Talk Talent To Me

Joining us on Talk Talent To Me today is Sarah Wasif, Chief People Officer at LandTech. Today Sarah outlines what scaling looks like for the company and how she plans on executing growth. Next, she outlines the important things to be considered when a company grows and how you can be adaptable to things that may not work on a larger scale. Sarah then tells us how and what elements of a business should be localized when moving into different areas and what should remain as is. Sarah discusses some of the tricks she has found helpful when trying to keep original employees happy and maintain the company’s original value system before telling us how she ensures that new employees align with those values and are a good fit. Lastly, Sarah discusses how the world has changed to incorporate an emphasis on personal behavior in the workplace. Tune in to find out how to expand a company globally and stay true to its values.   Key Points From This Episode:   Introducing today’s guest, Sarah Wasif. Sarah explains her background and how she landed up working at LandTech. What scaling looks like for Sarah over the next few years.  How Sarah plans on executing her growth plans for the company.  How she will see what will work and what won’t in a company of a larger scale than before. Sarah outlines the pillars used in her strategies.  Pillar one: the way you attract people.  Pillar two: how you retain them. Pillar three: sustainability. How elements will have to be localized as the company expands globally.  Why Sarah thinks Americans index more on equity in a company.  Examples of areas LandTech are going to focus on before they expand. How the company keeps the original team members happy as the team expands. How maintaining the values of the company will keep employees happy for years.  How to ensure new employees align with company values.  Sarah explains the safe conversations she wants to have with potential employees.  The importance of teaching people about how the world works.  Sarah outlines how business has changed to emphasize employee behavior.    Tweetables:   “I haven't joined and worked in a business where some of those early individuals are still A, here, and B, as passionate as the first day I landed eyes on them nearly four years ago.” — @Sarah_Wasif [0:15:12]   “I think I would have paid really good money, not even in my early career, even in school, [for someone to teach me] how the world operates.” — @Sarah_Wasif [0:22:27]   “The concept of emotional intelligence is no longer a soft, fluffy, nice to have. I think companies and successful companies are really honing in into it.” — @Sarah_Wasif [0:23:40]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Talk Talent to Me Sarah Wasif on LinkedIn Sarah Wasif on Twitter LandTech Tag Omnicom BBC SwiftKey Hired

  Bigger and better are aspirations that most companies hold, but scaling a business is complicated and requires a range of expertise to ensure that the culture and values are sustained as the company grows. In today’s episode, we speak to Anabel Morales, who is in charge of VP talent acquisitions at Worksome. Worksome is a Danish-based company that offers an end-to-end solution for companies to manage their external workforce. Anabel's approach to her role is centered on forming interpersonal relationships, and upholding company culture and values. In this episode, we learn more about Anabel’s role at Worksome, the services that Worksome provides, recruiting in different marketplaces, challenges in the current marketplace, the importance of company values, and much more!   Key Points From This Episode:   An introduction to today’s show and some background information on Anabel’s career. The journey to Anabel’s current role as VP of talent acquisition at Worksome. How income tax works for Americans working and living in Denmark. We find out about the work that Worksome does and Anabel’s approach to her role. Current challenges that Anabel sees as a priority within the recruitment sector. Problems that Anabel experienced during the Series A funding round. Hiring capacity of Worksome during the early stages of growth. The importance of hiring local expertise when working in unique markets. The steps that Anabel took to increase capacity at Worksome. How Anabel ensured recruitment was quick and effective. Motivation behind Anabel’s idea to change to another ATS for data. The values that Worksome cultivates and how these benefit them as a hiring brand. Why Anabel thinks it is essential for companies to establish a value system. The link between company culture and values, and what the culture at Worksome is like. How Anabel conveys Worksome’s values and culture to candidates. Anabel’s approach to sustaining company values and culture while scaling. Why Anabel thinks cultivating psychological safety during the interview process is important. Anabel shares some practical examples of how to cultivate psychological safety.   Tweetables:   “My approach was about finding great recruiters in both of those markets that could promote our brand, build relationships and also be cultural ambassadors in those offices.” — Anabel Morales [0:07:08]   “Being a startup, you want to make sure that early on you are able to build a great experience and a good brand in the market, especially for entering new markets.” — Anabel Morales [0:08:22]   “We recognize that the key to scaling successfully, or at least scaling our culture successfully, is going to be to equip our leaders with some tools to really scale this trust, transparency, and inclusion.” — Anabel Morales [0:17:46]   “It’s really not possible to expect people to feel comfortable talking about their mistakes if you don’t have the leadership to support it.” — Anabel Morales [0:21:29]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Anabel Morales on LinkedIn Anabel Morales on Instagram Worksome Greenhouse Talk Talent to Me Hired

