Starring recruiting leadership from everywhere under the talent acquisition sun, Talk Talent To Me is a fast-paced rough-and-tumble tour through the strategies, metrics, techniques, and trends shaping the recruitment industry. Brought to you by your pals at LHH.
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How is AI reshaping the recruitment landscape, and what does it take to implement it effectively? Today, we sit down with returning guest Marcus Sawyerr to delve into the potential of AI-powered recruitment. Marcus is the Founder and CEO of EQ app, an AI-driven platform designed to connect people and knowledge to drive business growth. Marcus is a pioneer in leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance sales, marketing, and recruitment processes. Recognized as one of the top influential leaders in the staffing industry, Marcus has also served as an advisor to prominent venture capital firms and startups. In our conversation, we delve into the intricacies of deploying AI into an HR tech stack and how AI-powered recruitment strategies are shaking up the industry landscape. We discuss the reasons behind AI becoming front and center in the recruitment industry, explore the different use cases of AI in recruitment, and unpack the fundamentals of implementing AI in HR workflows. Marcus also explains the essential considerations of implementing AI, the paradigm shifts AI is creating in the industry, and what companies get wrong about it.
Key Points From This Episode:
Recent trends in AI and why the recruitment industry is beginning to embrace it.
The different potential use cases of AI within the overall hiring workflow.
Common misconceptions of AI in recruitment and missed opportunities within the industry.
How AI is disrupting traditional recruitment workflows and enhancing productivity.
Why AI is not a "silver bullet" for problems and why a deep understanding of it is vital.
The hype cycle around AI and its role in connecting people to the technology.
Ways to distinguish between valuable AI solutions and overhyped tools.
Insight into the internal and external company aspects of implementing AI.
Marcus' approach to identifying workflow gaps and building trust with teams and the C-suite.
The potential of AI to enhance workflows and help grow small businesses.
Recommendations for recruitment leaders to begin deploying AI strategies.
Final takeaways and an update on the EQ AI Community.
Quotes:
"The difference now is that AI allows a new workflow and a new way of doing things, which you may not have considered [before]." — @Marcussawyerr [0:07:55]
"The way that we work and interact with machines — is evolving at a rapid pace that we haven't seen before." — @Marcussawyerr [0:15:46]
"It's really about thinking how you use AI technology to perform better in real life." — @Marcussawyerr [0:29:00]
"If you are inside of an organization, you've got to figure out how can you drive [AI] proactively or do something else on the side to help you do extra and do more." — @Marcussawyerr [0:32:14]
Quantum Motion Head of Talent & People Christine Ng
Friday, November 15, 2024 • Duration 35:51
Christine shares how her background has enabled her to treat with the most technical talent in the market, and details her approach of developing young talent as well as luring niche talent away from academia.
Key Points From This Episode:
A bit about Christine's career and how she landed at Quantum Motion.
Christine tells us about the engineering company she was part of.
Her opinion on being a generalist versus specializing in something.
A breakdown of Quantum Motion, what they do, and their hardware search.
Christine tells us about the kinds of people they hire at Quantum Motion.
The two very different ways of hiring for a startup (academia and industry).
How they develop the talent that they need on their own as well.
Christine tells us how she can tell if someone has used ChatGPT.
Some advice for anyone wanting to apply for a role in quantum.
What they are looking for when recruiting at Quantum Motion.
Quotes:
"The reality is, if there's no hardware, there is no quantum computing." — @xtine08 [0:20:28]
"It's tricky to hire because we do get a lot of interest." — @xtine08 [0:31:06]
"Stay tuned! I think in the next two or three years there will be a lot more opportunities in the [quantum] space." — @xtine08 [0:32:06]
Zephyr Head of Talent Nicolette Jackson
Thursday, April 25, 2024 • Duration 35:06
There's a saying that goes "Nothing grows in the comfort zone" and our guest today is a formidable example of success outside of comfort! We are thrilled to welcome to the Talk Talent to Me podcast, Nicolette Jackson, Head of Talent over at Zephyr. Nicolette shares more about what they do at Zephyr and her journey to becoming the Head of Talent. We dive into her inspiring and forward approach to negotiating her job offer at Zephyr, and she highlights what prompted her confidence to (always) ask for more! We then delve into the different facts of her mentor/mentee relationship with Lorraine Buhannic, and much more.
