Peter Daniels, a Technology Recruiting Manager for Hilton’s Global Talent Organization, had quite a journey working through his attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnosis. During this journey, he was supported by Hilton’s Team Member culture and our world-class medical benefits. Read more to learn about his experience as a neuro-diverse recruiter and how Hilton has helped him through his diagnosis journey.
Meet Peter
Peter joined Hilton in 2018 and has filled hundreds of open positions and supported multiple major hiring initiatives for Hilton’s diverse technology environment, from Field Services to Cybersecurity to Software Engineering and everything in between.
How has your experience with ADHD impacted your career path?
“I had always been a little scatterbrained as a child. Going through school, I always had serious attention issues but never put two and two together until my son was diagnosed in 2018. With the inattentive subtype of ADHD becoming more widely understood in the psychiatric world, a lot more of my childhood made more sense!
I was always a naturally curious kid and read voraciously; people with ADHD tend to be highly creative and inquisitive. This lent itself well to my career in tech recruiting; you must know a little about many highly technical subjects, whether it is the latest front-end development language or cyber security standards; you must talk to many smart people about things they are passionate about!”
How did Hilton help support you as you worked through your diagnosis?
“The medical benefits at Hilton are world-class. With at least two major providers and up to 4 levels of plans for each provider, there are many options to mix and match to suit your specific medical needs. I received amazing coverage, especially for mental health and psychiatric care, which allowed access to some excellent doctors. I was able to partner with a great psychiatrist for my diagnosis who, under my previous medical coverage, would have been unavailable to me.”
How did Hilton support you after your diagnosis?
“Outside of the excellent medical care, my boss's patience was a big part of it (thanks, Emily!). In addition, I am immensely proud of all the processes and best practices the Recruitment organization rolled out during my time here.
A hallmark of ADHD is poor organizational skills. I have always struggled with paperwork (huge understatement!). My leadership has rolled out so many awesome time-saving processes, whether it is our recruitment scheduling team or new automated job descriptions, recruitment tools, and more. Taking away these manual tasks allows me to focus on what I am good at, connecting with people and learning about their career journeys.”
What have you learned since your diagnosis, and how has that impacted your career?
“Putting a name to something I have experienced my entire life was a relief. Repeatedly, I was told to “just focus more” or that I was not working hard enough to stay organized or on task. Securing the diagnosis and working with my doctor on a medication plan was eye-opening.
With my newly found focus and stability, I can dive deep into my job and continue to build a career here at Hilton.”
What advice do you have for candidates or Team Members undergoing a similar journey?
“Our medical benefits had real, tangible results on not only my life but the lives of my candidates. Do your research and dive deep into what Hilton offers: medical coverage, the PTO (Paid Time Off), and Go Hilton travel discounts. It can be a real game changer!”
