Talk Talent To Me

What does it take to build a people-first hiring culture from the ground up, without sacrificing speed or scale? In this episode of Talk Talent to Me, returning guest Anna Chalon, Head of People at Runway, shares how she intentionally navigated her career from startup to acquisition and back again, fueled by a love for building and a clear sense of purpose. She unpacks her criteria for choosing the right company, the power of gut instinct balanced with measurable data, and how candidate experience can be both human and scalable. Anna also offers insights into how she assesses founders during interviews and why speed and thoughtfulness in hiring are good indicators of long-term cultural alignment. Tune in to learn how to build resilient, high-trust recruiting processes and make smarter career decisions rooted in self-awareness and intention!   Key Points From This Episode:   An overview of Anna’s journey from Frame.io to Adobe to Runway. How she used Adobe’s acquisition of Frame.io as a career checkpoint. The importance of being clear about the size and pace of the company you want. Values over industry: the creative culture and visionary founders that drew Anna to Runway. Founder responsiveness as a hiring signal (and what to look for in the first interview). Reflecting on hiring wins and misses as opportunities to learn and improve. Blending data and intuition to ensure that a role truly excites you. Building scalable, human-centered hiring from scratch with speed, structure, and soul. The impact of timely check-ins, personal touches, and radical hiring transparency. Starting lean but thinking long-term: balancing agility with a premium candidate experience. The power of seeking out quick wins to add value in the short term. A simple strengths-enjoyment framework for informed career decisions.   Quotes:   “Even though I'm not going to be using the product every day, the company culture is still shaped by the type of tool you create.” — Anna Chalon [08:15]   “[Hiring] is not a perfect science. All these things are still human-based decisions at the end of the day. You do the best with the information you have.” — Anna Chalon [14:44]   “My goal when I'm building these foundations is: how do we have enough structure and repeatability that we could hire 100 people – if we need to but every single candidate [also feels] like they're alone in the process?” — Anna Chalon [19:14]   “Any kind of communication is better than ghosting. – When people are looking for a job, anxiously waiting to get a response, it's just not the right thing to do.” — Anna Chalon [26:24]   “What am I good at? What do I like? What is the overlap? And how does that apply to work?” — Anna Chalon [37:52]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Anna Chalon on LinkedIn Runway LHH Recruitment Solutions  A Beautiful Working World  

What do the Sunday scaries have to do with how happy you are at work? Today we sit down with Molly Minczeski, the Director of Talent Acquisition & Employer Brand at MANSCAPED, the global men’s lifestyle consumer brand and male grooming category creator trusted by over 12 million men worldwide. Molly unpacks what the Sunday scaries really mean and why work-life balance looks different for everyone. She takes us inside MANSCAPED’s thriving remote culture, shares her journey into talent acquisition, and explains how she positions herself as a strategic business partner. Plus, she offers expert insights on how candidates can respectfully challenge hiring managers and assess how a company truly values them.    Key Points From This Episode:   The correlation between job satisfaction and the Sunday scaries.  Why it’s vital to understand that the work-life balance looks different for everyone.  Exploring MANSCAPED’s office setup and how it keeps its remote employees connected. Molly’s professional history and how she ended up in her current role.  What her day-to-day looks like and what she’s most passionate about at work today. How she goes beyond her job title to contribute to the business at a fundamental level.  Why candidates should challenge hiring managers (and how to go about it).  What Molly is looking for when she asks candidates specific questions.     Quotes:   “There might be a correlation between job satisfaction and where on the [Sunday scaries scale] you fall.” — Molly Minczeski [03:04]   “Every company is finding a rhythm that works for them. [MANSCAPED has] found that productivity has not slowed with everyone working fully from home.” — Molly Minczeski [09:36]   “I’m a fan of transparency in any opportunity that I can find. [By calling] the elephant out in the room, you can just get so much more done that way.” — Molly Minczeski [26:13]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Molly Minczeski on LinkedIn MANSCAPED LHH Recruitment Solutions  A Beautiful Working World  