Talk Talent To Me LIVE RSVP: New York City - The Canary Club - June 1st San Francisco - Shelton Theatre - June 8th London - The Steel Yard - June 16th   We are so excited to welcome the Senior Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition at PepsiCo, Blair Bennett. Blair shares her background in politics & executive recruiting, and how her career prepared her to lead the talent function at PepsiCo. You’ll also hear about diversity goals within leadership at PepsiCo, and the strategies the team has implemented in order to achieve them. We talk priorities, and chat about Blair’s day-to-day life at PepsiCo, with a focus on her amazing team, partnerships, and leadership. Blair believes that there is no better career than talent acquisition. Tune in today to hear why.    Key Points From This Episode:   Welcome to today’s guest, Blair Bennett. Her career background, getting her start in politics, with a common theme of networking. The story of how she came to work for Korn Ferry and met her husband there. Her move to Arkansas following her husband’s transfer to Walmart. Why having curiosity is such a powerful motivation to learn new things. How everything they do is driving a bigger function than just filling roles. The responsibility she feels to bring what is happening in the company to her team.  Diversity goals in recruitment leadership and inclusive culture. Strategies they have adopted to reach those goals including partnering internally with our employee resource groups. Priority and focus within Talent Acquisition at PepsiCo including, and prioritizing diversity. The broader responsibility that guides how she goes about each day. How her team is structured and how she has made diversity a priority within that structure.  Partnerships and collaboration at PepsiCo.   Why Blair believes that there is no better career than talent acquisition.     Tweetables:   “I fell in love with the executive recruiting and at Korn Ferry, and I met my future husband, so I found two loves out of the deal.” — @searchblair [0:06:12]   “I'm constantly learning. I learn something new every day, whether it's something about the business, or something about talent, or something about another company, or something about an industry. Keeping that sense of curiosity is something that has been very important to me.” — @searchblair [0:10:30]   “Because I'm somebody who likes to learn and, because I'm somebody who continues to have a curiosity about what's happening in our industry, I try to find ways to bring that to the teams as well. I hope that people get some takeaways from it that they may not otherwise get in their day-to-day experiences.” — @searchblair [0:14:22] Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode: Blair Bennett on LinkedIn Blair Bennett on Twitter Talk Talent to Me Hired

Today’s guest is Natalie Cleaver, the Head of People at Rune Labs, a software and data platform company focusing on neuromodulation. In today’s episode we learn about some of the challenges startups face during recruitment drives, the development of interpersonal relationships between team members, diversity and inclusion for startups, the importance of empathy from management, Natalie’s revolutionary compensation strategy, and much more.   Key Points From This Episode: Challenges for startups during the onboarding of new employees. The recruitment team’s role in sustaining the onboarding process. What Natalie is prioritizing regarding the onboarding process. Approaches Natalie has to soft skills and culture-norming. Risks an organization faces if it does not prioritize soft skills. Examples of resources that conflict within an organization uses. How much should you expect from your co-workers. Significance of forming interpersonal relationships with co-workers. Details about Natalie’s revolutionary transparent compensation strategy. Discussion about negotiating power with regards to salary. Reasons for why transparent compensation is not standard. Challenges faced during the roll-out of the transparent compensation strategy.   Tweetables:   “It doesn’t matter what kind of rock star you are, it doesn’t matter how great you are or what experience you came from, if you cannot work with other people there is no space for you in our organization.” — Natalie Cleaver [0:07:04]   “It doesn’t have to be this deep profound engagements but it does have to be respectful and collegial.” — Natalie Cleaver [0:12:49]   “Instead, you really want to think about how it is affecting people that you might have just been outside of your sphere of consideration before.” — Natalie Cleaver [0:20:02]   “Compensation is an indispensable building block in my mind. I think there is absolutely no way that you can be fair and equitable to the people who work for you in any way, shape or form if you cannot promise them that their compensation is equitable.” — Natalie Cleaver [0:21:56]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Natalie Cleaver on LinkedIn Rune Labs Talk Talent to Me Hired

