Career Pathway Video Series Interview: Kathy Santos

Kathy Santos
Human Resources Generalist, Bath & Body Works
Management/Human Resources, 2018

Approximately 34% of freshmen applications are accepted for admission to San Diego State University. Kathy Santos was among the 34% admitted to attend SDSU as a freshman and she planned to become a dance major.  

Kathy Santos

But circumstances can change our destinies and Santos changed her plans by attending SDSU two years after her initial acceptance. A lot changed during those years, and while still passionate about dance, Santos also developed a passion for business. This prompted her to enter SDSU as a management major at the Fowler College of Business. 

Santos recently discussed the change in her career aspirations with fellow Fowler management graduate, Andy Esparza (’81) as part of Fowler’s management department Career Pathways video series.

Esparza: Tell us a little about your job and what you’re up to today. 

Santos: I recently joined L Brands, specifically Bath & Body Works as an HR generalist. 

Esparza: I’m interested in how you ended up in human resources and the journey you took to get there. 

Santos: I would describe my journey as not quite the traditional track to the HR career that I’m in now. I was accepted to SDSU out of high school as a dance major, but life happens, and I wasn’t able to attend San Diego State right away. I ended up attending a community college and working full-time in retail to support my family. I worked my way up to management and I realized that I was pretty passionate about business. 

In 2016, I was re-accepted at San Diego State as a business major and I found my passion for HR through the SDSU chapter of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM). I’m grateful for all the little steps along the way, but everything happens for a reason and I’m happy I was able to discover HR and begin a career in the field. 

Esparza: Can you give us an overview of what human resources people do? 

Santos: Human resources is really to support the management side of the organization and it can be anything from employee relations, compensation or analytics. Its about supporting managers and helping them make the right decision for their teams and the business. 

Esparza: Tell me about some of the critical skills you think are important for human resources people. 

Santos: I would definitely encourage human resources professionals to become strong critical thinkers, strong listeners and being willing to understand other people’s perspectives. It’s also about partnering with managers through that process and you want to have an understanding of all aspects of the business. 

Esparza: What are some of the resources you took advantage of at San Diego State while you were there? 

Santos: Everything from the career center to the job fairs they host and getting involved in organizations. I was involved in the SHRM organization which, ultimately, helped me a lot in my career search. So be sure to leverage those tools and be sure you’re prepared with attending a job fair by using the career center. 

Esparza: Could you tell me how SHRM impacted your job search? 

Santos: During my senior year at SDSU, I was able to attain an officer position in that organization as the corporate relations director. This taught me how to connect with professionals and get them to attend events at through our organization, so it helped me learn to network. It also served as an icebreaker while I was interviewing, since most HR professionals know what SHRM is. Through SHRM, I was also able to attend conferences in Chicago and Las Vegas and a lot of learning came through that. In fact, it was some information I learned at a conference that inspired me to follow HR as my career path. 

Esparza: Maybe you could talk a little bit about your internship. 

Santos: My internship is what ultimately led me to my first role in HR. I started off as an intern at a hotel in San Diego and I was able to grow into a management role, which led to my first role in HR. So, I would definitely recommend internships because that can lead to your first real opportunity in your career path. 

Esparza: What advise would you give students on how to launch a successful business career. 

Santos: The best advice is to be yourself. Sometimes we get caught up in worrying about the right things to say and we forget to be ourselves and arrive authentically at a meeting or in an interview, otherwise we may come off as a little robotic and scripted. So be yourself during that job search and the right opportunity will come along. 

Esparza: Could you share your experiences on networking: how you get started, how you learn to do it and what the benefits were? 

Santos: It’s scary to start, it’s scary to think about, but it’s about practicing and being yourself. There are so many networking events hosted by SDSU, the career center and student organizations, so to prepare for those events by researching who might be there, what roles they’re looking at and what the values of those companies have. This helps you to ask questions and keep the conversation going. But it’s the preparation that allows you to feel more comfortable and you’re more able to be yourself because you’re comfortable.