This week on Tapod we catch up with the ever-brilliant duo of Rich Lewis-Jones and Elle Green from SmartRecruiters. We learn all about the SmartRecruiters-SAP SuccessFactors marriage, new products, the upcoming HireXperience event at Luna Park in Sydney, and a few cheeky predictions for the year ahead. As usual we learned stuff—you will too!

Thanks to People Orbit AI for partnering with us this month. 

It’s time for the Scoop from Tapod with all of your weekly TA & Recruitment news from here and abroad. We cover all sorts of headlines, including… HR tech acquisitions are on the rise. Who is worried about AI? Eightfold test case before the courts, labour market stats, job scams warning, and is AI outpacing workplace reality? And much more.

Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us on The Scoop. 

This week on Tapod we sit down for a special episode with Michael De Graaf—Global Head of Talent at Workday. It’s not often we get to talk to someone from a talent team who uses their own solution (customer zero). Mike is as close as you can get to the product, and we get an opportunity to understand how Workday test and trial. We also touch on acquisitions and how solutions integrate or stand alone. It’s a very interesting discussion that will benefit every talent leader.

Thanks to People Orbit AI for partnering with us this month. 

This week on TaPod we catch up with the ever-brilliant Hung Lee. The Recruiting Brainfood Founder has been traveling through South East Asia for the past couple of months and landed in Australia looking for a well-earned rest. Bad luck Hung. He’s running on fumes but still manages to blow us away with his take on the state of the world and the market. We talk AI and competitor advantage in recruitment and argue if we can really be positive about the future? It’s fascinating and relevant. 

Thanks to Avature for your support. 

Today on the Scoop the team from TaPod brings you all the weekly TA & Recruitment news including Greenpeace bucking the trend on DEI initiatives, NSW Police raid other states to hit recruitment targets, rising turnover rates coming out of Asia, update on 4 day work week in Iceland, Gen Alpha to change the workplace forever. And much, much more 

Thanks to our friends at Indeed for your support. 

This week on TaPod we catch up with one of our favourite Kiwis, Keith Muirhead – Director of Talent Acquisition at Fonterra. We talk about how one of the biggest companies in NZ (responsible for 5% of the national GDP) transitioned from RPO to inhouse, covering all of the BIG transformation challenges, from tech to people and process. It’s a great blueprint for change; we learn how to 'make dairy sexy’ and we loved our discussion – you will too. 

Thanks to Avature for your continued support this month. 

Today on The Scoop the team from TaPod brings you all the weekly TA & Recruitment news, including Australia’s most equitable workplaces, the latest Trumpisms, achieving gender parity, Indeed at the World Economic Forum, Chinese firm wants to ban unmarried employees, Gen Z and career cat fishing and more events than you can poke a stick at. 

Thanks to our friends at Indeed for your support. 

This week on TaPod we delve into the far reaches of Employer Brand with Meagan Michaels, Head of EB APAC at BUPA. Fresh off her amazing panel at Indeed Futureworks, discussing remote/hybrid work arrangements. Beginning her career in book publishing, then moving to marketing before working in aviation, recruitment marketing, and finding her way to BUPA. We discuss all manner of Employer Branding and how the world may have changed in 2025. If you’re really lucky and listen closely, you just may be able to hear Meagan’s partner having a very important business meeting in the background… 

Thanks to Avature for your continued support this month. 

It’s time for a TaPod special Episode and today we sit down with Trevor Vas, the only ever winner of a ‘Lifetime’ Internal Talent Award and one of the most brilliant minds in our industry. We touch on where our industry is headed, but more importantly we drill down on Trevor’s new concept – Aligned2Achieve. 

It’s an amazing gamified solution to help optimally position the TA function to help deliver desired business objectives. One of the hardest jobs for a TA Team is to identify the most relevant business goals to their function, Aligned2Achieve guides you through the entire process. At TaPod we were guided through a session and we love it. You will too! 

