We are live on day two of Talent Acquisition Week! And today, for the third time on this podcast, we welcome the VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Talent Management at Leaf Group, Tara Turk-Haynes. Tara has made it her mission to embed DEI into Leaf Group’s talent management strategy, with the hopes that this trend spreads across the entire industry. She explains why this mission is important to her and how she’s gone about it in her current role, as well as why she’s more likely to recruit ‘career changers,’ why the industry should pay more attention to how they market to emerging talent, and why all companies should do their best to accommodate for the post-pandemic concerns of candidates. We then discuss Leaf Group’s new Director of Recruiting Operations, Rhona Barnett-Pierce, paying specific attention to how Tara recruited her on Twitter, why Rhona’s career trajectory ultimately landed her the job, and how her resume stood out from the rest because she highlighted the strengths that she would be using in the role she applied for.  We end with a chat about the current state of DEI and how companies need to do more to tailor their DEI targets according to their own needs, instead of setting them based on law and societal pressures. In 20 minutes, we gained a wealth of knowledge from the remarkable Tara Turk-Haynes, including the best career advice that she’s ever received!    Key Points From This Episode:   For the third time on this podcast, we welcome the VP of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) and Talent Management at Leaf Group, Tara Turk-Haynes. How Tara is enjoying her second Talent Acquisition Week, and her favorite content so far.   What it means to embed DEI into TA practices.  Why Tara is focused on recruiting ‘career changers,’ and how she goes about it.  What her TA Week panel discussed, and the outcomes thereof.  The importance of paying attention to the emerging talent market. Why companies need to speak to the post-pandemic concerns of candidates. How Tara recruited her new Director of Recruiting Operations, Rhona Barnett-Pierce. Why your resume should always highlight your strengths in the position you’re applying for. How Rhona’s career trajectory made her the perfect candidate for Tara.  What Tara prioritized when starting her current role of VP of DEI and TM. How she went about embedding DEI in Leaf Group’s talent management strategy. Why companies need to be more deliberate and aware when forming their DEI targets. The best career advice that Tara has ever received.    Tweetables:   “My mission, and my own personal goal, is to talk about how we [can] embed diversity, equity, and inclusion into our practices, and not making them this separate thing that we talk about alongside talent.” — @ttarahaynes [0:03:36]   “You should be grateful to have a job. Even though labor statistics go up and down and sideways and we’re telling all these different data stories, at the end of the day, something has shifted with the pandemic.” — @ttarahaynes [0:07:21]   “That’s what people want: What can you pull out of your toolbox to show people that you will be successful at the thing they want to hire you for?” — @ttarahaynes [0:13:50]   “If you focus on salary first, you’ll always get a little disappointed. But if you’re happy where you are, if you like the people that you work with, if you feel like you’re learning, then you’re going to grow in so many other areas.” — @ttarahaynes [0:19:35]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Tara Turk-Haynes on LinkedIn Tara Turk-Haynes on Twitter Tara Turk-Haynes on Instagram  Tara Turk-Haynes on TikTok  Leaf Group  Center Theatre Group  Talent Acquisition Week  Rhona Barnett-Pierce on LinkedIn Talk Talent to Me Hired  

Live with us today at Talent Acquisition Week is Brian Fink, Talent Acquisition Partner at McAfee, to discuss how to recruit in online chat forums. We discuss why this event is not one to be missed, why Brian loves Hired and events in general, and what his presentation is about. Brian even shares with us how he "hacks Slack," how he recruits on Discord, and why you should use your personal email address when joining these communities, as well as how you can find them and what mistakes to avoid. We delve into why Brian offers practice interviews and resume reviews before discussing why conversations have to be taken offline. He also tells us what he looks for when recruiting for certain roles and shares the best career advice he has ever gotten. To hear all this and more, tune in now!   Key Points From This Episode:   Why you don’t want to miss this event next year and what Brian likes about events. What Brian’s presentation is about: how to hack Slack! Why he loves that Hired gives him the opportunity to make credible relationships.  Tips for recruiting on Discord.  Why you can hire immediately and give feedback on a resume.  How to join these online communities and why you should use your personal email address.  Why Brian offers mock interviews to people who are sharing their resumes.  What he looks for when he’s looking to hire for specific roles.  The importance of taking conversations offline.  How to find these online communities.  How these communities protect themselves from people who handle things incorrectly. Brian shares the best career advice he’s ever received with us!   Tweetables:   “Your community is going to tell you what they’re interested in and how you can bring value to them.” — @thebrianfink [0:19:46]   “[Always] do one more [thing than the other guy is doing]. It will set you apart from a work ethic standpoint, but also from a candidate experience standpoint.” — @thebrianfink [0:21:32]   Longer Quotes:   “I like to think of recruitment as tuning into the channel, WIIFM: what’s in it for me? When you tune into WIIFM, we’re able to have a genuine conversation not built around what we’re trying to serve and the interests that we’re trying to perpetuate but instead the mission that that candidate or that individual is trying to serve.” — @thebrianfink [0:06:13]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Brian Fink on LinkedIn Brian Fink on Twitter Brian Fink on Instagram Kubernetes Slack Slack Medium Discord Slofile Talk Talent to Me Hired  

