LinkedIn Leaders

Joe Atkinson

Each week Joe Atkinson sits down with a LinkedIn Leader. Our aim is to make this the most practical show on Talent Acquisition. Expect practical advice from Global TA Leaders in 20-30 minutes. Suitable for recruiters, talent acquisition partners, TA leaders, sourcers & anyone in between.

  1. 11 SEP

    How to Move Beyond Hiring Using AI | Célia Sauthier

    Célia Sauthier is the Head of Talent Acquisition at Moss. She’s leading a project to expand TA’s role beyond recruitment into onboarding, probation, feedback, and retention. She’s combining AI + automation pilots with recruiter upskilling to free up capacity, future-proof her team, and position recruiters as true business partners. In this episode, we explore how TA teams can move beyond hiring and deliver more value across the full talent lifecycle. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:25 TA moving upstream 05:39 Partnering with People Ops 07:23 From recruiter to coach & consultant 10:56 Running AI + automation in parallel 15:29 Measuring probation & productivity 18:14 Proving TA’s value to leadership 21:12 Competing for talent in AI-first world Connect with Célia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celiasauthier/ Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/ Resources & Concepts Mentioned: • Moving Upstream in TA – expanding recruiter scope beyond hiring • AI as a Capacity Enabler – automation that frees recruiters to add value • Probation Check-Ins – measuring productivity & retention impact • Recruiters as Business Partners – shifting into coaching & consulting • AI Funding Trends – how investor focus on AI changes the talent market • Lovable – no-code platform helping PMs launch products without engineers • 20VC Podcast – insights from leading VCs on startup growth & AI • Accel Spotlight Podcast – deep dives on tech trends & company building

    20 min
  2. 27 AUG

    How to Take Control of Your Career | Andreea Lungulescu

    Andreea has 15+ years of experience in Talent, including a decade in corporate recruiting and now as a career coach and mentor. She’s helped 100s of people accelerate their careers, shift into new paths, and build confidence in their next step. In this conversation we cover: → Why your career strategy shouldn’t start with your CV or LinkedIn → How to run a “work audit” to uncover your skills, strengths & values → The 3 a.m. test & childhood curiosity test for identifying natural strengths → Finding and working with mentors (formal vs informal) → Why recruiters must urgently upskill in AI & automation → The irreplaceable skills AI can’t replicate (and how to build them) → How to use unemployment or downtime as an opportunity to reskill → Andreea’s new Career Operating System masterclass Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:47 Career development foundations 02:36 The work audit 04:37 Strengths vs skills 07:40 Why mentorship matters 10:14 Formal vs informal mentors 13:29 Advice for recruiters in a tough market 15:56 Upskilling in AI & automation is non-negotiable 18:59 Opportunity in unemployment 19:46 Andreea’s Career Operating System Connect with Andreea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alungulescu/ Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/ Andreea's free resources: https://www.theprincipalrecruiter.com/post/a-step-by-step-framework-for-skills-connectedness-and-using-them-for-career-growth https://www.theprincipalrecruiter.com/post/develop-me-carving-out-bold-careers https://www.theprincipalrecruiter.com/post/forget-the-traditional-career-paths-in-talent-acquisition-here-are-the-modern-roles 🔑 Key Concepts & Tools Mentioned in This Video: - Work Audit (task/energy mapping) - Strengths vs Skills framework - 3 a.m. Test & Childhood Curiosity Test - Mentorship approaches (formal & informal) - Career Operating System (Andreea’s masterclass) - AI & Automation in recruitment - Critical Thinking & Creative Problem Solving as irreplaceable skills

    18 min
  3. 5 AUG

    The New Model for Talent Acquisition Teams | Szymon Kubicki

    Szymon Kubicki is a former Head of Talent at Spendesk and Docplanner. Today he works with startups through a VC lens, helping them build lean, tech-enabled recruiting functions. In this episode, Szymon shares how the best talent teams are being built in 2025 — smaller, smarter, and driven by impact, not headcount. We break down how AI is changing team design, what tools actually make a difference, and the new skills every recruiter needs to stay relevant. Whether you lead a TA team or want to future-proof your career, this one’s full of practical advice. Chapters: 00:00 Intro 01:10 The new talent game 04:20 Output over Headcount 07:30 Building lean teams 10:00 Internal vs third-party automations 13:10 Skills recruiters still need 16:40 How AI changes early-stage hiring 19:00 Tool recommendations 22:00 Advice for recruiters early in career Connect on LinkedIn: Szymon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/szymonkubicki/ Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1 Episode Links Szymon's Newsletter: https://szymonkubicki.substack.com/ Joe’s Newsletter: https://newsletter.gopurpl.io/ Key Concepts & Tools Mentioned in This Video • Designing lean talent teams • Talent density vs headcount growth • AI’s role in recruiting workflows • LinkedIn’s future (and its challengers) • Internal TA tooling vs vendor tools • Practical AI tools: PeopleGPT, HeroHunt, Granola, Zapier • Custom GPTs for internal use • Scaling without adding recruiters • Business-aligned recruiting • Hands-on TA leadership in the AI age • Skills future recruiters need (data, tech, empathy)