This week on The Scoop – your weekly Recruitment & TA news – we bring you all manner of updates including… are we really seeing the death of the resume? The latest Gender Pay Gap updates. Pay to apply. DEIB rolls back. Return to Office mandates. Gen Z not ready for the workplace and much more. Craig is accused of ‘sweeping claims of crap.’ 

Thanks to Indeed for your support with the Scoop 

This week’s episode on TaPod is a very special episode... TaPod celebrates International Women’s Day – Craig is kicked to the curb, while Lauren sits down with Dr Morley Muse, Natalie Flynn & Bonnie Crook. It’s a powerhouse team covering really important issues including Gender Pay Gap, Women in STEM, Workforce challenges for Migrant Women, Menopause and how it impacts careers and the power of the next generation of Gen Z women.

This episode is a must-listen – for all genders and it’s a telling reminder of how far we still need to travel for true equality.

Thanks to Avature for supporting the pod this month. 

This week on the Scoop, the team from TaPod brings you all the major TA & Recruitment news from here and around the world! 

From candidates hiding in the cupboard (no really), to all the most recent economic data, to Deep Seek ban to ADF shortages to Gen Z and micro-retirements to bonuses for return to office… and what’s going on in Tassie? 

Thanks to Indeed for supporting the valuable news service for our TA Industry. 

Every time we talk with Gareth Flynn at Tapod, we walk away from the conversation a lot smarter. Today Craig goes one-on-one with one of the most astute minds in Global Talent. We talk skills-based organisations and hiring, meritocracy and DEI, agentic AI and automation, task intelligence, and talent strategy. If you want to be at the forefront of where our industry is heading in 2025 and beyond. This is simply a must-listen. 

Thanks to Avature for your support for this month. 

Today on the Scoop, the team from Tapod brings you all of the weekly TA & Recruitment News. We cover all sorts of headlines, including…  Christmas parties and how to behave, El Jannah and the bots, Callam Pickering drops in for a chat, can a worker working OS apply for unfair dismissal from an Aussie firm? Trump to take over AI, the Victorian economy in the mud, Gen Z and sandpaper, and much more. And don’t forget to listen to the upcoming events!

Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us on The Scoop. 

This week on the Scoop, the team from TaPod brings you all the major TA & Recruitment news from here and around the world! Lauren’s back and crazy resumes!

From an increase in senior-level recruitment professionals, to unfair labour laws in Australia to DEIB updates, to Police acting inappropriately and much more.

Thanks to Indeed for supporting the valuable news service for our TA Industry.

This week’s episode on TaPod is special for many reasons... Bonnie fills in for a ‘sick’ Lauren (so the swear quota is waaaay down) and we speak with one of the most enigmatic figures in the TA industry, Marrin-Boyd Andrews – or MBA, as the 'cool' kids call him. MBA started his life as an ultra-successful DJ – DJ RemixxX - (check a link to one of his tracks in the comments) and then fell into sourcing via recruitment. Anyone who knows MBA is absolutely amazed by his passion and knowledge around AI Prompt Engineering, and he blesses us with his take on AI… where we are at... and where we are headed. 

The first time we really met MBA was at the 2024 ATC Conference, where the packed room held on to his every word and walked out of the session blown away and so much smarter! 

‘With AI, you’re dealing with a 5-year-old at the start and the idea is to educate that 5-year-old up to a point where it’s on par with you.' MBA. 

Thanks to Avature for supporting the pod this month. 

This week on the Scoop, the team from TaPod brings you all the major TA & Recruitment news from here and around the world! And not only that, we have a guest host, the amazing Bonnie Crook! 

From improvements in the IT recruitment market to Gen Z’er answering a work video call in the pool in a string bikini to women being seen in the workplace (not in their bikini) to bosses taking the power back. And check out all of the events we have for you! I reckon Lauren has a tough job getting her seat back! 