Today, we kick off our coverage from the the floor of Talent Acquisition (TA) Week in sunny San Diego, California. We chat with Matt Rimer, Director of TA at Trinity Health, about some of the biggest hiring challenges currently facing healthcare and why it’s an exciting time to be involved with talent acquisition in healthcare. Matt tells us about the impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the healthcare industry and the strategies Trinity Health is implementing to attract more healthcare talent, especially nurses. We also discuss the involvement of C-suite executives in these initiatives and the launch of Trinity’s employee referral program, along with Matt’s key insights on the percentage of total hires that should come from referrals. To learn more about healthcare TA, liaising with C-suite executives, and implementing high-level strategies, be sure to tune in today!    Key Points From This Episode:   Get to know today’s guest Matt Rimer, Director of Talent Acquisition (TA) at Trinity Health. The topics Matt will cover during his talk at the Talent Acquisition conference in San Diego. Learn about the launch of Trinity’s new employee referral program. An overview of the talent acquisition challenges in healthcare. Trinity’s current focus on growing its nursing talent and attracting new employees. Why referrals play a key role in attracting talent in healthcare. Missing talent in healthcare and the financial pressure it creates. The growing vacancy rates at many healthcare organizations. Why it’s an exciting time to be involved in healthcare TA.  How C-Suite executives are addressing TA challenges. The high-level metrics that C-suite executives are typically interested in. The percentage of total hires that should come from referrals.   Tweetables:   “We're acutely focused right now on trying to figure out how to grow our nursing talent, but then more specifically, how to take that Trinity health employment brand into the market, make it a great place to work, and attract folks from our competitors.” — @mattrimer [0:02:17]   “Referrals play a key part for us — engaging our existing talent to help us find the talent that is available out on the market.” — @mattrimer [0:04:52]   “I think it's a good opportunity for talent acquisition professionals. To not only put up the strategy, but then show that they've got the delivery muscle to actually meet the objectives that they're setting out to do.” — @mattrimer [0:08:04]   “If we need to hire nurses right out of school, inexperienced nurses, what are the things that we need to do to actually increase that pipeline?” — @mattrimer [0:08:36]     Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Matt Rimer on LinkedIn Matt Rimer on Twitter Trinity Health Talent Acquisition In The Trenches Podcast Talent Acquisition Week Website Talk Talent to Me Hired  

Historically, talent acquisition and recruiting have relied heavily on networking, but how has the influence of technology, AI tools, and systems changed the role? Today I sit down and talk to the Vice President of Talent Acquisition at Moderna, April Venables. Her career has focused exclusively on talent acquisition and recruiting, which includes building and leading global recruiting teams, employer brand work, executive search and process, and program excellence. We talk about the recruiter of today and how both the role and required skillset have changed over the course of her career. April also tells us about different AI tools they implement to help the recruiting process and we chat about hiring; values-based versus skillset-based, and what makes for a bad (or good) hire.  Key Points From This Episode:   How she gets away with not being reachable by email. An introduction to our guest April and how she ended up at Moderna. What piqued her interest and belief that Moderna was a huge opportunity.  The Recruiter of Today and how the role and skillset have changed throughout her career. April tells listeners about her journey at Moderna during the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic; developing the vaccine. We talk more about the process of developing the vaccine. How the vision to produce the vaccine translated into a massive hiring/ recruiting process. April shares the AI tools they implemented to help with the recruiting process. What makes for a bad hire; values-based versus skillset-based. Common reasons for what makes someone a good hire. Where they “lose” people at Moderna. More on how the AI tool was able to make an assessment around dynamic range. She defines (the misnomer) multi-tasking as it relates to the assessment. What an I-O psychologist is and does. Being able to chase what the day is giving you; a strength for a Moderna employee. What April is working on right now and what’s top of mind at Moderna. The actress that she would choose to play her part in the inevitable Hollywood movie about the COVID-19 Vaccine.   Tweetables:   “For me, the value proposition of coming into an organization at the time that didn’t have a formal TA organization, and actually starting from scratch, to build something that didn’t exist, was so cool to me!” — April Venables [0:06:52]   “I can’t remember the last time I was in my comfort zone.” — April Venables [0:07:34]   “Working through COVID was a bit of a blur at Moderna because we were all so laser-focused on delivering a vaccine, it was a really interesting challenge.” — April Venables [0:13:27]   “It is psychologically safe to fail at Moderna, we fail all the time.” — April Venables [0:25:38]   “If someone is looking for a really predictable, linear way to do their work, Moderna would probably drive them crazy.” — April Venables [0:32:48]   “The traditional TA model, or strategy, that has worked historically, and what has worked for us here at Moderna to grow so quickly in a short period of time, is not the same strategy that is going to make us successful, long-term.” — April Venables [0:33:54]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   April Venables on LinkedIn Moderna Talk Talent to Me Hired  