    22 min
  4. 21 JUL

    Master The Recruiting QBR | Eric Guidice

    Sign up to Recruiting Wisdom (for free) – https://newsletter.gopurpl.io/signup Eric Guidice is the founder of Headcount365 and Unicorn Talent. He’s a former global recruiting leader at Uber and Bird, and now helps TA leaders turn their QBRs into strategic tools that drive real business outcomes. In this episode, Eric breaks down how to run a world-class QBR — what to include, how to present it to execs, and how to turn data into action. Whether you’re a recruiting leader or an IC who wants to level up, this conversation is packed with practical advice. Chapters 00:00 Why QBRs Matter 02:15 Climate vs Weather 05:42 What Execs Really Care About 08:33 Budget, Titles & Cultural Debt 13:20 Turning Insights Into Action 17:12 Driving Stakeholder Buy-In 19:40 Coaching Recruiters Commercially 23:10 Tools & Templates You Can Use Connect with Eric: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eguidice/ Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/ Episode Links: QBR Blog: https://www.headcount365.com/blog/a-recruiting-leaders-guide-to-the-qbr-quarterly-business-review QBR Teamplate: https://www.unicorntalent.com/recruiting-qbr-template Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/ Headcount 365: https://www.headcount365.com/ Key Concepts & Tools Mentioned in This Video: • Talent Acquisition QBRs • Climate vs. Weather in TA data • Aligning with finance and workforce planning • Headcount variance tracking • Recruiter performance scorecards • Hiring manager accountability • Cultural debt in hiring • Predictable hiring & planning • Team-based recruiting accountability • Unicorn Talent community • Headcount 365 platform • TA’s impact on revenue & OPEX • Stakeholder buy-in through data • Coaching ICs on business impact • AI and productivity metrics in recruiting

    25 min
  5. 3 JUN

    Hiring Top Talent in High Growth Companies | Shiv Brodie

    Sign up to Recruiting Wisdom (for free) - https://newsletter.gopurpl.io/signup Shiv is a former Head of Talent for high growth companies such as Multiverse and Assembly Global. She now helps founders at companies like Metaverse and Learnably hire the top 1% of talent into their high growth environments. In this episode Shiv debunks what A-Players actually means. How to find, assess and hire top performers who thrive in a high growth environment. And some of the core differences in hiring for start-ups vs scale-ups. Chapters 00:00 Growth Stage Hiring 02:28 Top Talent in High Growth Environments 04:55 Attracting Talent to Early Stage Businesses 06:14 Finding and Assessing Candidates 09:17 Differences in Hiring for Seed vs Series C 11:46 Why Does it Matter? 14:10 Who Can We Learn From? Connect with Shiv: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivbrodie/ Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/ Episode Links: Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/ Shiv’s Website: https://found-global.co/ Key Concepts & Tools Mentioned in This Video: • Growth-stage hiring • Hypergrowth startups • Identifying top talent / “A-players” • Force multipliers in teams • High-growth environment challenges • Career acceleration vs. steady-state roles • The “give and get” Venn diagram for talent attraction • Rate of learning and growth mentality • Winning trajectory and pattern of achievement • Coachability (early stage vs. scale-up context) • Critical thinking at pace • Resilience in ambiguous environments • Additive, challenging interview processes • Retention challenges in startups • Top-of-funnel ratios Screening for soft skills vs. hard skills Pass-through rates and data-driven hiring Talent density in organizations (e.g., PayPal Mafia, Revolut) Peer learning and micro-communities for TA leaders

    16 min
  6. 8 MEI

    6 Steps to Improve Candidate Sourcing | Matthew Mercer-Elgenia

    Sign up to Recruiting Wisdom (for free) - https://newsletter.gopurpl.io/signup Matt is a former Meta Sourcer, responsible for sourcing, attracting, and engaging with Senior-to-Lead Machine Learning Engineers across Europe. He’s now a leading Sourcing Trainer, helping recruitment teams build scalable and efficient sourcing functions as well as finding & engaging with niche talent. In this episode we focus on Matt’s sourcing principles that can make every recruiter more productive, regardless of what tools they have access to. Chapters 00:00 Intro to Sourcing Principles 01:14 Narrow Then Wide 04:46 Critical Thinking 08:44 Iterative Processes 11:23 80-20 Rule in Sourcing 15:45 Deep Work and Focus 22:35 More, Better, New Connect with Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewmercer-elgenia/ Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/ Episode Links: Matt’s Website: https://www.techtalentdelivery.com/ Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/ Resources Mentioned in This Video Books & Concepts: • Deep Work by Cal Newport: Learn how to cultivate focus and achieve high productivity through deep, uninterrupted work. • Pareto Principle (80-20 Rule): The concept that 20% of inputs often yield 80% of results, applied to sourcing and recruitment efforts. • Attention Residue by Sophie Leroy: A concept explaining the impact of task-switching on focus and productivity. Techniques & Sourcing Strategies: • Narrow First, Then Wide: A sourcing strategy that prioritizes precision before expansion to maximize efficiency. • Keyword Analysis: A method to refine Boolean searches by analyzing existing candidate profiles for additional terms. • Implicit Search: A technique to uncover candidates who don’t explicitly list skills by searching for contextual clues. • Iterative Sourcing Process: A continuous loop of research, review, sourcing, and feedback to refine and improve results. • More, Better, Before New: A framework for maximizing the impact of existing tools and processes before investing in new ones. Creators & Thought Leaders: • Glenn Cathy: A sourcing thought leader known for his work on Boolean search techniques and implicit search. • Alex Hormozi: Entrepreneur and investor who coined the phrase “More, Better, Before New” to optimize processes and outputs. Platforms & Tools: • Google Scholar: A valuable research platform for finding candidates in research-heavy roles. • LinkedIn Recruiter: A widely used tool for sourcing candidates, with advanced search and filtering capabilities.

    26 min

Info

Each week Joe Atkinson sits down with a LinkedIn Leader. Our aim is to make this the most practical show on Talent Acquisition. Expect practical advice from Global TA Leaders in 20-30 minutes. Suitable for recruiters, talent acquisition partners, TA leaders, sourcers & anyone in between.