Key Points From This Episode:
The Nicolette of it all. More about Zephyr and Nicolette's background and journey.
Viewing another Chief People Officer's visible role at the table: how it was apparent to Nicolette.
She elaborates on the different types of things the board asked Lorraine (the CPO).
The sparks that influenced Nicolette's Chief People Officer aspirations.
Nicolette delves into her approach toward negotiating her job offer at Zephyr.
The inspiration that prompted her confidence to ask for more (from her job offer).
Nicolette sheds light on various facets of her mentorship dynamic with Lorraine.
She shares Lorraine's anti-imposter syndrome pep-talk/ concept.
Painting her own data journey and the impact it has had on her confidence.
She explains the different ways she is currently quantifying the role.
Why owning your expertise is a beautiful thing to do for a business.
Quotes:
"When I realized that recruiting was — one side bringing people in but then also how to grow them and make them happy while they were there was the whole other side of the spectrum. And to truly be happy in recruiting — I feel like I also wanted a say-so on how people were treated once they were in the door." — Nicolette Jackson [0:08:40]
Billd Head of People Ops Francisco Michel
Wednesday, September 14, 2022 • Duration 25:47
Billd's Head of People Ops, Francisco Michel, discusses the importance of goal setting and KPIs being tailored specifically to each individual employee while keeping the company's overall goals in mind. Francisco shares his plans to revamp the EMPS survey in the future. Next, Francisco shares his favorite 'hat' to wear, how he defines and manages his abundance of responsibilities, and his hopes for the future of Billd. He even delves into how his interview process at the company inspired him to make changes to it when he started, how he selects employees and the importance of having grit. Francisco also shares his belief that a start-up creates opportunities and implores listeners to work for one at least once in their career. So, tune in now to hear more and to find out why "Happy people produce and happy people stay!"
Key Points From This Episode:
Introducing today's guest, Francisco Michel.
An overview of Billd and Francisco's role in the company is.
How much Francisco's job is changing with his new promotion.
The issues he plans to tackle in the company right now.
How Billd has created KPIs for the company by focusing on the company's goals.
Francisco shares his KPIs with us based on the different hats he has to wear at work.
The one question Billd asks people when it comes to EMPS.
How Francisco manages being the bearer of good or bad news in Billd.
Francisco's long-term plan to revamp the EMPS survey and make it more robust.
Why every individual person needs different KPIs and how Francisco goes about doing this.
Why Francisco pushes employees quite a bit.
Francisco's favorite part of his job and what he hopes to focus on in the future.
How Francisco defines and manages all of his responsibilities at work.
Why working at a start-up presents many opportunities.
How Francisco figures out if someone actually wants to join his company.
The importance of finding the right personality to fit within your company.
Why you need grit in Francisco's industry.
What Francisco's interview process was like at Billd and how he subsequently changed it.
Hopscotch Health Head of TA Lisa Hyder
Tuesday, August 23, 2022 • Duration 26:12
Does hyper-growth seem scary, unattainable, and destined for disaster? Well, today we are joined by Head of TA Lisa Hyder to tell us how she manages to successfully achieve hyper-growth within Hopscotch Health. While drawing on her 15 years of experience, Lisa tells us about her personally developed recruitment tactics, her holistic and strategic approach to talent, and why she believes in the power of having a whole company lending a hand in the hiring process. From interviews, reviewing resumes, and jotting notes, to personally messaging candidates, Lisa tells us how (and why) we need to create and use a thorough interview, recruitment, and vetting process to ensure our companies are destined for success. Plus, we hear all about Lisa's love for Excel spreadsheets and how she optimizes them to use for just about everything!
Key Points From This Episode:
Lisa's 'fun but frantic' approach to hyper-growth.
A look at the creation of De Novo clinics.
The recruitment culture at Hopscotch Health
Lisa's positive experience with the Hopscotch hiring process.
