HR Interviews Playlist

Employee retention. Ever heard of it? It’s kind of a big deal. See, employers would rather hold on to the existing crop of workers than have to go back to the well year after year. Ever heard of the gaming industry? Yeah, it’s kind of a big deal too, and hold onto those employees are particularly tricky. Good thing we ran into Madeline Laurano, the founder and chief analyst of Aptitude Research, while we were in Paris at Unleash, because she actually gave a presentation on the topic and decided to hangout with your boys in the Textkernel booth for some knowledge droppin’. 

TRF feat Sachit Kamat Chief Product Officer with Eightfold.aiWe were floored by the deep understanding of TA coming with Sachit from his days at Linked In being ported over to his role at Eightfold.ai. Their foundation is solidly planted in AI helping organizations figure out what skills they already have and effectively connect them to the biggest problems the company is trying to solve.Companies who are scaling up or taking inventory of their current talent, we unpack what Talent Intelligence means in the real world. It's knowing who's available when, what skills, and then, that should create your go to market as far as talent attraction. Advice for TA leaders on efficiencies gained when AI is fully informed, it is quality time where your talents are best used and that is with the business. 

Do employees really care if it's AI behind a solution?

Did you happen to catch ERIN at the SHRM show this summer? If you did, you’re probably wearing a Chad & Cheese T-shirt right now. You also probably learned about a start-up in the employee referral space who just raised millions for their business. In case you missed it, employers say referrals are their No. 1 source of hire. For these reasons alone, we had to invite Mike Stafiej, CEO at ERIN, on the show to break it all down for us. We also make fun of Cardboard Chad. Confused, gotta listen.

This time last year, most of us hadn't heard of generative AI, but it has dominated our industry discourse in 2024. The dramatic emergence of generative AI has illustrated how fast disruption is accelerating and has made us think deeply about the future of talent acquisition.Back in July at RecFest, Tony de Graaf, Global Director of Hiring Success at SmartRecruiters, invited me to join him for a fireside chat about the potential impact of generative AI on TA. Even though three months is a long time in AI, this is still a very relevant discussion where we attempted to unpick what is happening and understand how AI is shaping the future of talent acquisition.In the interview, we discuss:The AI hype cycleDoes AI take away tasks or jobs?The pressure for change that is coming from the top of organizationsStrategic workforce planning and hiring for future skillsMoving from being operational to being strategicThe transformation of marketingDemocratized access to technologyIs this the end of recruiting norms that we take for granted?Being relentlessly open-minded and questioning everythingThe future workforce talent and skills crisisListen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.

We had the opportunity to interview Crosschq CEO Michael Fitzsimmons on the floor at #HRTechconfMost Recruiters have a story or two about candidate fraud. We were very curious to understand how CrossChq.com works in the hiring process. Mike shares his personal experience leading to the creation and launch of the solution. If 47% of new hires don't stay long enough to become ROI positive, a part of the decision to hire needs a closer look.What do we really know about someone before they are hired? Is just the standard information like skills, experience, education; where we are blind, is around behavior that will spill into the workplace.  In high risk hiring such as health care or financial services, skipping past the background check can have serious consequences. Some advice for those who are considering adding technology to their hiring process, be clear about what problem you are trying to solve before you go shopping.

Using the tools employees use in their work to get a sense of engagement.

The low standards around child labor laws in America are enough to make anyone think they're taking crazy pills. Shockingly, many states and local governments are going backward when it comes to protecting our most vulnerable, particularly in agriculture. That's why we invited Reid Maki, Child Labor Advocacy Director at the National Consumers League and Child Labor Coalition on the podcast. It's a sobering discussion on the state of working kids and immigration failures throughout the country and its heartland. It's also a discussion, however, about how change can happen for the betterment of everyone. We are failing our kids and it's high time we make a change. Knowing is the first step.

Pete Lamson CEO at Employ joins us for an interview at HR Technology Conference.JazzHR became the darling of ATS solutions in the SMB market. Pete gives credit to the founder and his vision. Being acquired by Employ and staying on as CEO was just the beginning of an impressive ride in TA tech. 2021 was an exciting year, as Employ acquired more ATS solutions, they now cover all size organizations, with the acquisition of Lever and JobVite. Recruiter Nation surveys 1200 recruiters from every size of organization, giving us insight and validating what recruiters are experiencing. Insight from this year’s report; hospitality and government are reaching into new talent pools to solve their skills shortage.Some sage advice to TA Leaders, be crystal clear about the problem technology needs to solve for your business and if you are going to add in AI to simplify the mundane like writing job ads.

Having covered both topics extensively on the podcast this year, I'm very much of the opinion that the move towards skills-based thinking will be more disruptive to recruiting norms than the rapid adoption of generative AI.The adoption of skills-based hiring and the move towards skills-based organizations is still happening slowly. However, as more organizations question blanket requirements for college degrees, new upskilling and reskilling initiatives are emerging that could help move the needle quicker.My guest this week is Michelle Westfort, Chief University Officer at InStride. InStride works with businesses to use skill-based hiring to expand talent pools by partnering with employers to construct career education paths to provide employees with the skills they need to do their jobs.In the interview, we discuss:Why some employers are moving away from degreesDo employers understand skills-based hiring?Diversifying talent pools with more equitable hiring processesUnderstanding the skills needed for specific rolesJust in time, skills developmentEvolving the relationship between Universities and employersDeconstructing the degreeStrategies for long-term professional developmentMapping education to skills requirementsWhat does the future look like?Listen to this podcast on Apple Podcasts.