  Kenzie discusses her tansition from big tech to an AI startup, and how positive hiring manager relationships are more important than specific AI upskilling.  Key Points From This Episode:   Welcoming Kenzie (Keller) Hoelscher to the show. Kenzie tells us about herself and how she got into recruitment.  A little bit about Kenzie’s fascinating career.  The importance of building relationships with your hiring managers.  The role AI is going to play in recruiting in the future.  How she landed up at AssemblyAI and what it’s like working there. The kinds of questions she asks hiring managers when sourcing.  How Kenzie filters resumes to narrow down her search.  Kenzie shares some advice for anyone who wants to get into AI.    Quotes:   “With any role while you’re recruiting, as long as you’re having those conversations with your hiring manager and understanding what those main skillsets are, I do think it’s easy to go out there and source for them.” — Kenzie (Keller) Hoelscher [22:48]   “There’s definitely risks to being in a startup but I think now we’re seeing that there’s risks at being at bigger companies as well so why not take the risk?” — Kenzie (Keller) Hoelscher [30:40]   “AI is a booming industry [and] there’s a lot of energy around it right now.” — Kenzie (Keller) Hoelscher [31:24]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Kenzie (Keller) Hoelscher on LinkedIn LHH Recruitment Solutions A Beautiful Working World    

Referrals are an active, internal marketing campaign that recruitment leaders need to leverage alongside their external marketing campaigns. Today, global talent leader Neeti Upreti joins the show to discuss the power and importance of referrals in the recruitment industry. Hear all about Neeti’s incredible career, why recruiting isn’t only a push but also a pull, the importance of senior leadership roles in recruitment, handling referrals, and so much more! Neeti’s experience in various industries has helped her identify the dos and don’ts of recruiting and in this conversation, she delves into some of the best ways to increase referrals before talking about when to encourage employees to make referrals.    Key Points From This Episode:   Welcoming today’s guest, Neeti Upreti.  Neeti shares her career journey and how she ended up where she is today.  The push and pull of recruiting: why there needs to be a buy-in from both ends.  Neeti outlines the imperative role of senior leadership in recruitment.  Balancing hiring referrals with the best-qualified candidate.  A few of the best ways to increase referrals within your company.  Why employees should be encouraged to make referrals from onboarding.  The importance of bringing an element of fun into recruitment.  Why Neeti is so excited about transformation in the industry.   Quotes:   “Behind everybody’s success, there are leaders who lean in to provide that development opportunity.” — Neeti Upreti [5:48]   “The reason why I think that [senior leadership roles are] important and why I still enjoy it is because I feel like you really need to be close to a problem in order to be able to find the solution.” — Neeti Upreti [8:01]   “We should – be working on an internal campaign to see how [we can] network with our internal employees to find – talent.” — Neeti Upreti [22:42]   “When you drive fun into a process, you get more engagement.” — Neeti Upreti [28:55]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Neeti Upreti on LinkedIn LHH Recruitment Solutions A Beautiful Working World  

Rich shares invaluable insights from his time at Google and Facebook, explaining why he transitioned into the startup world and how Anyscale is tackling the challenges of machine learning talent acquisition. We also discuss the importance of sourcing differentiation, the role of AI in recruiting, and why every employee should think like a recruiter.    Key Points From This Episode:   Why Rich left big tech for startups and the lessons he brought with him. Selling shovels during a gold rush: how Anyscale enables AI and ML scalability. Anyscale’s plans to expand from 135 to 200 employees by the end of 2025. The importance of sourcing differentiation in hiring. Reflections on the role of AI in recruiting: what works, and what doesn’t. Insight into the power of referrals and empowering employees as recruiters. What goes into shifting from traditional referrals to proactive sourcing. Different ways that hiring managers are embracing LinkedIn Recruiter. Measuring hiring success as part of performance management. The impact of helping hiring managers understand the realities of recruiting. Rich’s mindset-focused advice for mid-career talent professionals.   Quotes:   “As a sourcing and recruiting team, you have to find differentiation – faster than your competitors. Otherwise, you're pulling up LinkedIn Recruiter, putting the same 150 engineers into a project folder that your competitors are, and going after the same talent.” — Rich Adao [12:45]   “I'm still waiting for a magic AI tool to emerge. – You still cannot replace the human connection [with] a recruiter that can get to know somebody and explain the business.” — Rich Adao [15:09]   “Recruiting is everybody's job. It is important. It is paramount for our future success.” — Rich Adao [26:02]   “Don’t put limitations on yourself. If you have the right approach in your current job, you can surprise yourself with what you can do. Always continue to reach above and beyond. At the same time, be realistic about where you are. Seek out feedback.” — Rich Adao [38:33]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Anyscale Rich Adao on LinkedIn LHH Recruitment Solutions  

