Our Meet the Hiring Manager series allows you to get to know the people who grow teams at VMware. You’ll learn about our hiring managers’ career paths and what they look for in candidates during the interview process. This week we’d like you to get to know Head of Global Talent Acquisition at VMware Kent Button.
Snapshot
- Job title: Head of Global Talent Acquisition
- Years at VMware: 4 years
- First job: My first “real” job was working for a veterinarian in Virginia – assisting the doctors, cleaning cages, bringing the pets back for their shots and lab work, and feeding the furry patients that had to stay overnight. It taught me responsibility, compassion, and patience – all of which are valuable skills – but it also taught me that being a veterinarian wasn’t easy and I’d be happier working with people.
- Favorite social distancing activity: I like to golf with my friends – we are socially distant because they are much better golfers than I am. While they are on the putting green, finishing up the hole, I am usually a hundred yards away from them, looking for the errant ball I hit in the rough!
VMware Careers: Kent, tell us about your career journey to date?
Kent: Sure, like many recruiters, I started my recruiting career doing agency recruiting for a small regional company in the Pacific Northwest. After a few years, I moved into a corporate recruiter role working for a financial services company in Seattle. Then, during the “dot-com” boom in the late ’90s, I joined an internet start-up that grew way-too-big, way-too-quickly, and then imploded in the dot-com crash in early 2000. I ended up landing a job at Microsoft as a marketing recruiter, which last about six months before my first Microsoft re-org, which took me into talent sourcing. My career took off at Microsoft and I spent the next sixteen years moving around Microsoft Talent Acquisition (TA) in several different roles and eventually into TA leadership. I ended up leaving Microsoft in 2016 to lead a Talent Engagement at T-Mobile, where I managed diversity recruiting, military hiring, and university recruiting. I later joined VMware in 2017 to lead a global team for our go-to-market and business operations teams. After our previous Global TA leader left earlier this year, I took over her role and I am now responsible for Global TA for the company.
VMware Careers: How is VMware different from any other tech company you have worked for in the past?
Kent: There are many things that come to mind that set VMware apart from other technology companies, but here are a few things that stand out for me.
Firstly, our collaborative culture that is rooted in giving back. For example, we give employees 40 hours of paid time off to partake in Service-Learning activities in their communities and the VMware Foundation matches employee charitable donations. These are just two ways employees are empowered to give back here at VMware.
Secondly, our commitment to sustainability and building “software for good” is another stand out for me. VMware is building a more sustainable, equitable, and secure future by integrating Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) goals across the company and aligning them with our core business strategy – all through something we are calling our VMware 2030 agenda.
Finally, I love the flexibility we offer our employees through our Future of Work initiative. Employees are given the choice to work from a VMware office, a home office, or a combination of both. I plan to take the hybrid approach and go into the office a couple of days a week. I really enjoy going in and connecting with the team in person. We have a beautiful office in Bellevue, Washington with a ton of amenities that support our employees’ comfort, collaboration, and productivity.
VMware Careers: What gets you out of bed in the morning?
Kent: I would say that it’s the chance to work on fun and challenging problems and helping my team impact one of VMware’s most important priorities – finding great talent!
VMware Careers: What has been the biggest lesson you have learned as you moved upwards in your career?
Kent: I think what I have learned the most is that really listening to your team and being empathetic to their needs is really important.
VMware Careers: What makes the Global Talent Acquisition team you lead so effective?
Kent: We’re collaborative and are fully attuned to the hiring needs of the business. We work together to tackle hard problems, share knowledge, and celebrate our wins. We help each other out and share a common mission – to attract, engage, and hire the best talent possible for VMware!
VMware Careers: Our Global Talent Acquisition team has several exciting job opportunities open at the moment? Can you share more about the types of roles we are hiring for in TA, and how someone can make an impact when they join?
Kent: Our team is growing around the world, and we have a variety of roles available at all different levels and in many locations, including scheduling, program management, social media, and employer branding, recruiting sourcing, and TA leadership. Talent attraction is a top priority for VMware and there are a ton of different ways that you can join us to make an impact!
Are you a Recruiting Professional? Could you see yourself making an impact on Kent’s team?
Browse our current openings in the United States here and India here.
Want to hear more from Kent and people from VMware’s TA team? Watch a replay of VMware Careers Meet-up on LinkedIn Live here!
Learn more about #VMwareLife by following our VMware Careers social channels below!
Comments