BostInno's 3rd annual State of Innovation brings together more than 1,000 business leaders and professionals for keynotes from high-profile speakers, cutting-edge panel discussions with industry leaders, engaging workshops and endless networking opportunities. This year, a series of workshops with partner General Assembly will focus on skills needed to fuel Boston's growth.
Since joining TripAdvisor’s recruitment team in 2014, Lori Russo has transformed the company’s recruiting organization into one that is data driven. But when it comes to retaining talent, the Talent Brand Team leader and speaker at next week’s State of Innovation also tells BostInno that it’s important to stop and acknowledge and reward the hard work. “Because it does not come without pure dedication,” Russo adds.
Russo describes TripAdvisor’s culture as fast-paced but rewarding both professionally and socially. When she's not busy recruiting top talent for TripAdvisor, you can find her sipping on Starbucks, ordering her next StitchFix outfit and skimming the morning news.
Here, Russo shares what it’s like working at one of Boston’s biggest companies and how she spends her day-to-day.
Marian White: How do you spend most mornings?
Lori Russo: After a run and Starbucks, checking email and of course, social media too – I catch up with my team in London and Singapore, read The Skimm as well as my many other “news” sites.
MW: If you could impart one piece of advice to our readers, what would it be?
LR: Before you travel, read reviews (lots of them) and determine the key themes (good and bad) before you make your travel decision. One of the best things about TripAdvisor is the depth and breadth of our content – take advantage of that.
MW: What are the top priorities on your to-do list right now?
LR: We are focusing on 4 key areas; Recruiting Excellence, Process & Program improvements, Sourcing Strategies, & Employer Brand. In order to be highly effective at these 4 key areas I also need to find great leaders to join our Talent Acquisition team to help lead and further develop the vision. This ranges from Managers, Recruiters, Coordinators and Operational team members. What is taking most of the time right now is hiring for the team, building and sustaining a hiring culture and Implementing our new hiring platform, Greenhouse.
Time kills deals and mis-alignment is the root of all evil – therefore a high focus on the systems and processes that are used from the very top of the funnel straight through to the bottom are critical.
MW: What would you do if you were suddenly granted a day off from work tomorrow?
LR: Sit in the sun, read and relax.
MW: What is the best part and the worst part about your day?
LR: The best part of the day is being able to collaborate with amazing teammates; and seeing those who work so hard succeed. We then bake in the glory of the success together as a team.
The worst part of my day is when it ends because like many, I could use more hours in the day. I wish I could keep my kids up when it’s time for bed, and have another day that’s filled with adventures before its time for work again.
MW: What do you enjoy most about working at TripAdvisor?
LR: I love working at TripAdvisor mostly because of the people and the impact I get to have daily on our success. It is a fast-paced (GSD) environment where you’re treated like adults and expected to get your work done. It comes with amazing challenges, rewards, new opportunities and lots of great friendships.
MW: If you weren’t answering my questions, what would you be doing instead?
LR: Ordering my next StichFix (an on-demand personal styling service).
Image courtesy of Lori Russo of TripAdvisor