  In the age of AI and rapid technological evolution, skills planning has become a greater challenge than ever before. But how else can businesses ensure clear succession paths across their organizations? As we dive down this rabbit hole, we are joined today by Lupe Colangelo, the Director of Alumni Engagement and Employer Partnerships at General Assembly – a company focused on closing the global tech skills gap and connecting tech talent with top companies across the globe. We begin with the work being done at General Assembly and what Lupe’s role entails before examining the current state of the hiring market from the candidate’s perspective. Next, we discover how organizations are staying on top of candidate expectations, the guidelines to follow for employer branding in current market conditions, the reasons behind candidate frustrations, and how AI literacy fits into the recruiting conversation. To end, we unpack General Assembly’s State of Tech Talent 2025 to help define a ‘sustainable talent pipeline’, the challenges of developing one, how AI and technology affect skills and succession planning, and why it’s a good idea to brush up on your AI skills even if AI is not at the forefront of your work responsibilities. Lupe Colangelo also shares invaluable advice for leveling up your candidate experience as a recruiter.    Key Points From This Episode:   Assessing the current state of the hiring market from the candidate’s perspective.  Why some recruiters won’t discuss salary expectations in the early interview stages. Unpacking the general sentiments of frustrated candidates.  Automation, online talent portals, and other ways to improve the candidate experience.   How recruiters select candidates, and how you can stand out in any talent pool.  The role of AI in the hiring market and where AI literacy fits in.  Defining a ‘sustainable talent pipeline’ and exploring the possible risks of developing one.  How skills and succession planning become more difficult as technology evolves.  What it means to have AI skills even in non-AI-specific roles.  Final takeaways from General Assembly’s State of Tech Talent Report 2025.  Lupe’s advice to recruiters hoping to improve their candidate experience.    Quotes:   “From an HR perspective, you never want to make a promise that you can’t keep.” — Lupe Colangelo [11:29]   “Anything that you can include from an HR perspective that tells people where they are; when they can expect to hear back; if they’re still a candidate in the running, that makes such a difference to how a candidate perceives you and if they’re willing to reapply in the future.” — Lupe Colangelo [13:57]   “We kind of assume everyone is using [AI], but now it’s [about] how you’re using it. So, you probably shouldn’t pull it up in an interview.” — Lupe Colangelo [21:35]   “If your leaders aren’t scared of [AI], your employees are not going to be scared of it.” — Lupe Colangelo [31:20]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Lupe Colangelo on LinkedIn General Assembly   General Assembly on Instagram General Assembly on YouTube   How We Work The State of Tech Talent 2025 LHH Recruitment Solutions  

