Every career journey is unique, filled with moments of growth, lessons learned, and memorable milestones. For Haley Sasser de la Grana, the path to becoming a Digital & Email Marketing Strategist on the Recruitment Marketing & Brand team at McKesson has been a testament to hard work, strategic decision-making, and a passion for employer branding. Haley’s story is a powerful example of how curiosity, perseverance, and a focus on building strong relationships can open doors and lead to fulfilling career progression.
Where did you begin your career journey, and why did it appeal to you?
I started my career at Ultimate Software, an HR technology company based in south Florida. I got my undergraduate degree from the University of Florida in advertising, and a masters in entrepreneurship/business, and I knew I wanted to work for a tech company where I could be an "intrapreneur" within the organization. I was originally interested in joining their marketing department, but they were not hiring any early talent at the time, so I ended up joining Ultimate's Talent Acquisition team. I was tasked with TA Operations and the ambiguous role of "employer brand." At this time, in 2014, employer branding was still a very niche, unknown function, but I was able to learn from various vendor webinars about the basics of EB and became fully obsessed with all things employer brand and recruitment marketing from there!
How did the opportunity to move up in the company arise?
I was able to progress my career at Ultimate Software (now known as UKG) by simply working hard, taking on new projects whenever possible, and showing the impact of the work I was doing. Ultimate did not have an employer brand when I started, but through collaboration with the marketing team and strong support from TA leadership, we were able to share impactful employee stories and really market our open roles to the right talent.
Ultimate had an enormous amount of growth in the 6.5 years I was there (2014-2021), so this helped TA leadership push for more employer branding resources and content to be created in order to fill our open requisitions with people that are not only qualified for the roles, but also opting into our unique company culture.
I started as a temp, was promoted to full-time, then promoted to a "Senior Talent Operations Specialist." Each year I was there, I was given the opportunity to add more responsibilities to my plate, collaborate with more and more teams across the organization, and also get salary increases each year. The leaders at Ultimate were truly the best of the best, and I am very blessed to have had such supportive, knowledgeable, and caring leaders there.
How has your career progressed since then?
In February of 2021, I left UKG and joined a smaller company - Docebo. Docebo is an elearning company based in Milan, Italy, and I joined their TA team as Employer Brand Manager. This was a step up in my career not only from a title perspective, but in responsibilities as well. I was able to build our employer brand from the ground up as well as support internal communications and ERG initiatives. After one year, I was promoted to Manager, Employment Brand & Internal Communications, which meant I was a people leader for the first time! It was an incredible experience, and while I only had one direct report, it was truly a blessing because I was able to start small in my people leadership journey.
In April of 2023, Docebo had to make the difficult decision to do a round of layoffs, and my position was affected. This is when I found my current role at McKesson. I am an individual contributor now, rather than a people leader, and this was a very purposeful decision to make at this stage of my life. I was in the middle of wedding planning, and I knew that I wouldn't have the capacity to start a new role at a new company AND be a manager at the same time. I've been really happy with this decision because it allowed me the time to plan my wedding and focus on this new stage of life. It also has allowed me to learn this new industry I am in (healthcare) and the intricacies of working for a very large corporation (McKesson is ranked #9 on the Fortune 500!).
How does the company's culture foster opportunities for internal promotions?
McKesson has an incredible culture of employee growth and learning. They promote learning and development to all employees and have programs and tools in place to have important career conversations with managers. I have seen firsthand many colleagues at McKesson be tasked with stretch projects and get promoted or move internally to new teams. It's inspiring to know that anything is possible as long as you work hard and have that open dialogue with your leader.
How has the company supported your professional development?
I have been able to complete multiple learning sessions put on by the McKesson leadership development team, and I feel like they are helping me not only learn about the McKesson landscape, but also important business lessons that can be used in my daily work.
Were there any challenges you faced during your promotion, and how did you overcome them?
When I was first promoted to a people leader at Docebo, there were certainly challenges I had to overcome. Luckily, I had some amazing leaders that helped me along the way. Everything from uncomfortable conversations to the basics of being a people leader, I had plenty of support and was always able to ask my leaders for advice. A small piece of advice to you - never be afraid to ask for help!
What advice would you give others who aspire to get a promotion?
I would say that you should be realistic with your promotion aspirations in terms of compensation, title, and how long it may take you to get there. Each organization is different in terms of how they handle employee growth, so do your due diligence. Research online about your specific position, research within the company as well. Maybe there's someone in your company that has a career path you admire - ask them how they got there! If you know of someone in your field at a different company, send over an InMail and ask for 15 mins of their time to learn about their career journey!
And of course, always be transparent with your immediate manager. Be clear about your goals and make a plan on how you plan to get there. Another major component is to be excellent. Go above and beyond. Promotions are not just given out based on tenure - you have to do the work and be a pleasure to work with. If other people in your organization like working with you on projects, that's a huge win and something that leadership notices.
Can you share a memorable moment or project that highlights your journey from one position to the next?
One memorable project that sticks out in my career would have to be the partnership we had with The Muse at Ultimate Software. This was a new vendor relationship that I had to present to leadership and get their buy-in, and I did! The Muse partnership was a huge success - we were able to highlight all the things that made Ultimate an outstanding place to work, and we got some great content created that helped us tell the Ulti story. This project helped me gain credibility within the organization, helped me grow my vendor relationship and analytics skills, and me get that promotion.
Looking back, how has the transition positively impacted your career and personal growth?
My career journey has transitioned from being a temp, to an individual contributor and an EB team of one, then to a people leader of EB and internal comms, and now an individual contributor on a team of Recruitment Marketing pros. I wouldn't have been able to grow in my career without leaders who have always supported me and without the Talent Brand Alliance. The TBA was a huge resource for my professional growth because I was able to ask EB practitioner questions, learn about best practices, and discover technologies.
I feel extremely lucky to have had this 10+ year career in employer branding, and I'm excited for the future of what's to come.
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