The Talent Tango

In this episode, Cecelia McElearney, Head of People at Instabase, talks about the importance of recruiting champions and the role of partnerships in talent acquisition. She explains that recruiting is a team effort requiring collaboration across the organization. Cecelia shares insights on ownership in HR processes, emphasizing clear communication and transparency. She discusses project management...

n this episode, Amir interviews Dana Dillard, Director of Recruiting and Talent at Collective Health. They dive into the unique challenges of recruiting in large companies versus startups. Dana sheds light on common misconceptions about recruiters' roles in big tech firms like Apple, Amazon, and Meta, and highlights the skills needed to excel in different environments. She also offers strategic ad...

In this episode, Amir sits down with Kulwinder Verma Scott, Global VP of Talent Acquisition at The Trade Desk, to explore how talent professionals can move beyond process execution and step into their role as true business partners. They dive into the stigma around TA being seen as order-takers and discuss actionable ways to shift that narrative. If you're trying to level up your strategic influen...

In this podcast episode, Michelle Pal, Manager of People and Culture at Tonal, discusses her career shift from Talent Acquisition (TA) to Human Resources (HR). The conversation highlights the challenges and adjustments in expanding her role, from acquiring talent to managing broader HR functions. Michelle shares her experience, including stakeholder engagement changes, prioritization of tasks, and...

In this podcast episode, Amir Bormand interviews Carla Foster, the VP of Global Talent Acquisition at DataStax, to explore how talent acquisition leaders can add more value and better align with the needs of their organizations. Carla shares her insights on moving beyond mere process management to truly understanding the business functions they support, ensuring candidate quality, and building tru...

Lauren Newton, VP of People at Sanity, joins the podcast to discuss how approaching talent management as a continuous experiment can drive innovation, engagement, and meaningful improvements within organizations. Lauren shares practical strategies for identifying areas to experiment, defining clear outcomes, and effectively managing stakeholder buy-in. Key Takeaways: Treat Talent Initiatives as Ex...

In this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Meg Pittman, VP of People at dbt Labs, to explore how people teams can evolve into enablers rather than gatekeepers. They discuss authentic leadership, fostering safe spaces, and shifting from risk mitigation to proactive business enablement. Meg shares stories about leading with vulnerability, empowering her team, and taking calculated risks to build a hum...

In this episode, we dive into the nuances of how founders can effectively hire go-to-market leaders with Atli Thorkelsson, VP of Talent Network at Redpoint Ventures. The conversation covers the challenges founders face in these roles, the timing and dynamics of such hires, and the importance of founder-led sales in the early stages. Atli emphasizes the need for candidates who can execute immediate...

In this podcast episode, Amir Bormand interviews Blake Williams, the Head of Talent at Nuro, a startup focused on enhancing daily life through robotics, notably with their self-driving delivery vehicles. They delve into the challenges and strategies of managing talent transition, particularly in a high-skill environment like Nuro, which specializes in computer vision technologies and robotics. Wil...

This podcast episode features a discussion with Ashley Core, Head of TA at SoFi, focusing on engagement strategies for high performing teams within talent acquisition (TA). They delve into maintaining team engagement during busy periods and downtimes, addressing the impact of layoffs on mental health, and strategies for personal and team productivity. Ashley shares insights from her experience, em...

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,...

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, unde...

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...

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...

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, particul...

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 t...

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 sh...

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 implemen...

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...

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 du...

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 comp...

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 recr...

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...

In this episode, I sit down with Sherri Manning , Chief People Officer at Olo , to discuss cultural transformation and the evolving role of HR in scaling companies. Sherri shares her insights on maintaining the essence of a startup culture as a company grows, balancing process and agility , and introducing the concept of human capital technical debt —a way to think about past people decisions that...

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...