How Lisa structures a strict vetting interview process (and the answers she wants to hear).
The power of social recruiting.
Lisa's approach to talent and recruitment.
How recruiters can uplevel and develop themselves.
What hyper-growth means for a company.
The hyper-growth that has been taking place in Hopscotch Health.
The different trackers (spreadsheets) Hopscotch Health uses.
Hopscotch Health's new innovation, integration, and technology investments.
Why you should personal message candidates, rather than simply email.
Tweetables:
"Talent is marketing, it's business development, it's HR, it's sales."— Lisa Hyder [0:09:29]
"As [companies] grow, [they] need corporate positions to support that growth." — Lisa Hyder
Mastercard Director of Talent Sam Sparks LIVE in London
Monday, August 22, 2022 • Duration 34:14
Hello London! We are live! And we are thrilled to welcome you to this Talk Talent To Me special edition: the Nightclub Rave Recruiting podcast. Joining us today at the magnificent Steel Yard nightclub is the Director of Talent at MasterCard, Sam Sparks. We take a look at Sam's professional background and how she ended up at MasterCard, before diving into the complexities of acquiring a business, from a TA perspective. Our panelist gives us the makeup of her recruitment team while letting us know how she is able to ensure that they are getting involved with their clients and candidates. Sam prefers to silently observe interviews and meetings, and she lets us know what she wants to hear from her team in those situations. You'll learn about cross-department partnerships, what it's like to hire as a globally recognized organization, understanding what a candidate wants, the pros and cons of building a recruitment management team, and the importance of social media for big corporations. After getting an idea of Sam's future career prospects, Rob steps into the audience to give them the chance to ask our guest a few questions. The impromptu interviews help us understand Sam's views on how TA will evolve in the near future, the best ways to assess the technical skills of candidates, and how you can build a company culture in a remote-work world.
Key Points From This Episode:
Welcoming our guest, Sam Sparks, and some thoughts on today's nightclub venue.
A look at Sam's professional background and how she ended up at MasterCard.
Understanding the complexities of acquiring a business, from a TA perspective.
What her team looks like: hiring managers and heads of departments.
How the other recruiters on her team go about their business.
What Sam is on the lookout for when observing meetings and interviews.
The other departments that she partners with to make sure that hers is not the last to know.
Whether it's a good thing that most prospective candidates already know MasterCard.
Understanding what candidates want and how to offer it to them.
Localized marketing and building a recruitment marketing team.
If it is important to have a specialized local marketer on the recruitment team: Sam thinks not.
Job Seeker Expectations vs. Reality with Tali Rapaport
Friday, August 19, 2022 • Duration 33:48
Today we are joined by the Co-founder of Puck, Tali Rapaport. Tali is passionate about helping employees find the right work environment based on their specific stories. Tuning in, you'll hear all about Tali and what drove her to start Puck. She elaborates on the importance of transparency in the job application process, why you need to connect with each individual person's story, as well as the challenges she has encountered in her line of work. We also discuss the disconnect Tali sees in what employees hear and what they see about their roles as well as what she thinks people want to see when applying for a job. Next, we look into why day-to-day tasks are not selling points when searching for employees before diving into Puck's use of podcasts and audio to tell personal stories. Tali also talks us through the way today's work environment affects Puck, how candidates are matched with employees and vice-versa, along with why recruitment marketing is imperative. Finally, Tali explains what she sees as 'storytelling' in her line of work.
Key Points From This Episode:
An introduction to today's guest, Tali Rapaport.
A bit about Tali's background and what drove her to start her company, Puck.
The importance of being transparent about what a particular job requires of employees.
The challenges Tali saw while she was working with Lyft.
The importance of connecting with employees and their specific 'stories.'
How Tali figured out that there's a disconnect between what employees read about their roles and what they see.
What Tali thinks people want to see when applying for a job.
Why day-to-day tasks are a terrible thing to sell on in the job application process.
When Tali realized that these application problems were significant enough to start a company that would address them.
The solution she envisions for these problems: audio rather than video.
