The Talent Tango

In this podcast episode, the host interviews James Lafferty, Vice President of Global Talent Acquisition at Epicor, to discuss the shift from transactional to transformational recruiting. Lafferty shares insights on focusing on business outcomes, refining hiring requirements, and using data in recruiting strategies. He explains the differences between transactional and transformational recruiting, emphasizing proactive engagement in business decisions, and discusses Epicor's global presence and talent acquisition strategies. The episode explores the significance of engaging with hiring managers early in the recruitment process, akin to cybersecurity's 'shifting left' principle, to align talent acquisition with business goals better. Lafferty also delves into managing hiring manager expectations, the role of data in supporting recruitment decisions, and fostering a culture of recruitment within organizations. The discussion includes strategies for communicating effectively with hiring managers and empoweri

In this podcast episode, Amir Bormand is joined by Kristen Duckett, the SVP of People and Talent at Cavnue, to discuss the intricacies of defining success in talent and people management. Kristen shares insights into the importance of clarity, persistence, and a consultative approach in HR. The episode delves into Cavnue's mission to innovate roadways for safer, more efficient transportation, underscoring the challenges and strategies in talent acquisition and management. Kristen emphasizes understanding business needs, setting realistic expectations, and the critical role of metrics in evaluating success and guiding HR practices. She also discusses the importance of listening, communication, and developing solutions-oriented approaches to effectively manage expectations and challenges in the HR field. Highlights 02:33 Defining Success in Talent and People Management 04:38 Metrics for Measuring Success in HR 08:24 Navigating Ownership and Decision-Making in HR 11:41 Effective Talent Acquisition Strategies 16:

This episode features Lubna Khaleeli, Director of Talent Acquisition at Coupa, discussing the intricate aspects of partnerships and stakeholder management within the realm of talent acquisition. She emphasizes the importance of establishing trusted relationships, harnessing data and authenticity to provide strategic hiring solutions, and prioritizing business outcomes. Lubna shares insights into the challenges of aligning with hiring managers and navigating the complexities of different stakeholder expectations. Through examples from her career, she highlights the impact of advocating for candidates and the necessity of a solution-oriented approach to problem-solving in talent acquisition. The discussion encapsulates the vital role of talent acquisition specialists in benefiting the businesses they serve and fostering a transformative environment through strategic and thoughtful engagement with candidates and hiring managers. Highlights 01:59 The Art of Building Trusted Partnerships in Talent Acquisition 05:1

In this podcast episode, Amir welcomes Amie Ernst, Director of Talent Acquisition at Pinecone, to discuss the crucial role of talent acquisition in understanding and influencing the rhythm of a business. Amie shares her insights on how talent acquisition is more than just monitoring and managing processes; it's about being an integral part of the business growth by knowing when and how to inject talent effectively. She highlights Pinecone's approach to building generative AI applications and the importance of strategic talent placement in startup environments. The conversation also explores the concept of influencing without authority, the significance of building trust with leadership, and the impact of talent acquisition on business goals. Amie stresses the importance of collaboration between recruiters and department leaders to ensure talent meets the immediate and future needs of the business. Furthermore, she discusses the challenges of influencing business leaders and the importance of strategic thinkin

In this podcast episode, Steve Cadigan, LinkedIn's first Chief HR Officer and expert on the future of work, discusses the evolving landscape of human resources and talent strategy. Topics covered include the importance of accountability, defining success, stakeholder engagement, and the dynamics between hiring managers and talent HR. Steve delves into the challenges the HR industry faces, particularly the complexities around hiring, onboarding, and aligning talent strategies with company values. He emphasizes the need for organizations to adapt to rapid changes in job requirements, skills, and workplace culture. The conversation also touches on the potential impacts of AI on HR practices, advocating for AI to complement talent strategies by enhancing personal job satisfaction and organizational fit rather than focusing on cost savings. Steve shares insights from his extensive experience and suggests ways to improve recruitment processes and talent management for a more engaged and productive workforce. Highli