Thanks to Indeed for supporting the valuable news service for our TA Industry 

Link to one of MBA's tracks

https://soundcloud.com/alittlezoo/dj-remixxx-got-to-be-a-lover?in=alittlezoo/sets/dj-remixxx-playlist

It’s time to check in with one of our all-time favourites this week on Tapod. Amy Schultz joins us to give us an update on her career and the industry she loves. We have an incredible discussion debunking 2025 predictions (including Amy possibly opening a nude yoga retreat)… seriously though, we talk about AI, Deep Seek, skills-based hiring, how to build a Talent Function from scratch, candidate and employee data, responsibilities of Social Media owners, reliance of tech on talent, the contingent workforce, DEIB... it will blow your mind! 

Thanks to Avature for your support this month. 

What happens when you stick a microphone in front of Adam Walker? Magic… that’s what!

Today it’s Avature meets TaPod in this special episode and we talk about HR trends into 2025. We cover all manner of topics from Generative AI development and Bot Agents to strategic and agile HR, reskilling and upskilling – and that’s just an appetiser.

Without blowing smoke, Adam is one of the most astute commentators in the industry and we love learning from him.

Thanks to Avature for supporting the pod this month.

This week on the Scoop, the team from TaPod brings you all the major TA & Recruitment news from here and around the world! 

From the latest Trumpisms to job ads for robots to the failure of the 4-day work week to bosses losing empathy and much more! And check out all of the events we have for you! 

Thanks to Indeed for supporting the valuable news service for our TA Industry.

Wow! Just WOW! This week on TaPod we are blessed to sit down with Torin Ellis – a voice that will not retreat from the truth… Diversity and Inclusion is more than a belief system and we are at a distinct crossroads.  Are you ready to fight for what is right? For people unable to fight for themselves? Or will you sit idly by whilst we regress as a global society? This is the most powerful and passionate conversation we have been privileged to have been part of on TaPod. 

Thanks to Avature for your support for this month. 

‘I just want people to operate with a higher frequency of love.’ Torin Ellis 

It’s time to drop a special Tapod episode! Our friends at Indeed are getting ready for Futureworks 2025 in Sydney on 20th February. And what better way to prepare than catching up with Rachael Townsley – APAC Marketing Director - to get a sneak peek backstage? 

Not only that TaPod have secured some free tickets. If you are based in Sydney (or can travel there) & want to win one, email marketing_australia@indeed.com 

Let them know who you are and you may be joining us! 

This week on the Scoop, the team from TaPod brings you all the major TA & Recruitment news from here and around the world! 

From Retail Industry overtime grab to Trump demands faster recruitment to same job some pay to inappropriate questions in interviews to the obligatory Gen Z article and much, much more. And check out all of the events we have for you! 

Thanks to Indeed for supporting the valuable news service for 2025 

This week on TaPod we start hot for 2025 with an absolute living treasure in the global TA & HR space! Lars Schmidt is not only one of the smartest people going around, but he is also quite possibly the nicest. We cover all sorts in this episode, From Lars’ recent life changes to the death of the resume to the political climate in the USA. This one is definitely a ‘time capsule’ moment and we really hope you enjoy it as much as we do.

Thanks to Avature for your support for this month.

This week on Tapod we wrap 2025 and the year that was with two of the greatest minds in our industry, Sarah Purches and Jo Vohland. Nothing is off the table as we cover every single issue we faced over the past 12 months, from AI to acquisitions to the shrinking TA market to the global economy and much more. Not only that, we all give our crystal ball moment for 2026. We don’t always agree, but boy, we had fun! 

Thanks to Greenhouse for partnering with us this month. 

We’re back for 2025! This week on the Scoop, the team from TaPod brings you all the major TA & Recruitment news from here and around the world! 

From new police check laws, to the death (maybe a bit premature) of DEIB, to return to work for ALL US Federal employees, to Australia Day, Gen Z and Loud Quitting and much much, more (including a veritable plethora of brand new events). 