VP of Talent Acquisition at New Western, Rahul Yodh, shares insights on the revenue impact of hires, interview philosophies, and evolving the perception of talent acquisition. He discusses the New Western business model, career transition from law to TA, and the importance of showcasing TA ROI. Rahul emphasizes transparency in the job search process and balancing speed with quality in staffing sales roles.

Today on the show we are joined by Dr. Scott Whiteford, Director of Leadership Analytics at Talent Plus, a strength-based management company that is rooted in positive psychology. Their mission is centered on understanding an individual’s greatest strengths and how best to utilize those strengths, both for selection and development. In our conversation, we delve into what it means to focus on strengths rather than weaknesses, the importance of self-reflection, and how to become increasingly specialized as you progress in your career. Scott also shares his advice for young people on how to discover their strengths, the importance of looking at the whole person when you want to hire successfully, and how to form a constructive partnership with your hiring manager. Key Points From This Episode:   Get to know our guest, Scott Whiteford, and his career at Talent Plus. Scott’s role as Director of Leadership Analytics at Talent Plus. The size of the organizations that Talent Plus usually works with. How Talent Plus gathers the information they need to help their clients. What Talent Plus clients are typically looking for. Why Talent Plus is rooted in positive psychology and how they implement it. What it means to focus on strengths rather than weaknesses in business. What can be learned from the way sport approaches strengths and weaknesses. How to tell whether a Performance Improvement Plan is being made in good faith. The importance of specialization in your career. Scott’s advice to young people on negotiating with their superiors. How to use self-reflection to understand your strengths and weaknesses. What happens when hiring managers and leaders don’t understand the whole person. How Scott uses assessments as part of his role. The importance of building a diverse leadership team. Scott’s parting advice for hiring managers.   Tweetables:   “The companies that we work with are really interested in how they can help their employees, leaders, managers, [and] frontline folks to be more successful.” — Scott Whiteford [0:04:29]   “As I progress in my career, I actually become more specialized, even within the role that I have here at Talent Plus. By becoming more specialized, I tend to do more and more things that I really enjoy.” — Scott Whiteford [0:17:57]   “I really like it when my students and my young leaders take control of their careers, because they'll find it more rewarding.” — Scott Whiteford [0:21:46]   “Understand what parts of your job you like, what parts you don't like, where you're good, where you're not so good. The better prepared you are to have that conversation with your leader, the more likely you're going to see a strong outcome.” — Scott Whiteford [0:23:00]   “We really want a diverse leadership team with lots of independent thought.” — Scott Whiteford [0:32:49]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Scott Whiteford on LinkedIn Talent Plus Talk Talent to Me Hired

  Given the current economic climate, employers and employees around the world are becoming better acquainted with the reality of layoffs each day. Joining us to discuss the ins and outs of layoffs are co-founders of Thrive HR Consulting, Rey Ramirez and Jason Walker. Rey and Jason have both held multiple roles in HR for many years, having worked for the likes of Cisco Systems and BMC Software. In this episode, they provide insight into the current hiring (and firing) landscape and the push and pull of navigating the continuation of remote work post-pandemic. We discuss the factors affecting layoffs, the typical layoff process, who’s most at risk, and how to mitigate that risk.    Key Points From This Episode: Introducing HR titans and cofounders of Thrive HR Consulting, Rey Ramirez and Jason Walker. Rey and Jason’s respective backgrounds, and how they came to found their company. Insight into the current hiring market: deglobalization and AI advancement. How small to mid-size companies are benefitting from large corporation layoffs. The continuation of remote hiring and hybrid work setups. Why employers generally prefer employees to work in the office. The challenges of phasing out remote work. The typical layoff process and which positions are most at risk. How to make yourself indispensable and mitigate the risk of being laid off. The importance of networking and how to do so effectively. How to anticipate layoffs. Under what circumstances a company will offer severance.    Tweetables:   “There’s still competition in the hiring market. We’re talking a lot about what we call deglobalization. ” — Jason Walker [0:04:29]   “Remote hiring is continuing. The last 24 months have shown us that work can be done, whether it’s recruiting work [or] development work, remotely.” — Rey Ramirez [0:07:40]   “The key in the future is [going to be] having space that encourages people to connect.” — Rey Ramirez [0:14:44]   “You’ve got to treat employees respectfully because the same people you’re laying off today are the ones you’re going to be trying to re-recruit in nine months.” — Jason Walker [0:21:26]   “Quiet always means there’s something looming on the horizon.” — Jason Walker [0:39:44]   “You’ve always got to be networking. You should always be looking into the jobs that are out there to understand what’s available at any given moment.” — Rey Ramirez [0:44:34]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Rey Ramirez on LinkedIn Jason Walker on LinkedIn Jason Walker Email Thrive HR Consulting Talk Talent to Me Hired