How Puck makes use of podcasts.
Puck's goals for the audio they create: the use of personal story.
Where Puck's innovative content is used.
The current state of how people expect to do work and how it influences the way that Tali presents her company.
How Tali finds candidates that fit into a company's work-life approach and vice versa.
DotConnect Chief Conscious Connector Dom Farnan
Wednesday, August 17, 2022 • Duration 32:47
Today, we welcome Dom Farnan back to the podcast! She is the Founder and Chief Conscious Connector at DotConnect. Dom begins by giving us a rundown of who DotConnect is as a company and a breakdown of some of their recent projects. Then, she opens up about the introspection that led to her discovering that she'd been a toxic boss. That leads to Dom describing how she knew that she needed to shift her focus, how her personal development coach made her focus on the right things, and how her personal growth led to positive organizational changes at work, creating a healthier work culture. We find out why performance-based values alone are not enough for DotConnect, what the company's core values are, how our guest ensures that the company values and the work being done are interconnected, and the type of responsibilities that she places on her team leaders' shoulders. The change in values altered the way that Dom and DotConnect do business and she stresses the importance of only saying yes to healthy business propositions. In this information-packed episode, you'll learn how DotConnect differs from other RPOs, what scrum methodology is and how it applies to the talent space, and how Dom and her company made some changes after retrospective sessions with clients.
Key Points From This Episode:
A warm welcome to our returning guest and friend of the podcast, Dom Farnan.
Who DotConnect is as a business and what they've been working on recently.
When Dom shifted her focus and how she knew that it was the right time.
What her personal coach directed her to focus on: herself.
Creating awareness around a toxic work culture and developing a healthier one.
How she was able to introspect and find clarity on her toxic behaviors as a boss.
The organizational changes at work as a result of her personal triumphs.
Why performance-based values were not enough for Dom and her company.
How Dom ensures that the company's core values and the actual work being done are interconnected.
How the change in values has altered the way she chooses business partners.
The specifics of how DotConnect is different from other RPOs.
SVP of HR & TA Stephanie Cramer
Friday, August 12, 2022 • Duration 27:55
Joining us today is the SVP of HR and Talent Acquisition at MGAC, Stephanie Cramer. MGAC has recently branched out to the UK and our guest speaks about taking stock of talent within a global organization, how to formulate a practical action plan after a major acquisition, and the details of her particular approach to the tech stack. It is important to advertise the company culture from the perspectives of current employees and Stephanie gives examples of how she accomplishes this through in-house recruitment videos. You'll learn of the difficult questions she receives from candidates, before giving her opinions on a real experience that rob had on LinkedIn. After debating whether salary information should be available to candidates upfront, we take a closer look at a member of Stephanie's team who made an extremely successful transition from admin to talent! Stephanie has an abundance of advice to give and if you've been looking for answers regarding all things HR and TA, tune in now!
Key Points From This Episode:
How our guest, Stephanie Cramer, took an accidental midday sabbatical, which ultimately helped her mental health.
A brief discussion on the movie The Gray Man.
Stephanie breaks down what MGAC do as a company,
What her role entails, and how she ended up working there.
How she takes stock of the talent situation in a global organization.
Formulating a practical action plan after a big acquisition.
The specifications of her approach to the tech stack.
Why it's necessary to advertise company culture from the perspective of the current employees.
How Stephanie ended up choosing Comparably for her company.
What she would ask and say to employees, as a director, when filming promo videos.
The tough questions that candidates ask in an interview that may be difficult to answer.
Rob shares a real experience he had on LinkedIn and Stephanie gives her thoughts on it.
Taking a closer look at whether salary information should be available to candidates upfront.
The hires our guest is currently making and the growth of her team.
An MGAC staff member, based in LA, who successfully transitioned from admin to talent.