How is AI shaping the candidate experience, from the application to the interview to signing on the dotted line? Here to brief us on the current state of AI in human resources is People AI Evangelist, Global HR Futurist, and HR Director at Avalanche Gaming Studios, Johannes Sundlo. Johannes is passionate about driving HR strategies such as workforce modeling, strategic staffing, performance calibrations, and compensation structures that impact the organization. He begins today’s conversation with his thoughts on how candidates use AI for their applications. Tuning in, you’ll learn how to distinguish between helpful AI news and background noise, how AI impacts the traditional vendor selection process, why and how Johannes developed his own ATS, and a close examination of how AI disrupts current HR workflows. We also explore the pros and cons of automating the recruiting process, the margins of error AI is expected to operate in, and the risks and rewards of making your own AI tool instead of waiting for one that you can buy.   Key Points From This Episode:   Johannes’s thoughts on candidates using AI for applications.  Insight into the subsection about AI in HR on his FullStack HR Podcast. How he distinguishes between real AI news and inconsequential background hype. Ways in which AI will impact the traditional vendor selection process.  Reasons that Johannes decided to develop his own applicant tracking system (ATS).  How AI disrupts and improves current HR work processes.  The highs and lows of an automated recruiter.  Understanding the acceptable margins of error for AI compared to humans.  Risks and rewards of developing your own AI tool versus waiting to buy it off the shelf.  Why your data is more valuable than you know.  Practical tips to help you create your own AI tools.   Quotes:   “[In AI], it’s hard to sort between what’s hype, what’s real, what’s tangible, [and] what we can ignore. It’s super hard to [make] that distinction, even for me.” — @jsundlo [05:28]   “If we don’t start thinking about how [AI’s] impact will look and feel in the future, we might just end up in a future which we don’t like.” — @jsundlo [09:10]   “Our data is valuable, our data is important, and we too easily give it away right now.” — @jsundlo [36:15]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Johannes Sundlo Avalanche Studios Group Johannes Sundlo on LinkedIn Johannes Sundlo on X Johannes Sundlo on YouTube FullStack HR  FullStack HR Podcast The Talent Company LHH Recruitment Solutions  

Grace reveals her unique perspective on elite talent shaped by her career as a Juilliard-trained pianist. From mastering the nuances of excellence in music to identifying top-tier talent in the corporate world, Grace shares how her deep understanding of what sets people apart fuels her approach to hiring and leadership. She dives into the strategic side of talent acquisition, explaining why businesses can't always hire "A-players," how to align hiring with company readiness, and the power of talent intelligence in predicting industry shifts. If you're ready to move beyond transactional recruiting and start thinking like a business leader, this episode will inspire you to elevate your approach to talent acquisition.    Key Points From This Episode:   Insight into Grace’s journey from classical pianist to talent leader. Learning from both excellence and mediocrity to recognize top talent. The balance of humility and ego in exceptional leaders. How ambition and self-awareness drive career growth. Reasons that companies need diverse talent, not just A-players. Aligning hiring with company readiness and strategic timing. Why talent teams must think beyond job descriptions. Using talent intelligence to predict industry shifts and hiring opportunities. Moving from order-taking to strategic talent acquisition. What goes into making the transition from recruiter to business leader. The role of workforce planning and finance in hiring strategy. Leveraging validated data to influence hiring decisions and market entry. Talent intelligence as the "magic sauce" for strategic hiring. Grace weighs in on JPMorgan Chase CEO’s viral remote work rant. Practical advice for talent pros looking to become true strategic partners!   Quotes:   “Exceptional talent has this great balance – between humbleness and ego. – You're saying, ‘Hey, I'm great,’ because you have to rally others to follow you, and then you have to have the humbleness to listen.” — Grace Niwa [0:07:07]   “In an organization, you're looking for team collaborators. You're looking for team leadership. You're not looking for that one rock star [who everybody just rallies around] because there's a danger in that.” — Grace Niwa [0:10:54]   “I see talent acquisition as a sales and marketing team. Before you start doing the selling, you’ve got to understand the market research.” — Grace Niwa [0:20:13]   “[Talent acquisition] is more than just filling recs.” — Grace Niwa [0:24:39]   “Surround yourself with people who are like-minded. There are a bunch of us out there who believe in this new way of working.” — Grace Niwa [0:39:50]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Grace Niwa on LinkedIn Vertex Pharmaceuticals '‘Salty’ Jamie Dimon sparks controversy with bold remarks against WFH in viral debate'  LHH Recruitment Solutions  

