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Dear Hakin9 Readers!
We have a pleasure to present you the interview we did with Patty Hatter, Senior Vice President, Operations & Chief Information Officer in McAfee.
Patty Hatter is responsible for innovating and executing a sustainable transformation of McAfee’s operational processes and infrastructure across the global organization. As CIO, Hatter is responsible for driving cross-functional partnerships to accelerate delivery of strategic business priorities that impact bottom line profitability. Focused on driving world-class operational effectiveness and scalability, Hatter leads all facets of McAfee’s ongoing transactional business and shared services, as well as IT, risk and compliance, and M&A integration. Hatter joined McAfee with more than 20 years of experience leading a wide range of operations at Fortune 500 companies in the high tech, telecommunications, financial services, and healthcare industries. She was previously vice president of business operations at Cisco where she dually reported to the heads of operations and channels, responsible for driving tighter integration and improved productivity and performance between Cisco and the channel partners. Hatter was cited as a “game-changer” by partners and industry analysts alike. As vice president of quote to cash at Cisco, Hatter also led a renowned transformation of their global processes and systems infrastructure. Overall, her team’s efforts helped to enable and support Cisco’s growth and scalability as net sales grew from $22 billion in 2004 to $40 billion in 2010 during her tenure. Prior to Cisco, Hatter spent more than 15 years at AT&T where she held many executive positions in strategic planning, business development, and managing the professional services business unit within the United States and Europe. Hatter holds both a master of science, as well as a bachelor of science in mechanical engineering from Carnegie-Mellon University. She has also attended executive education programs at Columbia University and Northwestern University. She lives in Northern California with her husband and son.
Ewa Duranc: What is the major objective of the recruitment in your company? What do you want achieve?
Patty Hatter:To maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of each hiring team. To create a strong balance in our overall employee population that will drive long term sustainability for the organization.
What qualifications, skills should have candidates who apply? How do you check theirs qualifications? Do they have to pass any tests?
The qualifications and skills needed for any position are dependent on the level of the role that is to be filled. Qualifications are vetted through an extensive interview process which may include both technical phone interviews and interviews that are designed to determine a cultural fit for the team (behavioral interviews). Viable candidates must pass an extensive background screening which involves verifying previous employment and education. There is not a standard technical test that is given to candidates that apply for positions at McAfee. If a test is to be given for a certain position, then it would be given to every candidate that interviews for that role (per EEOC rules/regulations).
How many employees you already searching for to IT field?
There are currently 21 global IT positions, which includes nine intern positions (this does not include our technical Support roles).
Do your employees have to work in office or is there possibility to work remotely?
Given the pace of our business, and the team dynamics, we encourage our employees to work within the office, if they live nearby. Maintaining a good balance with remote and in-office schedules helps employees and their teams remain connected and strengthens our collaboration across various business areas. Additionally, working remotely depends on the type of position and the team dynamics that are involved. Some positions need to be located within facilities due to the type of support that is being provided, i.e. Security Operations Center positions.
How do you manage the recruitment?
McAfee has a fully staffed, internal Talent Acquisition team who manages the searches for all of our full time roles. We also have a Vendor Manager onsite who manages our contingent needs. Together, we have a vested interest in partnering with the business to ensure that the most qualified candidates are brought into the organization. “Best qualified” means not only that the technical skill sets are met but also that the candidate is a cultural fit for both the company and the individual teams.
How long lasts full process of recruitment?
The time that it takes to fill positions vary greatly based upon the specialization. Ideally, we would interview top candidates over a couple weeks. Once an offer is made we then begin the background process which can take up to 10 business days to complete. We advise our candidates to not turn in their notice to their current employer until their background has cleared. They candidate would then begin employment 2 weeks from that date.
How long lasts building whole IT team?
A strong IT organization is never stagnant. Instead, it is flexible and always changing and growing. We fully support internal movement, development and growth…an effort that is ongoing in the healthiest of ways!
What issues seems to be the most difficult during recruitment? What problems do you meet?
Finding the ideal mix of technical skills and team fit can be challenging. McAfee looks for candidates that have both tactical and strategic skills. We compete for the best talent in the marketplace every day, and our edge comes in when we’re able to talk about McAfee’s place in the world. What we offer as a company is something very bold and something that everyone needs – trusted security to protect every part of your life… from your workplace to your home, from your children to your bank accounts.
Thank you very much!
Prepared by Ewa Dudzic,
Product Manager of Hakin9 Magazine
Author
