How an Arby's Job Led Laura McLand to a 30,000-Person HR Career

In this episode, we talk with Laura McLand, Vice President of Human Resources at Sun Holdings, the second-largest franchise organization in the country. Sun Holdings operates 13 brands, including Burger King, Popeyes, Arby's, IHOP, Applebee's, Golden Corral, and Taco Bueno, across more than 1,250 restaurants and retail locations in 32 states. Laura's team of three fields more than 8,000 applications a week and fills the average open role in two days. We talk about why she hires for passion over experience, why she asks every candidate what they want to be when they grow up, and how her own path, from a $5.00/hour, server job at Arby's to running HR for more than 30,000 employees, shapes the way she leads. KEY TAKEAWAYS 00:00 Laura's first job as a server at Arby's, and how hospitality experience shapes her HR philosophy. 07:22 The ‘chaos coordinator’ role, and why HR changes lives every day. 13:40 The one question to ask in every interview. 21:13 The biggest red flag in an interview. 22:22 The strangest interview story Laura has ever been part of. 23:34 The hardest kind of role to fill, and how to push back on unrealistic expectations. 27:06 How Laura uses AI in her personal life, and where Oz's own AI recommendation went wrong. 29:21 The book that can change how you lead your team. 33:32 The career advice Laura would give her 20-year-old self. Thank you for listening to "Hire Learning with Oz Rashid." Don’t forget to leave us a review and subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes. Connect with our host, Oz Rashid, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ozrashid. To learn more about MSH, visit https://www.talentmsh.com. RESOURCES MENTIONED Sun Holdings website: https://www.sunholdings.net “The Power of Moments” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, referenced by Laura when discussing how she builds meaningful moments of recognition with her team: https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Power-of-Moments/Chip-Heath/9781501147760 #TalentAcquisition #HiringStrategy #EnterpriseHiring