Ciara shares her journey from dreaming of being a CPO as a kid (briefcase in hand!) to leading global people strategies, the challenges of stepping into an internal leadership role, and the power of data-driven decision-making in HR. She breaks down Skillsoft’s strategy cascade, a system that ensures every employee’s work drives company success, and reveals how generative AI is changing the game for HR analytics.    Key Points From This Episode:   From County Cork to the C-suite: Ciara’s path to becoming a CPO. The power of listening and widening your perspective when stepping into a leadership role. Fixing a disconnected remote team and the small changes that made a big impact. Why Ciara always wanted to lead HR and how her analytical brain helps her do it. Insight into the AI revolution in HR: turning scattered data into real business insights. How every role is a tech role and why HR pros must upskill in AI and analytics. Benefits of a company AI co-pilot (and why you probably shouldn’t use ChatGPT). Skillsoft’s strategy cascade and the secret to aligning people with company goals. Streamlining organizational structure for speed, clarity, and real business impact. The art of subtraction and why HR needs to stop doing outdated tasks and focus on impact. Tips for executives to inspire organizational engagement in strategic goals. Lean in, step up, and follow your passion: Ciara’s advice for aspiring HR leaders!   Quotes:   “To have influence in a boardroom or at the C-suite [level], it's important you're able to demonstrate that the activities your functions provide to the organization actually drive tangible business outcomes.” — Ciara Harrington [0:10:33]   “It doesn't matter if you're in IT, HR, finance, [or] product, every role is a technical role [these days]. As a result, every single employee or team member at every company needs to be up-skilling themselves in data, generative AI, and data and analytics.” — Ciara Harrington [0:15:04]   “That's how we want people to think about things: every time you're making a decision on how to spend your time, it should be on one of these five things. Our logic is, if every single person at our company does that, we will meet our business outcomes.” — Ciara Harrington [0:29:25]   “Do not follow the money. Follow the job. The money will follow you.” — Ciara Harrington [0:35:25]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Skillsoft Ciara Harrington Ciara Harrington on LinkedIn Talk Talent to Me LHH Recruitment Solutions  

Today's guest, Dr. Serena Huang, champions the crucial role of data experts in people teams, showing how people analytics can lead to smarter talent decisions. A globally recognized speaker and innovator, Dr. Huang has a unique background as a data executive at Fortune 100 companies and a Chief Data Officer in the startup world. Her work goes beyond numbers, using data to create healthier, more productive workplaces. A Wiley author and sought-after lecturer at top MBA programs, she’s passionate about empowering the next generation of leaders with data-driven insights. In this episode, Dr. Huang discusses her journey into the people side of business, why data experts are vital to talent teams, and how people analytics can transform decision-making. She also dives into the data behind remote work trends, pawternity, and the inspiration for her book; sharing valuable insights on the art of data storytelling in talent leadership.   Key Points From This Episode:   Winning the fight with talent leadership: the importance of installing data experts on the people team.  She unpacks the value of people analytics and how it generates valuable information. How she works with CHROs to define their actual problem. Data storytelling with people data: what makes it different. The verdict (and her opinion) on pawternity.  We look at the current data on remote work and the push for office returns: making decisions based on informed data (from your people!)  How Dr. Huang decided to write her book and what topic she wanted to focus on.    Quotes:   “What holds people back is the data quality. You can have great dashboards but when the underlying data is not trustworthy, no one is going to do anything with the data.” — @SerenaHuangPhD [0:10:27]   “Having autonomy, having the agency to decide where, how, and what you work on [is what matters] as humans. [And] I think that’s why remote work was so successful during COVID, for a short while, [and] that shocked everyone.” — @SerenaHuangPhD [0:21:38]   “For validation, I also found that people are much happier on Fridays. No matter where you are, no matter where you’re working, [on] Fridays, everyone’s mood is better!” — @SerenaHuangPhD [0:27:58]   “I think we are just starting on this AI journey and what AI can do. So much is yet to be seen!” — @SerenaHuangPhD [0:33:51]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Dr. Serena Huang Dr. Serena Huang on LinkedIn Data with Serena The Inclusion Equation: Leveraging Data & AI For Organizational Diversity and Well-being LHH Recruitment Solutions