Joining us in conversation are two guests from Hire Hopkins, the recruiting arm of Johns Hopkins University. They are Executive Director Alia Poonawala, and Associate Director Emma O'Rourke Powell. We kick off our conversation with a detailed look at the career journey that brought each of our guests to their current roles, and what motivates them most. Alia and Emma have a white glove approach and share how building an infrastructure streamlines and supports the recruitment process. Key Points From This Episode:   Today’s topic: university recruitment. Welcome to our guests: Executive Director Alia Poonawala and Associate Director Emma O’Rourke Powell with Hire Hopkins. Alia’s background in education and focus to bring outcomes-focused, data-driven, ROI approach to higher education. Emma’s story of recruitment to Hire Hopkins after working in higher education for 10 years. Her focus on women’s equity and advocacy. The far-reaching influence of Farouk Dey, VP at Johns Hopkins University. Challenges posed by bureaucracy in higher education. How the ‘Red Ocean’ principle results in a bidding war between top paying companies. One-on-one work and data-driven work within Alia and Emma’s white glove approach. How creating an infrastructure and formula has streamlined their recruitment process. Starting with historical data and observing what has worked for employers in the past. Reframing job descriptions to generate interest from your target market of employees. Why flexibility is vital in the resume process. Where Alia and Emma’s insights on the upcoming generation comes from.  Translating between employers and higher education professionals. Why Alia and Emma encourage companies to consider international talent. Why it is so beneficial for international students to be driven and committed to their US role.   Tweetables:   “Here at John Hopkins University, my work is in helping ensure that our underrepresented students have equal opportunities in internships and in jobs when they graduate.” — Emma O’Rourke Powell [0:06:55]   “What I learned from the boot camp world is that most people learn by doing.” — Alia Poonawala [0:15:11]   “The companies that do well are the ones that are teachable and willing to experiment” — Alia Poonawala [0:22:25]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Alia Poonawala on LinkedIn Emma O’Rourke Powell on LinkedIn Farouk Dey on Twitter Johns Hopkins University Talk Talent to Me Hired