In this podcast episode, Amir Bormand interviews Joe Ortiz, the Global Talent Acquisition Manager at Datadog. They discuss the talent team's growth, promotion criteria, and keeping teams motivated during tough economic times. Joe shares insights on servant leadership within talent acquisition, emphasizing the importance of empathy, providing team members with stretch opportunities, and shielding them from unnecessary tasks to foster their best work. He also delves into managing workloads effectively when resources are limited and the importance of maintaining job security and psychological safety during economic uncertainty. The dialogue further explores the significance of upward feedback, trust, and assuming good intent for continuous improvement in leadership roles. The episode concludes with ways to contact Joe and encourages sharing the episode with those interested in leadership and talent growth strategies. Highlights 01:31 Exploring Talent Growth and Leadership in Tough Times 01:45 The Essence of Serv

In this podcast episode, Amir Bormand is joined by Chris Ahsing, a Talent Partner at Dragonfly, a crypto web three investment firm focusing on early-stage investments. They delve into the intricacies of talent acquisition metrics, discussing the challenges of over-engineered metrics, optimizing metrics for different marketing channels, and the distraction caused by unnecessary metrics. Ahsing shares his insights on the common pitfalls in talent process management, including the 'and then' evaluation process and optimizing Applicant Tracking Systems (ATS) for user flow rather than reporting. The conversation also covers tactical advice on managing unreasonable hiring expectations, the importance of empathy and stakeholder communication, and strategies for talent leaders to manage scope creep and unrealistic hiring requirements assertively. The dialogue emphasizes the need for a clear, consistent approach to metrics and effective communication between talent teams and their stakeholders to navigate the complexi

In this podcast episode, Amir Bormand hosts Gabrielle Garon, the VP of Talent, DEIB, and People Insights at 1Password. They delve into the intricate world of people metrics and how 1Password is navigating the challenges and opportunities within people analytics. Gabrielle shares her journey, from starting with minimal data collection, due to the company's focus on security and privacy, to implementing a comprehensive data metrics system using tools like Looker and maintaining a balance between qualitative expertise and quantitative data. They discuss the importance of opting in for data sharing, the process of deciding which metrics to measure, and the continuous reassessment of those metrics. Gabrielle emphasizes the role of people analytics in challenging biases, making informed decisions, and fostering a collaborative environment. She also offers advice on starting with people analytics, including building a business case, educating oneself about the possibilities, and connecting with others in the field.

In this podcast episode, Amir Bormand is joined by Wendy Sellers, 'The HR Lady.' They delve deeply into the importance of carefully crafted job descriptions, underscoring that many companies struggle due to several legacy elements and complexities. Wendy stresses that a well-written job description is crucial for the hiring process, employee reviews, and managing expectations within the role. They discuss the difference between job descriptions and job ads and emphasize that both must align with an organization's culture and values. Wendy also advocates for using job descriptions as a basis for employee reviews, a practice not often seen in businesses. She offers resources for businesses looking to improve their recruiting processes, and touches on her book 'Suck It Up, Buttercup: Be A Leader People Will Follow'. Highlights 00:18 The Importance of Job Descriptions 00:43 Guest's Background and Expertise 02:40 The Evolution and Legacy of Job Descriptions 03:35 The Role of Job Descriptions in HR and Recruitment

In this podcast episode, Adam Steinharter, the Head of Talent Acquisition at Deepgram, discusses the recruiting industry's challenges and nuances. Steinharter highlights the need for recruiters to add value, adopt a long-term career approach, understand the science and art of working with people, and stay adaptable to industry trends. He also discusses the high turnover rate within the industry due to the lack of barriers to entry and the frequent layoffs during financial downturns. Furthermore, the conversation delves into the influence of technology and AI in reshaping the recruiting landscape, indicating that although automation could eliminate administrative tasks, the human element and personal connection in recruitment remain invaluable. Adam emphasizes the importance of understanding the business, hiring needs, and broader company operations to succeed in this career. Highlights: 01:44 The Challenges and Rewards of Recruiting 02:49 The Art and Science of Working with People 03:57 The Importance of Comm

