Talking Talent

Our season finale is already here, and we saved our biggest until last! Michael Blakley, CEO & Founder of Equitas joins us this week! We talk the TA market, the origins of Equitas and the driving factor behind its huge success to date, and some phenomenal advice from a proven successful leader in how to stand out from the crowd and maximise every chance of success. Please give us a follow over...

The penultimate episode of this season deserves some big attention, so look no further than the return of Izzy & Candid joined this time by their incredible Marketing Manager Beth! We talk all things Candid, how they disrupted the market within hospitality, chat features, engagement tips, and some pretty lofty ambitions for 2026. Plus an EXCLUSIVE for what's coming out in the near future from...

This week we welcome Jason Langridge, an experience TA legend where we delve into the big differences between working for huge recruitment agencies that cover the entirety of the UK vs smaller boutique or start up agencies like The Bukola Group. Is there a different approach to the service offered to clients? What is the difference from a candidates perspective in the experience they get? We discu...

This weeks topic is all around our hiring managers. Business performances are under the microscope as cost cutting is becoming more and more drastic, and hiring managers are at the forefront of business performances. A trained manager, skilled in recruiting, is worth their weight in gold and we discuss how we can help managers get there. Please give us a follow over on Spotify, Apple & LinkedI...

Claire Clarke marks her return to Talking Talent discussing all things Employment Rights Act 2025. This is one of the biggest changes ever made to UK Law around employment, so it is absolutely crucial to fully understand as an organisation the changes that will affect you operationally. In this episode we are covering some aspects about hospitality, but the wider knock on effects on the People &am...

This episode of Talking Talent features Timothy R. Andrews , the founder of the Talking Hospitality podcast with over 25 years of experience in the sector. Tim shares his "glass-to-boardroom" journey, starting from washing glasses in West End bars to becoming the Head of Talent and Development at Jumeirah Hotels . The discussion dives deep into the resilience required to navigate the industry, spe...

We've probably all seen or heard of the huge backlog in employment tribunals currently, with some cases being scheduled in the 2030's already! This is NOT good for Talent/People Teams! So many variables and changes can happen between now and then, people change jobs, change careers, move countries, etc. However when you dig a little deeper into the causes behind so many cases, a lot leads back to...

What is Employer Value Proposition (EVP)? How important is it to attraction and retention? We've spoken about it before on the show, but Dale is deep in his EVP project, and gives his breakdown and experience of leading it for the first time in his career, the project blueprint he is working on, the challenges, the wins, and how he has got to where he is so far. Please give us a follow over on Spo...

We've read your questions, and have chosen some outstanding ones for this weeks' Q&A! Is AI destroying our future C-suite? Is Quality vs Speed just simply making bad hires quicker? Is rehiring ex colleagues a new strategy in 2026? (We have a HOT TAKE on this one) Please give us a follow over on Spotify, Apple & LinkedIn! __________ Sponsored by Equitas - The all-in-one software that transf...

What exactly is Talent Acquisition Ops? It's a new role that seems to be gaining traction across the TA industry, but what exactly is it? What does it do? Will this be the natural evolution of TA? We take a deep dive into this new and emerging role. Please give us a follow over on Spotify, Apple & LinkedIn! __________ Sponsored by Equitas - The all-in-one software that transforms hiring. https...

Topical discussion this week with Claude leaks hitting the headlines, with a reality check to TA teams on their usage of AI like Claude - what data are you putting through? GDPR is still here, and some of these companies do not have the right policies to protect the data. Plus the constant evolution of job titles, sounds great in passing, but scratch the surface and that "Head of ____" role is ess...

Steve Betts joins us this week to speak in-depth about the importance of communication and ensuring the human element of recruitment stays at the forefront of every candidate experience where possible. Embrace AI, embrace tech, embrace automations, but keep communication as personalised and tailored as you can to drive that candidate experience. Please give us a follow over on Spotify, Apple &...

This week we touch on a sensitive subject - Neurodiversity, which Dale opens about his approach, his experience and his thought process. What is it like to be different? What is "reasonable adjustments" when it comes to interviews and starting a new role? How can we be more inclusive without excluding anybody? Please give us a follow over on Spotify, Apple & LinkedIn! __________ Sponsored by E...