Buf Head of TA Ben Caggia
Monday, August 8, 2022 • Duration 26:58
Joining us today is the Head of Talent Acquisition at Buf, Ben Caggia. Ben started by studying medicine, even going as far as taking the MCAT, before realizing that he is actually more passionate about talent acquisition. We get an understanding of Ben's love for the trenches, why you should find a job aligned with your passions and interests, how to make the shift from individual contributors to management, and what he believes are the attributes of a great manager. As a bonus, Ben tells us why it's important to ask the right questions at interviews and how you should trust your gut to guide you towards the right company. This conversation goes against the grain compared to previous episodes, in the best way possible!
Key Points From This Episode:
How he is spending his office time: hands-on with roles.
What recruiters struggle with when not completely backed by the company.
A combination of building the pipeline and understanding exactly who you are looking for.
How he is grateful for all the support he received at Buf.
What Buf as a company does, and Ben's role in it.
Buf as a utopia for engineers.
Ben's professional background and how he ended up in talent.
His love for being in the trenches.
How he made the decision that medicine wasn't for him.
Finding a job that aligns with your passions and interests.
Making the shift from individual contributor to management.
Wanting to help people as the cornerstone to the decisions he's made.
The attributes of a good manager, according to Ben.
Whether there's a cap on being the IC if you don't want to pursue management.
How to know if you are speaking to the right companies: trust your gut.
Why it's important to do the research and ask the right questions at interviews.
Tweetables:
"I'm a little bit spoiled at Buf. The team is incredibly involved in recruiting. They recognize how valuable it is as a function." —
"If you're applying for a role in quantum, really think about what about quantum that excites you because there's so much hype around this area as well." — @xtine08 [0:33:09]
"Who gets the oil? The squeaky wheel, honestly the people that ask for the things they want." — Nicolette Jackson [0:14:44]
"Nothing that I've done in this life that has made me successful was ever comfortable. It's always been uncomfortable. It's always been a challenge." — Nicolette Jackson [0:25:20]
"I do think it's important to make [KPIs] simple but [focus on] what is really going to matter at the end of the day for this individual and what is going to show that they are a good performer." — Francisco Michel [0:12:48]
"When it comes time to review this person on their performance, how are you going to define what good performance looks like if you don't have something to measure it off of?" — Francisco Michel [0:14:00]
"At a startup, you really get to learn a lot not only about yourself but a lot about what other departments do, how everything works, how it needs to be built, and how to accept your failures because you don't know everything and you are trying to build the plane and fly it at the same time." — Francisco Michel [0:16:22]
"Take a chance on a startup at least once in your career, you'll learn a lot. Either you'll learn that startups are not for you or you'll learn that you can really do more things at a startup and discover new job opportunities." — Francisco Michel [0:17:32]
"If you can't take your façade down, you won't be successful at Billd". — Francisco Michel [0:21:48]
"Happy people produce and happy people stay." — Francisco Michel [0:23:30]
Why it's important for big corporations to make good use of social media.
Sam's future career prospects.
Rob goes into the audience to take some of their questions.
How Sam sees TA evolving over the next two years.
The best way to assess the technical skills of candidates.
How to build a company culture in a remote-work world.
Whether it's possible to make TAs a business critical at the decision-making table, and how.
Tweetables:
"Agencies are very salesy and I love the interaction with people, but I hated the KPIs." —Sam Sparks [0:04:46]
"In order to truly sell what the team does, what the growth potential is, what the experience they can get being a part of that team, you really need to live and breathe it. I really encourage my teams to do that." —Sam Sparks [0:08:13]
"It's empowering my team to be able to have the confidence to push back, ask those questions, and manage those conversations. You have to do that in partnership with HR, rightly or wrongly, because these conversations are important." —Sam Sparks [0:11:08]
"What we're seeing in the economy now, MasterCard as a brand is not enough. It's all well and good working for a great brand, but you need more than that now." —Sam Sparks [0:13:53]
"I'm a firm believer in thinking outside of the box. I think sometimes recruitment can be so boring, and we don't make the most of what we can do." —Sam Sparks [0:18:28]
"That's the problem we had with our global approach to content. It was very professional. It was quite stilted. There was not a lot of personality coming through. It seemed too fake. It didn't really resonate. It didn't represent what we are in Europe." —Sam Sparks [0:019:49]
"We're trying to do a bit more and push the boundaries a bit. I'm a bit of a maverick. I like to do stuff and just annoy my manager and say that we should do it" —Sam Sparks [0:20:33]
"I mean, she loves me now. She probably secretly hates me, but she knows I'm like a dog with a bone. I just won't give up. I think you have to be a bit like that." —Sam Sparks [0:32:49]
Why Tali thinks large companies should have a person dedicated to recruitment marketing.