Today's guest is Danielle Clark, VP Talent at Fastly. Danielle has experience as both a consultant and working in-house within the tech industry, and has a pragmatic and people-focused approach to solving problems within a business. In today’s show we find out what work Danielle is currently involved with, how businesses are beginning to recognize the value of people-based solutions, the differences between working as a consultant and in-house, how to best advocate for yourself as an employee, advice for getting that promotion, and much more!    Key Points From This Episode:   Danielle explains what overhauling performance management entails. Motivation behind the decision to overhaul management. What the ultimate goal of overhauling management is. We find out what Fastly is and what Danielle’s current role there entails. Frequency of scaling and hyper-growth after the initial public offering. Responsibilities Danielle had when she was a consultant. Common threads that companies have regarding talent and leaders. Danielle’s decision to leave consulting and begin working in-house. How to become a real consultant and partner and not just take orders. Advice for juggling different jobs and responsibilities as a consultant. The importance of leaders acknowledging the role and potential of recruitment. A discussion about the contribution of individuals to an organization. Why clear expectations are so important during recruitment drives. Advocating for yourself to help you grow in the organization.   Tweetables:   “You also have to be prepared to embrace a lot of different backgrounds and different kinds of business principles and operational rigor that maybe you hadn’t had to do when you’re a private company.” — Danielle Clark [0:07:42]   “Consulting gives you so much exposure to so many things so quickly. There’s no way I would have got the experience I had if I’d worked those eight years in-house, it’s just impossible.” — Danielle Clark [0:13:51]   “Take stock of what the purpose is, really think about how that fits into the bigger business and the value that you are adding to that.” — Danielle Clark [0:19:23]   “Everyone listening to this should have a perspective on the role of talent in their organization, which is not just putting bodies into seats or in front of screens but really bringing in new ideas.” — Danielle Clark [0:21:35]   “It doesn’t mean you need to be extroverted, it doesn’t mean that you need to take up all the air in the room but it does mean that you need to advocate for yourself and know that that’s part of it.” — Danielle Clark [0:30:18]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Danielle Clark on LinkedIn Fastly Hired Talk Talent to Me

Today’s guest is Sam Baber, the VP Talent at Storable. Sam explains how to foster personal relationships within the workplace, warning signs to look out for when recruiting, lessons Sam has learned over his professional career, what makes a successful recruitment strategy, and much more. Tune in today to hear why empathy, compassion, and leadership are the keys to becoming successful in the executive recruitment space with today's expert, Sam Baber!   Key Points From This Episode:   We find out what Sam is currently working on. What Sam’s team does in between recruiting people for new hires. Background about Storable and the services they offer. Current recruitment strategies and goals of Storable. Discussion about when people accept a job offer and don’t show up for work. If someone delaying their starting date is a warning sign. Sam’s approach to building a rapport with candidates. Reasons why Sam's recent recruitment campaign was so successful. Details about the ‘hidden cheques’ that Storable gives to their teams. How helping your employees to grow is beneficial for a company. Examples of books that have helped Sam in his professional career. The approach Sam takes to recruiting. The top tip that Sam has for new employees at a company. Advice for people seeking to enter leadership roles in the recruiting sector.   Tweetables:   “I think one of the key things for us is we put our large priority and investment of time in the relationship that the recruiters build with the candidates.” — Sam Baber [0:11:12]   “I just think it does fall on leaders to make sure you are providing an environment for folks to be creative, make mistakes but also get out of their way because they’ll surprise you almost every time.” — Sam Baber [0:19:52]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Sam Baber on LinkedIn Storable Storable on LinkedIn Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance An Elegant Puzzle: Systems of Engineering Management Remembrance of Things Past: Volume I - Swann's Way & Within a Budding Grove (Vintage) The Scarlet Letter The Great Gatsby East of Eden Project Hail Mary Empire of Pain: The Secret History of the Sackler Dynast Talk Talent to Me Hired