In this episode, Matt Skiba, VP of Talent at Genies, discusses the dynamics of talent teams and the importance of candidate experiences. Skiba highlights several areas within the talent acquisition function, including team culture, accountability of hiring managers and placing emphasis on the best candidate experience. Additionally, Skiba shares about his company, Genies, an avatar technology company focusing on identity interoperability for the future state of consumer, social, and gaming technologies. He stresses the importance of brand image, empathy, human-factor and a personalized approach towards candidates. Towards the end, he touched upon hiring managers’ accountability in the hiring process and the idea of viewing recruitment from a marketing angle, considering the candidate journey similar to the customer journey. Highlights: 02:26 Exploring Team Dynamics and Candidate Experience 05:33 The Role of Metrics in Talent Acquisition 06:30 The Shift in Hiring Goals and Strategies 10:13 The Importance of Ca

In this episode of the podcast, Brady Stevenson, the Head of Recruiting at Virta Health, discusses strategies related to branding and engagement within recruitment. Brady speaks about marketing strategies, managing budgets, measuring growth, and the importance of a strong mission to attract talent. He emphasizes the importance of recruiting being a company-wide initiative, not just a role for recruiters. Brady's team combines efforts with the company's marketing team to grow their LinkedIn following and build their talent community. They also survey their employee base to understand what they value in their work, which helps to improve Virta’s value proposition. Finally, Brady talks about the company's long-term vision, including the importance of investing in employer branding for long-term benefit, even during less competitive times in the talent market. Highlights: 00:54 Understanding Virta Health and Its Mission 02:11 The Role of Employer Branding in Recruitment 03:22 Strategic Approach to Branding and En

In this podcast episode, Angelique Cuevas, the Director of Talent Acquisition at Exabeam, shares insights about her journey from an individual contributor role to a leadership position. Discussing her initial struggle with the shifting dynamics of peer relationships, Cuevas presents various strategic approaches and methods implemented to ensure smooth transitions within the company. She highlights the need to learn and unlearn in this ever-evolving professional landscape. She also emphasizes the role of communication, delegation, and understanding individual career growth paths in successful people management.  Highlights: 01:19 Transitioning from Individual Contributor to Leader 02:22 Angelique's Journey to Leadership 04:39 Challenges of Becoming a People Leader 07:03 The Importance of Talent Acquisition 08:33 Navigating Relationship Dynamics as a New Manager 12:39 Learning from Mistakes and Adapting Strategy 18:36 Empowering Team Members and Facilitating Growth Guest: Angelique Cuevas began her

In this podcast episode, Sherri Manning, Chief People Officer at Olo, discusses cultural transformation and maintaining startup-like vitality while scaling up. She asserts the importance of understanding the 'why' of cultural signs and values as the company grows. Sherri introduces the idea of 'human capital technical debt', drawing parallels with the engineering concept of 'technical debt'. She talks about this debt as a backlog of challenges around decision-making and the need for its documentation to better prepare successors. Sherri also stresses involving stakeholders, retaining and rewarding desired behaviors, and viewing the people function as primarily a business problem-solving domain.  Highlights: 02:56 Discussing Cultural Transformation in Companies 04:03 Balancing Company Growth and Maintaining Culture 07:18 Educating Stakeholders and Implementing Process Changes 20:37 Understanding the Concept of 'Technical Debt' in HR 27:18 Documenting Decisions and Understanding Their Context Guest: Sherri Mann

On this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Stephen Chu, the Chief Legal and People Officer at InStride, about the impact of education on talent retention, attraction, and tenure. InStride partners with academic institutions to offer education programs for large enterprise companies, including high school degrees, college degrees, non-degree certificates, and coding courses. The goal is to provide a win-win-win situation for employees, employers, and academic institutions, as employees gain new skills, employers benefit from upskilled talent, and academic institutions gain more learners. Highlights  [00:00:04] Impact of education on talent. [00:02:26] Importance of combined legal and HR role. [00:05:30] Retention and Mobility. [00:09:30] Facilitating professional growth opportunities. [00:10:23] CEO buy-in and program success. [00:13:44] Advanced professionals improving their skills. [00:15:03] The importance of continuous learning. [00:18:28] Education improves retention. [00:21:42] Educational benefits and imp