Thanks to Indeed for supporting the valuable news service for 2025 

For the final episode of the Summer Series on Tapod Bonnie has chosen her favourite from 2024 and we (re)catch up with James Ellis... and WOW! If you don’t think you need to know what Employer Brand is all about you are wrong. It’s all about finding something to give you a difference – and that’s something we all need – especially when trying to cut through the noise to candidates.

We discuss James’ latest book – The Laws of Employer Branding and it is equal parts fascinating and valuable, and we unpack Lauren’s dating life.

It is one of the most interesting chats we have ever had!
Thanks to Bonnie and to TaPod Connect for supporting the Summer Series. We're back next week with brand new content!

For our second week of the TaPod Summer Series, it's Craig's choice, and he chose a fascinating episode where we are joined by Al Schirmer – Talent Tech Strategist who has recently taken on a huge Global Role. But before he did, we grabbed him to take the temperature of Rec-Tech. We cover AI (of course), Skills-based recruitment and many other solutions and tech  we may not have otherwise thought about. You need to be over this – you really do, and thanks to Al we have all the answers.
A Big Cheers to TaPod Connect for supporting the Summer Series!

​That's right it's that time of year again! We know you're missing TaPod during the Summer, so it's time we looked back on our favourite episodes from 2024.

​Today Lauren & Jo Vo bring your their favourite, and it's only got more important as the year rolled on.

Sometimes you get lucky… very lucky. T​o​day we have the unimaginable pleasure of speaking with Dr Louise Newson – World Leader… that’s right WORLD LEADER in Menopause awareness and treatment. The good Doc has over half a million Instagram followers, she hosts the number 1 medical podcast in the UK, she is a best-selling author, has opened specialist menopause clinics all over England and we are incredibly lucky to speak with her.

51% of the population experience menopause and the other 49% know someone who has experienced it. The symptoms vary, but will almost certainly affect them in the workplace – but we never f*&king talk about it? Why? In this poddie we tackle everything from the stigma… the symptoms… HRT…how we can make positive change in the workplace, and much more. It’s not often we go on record saying this is ‘must listen’ or that this episode has the capacity to change lives – but this one really does. Please listen, if not for you then for a friend or family member and then share it far and wide. We’re joining Louise’s mission and we hope you will too.

​Have a great Summe from everyone at Tapod!

This week on The Scoop – your weekly TA & Recruitment News—the team from TaPod tackles all the BIG issues for the last time in 2024. From employees being rewarded with cold hard cash. Kiwis leaving on mass. Unemployment data. Most liveable cities in the world. Good news for Tassie & Queensland. Gen Z finally doing something right. Update on the Recruitment Agency White Christmas Party and much much more. 

Thanks to Indeed for your support and commitment to bringing you unfiltered news all year and into 2025! 

It’s the final TaPod for the year, and have we got a present for you! We are joined by industry experts Jo Vohland and Edan Haddock for a 2024 wrap-up and just a little bit of 2025 crystal balling...

From AI to DEI to Tech to ‘Doing More with Less’ and a heap more. Jo and Edan disagree on whether Talent Leaders should run requisitions… what do you think? 

Thanks to TaPod Connect for supporting the podcast throughout Summer! 

This week on TaPod we catch up with Stephanie Zuniga-Maher DEIB Advocate and wonderful human being, to get an overview of what’s happening in the Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging space. From an explanation about the difference between equity & equality to the gender pay gap conundrum to how the political climate in the USA may effect DEIB and plenty more. If you want to understand the challenges facing talent teams in regards to DEIB – this is the perfect listen for you. 

Thanks to TaPod Connect for supporting the podcast throughout Summer! 

This week on The Scoop – your weekly TA & Recruitment News the team from TaPod tackles all the BIG issues. From Apple being sued by an employee, to bosses making WFH demands, to Gen Z throwing their toys out of the pram (again) to the TA jobs market on the up - Hallelujah! And just how do you pronounce pundit? 

We even venture into a ‘real-life’ prominent recruitment agency Christmas message – It’s a classic! 

