing for you about working for
Walmart? The
people I get to work with! I truly feel that I am surrounded by the best
in the business.
9. When does the day start for you? Typically on calls by
7:30am during my commute, hands free of course.
10. When you are off work how you do relax? I enjoy going out for a
great meal, spending time with my son Jonathan, traveling into New York City
for a show, shopping or museum, spending time on my deck with a cup of coffee
or nice glass of wine playing with my dog, photography, or binge watching a few
TV shows on my dvr when time allows.
11. Can you give us a few unchecked items on your Life’s Bucket
List? Attend the Summer and Winter Olympics, travel
to Paris and visit the Eifel Tower, find a good parking space at the Walmart
Home Office.
12. If you had a Magic Genie and one wish; what one
project on your plate would you ask for help on? Create efficiencies and
decrease the length of time for Professional License Credentialing
13. Fill in the blank: “I’ve been fortunate to___________” I have an incredible
teenage son who keeps me on my toes and always makes me laugh, even through the
hardest times. I am also fortunate that people often mistake me for his
brother!”
14. Where do I spend most of my disposable income? My son, eating meals out,
clothes, travel, Broadway shows
15. What 1 book would you recommend colleagues read? “Work’s A We Thing” by
Danny McCall
16. What is your biggest productivity challenge? Becoming more disciplined
blocking off time in my calendar daily just to think, and to not let my
calendar run my day.
17. Do you have one internet tool / smart-phone app that you
cannot do without? I
enjoy reading the news and politics, so I cannot do without out my CNN and
Politico apps.
18. One word to sum me up: Analytical
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