Big Fish in the Talent Pool Erin McDermott Peterson

This episode of Big Fish in the Talent Pool is inspired by some beginning-of-the-year introspection. In 2022, I am focusing on making a little more “space” for myself, my family, and my clients. By allocating time for my relationships, I have decided to pause the podcast, at least for a while.

I thought a nice capstone before my break would be a recent conversation I had with Kevin Grossman at the Talent Board. We talk about PeopleResults, our TA practice, a little about my career, and the never-ending quest to improve the candidate experience.

Over the last four years, I have been fortunate to interview TA Leaders such as David Reed of Vail Resorts, Carly Sanchez of Wells Fargo, Sylvette Sawyer of OpenDoor, Rob Dromgoole of Choctaw Nation of Oklahoma, Diana Barr of Boeing, Stephanie Zywien of General Motors, and Tim Streeter of (formerly) Whirlpool. Big leaders - all - and each with diverse views on industry best practices, their path to TA Leadership, and the latest TA technology.

One final note, I am dedicating this capstone episode to my Grandma Svea (who is 100 and still kicking!) for modeling what it's like to pour your heart and soul into your work and your family. Thank you, Grandma!

As always, many thanks to our Sponsors!
Paradox/Olivia: www.paradox.ai
ATAP: www.ATAPglobal.org
RPOA: www.RPOAssociation.org
ERE: www.ere.net

Topics Discussed:
Improving the Candidate Experience
Outsourcing technology with RPO partners
Data as the great equalizer

Connect with Erin Peterson

Erin is a Talent Acquisition Consultant, Interim Leader, and RPO Advisor with PeopleResults. She has led TA and RPO globally for some of the most successful organizations in the world including Accenture, Aon Hewitt, and Amazon.

She translates her unique global experience to help clients with TA strategy, employment branding, onboarding, candidate experience, and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) decisions.

Connect on Social


Website: https://www.people-results.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erinpeterson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErinMcPeterson

In this episode, you'll listen in on Erin's conversation with two emerging TA Leaders, Courtney Connor of Sequoia Consulting Group and Julia "Wonder Woman" Adler of Wayne Technologies. These "Future Big Fish" share their unique perspective from their 4-5 years of experience in consulting, staffing, and sourcing.

They discuss their views of TA Leadership from an individual contributor perspective, the importance of keeping up with ever-evolving technologies, and their favorite TA technology right now. Both Courtney and Julia share their insight into why the younger generation is disrupting the status quo of leadership and following new, alternative avenues of success outside of typical paths to “success”.

Throughout this conversation, there is a lot in store for both Big Fish and Future Big Fish listeners alike. And as for the more seasoned TA Leaders, stay tuned to hear how Courtney and Julia answer the question, "Fill in the Blank: We could fix Recruiting if only we would…__________.” Their answers might surprise you!

Thanks to our Sponsors!
Paradox/Olivia: www.paradox.ai
ATAP: www.ATAPglobal.org
RPOA: www.RPOAssociation.org

Topics Discussed:


Creating healthy communication loops across the team
Providing options for growth with team members with diverse goals
Different ways to create a transparent culture
Destigmatizing mental health in the workplace
Focusing on collaboration and shared success rather than competition within a team

Connect with Julia Adler

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adlerjulia/?jobid=1234

Connect with Courtney Connor


LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/courtneyconnor/?jobid=1234

Connect with Erin Peterson

Erin is a Talent Acquisition Consultant, Interim Leader, and RPO Advisor with PeopleResults. She has led TA and RPO globally for some of the most successful organizations in the world including Accenture, Aon Hewitt, and Amazon.

She translates her unique global experience to help clients with TA strategy, employment branding, onboarding, candidate experience, and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) decisions.


Connect on Social
Website: https://www.people-results.com
LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erinpeterson
Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErinMcPeterson

Trent Cotton is the Vice President of Talent Acquisition (TA) and Retention of Bureau Veritas Group, having pivoted his career from a focus on lending to talent after recognizing the close connection between the two. He draws keen insights on recruitment from his early career in banking, having learned from some tough customers like the “Chicken Lender” as well as his first mentor who gave him an honest earful after their first client pitch.

Now with a boatload of TA accomplishments and leadership positions as his foundation, Trent applies the principles of Agile methodology to Talent Acquisition in his book Sprint Recruiting - Innovate, Iterate, Accelerate. He shares numerous examples of taking the team he leads to a new level of confidence and productivity by setting healthy boundaries and expectations with Hiring Managers and candidates. It’s worth the listen just to hear Trent’s entertaining stories, as well as his practical approach to running an efficient TA operation. Enjoy!

Thanks to our Sponsors!
Paradox/Olivia: www.paradox.ai
ATAP: www.ATAPglobal.org
RPOA: www.RPOAssociation.org