Thanks to Indeed for your support and commitment to bringing you unfiltered news. 

 This week on TaPod we sit down with Kate Mosel (just like the dry white wine) Manager – Talent at IGO, winners of the Best Careers Website ITA which was proudly sponsored by Page Up. 

We understand just why IGO’s careers website is so good. From fantastic Candidate Experience to Graduate and Vacation program to talent pooling to Diversity and Inclusion and that’s just the start. It’s a stand-out site that continues to evolve 

Thanks to TaPod Connect for supporting the podcast throughout Summer! 

This week on The Scoop – your weekly TA & Recruitment News the team from TaPod tackles all the BIG issues… unlawful labour hire practices, current economic data, 3.5 day working week, AI used by bad people to do bad things, candidates ‘right to know’ in AI recruitment, Gen Z wants to up-end the hiring process and much, much more. Big thanks to Indeed for your ongoing support. 

Today on the Scoop the team from Tapod brings you all of the weekly TA & Recruitment News. We cover all sorts of headlines, including…  The Australian government throws its hat into the AI world, the French Culture Ministry drugs interviewees, MI5 investigates recruiters, career opportunities for over 50’s, Bunnings nails the 5-generation workforce, Australia’s gender pay gap is improving, and much more!  And don’t forget to listen to the upcoming events!

Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us on The Scoop. 

This week on TaPod, we catch up with one of the most accomplished and wonderful Talent Leaders in ANZ, Nina Pollard from Coles or as Lauren puts it… ‘A very f$%king robust career with some massive labels behind it…’ With 5 ITAs including Talent Leader of the Year, Nina sure has some amazing experience and success to draw on. We talk about the wins, the challenges, the outside interests and the journey to get there. For anyone looking to take their Talent career to the ultimate level, here is the blueprint! 

Thanks to SmartRecruiters for your ongoing support. 

This week on TaPod, we have our special partner episode, and we are joined by Steven Begadon from Air New Zealand and Mirela Lane from SmartRecruiters as we ‘take-off’ and get to know what a successful technology implementation looks like. From CRM talent pipelines to mobile-first approach to reporting enhancements and the next phase of AI development with Winston, this is an episode that will give some amazing insights for talent functions looking to explore technology change. 

This week on The Scoop – your weekly TA & Recruitment News the team from TaPod tackles all the BIG issues. It’s Gen Z, AI, Christmas Hiring, Gender Pay Gap  and much, much more. Thanks to Indeed for supporting the industry news. 

This week on TaPod, we catch up with the ever-brilliant Lizzie Ibeakanma – Talent Manager @Starbucks. From recruiting for an extremely well-known brand… to implementing AI and automating mundane tasks… to engaging a high-volume TA team… to building a successful Tech Stack, we uncover a treasure trove of tricks and tools to update your recruiting function. We love talking with really smart people!

Speaking of smart…thanks to SmartRecruiters for your ongoing support (see what we did there?).  

This week on TaPod, we have a real gift for you! In conjunction with Nadine O’Regan from TQ Solutions we speak with Bjorn Jarvis – Head of Labour Statistics from the Australian Bureau of Statistics. We go straight to the source for up-to-date data and trends for unemployment, immigration, inflation and how it impacts the labour market, wage growth, productivity and predictions over the next 12 months. It is an absolutely fascinating discussion based on real data and commentary. If you want to be the smartest person in the office, this is the podcast for you!

Thanks to TQ Solutions for working with us on this special episode.  

This week on The Scoop – your weekly TA & Recruitment News the team from TaPod tackles all the BIG issues. Callam Pickering, Senior Economist at Indeed joins us for an update on economic indicators, strange reasons recruiters give for missing out on roles, best places to work for wellness, AI, Gen Z and much, much more. Thanks to Indeed for supporting the industry news.