Joining us in conversation today is Rick Jordan, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition over at DICK’S Sporting Goods. You’ll hear the story of how DICK’S was started and how Rick landed his current role with them with a background in hospitality and talent. DICK’S is a pandemic success story, and Rick tells us about the unexpected turn of events that resulted in the business thriving despite the restrictions. You’ll also hear about the exciting projects that DICK’S is working on at the moment, and why, in the current market, we need to think more like marketers and less like human resource people. Key Points From This Episode: Meet today’s guest, Rick Jordan, with DICK’S Sporting Goods. The story of how DICK’S started in New York before opening corporate campus in Pittsburgh. Why Pittsburgh is called the Steel City and how it has evolved over the last 15 years. Rick’s background in hospitality and talent and how he ended up in his current role. Why nothing beats Resorts World Las Vegas. How DICK’S navigated the pandemic and what they are doing today to reach their goal of $15 million by 2025 (plus the role that talent plays). The natural upswing in interest in golf thanks to its natural social distancing. The new store where you can buy big brands: Going, Going, Gone!  DICK’S House of Sport stores that have opened in Rochester and Knoxville. Why brick and mortar stores are far from dead. The leaders that Rick works with across his company and their team dynamic. The role of the TA Focus Project Manager  Why we need to think more like marketers in the current market and less like HR people. The difference that having been funded to tell the story has made. Why Rick believes that the war on talent is over, and that talent won! Why people no longer settle for a job, but seek opportunities they are excited about. The mini war that is going on within HR talent and the power of investing in a strong team. Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Rick Jordan on LinkedIn DICK’S Sporting Goods Talk Talent to Me Hired

Joining me today is the VP of talent acquisition at AvantStay, Uyen Hua. In today’s conversation, you will hear about Uyen's unconventional professional journey which led to her current role at AvantStay, and the important lessons she learned along the way. We also discuss the limitations and benefits of working remotely, and why companies should be careful to force their employees back to the traditional office workspace. We learn about Uyen’s pragmatic approach to developing her team to ensure the long-term needs of the organization. You will also learn about the difference between a specialist and generalist recruiter, the importance of personal relationships, how to have a constructive conversation with management, insider tips, and much more.   Key Points From This Episode:   What Uyen thinks going back to the office will involve for AvantStay. We discuss how remote working has altered employees perception of the office. The possible reasons why some companies are aggressively motivating people to go back to the office. How forcing employees’ back to the office can backfire on a company. Issues for companies ensuring that in-person and remote workers are equitable. Other factors that may cause people to go back to the office full-time. Uyen's current role and details about her professional journey. The steps Uyen takes to reconcile the numbers needed to what is predicted. Approach that Uyen takes when having difficult conversations regarding recruiting needs. How to deal with individual roles once the long-term goals have been decided. Where Uyen starts when building her team. Whether Uyen prefers a specialized recruiter or a generalist. Limitations that are associated with a generalist recruiter. Problems that people face when seeking a career in talent acquisition and management. How Uyen thinks about development for herself and her team. Significance of personal connections in the recruitment industry. Finding a role that suits you and your future aspirations.   Tweetables:   “We don’t need to be beholden to something that is essentially just moot or no longer relevant for our needs but let’s make sure we’re doing that sense check on a regular basis if nothing else.” — Uyen Hua [0:17:04]   “It is amazing in series A to have people who are pinch hitters and kind of can lead in anywhere and have the attitude and the ability to do that but you’re really not doing yourself the company or them any favors by continuing to push for that mindset.” — Uyen Hua [0:23:39]   “As I’m scaling a team as I’ve done so many different times before, starting with a team of a couple of people who have kind of just put their blood, sweat and tears, it is really important to me as I build further on that organization, that one thing I am keeping in mind apart from the needs of the business itself is the passions of those respective recruiters.” — Uyen Hua [0:27:09]   “It’s a relationship driven industry and role and so go where you feel that synergy and that connection and you won’t be steered wrong.” — Uyen Hua [0:29:15]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Uyen Hua on LinkedIn AvantStay Hired Talk Talent to Me

