A Headhunter Changed Everything: Rob Daugherty’s Career Crossroads

Chris Hoyt: Alright, welcome everybody. You’re listening to the CXR Recruiting Community Podcast. We’re excited to be here. You can see past episodes and learn about upcoming ones at cxr.works/podcast. We’re streaming on all the platforms, so check us out there. Hit like, hit subscribe, and let us know what you want to see more of.

We do this on a weekly basis. I’m the president of CXR, and with me is the co-founder of CareerXroads. Jerry, say hello.

Gerry Crispin: Hello!

Chris Hoyt: So, Jerry, I’m excited because you’ve launched this special series—and we’ve got a couple of series on the podcast website people can check out—but this one has a bit of a twist. You’ve turned our own namesake on its head, or maybe back where it should have been from the beginning. I think it’s super cool. Can you give us a quick overview? What is this series, and why did we call it this?

Gerry Crispin: Sure. The elevator pitch for this goes back 30 years. We created this thing called CareerXroads—put a big X in the middle—and now it’s known as CXR. But when you look at careers, it’s really about both the employer side and the candidate side.

Historically, we’ve focused on employers—the decisions they make to bring people on board. But there’s also a crucial decision that the candidate makes. Will they take the job? Can they do it? Should they do it? Did they make a mistake in accepting it?

I’m fascinated by how people begin their careers in recruiting—how they decided to get in and how they’ve matured and evolved over time.

Chris Hoyt: Yeah. Well, speaking of a career evolution—your guest today has been fun to watch on his journey. He’s been a CXR member for years at several companies—Lowe’s, American Airlines, and now at Walmart. This guy is building what I’d call a dream team. He’s having fun, doing some incredible things. I call him, with brotherly love, the “mad scientist of TA.” You want to introduce him?

Gerry Crispin: Yeah—Rob Daugherty, currently at Walmart. And he’s said he thinks this might be the peak, the capstone of his career. Because, I mean, where do you go from here? Maybe you’d have to be in charge of all the hiring for the U.S. government or something. But I don’t think he’d want that gig anyway.

What fascinates me is that Rob started out in financial services and had a chance encounter with a headhunter that completely changed his trajectory. These are the kinds of stories we should all pay attention to—because we make choices over the course of our careers, and in hindsight, you want to look back and feel proud of your impact.

Chris Hoyt: Love it. I’m looking forward to the rest of the interview, and I hope everybody enjoys this chat with Rob.

Announcer: Welcome to the Recruiting Community Podcast, the go-to channel for talent acquisition leaders and practitioners. This show is brought to you by CXR, a trusted community of thousands connecting the best minds in the industry to explore topics like attracting, engaging, and retaining top talent. Hosted by Chris Hoyt and Gerry Crispin. We are thrilled to have you join the conversation.

Gerry Crispin: I’m thrilled to be joined today by Rob Daugherty from Walmart. Rob, great to have you.

The name CareerXroads came to us almost 30 years ago. I thought of it as the intersection where employers and candidates make decisions about jobs and careers. Over the years, CXR has focused on employer practices, but I’ve always believed it’s just as important to understand how candidates make their career decisions—from their first job all the way to retirement.

So Rob, first question: How the heck did you get into recruiting?

Rob Daugherty: It’s one of my favorite stories. Everyone’s path into TA is so different, and mine is no exception.

I graduated with a degree in Statistics and Finance. Originally, I wanted to be a professional baseball player, but between injuries and, honestly, a lack of talent, that didn’t work out.

So I went to work at a bank in commercial lending in downtown Chicago. I was there for about six months—and I was bored out of my mind.

Then I met this guy who would come into the bank regularly with $10,000 checks. I asked him what he did, and he said, “I’m a headhunter.” I had no idea what that meant, but we had lunch, and a week later I met with the owner of a small contingent search firm that did accounting and finance search. There were about eight of us crammed into a bullpen office—like something out of Boiler Room.

I told my mom I was leaving the bank to be a headhunter—and she literally broke down in tears. She still talks about that moment. But once the bug bit me, I never looked back. I’ve had offers to go into HRBP roles or generalist roles, but recruiting has always been my home.