Not everyone follows a linear career path, and pursuing a non-traditional route can often equip you with useful skills you wouldn’t otherwise have acquired. Our guest today, Wesley Gilbert, Global Head of Talent Acquisition at On, has had a varied and eventful career journey. After becoming disillusioned with the acting industry while running an events company, Wesley Gilbert discovered his enthusiasm for recruitment through pure chance. In our conversation, Wesley shares how a fortuitous encounter facilitated his first recruitment job at Google, what he learned during his time there, and how he realized the inflexibility of a larger organization wasn’t for him. We spend some time discussing his time at Uber, how he landed a job there, and why he finds the early-stage startup environment so stimulating. He goes on to expand on his passion for problem-solving and how working in an entrepreneurial environment has helped him become a well-informed leader. We also discuss the pressure many of us experience to become more specialized (and the benefits of being a generalist) before Wesley shares his advice on how to become a well-informed leader. There’s no correct way to approach your career, and Wesley is living proof of that. Tune in for a refreshing perspective that will inspire you to follow your curiosity and find environments that allow you to thrive!   Key Points From This Episode:   Introducing today’s guest, Wesley Gilbert, Head of Talent Acquisition at On. Learn why Wesley describes himself as being on a never-ending search for talented people. Why agreeing on the perfect candidate is easier than agreeing on the perfect pizza. Wesley’s early career as an actor and his experience running an events company. The surprising story of how Wesley entered the industry as a recruitment coordinator at Google. What Wesley learned from working at Google and why it wasn’t a perfect fit for him. Wesley’s time at Uber and how being at a rising startup allowed him to grow. What Wesley has learned about the work environments that motivate him. Wesley’s appreciation for the high rate of problem-solving that you need to do at an earlier stage startup. How Wesley became Head of Talent Acquisition at On. The mix of leaders Wesley has worked with and what he has learned from them. The pressure generalists often experience from managers to become more specialized. The strengths and benefits of being a generalist leader. Wesley shares his enthusiasm for sourcing. Why sourcing is often oversimplified and how to attract high caliber talent to the role. Wesley’s advice on how to build a career that allows you to become a well-informed leader.   Tweetables:   “I realized really quickly that this was a great place to learn about recruitment. They have a lot of best-in-class processes. And they have a really great team.” — Wesley Gilbert [0:07:20]   “I started to realize that, ‘Hey, this is actually a really interesting career where you get to have a ton of impact on people and really help to make their dreams come true.’” — Wesley Gilbert [0:07:36]   “I realized that very quickly, I didn't fit in an environment that was quite as big as Google and gave me so much inflexibility.” — Wesley Gilbert [0:08:10]   “I think the sign of a good leader is that they surround themselves with people that are better than them, that are smarter than them.” — Wesley Gilbert [0:20:18]   “It doesn't matter how senior you are when you come into a company. We're going to give you some autonomy, we're going to give you some scope. And we're going to give you the trust to go and do that. And that means that you just attract a completely different caliber of people.” — Wesley Gilbert [0:27:47]   “Don't be afraid to take a sideways move. Don't always feel like you're chasing that next promotion, or you're chasing that next stage in your career. There's absolutely no race to the end.” — Wesley Gilbert [0:30:15]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Wesley Gilbert on LinkedIn On Talk Talent to Me Hired

  For departments that are supposed to be working in tandem, HR personnel and recruiters are often putting each other down and devaluing the other’s role. Today’s guests have rectified the situation and are showing us exactly how it should be done, with HR and TA working side-by-side to deliver a hit podcast, The Career Saloon. Carla Patton is VP of HR at RAPP, and her twin sister, Camille Tate, is Head of Talent at Strava. The pair give us a breakdown of their podcast and explain why they started it, before detailing exactly how they ended up in their current careers.  We discuss how to turn a bad interview into a valuable one, why it’s vital to be self-aware and own your mistakes, and why personal branding is inherent in every one of us. As Carla and Camille explain why they’ve never switched from HR to TA and vice versa, they give us their take on their least favorite aspects of the opposite department. Carla’s passion for TA is mirrored by Camille’s love for HR and after telling us which type of person is suited for each of their career paths, they explain why recruiters need to up their game and be more deliberate in their approach, and how technological advancements are making people forget about human-centric work departments.   Key Points From This Episode: Introducing today’s guests, twins Carla Patton and Camille Tate. Our guests break down their podcast, The Career Salon, and explain why they started it.  Why Carla wanted Camille’s blog (which turned into their podcast) to have more HR content. HR versus recruitment: each twin’s journey to their current roles. How to turn around a bad interview.    The importance of taking ownership of your mistakes and being self-aware. Stripping personal branding down to its foundation.  Why they’ve never switched from HR to talent and vice versa.   The aspect of recruitment that Carla likes the least.  What Camille dislikes most about HR and why she only does the work of her job title. How candidates can read the mood of the recruiter. Why recruiters need to put out the right energy and be deliberate in everything they do.  How technology is making the world forget that HR and recruiting are human-focused.  The circumstances under which Carla believes a person is more suited for HR than recruiting.  When Camille thinks that someone should pursue recruiting instead of HR.   Tweetables: “Like most people in HR, HR chose me; I didn’t choose it.” — @peepcenteredhr [0:07:01]   “People are always watching you. It doesn’t matter if you think they aren’t; they are always watching you. If you don’t think you have a personal brand, you do.” — @camilleRecruits [0:09:53]   “If you make a mistake, own it. Own it, and then rectify it.” — @camilleRecruits [0:14:14]   “I do what works for me. I know myself. I am self-aware.” — @peepcenteredhr [0:25:18]   “The recruiting function is super important because we are like the cheerleaders, the welcome mats for the company. And if your welcome mat is tired, worn out, raggedy, then that’s a disservice, and you shouldn’t be doing that job.” — @camilleRecruits [0:33:40]   Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:   Camille Tate on LinkedIn Camille Tate on Twitter  Carla Patton on LinkedIn  Carla Patton on Twitter The Career Salon  The Career Salon on Instagram  The Career Salon on Facebook  The Career Salon on Twitter Talk Talent to Me  Hired