Joe Mullings is the Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the world’s leading search firm in the medical advice industry, the Mullings Group. Joe explains how long term investments in building a talent brand through rich content & storytelling is a crucial part of an effective hiring strategy,.   Key Points From This Episode: Joe tells us what he is currently working on and what it's like to run several companies. Context about what the Mullings Group is and what their key offerings are. The shift Joe made to producing content as an additional service. The trends that Joe has noticed in the industry. The advantages of using media for recruitment of talent. Limitations of traditional recruitment strategies. How alternative recruitment methods allows access to the ‘passive’ market. What Joe regards as deficiency in job postings. Identifying who your employees will become in the long-term. The gaps between traditional recruitment strategies and effective content strategy. Example of an impactful recruitment campaign strategy. The difference between a hiring brand and hiring video. The importance of considering long-term recruitment strategies. Who should be responsible for the long-term recruitment strategies. Why prioritizing recruitments is important. Measuring the success of a recruitment program.   Tweetables:   “It’s a series of demands and it has nothing to do with explaining to people who they might become when they went to work at your company.” — @joemullings [0:05:21]   “It's a chorus of efforts in order to access and constantly have on a slow drip, the best talent in your domain.” — @joemullings [0:07:53]   “Inability and incompetency is not a fair excuse and I do believe in the next 24 months, we’ll have an enormous reckoning in those organizations that do not create an ongoing committed multimillion dollar per year hiring brand because conventional job postings and conventional recruiting do not work as effectively any longer.” — @joemullings [0:23:13]   “Your goal should be to that talent access producer who is going to be getting the best people showing up for you to interview.” — @joemullings [0:27:44]   “People will not shut you off because they won’t feel like they’re the product. They will feel like that they are learning or experiencing something from watching your content.” — @joemullings [0:31:36]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Joe Mullings on LinkedIn Joe Mullings on Twitter Joe Mullings on Facebook Talk Talent to Me Hired The Mullings Group The Mullings Group on LinkedIn

  Hello and welcome to a brand new episode of Talk Talent to Me, featuring Christine Redd, vice president of talent acquisition at AlertMedia. During today’s conversation, she shares the story of how she learned the art of recruitment after getting her start in traditional HR. You’ll learn how her HR background has enriched her knowledge of talent acquisition, and why she finds her work at Alert Media to be particularly meaningful. We explore what it means to work in high-growth spaces and why Christine prefers this kind of environment, before discussing the movement towards choosing a career path in recruitment rather than stumbling into it after working elsewhere. Her goal is to offer every candidate the ultimate experience, and she reveals why asking open-ended questions is such a beneficial tool. We talk about counter-offers and employee happiness, before Christine offers some practical advice to listeners who are interested in roles in high-growth companies. Thanks for listening!    Key Points From This Episode:   Meet today’s guest, vice president of talent acquisition at Alert Media, Christine Redd. Why working remotely was not an adjustment for Christine: she had already been doing it! Finding peers online through networking and why it is necessary to be deliberate. Why you have to be willing to give back in order to get back.  Christine’s career background in hight-growth Saas, leading up to VP of talent acquisition. What makes Alert Media different: the work makes a difference! Why she believes that today’s market enables you to choose work you believe in. What she loves about working in hight-growth spaces.  How she has drawn on her HR background to understand elements of talent acquisition. The movement towards recognizing the art of recruitment as a career path. What sparked her movement from general HR to specializing in recruitment. Her focus on offering candidates the ultimate experience. Finding the balance between assessing a candidate and showing what you offer. Why asking open-ended questions is a powerful tool. Establishing the profile of what is needed to complete a team with career pathing in mind. What is meant by the counter-offer notion. How communication can resolve the issues that arise when employees become unhappy. Why it is so important to have regular touchpoints instead of having to do a counter-offer. What advice she would give to someone who is looking for a role in a hight-growth company.   Tweetables:   “I think it’s a balance, if you give back, you get back.” — Christine Redd [0:05:20]   “Alert Media is doing important work. It’s not just some random product, it’s to save lives and minimize loss by facilitating that two-way communication when emergency situations threaten employee safety.” — Christine Redd [0:07:10]   “I want to do something that is impactful and I have always said I think that’s why I enjoy working for hight-growth companies because your work is so impactful. When you’re not there, people know this, right? The work that you do can be seen for years down the road.” — Christine Redd [0:08:50]   “Making people feel needed and wanted is super important and being genuine about that. People need to hear it, I just don’t think they are hearing it enough. Even though their manager might feel that way, it is not being verbalized.” — Christine Redd [0:34:00]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Alert Media Christine Redd on LinkedIn Talk Talent to Me Hired