What Tali means when she talks about 'storytelling.'
Where the name "Puck" comes from.
Tweetables:
"You don't need to be communicating to a lot of people to communicate clearly and with specifics. I think that that's part of the storytelling that people are missing." — @TaliR[0:08:43]
"There's a difference between what people put in a job description and the questions candidates want answered when applying to the job." — @TaliR[0:10:14]
"It's so much easier to connect with a story about a person than it is to connect with a bullet point. That's a bullet that someone will read and forget. It helps you as a storyteller, as a company, as an individual make a lasting impression on the people that are considering joining you." — @TaliR[0:18:12]
"The right team for you is not the right team for me or the next person who comes in. So if you can sell on your team, that's, I think, the best." — @TaliR[0:24:45]
What 'scrum' looks like when applied to the talent space.
An example of something Dom stopped doing after a retrospective session with a client.
Why some recruiters lose their love for caring for and wanting to help people.
How to regain a lost passion: go back to what brings you joy!
Identifying the negative aspects of your job and calling them out.
Tweetables:
"We look at ourselves as conscious connectors who are excited to help build companies, through building meaningful relationships and actually making hiring enjoyable.." — Dom Farnan [0:02:54]
"It's been a couple of years of personal self-development work, but that inner work and healing has really transformed my business." — Dom Farnan [0:04:12]
"It's really hard to just have a set of values that's all about numbers, metrics, and performance when we have emotions, and we are highly irrational human beings in our human experience, and everybody has different things going on in their lives that impacts their ability to perform." — Dom Farnan [0:10:24]
A lot of our work still comes from my personal network of when I was recruiting. I actually love that, because we walk in and we have this solid level of trust and understanding with each other. We almost skipped to the really good part of a relationship." — Dom Farnan [0:15:08]
"Care and consideration. Literally, care and consideration. That's it. When they would ask me, 'How do you have all these clients?' or 'Where are you getting all this work?' I'm like, 'I don't know. It's magic. I guess I just care.'" — Dom Farnan [0:23:25]
"Whatever the situation is, it's always someone else's stuff. It's never your own stuff. All you can control is your response and your energy, not everybody else's. I think once you have that shift, recruiting is not that bad." — Dom Farnan [0:27:02]
Recruiting from the perspective of what makes the candidate happy.
Stephanie's advice to those who are looking to follow a similar career path to hers.
Tweetables:
"I firmly believe that when you lead a people function, it's all about connecting with the people." — Stephanie Cramer [0:05:01]
"I can speak 'till I'm blue in the face about what it means to be an MGAC employee, but nothing is going to be better than actually listening to a firsthand account." — Stephanie Cramer [0:08:17]
"When my team starts talking to people, right off the bat, we try and answer those questions. But being able to provide any sort of transparency around [salary] is going to help us too." — Stephanie Cramer [0:13:33]
"Being able to have an HR presence, even if it is in recruiting and talent acquisition, was very beneficial." — Stephanie Cramer [0:20:45]
"One is slow down and the other is stop listening to the imposter syndrome. Believe in yourself." — Stephanie Cramer [0:26:27]
"There's elements of it that just aren't fun. That's why you get paid to do the job. But it's about finding the job that you're most excited in that aligns with your passions and interests, where it doesn't actually feel like work. Even the bad parts are bearable." —@BeNYCtech[0:16:54]
"I knew pretty early on that I had my sights set on management. I think it's the hardest leap to take in your career." —@BeNYCtech[0:18:11]
"I think a good manager is ultimately one that's a servant to their reports, and somebody that's a shield, and is constantly looking at ways to improve their workflows and make their lives a little bit easier." —@BeNYCtech[0:19:32]
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