The Missing Manual Show

Are you just putting AI on top of a broken process? In the premiere of our 3-part Agentic AI series, Julia and JCK pull back the curtain on Agentic AI—the move from "generative" (creating text) to "agentic" (taking action). JCK shares her journey from a Johns Hopkins AI program to building "Action-Engineered" agents, while Julia discusses how to balance innovation with enterprise risk and PII conc...

The Resume Infrastructure is Cracking. Can Talent Ops Save It? We all know the secret: the resume was never a perfect tool, but now it’s becoming a liability. From candidates using AI to "game" the ATS to the struggle of identifying true potential in a sea of rear-facing data, the "Builder" community in HR is facing a systemic crisis. In this episode of The Missing Manual, Julia Levy and Jenny Cot...

The conversation introduces the 'Hell Yes' mantra and explores its application in decision-making, reframing negative experiences, and identifying content gaps. It emphasizes the subjectivity of 'good' and the journey of starting something new. Takeaways 'Hell Yes' mantra for decision-making Reframing 'Hell No' to 'Hell Yes' Chapters 00:00 Introduction to Mantra 05:11 Identifying Content Gap

The $0 Strategy: How to execute when the "Tools" don't exist. "Fix it, but don't spend anything." It’s the most common directive in the corporate machine, yet the one least documented in the training manuals. In this session of The Missing Manual, Jenny Cotie Kangas and Julia Levy deconstruct the mechanics of building in an under-resourced vacuum. This isn't about "visionary leadership"; it’s abou...

The conversation delves into the concept of friction in talent acquisition processes, exploring the distinction between good and bad friction. It also highlights the impact of automating bad processes and introduces 'The Friction Project' as a resource for understanding and addressing friction in organizational processes. Takeaways Friction in talent acquisition Understanding and addressing fricti...

Doing the work is only half the battle. Knowing how to navigate the machine is the rest. In this session of The Missing Manual, Jenny Cotie Kangas and Julia Levy deconstruct why Design Thinking is a critical piece of operational tradecraft, not just a buzzword for the innovation lab. What Jenny and Julia cover: The "Work" of Empathy: Why understanding the human on the other side of a process is a...

Ever feel like there’s a secret playbook for corporate success that everyone else received but you? In this debut episode, Julia Levy and Jenny Cotie Kangas (JCK) pull back the curtain on why they launched The Missing Manual. They’re ditching the scripts and fluff to bridge the massive gap between "getting the job" and "doing the work." If you’re a builder, a practitioner, or a doer tired of "easy...