In this episode, Laura Buckle, the Director of Global Recruitment and Talent at Skims, joins the podcast to discuss the challenges of finding the right people and scaling in a fast-growing company. Skims, founded by Kim Kardashian and Jens Grede, started as a shapewear company and has now expanded into a clothing brand focusing on body positivity and inclusivity. Laura shares insights on how Skims is navigating the scaling issues typically seen in software startups and the importance of raising the bar when hiring for critical roles. Please tune in to learn more about Skims' journey and their approach to finding the right talent. Highlights [00:00:41] Scaling and finding the right people. [00:05:30] Hiring challenges and growth. [00:08:28] Hiring manager preferences and team dynamics. [00:11:05] Learning from hiring mistakes. [00:15:25] The seven-day rule. [00:21:08] Enticing engineers with progressive technology. [00:24:07] Inclusivity in tech teams. [00:27:14] Mental health in cybersecurity. Guest: Laura Bu

On this episode of the podcast, the Amir Bormand  interviews Madeline Minshew, the Vice President of Culture at True Ventures. They discuss the importance of hiring your first head of people and what to look for when taking a job as the first people leader hire. True Ventures is an early-stage venture capital firm that invests in extraordinary founders and their innovative ideas. They are sector-agnostic and focus on backing exceptional individuals in various markets. This episode explores the characteristics of successful founders and the significance of building a strong team. Highlights:  [00:02:26] Characteristics of extraordinary founders. [00:07:11] Letting go of control. [00:09:25] Preserving culture while scaling. [00:13:40] Building the right company. [00:18:58] Questions for job seekers. [00:24:14] HR's evolving role in organizations. [00:27:21] Asking questions and viewing problems. Guest: As True’s VP of Culture, Madeline guides True Founders as they evolve as leaders, grow their teams, and intent

In this episode, host Amir interviews Brittany Mitlo, Duolingo's Director of University Recruiting. They discuss the unique aspects of university recruiting, including the in-person campus experience and the impact of the pandemic on recruitment strategies. They also delve into Duolingo's popular language learning app and its branding and marketing efforts. Tune in to learn more about Duolingo's approach to university recruiting and its global reach with over half a billion learners worldwide. Highlights: [00:00:53] University recruiting during the pandemic. [00:05:25] Expanding reach to virtual events. [00:09:07] IRL meetups and connection. [00:13:37] TikTok presence and applications. [00:15:51] Grassroots growth and word of mouth. [00:19:25] Increasing representation of classes. [00:22:29] Trust and Innovation. Guest: Brittany Mitlo is the Director of University Recruiting at Duolingo, which is home to the most downloaded education app worldwide. Brittany's primary focus is on building Duolingo’s University

In this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Alicia Kortmeyer, the head of people at Denim, a freight payment platform. Alicia shares her journey of transitioning into the head of people role and her unique challenges in managing a fully remote team across the country. The discussion also discusses the definition and responsibilities of a head of people role in different companies. Tune in to gain insights on leveling up in HR and developing a holistic viewpoint in people management.  Highlights: [00:01:18] Moving into a head of people role. [00:03:26] Retaining top performers. [00:07:05] Transitioning to head of people. [00:11:30] Dealing with daily bumps. [00:14:08] Evolving as a recruiter. [00:19:18] Conflict resolution and communication. [00:20:46] Career path moving forward. [00:23:47] Leveling up during challenging times. Guest: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alicia-molina-kortmeyer-16601011/ ------ Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Talent Tango, and we would appreciate it if you would tak

In this episode, host and guest Keshar Sheridan, Head of People at Grow Therapy, discusses the challenges of dealing with stakeholders in the workplace. They explore the different types of stakeholders and the implications of being a matrix component of the company. They also delve into biases and how to handle challenging stakeholders who go against HR policies. Kesha shares her stories and insights on navigating these situations. Tune in to gain valuable perspectives on managing stakeholders in the workplace. Highlights [00:01:30] Mental health care coverage. [00:06:09] Challenges in talent acquisition. [00:09:14] Tying process to specific outcomes. [00:12:38] Retaining top employees and engagement. [00:18:21] Challenging stakeholders pushing boundaries. [00:21:55] Mitigating work conflicts effectively. [00:27:17] Employees must wash hands. [00:29:09] Disagree and commit. Guest:  Keshar Sheridan is the Head of People at Grow Therapy. With over a decade of experience in the People and Talent spaces at fas