My Career/My Way
Turning Lemons into Lemonade
Careers Are Made at Sodexo One Job at a Time:
Meet Derren Thompson
By Michelle Robinson, Director of College & External Relations
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Derren Thompson is the Manager, Diversity Recruiting for Sodexo, responsible for managing the and executing diversity sourcing initiatives. Derren is an AIRS Certified Diversity Recruiter (CDR) and Certified Internet Recruiter (CIR). He holds both a Bachelor’s and a Master’s degree. With 14+ years of experience with Sodexo, Derren has built a varied career that spans the gamut from Operations to Recruiter to Diversity Recruiting Manager. We recently sat down with Derren to learn how he was able to make the transition into several different careers within the company.
Please tell us about your background.
I was recruited right out of college as a Resource Manager in Sodexo’s Mid-Atlantic Health Care Division, where I worked at several different accounts before accepting my first permanent position as Production Manager at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. This was a huge job as I was responsible for 1,700 meals a day. Over the next 6 years at Hopkins, I transitioned into several different positions in Patient Services and Retail Operations. When I left Hopkins, it was to take a promotion to General Manager at Suburban Hospital in Bethesda, MD. In 2005, I joined the Talent Acquisition Group as a Recruitment Specialist and was later promoted to Sr. Recruiter. I have recruited for Senior Services, Health Care, Campus Services and Corporate Services. Most recently, I was promoted to the Manager of Diversity Recruiting position where I manage the Future Leaders Internship Program.
Why did you choose to work for Sodexo?
A representative from the company visited my college to give a presentation to one of my classes. I enjoyed it tremendously, which prompted me to do some research on the field. To my surprise, I found contract services to be quite interesting. I was also impressed by the fact that depending upon which segment I chose to work in, I could potentially end my day at 7pm instead of working 24/7. That really excited me, not to mention that the pay was good.
What have you found most rewarding during your tenure with Sodexo?
I can’t name just one thing. First of all, the ability to change jobs and do many different things has been awesome. Being a part of a great team that has allowed me to share my experiences with college students across the country is pretty high on my list, as well. Finally, I must say that to be able to help others find the joy that I have found with this company during the recruitment process just might be at the top on my list.
To what do you attribute your success?
I have had great mentors who have pushed me into not being afraid to take risks. Making many mistakes and learning from them has allowed me to turn a lot of lemons into lemonade throughout my career.
Derren is a regular guest blogger at Dan Schwabel’s Student Branding Blog, contributing posts on career planning and job search strategies. Catch his most recent bimonthly guest post at You can also follow Derren on Twitter:
RESOURCES
Editor: Sherie Valderrama, Senior Director