AI Interviewing - it's a hot topic currently in the TA space. New jobs and sectors has changed Ben's perspective on it a little now. As long as it stays true to Candidate Experience, then we're both in agreement that it can be a useful timesaver, allowing us to concentrate more on the CX side of things and delivering top class service. What do you think? Let us know! Please give us a follow over o...

We're back for Season 3! Please give us a follow over on Spotify, Apple & LinkedIn! __________ Sponsored by Equitas - The all-in-one software that transforms hiring. https://equitas.ai Partnered with Candid Hospitality, your anonymous matchmaker for hospitality careers. https://candidhospitality.co.uk/ Produced by BenJam Media. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Episode 20 - Thank You A big thank you to everyone of our fantastic guests for series 2. It's been enjoyable, insightful and great fun. We wish everyone a happy 2026, we'll be back for S3 with new ideas, new guests and great tips and tricks! Please give us a follow over on Spotify/Apple, TikTok, Instagram & LinkedIn! __________ Sponsored by Harri - The Employee Experience Platform www.harri.co...

Episode 19 - Talking Talking with Badger The Recruiters We have a candid honest conversation with two fantastic TA professionals, Kye Lovelace & Tracy Chau, who share their TA stories, big wins, experiences and interesting interviews! They also tell all about how Badger The Recruiters started, their side blog and future podcast (hopefully early 2026 so keep your eyes peeled!). They have some r...

Episode 18 - Talking Employer Branding with Scrumptious Marketing & Events This week we discuss all things employer branding. We all know how important, yet overlooked this area is within organisations, especially those that fit within the SME category. Sam Chance, Founder @ Scrumptious Marketing & Events, and Alice Ashe, Marketing Director @ Scrumptious, give us the low down of quick wins...

Episode 17 - Email Extravaganza In this episode we finally get round to answering some of your questions you've sent in! If you want your question answered, write to us via our LinkedIn page or to Ben or Dale directly. Please give us a follow over on Spotify/Apple, TikTok, Instagram & LinkedIn! __________ Sponsored by Harri - The Employee Experience Platform www.harri.com In Association with A...

Episode 16 - Questions In this episode we finally get round to answering some of your questions you've sent in! If you want your question answered, write to us via our LinkedIn page or to Ben or Dale directly. Please give us a follow over on Spotify/Apple, TikTok, Instagram & LinkedIn! __________ Sponsored by Harri - The Employee Experience Platform www.harri.com In Association with A2H Soluti...

Episode 15 - Talking Talent with Dan Ashdown - Head of Memberships at IHR (In-House Recruitment) This week Dan Ashdown joins us on the show to discuss the benefits of IHR, what they offer and the value they can add to your talent teams via their networking events, seminars and learning materials. Dan also shares his expertise and findings around the current talent climate, of course AI gets a ment...

Episode 14 - Tech Stacks Your Hiring Tech Stack is a critical part of the entire hiring process. It has the potential to have a huge impact on the process, from time to hire, experience from both candidate and hiring manager, integrations, and cost to name a few! We discuss our own experiences with systems like ATS, HRIS, and standalone software too, and the impact they've had on our respective or...

Episode 13 - Skills-Based Hiring It's not some new trend or a game changer, it simply opens up your talent pool further, but is skills-based hiring worth it? We take an in-depth look into the pro's and con's compared to job-based hiring, and try to come up with the perfect answer. Please give us a follow over on Spotify/Apple, TikTok, Instagram & LinkedIn! __________ Sponsored by Harri - The E...

Episode 12 - Recruitment is Broken The TA market is a very strange place right now. "Companies aren't hiring" & "Candidates aren't applying" are ringing through TA teams and LinkedIn alike. Dominic Joyce captured this perfect on a post on LinkedIn (link below) when he said “Everyone’s hiring, but no one’s getting hired.” and it couldn't be more true. We take a deep dive into what we're seeing...

Episode 11 - Levlr This week we have the Co-Founders of Levlr join us on the show. Neil & Mike have spent the last 20+ years in Recruitment, whether it be from an agency perspective or job board setting, so they know a thing or two about the Ta market, which is how Levlr came about. The gents discuss the Ta market, the ever changing role, and why Ta is truly broken currently and how there is a...