This week on TaPod, we tackle a really important issue – Women’s Health in the Workplace. We are joined by the amazing Jess Gibson-Jones and Kaz Thorley who first shared their personal stories at the Sydney Talent Meet Up a week earlier. From Periods to Peri-Menopause to Menopause to Miscarriages to Endometriosis to Hysterectomy to Cancer and more, we  highlight how Women’s Health Issues are not regarded, or even accepted in many workplaces. It’s raw. It’s educational. And it’s essential that this issue is spoken about… by everyone.

Thanks to SmartRecruiters for your continued support of TaPod.

The Solution Series - by Tapod is committed to bringing you the best 'New HRTech', State-of-the-Art Solutions and Products to make your life as a TA Professional easier.
Today we speak with Elliott Gibb - Co-Founder at Mercu and be prepared to be blown away!
Mercu's AI-powered platform automates all repetitive recruiter tasks: Candidate screening, communication, and interview scheduling. Either stand-alone or by integrating with an existing ATS. If you like simplicity and ease of communication, you'll love Mercu - take a listen!

This week on The Scoop – your weekly TA & Recruitment News the team from TaPod tackles all the BIG issues. From tripping over a puppy fence to NZ jobless rate to employers valuing digital skills over AI skills to emerging roles to Gen Z’ers copping a bake and much, much more. Thanks to Indeed for supporting the industry news.

This week on TaPod, Lauren has a week off and Craig flies solo with the joint winners of the 2024 Diversity, Equity and Inclusion ITA – MYOB and Bendigo & Adelaide Bank.

DE&I is such a massive undertaking and both organisations demonstrate their commitment to change with Belinda Leon talking through Bendigo’s strategy to create greater opportunities for people with disabilities, cancer sufferers and First Nations Candidates and Kristina Nutt leads us through the amazing ‘Develop Her’ initiative shining a gender lens on Women in Tech.

DE&I initiatives take passion, hard work and partnerships and both our guests detail partnerships with organisations like, Smiling Mind, Headspace, Randstad and RMIT University amongst a village of others. It’s a fascinating discussion and one well worth listening to. Thanks to Enboarder for supporting the DE&I Award at the ITAs and kudos to Smart Recruiters for your continued support of TaPod.

This week on Tapod we sit down with one of the leading minds in AI in Australia—Professor Toby Walsh, Chief Scientist at UNSW AI Institute. Fresh from his keynote presentation at ATC2025, the Good Professor guides us through the myths associated with AI as well as plenty of practical applications. If you are nervous, intimidated, or worried about where technology is headed, rest assured—we have you covered. Oh—and did we tell you the story about Toby and his little challenge with Russia?

Thanks to Greenhouse for partnering with us this month. 

We love to speak with our partners at TaPod and in this special episode we catch up with Rich Lewis-Jones VP AsiaPac @SmartRecruiters to introduce us to Winston the heart, soul, and brains behind “the new” SmartRecruiters as your AI ‘sidekick’.

Not only will Winston help save time by taking over your repetitive admin tasks, but also learns from you, to support you as a recruiter. Auto interview scheduling, suggestions on PDs, process and candidates all based on your past interactions. And don’t get us started about how the dashboard can be customised for each recruiter based on how you want to use it. The future is here and its name is Winston!

This week on The Scoop – your weekly TA & Recruitment News the team from TaPod tackles all the BIG issues. From Kiwis and remote work to emails flouting the right to disengage laws to AI with a side of bias to Gen Z’ers being Gen Z’ers and much, much more.

Thanks to Indeed for your support and commitment to bringing you unfiltered news!

This week on TaPod we sit down with Francesca Watkins, Talent Matchmaker… Inclusivity Champion and TA Manager @AIA NZ – Winner of the ITA for Corporate Talent Team of the Year – sponsored by @Paradox. AIA NZ is the first winner from New Zealand and their submission was amazing!

We look at success measures including baselines, targets and outcomes. It’s a great way to measure success. From Talent referrals to 97% Acceptance Rates to Internal Mobility to Gender Pay Gap – AIA NZ is a Talent Function on the rise!

 Thanks to SmartRecruiters for your continued support.