Gerry Crispin: So was it the money that drew you in initially?

Rob Daugherty: At first, yes. I was 22. But once I got into it, it became about the people. That feeling of helping someone find a job—seeing the impact on their life—that hooked me. And once I got into corporate, I realized I could also help drive business growth through talent. That was huge for me.

Gerry Crispin: You’ve been with a number of organizations—Lucas Group, Kinko’s, Tenant, Flowserve, American Airlines, Lowe’s, Zoom, and now Walmart. Were those job changes easy? Any surprises along the way?

Rob Daugherty: Yeah, it’s been a journey. After moving from Chicago to Dallas—because I was done with winters—I started with the Lucas Group down there. My start date was September 4, 2001. A week later, 9/11 happened, and everything changed.

I eventually joined Kinko’s, which was moving its HQ to Dallas. That was my first corporate gig. Then a former boss brought me to Tenant to help build a new TA function. That’s when I realized I had a knack for transformation—building things from scratch or tearing down and rebuilding.

Looking back, I see a clear pattern. I’m drawn to companies going through change. I didn’t always recognize it at the time, but later it became very intentional.

Gerry Crispin: So that became a filter for how you looked at jobs?

Rob Daugherty: Definitely. I started asking better questions. Like, do they have the resources to support this transformation? Are they really committed? Some companies say they want change, but they’re not ready to back it up.

Gerry Crispin: Now that you’re at Walmart, how do you reflect on your previous decisions?

Rob Daugherty: I’m a big believer that you are where you’re supposed to be. Some of those transitions were tough. At American Airlines, I thought I’d retire there. But things changed, leadership shifted, and I decided to move on.

But now? I couldn’t imagine being in a better spot. Leading TA at the largest company in the world during a transformation? It’s a dream. This is the icing on the cake.

Gerry Crispin: So what’s next? What does your fantasy career finish line look like?

Rob Daugherty: Hopefully, a beach or a mountain! But in all seriousness, Walmart is big enough and complex enough that there’s still a lot to do. We’re going through a huge tech transformation, reorgs, international growth.

Field hiring is still decentralized, so there’s massive opportunity there. Sam’s Club wants to double in size. There’s just so much potential. I could definitely see myself ending my career here.

Gerry Crispin: And you’ve built a pretty phenomenal team.

Rob Daugherty: Yeah, I’ve been lucky. My job is to take care of my boss and take care of my team. I’ve got a TA leadership team that’s smarter than I am—and I love that. We had an offsite recently to define our TA beliefs and principles, and just listening to the conversation in that room was incredibly satisfying.

Gerry Crispin: I love how you describe the value you get from your role. That kind of self-awareness is crucial.

Last question: With the uncertainty in the world today, what advice would you give to someone just starting out in TA?

Rob Daugherty: First, be curious. That’s served me well. Ask questions, even tough ones. Constantly learn—whether it’s from reading, talking to people, or observing great leaders.

Change is the only constant. If you can adapt to new ways of thinking and new technology, you’ll thrive.

At Walmart, I was surprised by how progressive we are. Our CEO talks openly about being on offense with AI, about leapfrogging competitors. It gives us permission to try things, to move fast and learn from failure.

Second piece of advice: be yourself. Early in my career, I tried to emulate leaders I admired, but it wasn’t me. Once I got comfortable being authentically myself, everything clicked. That’s my biggest tip for new leaders—learn from others, but make it your own.

Gerry Crispin: I love that. Know yourself, and find a company that aligns with your values—rather than constantly adapting to environments that might not fit.

On that note, Rob Daugherty, thank you so much for sharing your story and your insights. It’s been a pleasure.

Rob Daugherty: Thanks, Gerry. Still a lot of work ahead, but I’m grateful for the journey so far.

Announcer: Thanks for listening to the Recruiting Community Podcast, where talent acquisition leaders connect, learn, and grow together. Be sure to visit cxr.works/podcast to explore past episodes, see what’s coming up next, and find out how you can join the conversation.

Whether you’ve got insights to share or want to be a guest on the show, we’d love to hear from you. To learn more about becoming a member of the CXR community, visit www.cxr.works. We’ll catch you in the next episode.