Talentless

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Welcome to Talentless 👋, the podcast that’s all HR, all talent, and zero fluff—the official show for recruiters, by recruiters! If you’re in the people business, this is your one-stop shop for everything that matters. Hosted Industry Leaders Ashley King and Desiree Goldey, we’re here to dig into the heart of what makes workplaces tick (and sometimes, blow up). From talent acquisition tips that actually work to the real talk on DEI and workforce trauma reshaping our industry, we’re not afraid to get into the messy, the meaningful, and the downright motivating. Buckle up—this is where you become the best in the business.

  1. 3h ago

    The Talent You Were Trained to Throw Away (with Chason Forehand)

    "People-first" is the most overused, underutilized phrase on LinkedIn. Everyone says it. Almost nobody does it. This week, Des and Ashley sit down with Chason Forehand — chef with 45+ years in the culinary world, founder of HR-4U Inc. (a four-time Platinum Seal of Transparency nonprofit), creator of Transformation Kitchen™ (now operating in Nicaragua with locations coming to New York, Beacon, and Australia), and co-host of the Time2CHANGE podcast. But before all of that, Chason was a kid in an abusive home. A drug addict hiding in plain sight. Homeless. Incarcerated. Food-insecure. Until a Michelin-track chef put three piles in front of him and decided to pay it forward. This episode is what happens when someone who has lived on every side of "unhireable" sits down with two recruiters who believe they can change the wealth gap without a single piece of legislation. It's a conversation about action over words, profits versus people, and the responsibility that sits in every job description, salary band, and "culture fit" decision recruiters make. This is one to listen to twice. What You'll Learn Why "people-first" is the most performative phrase in HR — and what it actually looks like in action How 44% of U.S. workers below a living wage is a recruiter and HR problem (and how to start fixing it Monday morning) The truth about the CEO-to-lowest-employee pay ratio and why HR holds the cap key What other countries (Australia, Nicaragua) get right that the U.S. gets disgustingly wrong about workforce development The story of the chef who saved Chason's life with three piles on a counter Why resume gaps are skills — and why recruiters need to stop treating maternity, caregiving, and recovery as disqualifiers How the Juneteenth General Order #3 quietly shaped the employer-employee dynamic we still live under today Best Quotes "The problem isn't the word. The problem is that it's overused and underutilized. People are talking, but there's no action behind their words." — Chason "We could change the wealth gap in America without a single piece of legislation, and the only group in the United States that can do that is HR and recruiters. Period." — Ashley "How much is enough? Because we have enough in the United States that there should not be a single person who goes without a home, a hot meal, a shower — all the things." — Chason "If you are the human resource, that is basically a hat that says 'I'm always picking people, never picking profit.' That's my job." — Ashley "I'm here today because someone else cared enough about me as a human being. And now I'm gonna pour into you. Action over words." — Chason (quoting the chef who saved his life) "People-first is an action. It's not a value statement. Please remember that at all times." — Desiree Talent Outside the Box Ashley takes us back to June 19, 1865 — General Order Number Three, read in Galveston, Texas, twenty miles from where she sits today. The order that legally ended slavery in Texas also legally transitioned the master-slave dynamic into "employer and hired labor." She walks us through how that linguistic and structural shift still shapes how we think about employment in America today — and why every recruiter and HR pro should know this history. Where to Find Chason LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/chason-forehand-rcf1222 All links + donate: linktr.ee/chasonforehand HR-4U Inc. + Transformation Kitchen™: TKNicaragua, TKBeacon, TKAustralia Podcast: Time2CHANGE (everywhere you listen) Connect with Talentless Subscribe wherever you get your podcasts Instagram • LinkedIn • TikTok • YouTube • BlueSky Newsletter: talentless.beehiiv.com Join the Discord community via talentlesspodcast.com Got a #DumDumTalent story? Email desiree@talentlesspodcast.com

    49 min

  2. Jun 17

    Empathy Is Not Soft. It's a Damn Strategy. (with Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller)

    Empathy is the most overused word in leadership right now. Everyone says it. Almost nobody does it. This week, Des and Ashley sit down with Dr. Melissa Robinson-Winemiller , TEDx speaker, international bestselling author of The Empathic Leader, host of The Empathic Leader podcast, and the founder of EQ via Empathy. Two doctorates, an MBA, a master's in data analytics, and a personal story that turned losing a career into a mission. She came armed with research, receipts, and the data point that stopped Ashley mid-sentence: there are 43 distinct types of empathy — and most leaders are only using one of them (badly). This one isn't about feelings. It's about strategy. Get in. What You'll Learn The 43 types of empathy and why "feeling what someone feels" is only 1/43rd of it Why self-empathy is the foundation every leader skips (and the 35% leadership burnout rate it creates) Niceness vs. kindness why one is gift wrap and the other is the real work Dark empathy how psychopaths, narcissists, and Machiavellians use cognitive empathy as a manipulation tool (and how to spot it) Where the hiring process is the LEAST empathic experience companies offer Why performance reviews are quietly robbing your team of growth How to handle layoffs and terminations without leaving wreckage Whether AI has empathy (spoiler: no, and the new term we coined for what it does have) Where to Find Dr. Melissa LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/dr-melissa-a-robinson-winemiller Book: The Empathic Leader — Amazon (paperback + Audible, narrated by Dr. Melissa herself) YouTube: @The.Empathic.Leader Podcast: The Empathic Leader Podcast (everywhere you listen)

    49 min

  3. Jun 3

    Compensation isn't a math problem. It's a truth-telling problem.

    This week, Des and Ashley sit down with David Turetsky with 35+ years in compensation, U.S. patent holder on performance-driven pay tech, former VP at ADP, and the brain behind HR Data Labs. He's seen every comp shortcut, every salary band shortcut, and every excuse HR has ever used to underpay someone. And he's not interested in being polite about any of it. If you're a recruiter who freezes up when comp comes into the conversation, this episode is for you. If you're an HR leader who's been quietly recycling the same broken pay practices for a decade, this one is especially for you.

    48 min

  4. May 22

    Lori Golden : Early Career Hiring: What is different?

    Early career hiring didn’t suddenly “break.” Companies changed the rules. In this episode of Talentless, Desiree Goldey, Ashley King, and Lori Golden unpack why the hiring market feels so disconnected for Gen Z candidates, recruiters, and employers alike, and why companies quietly pulled back from investing in early career talent. Lori brings over 27 years of recruiting experience across agency, startup, and corporate environments to a conversation that goes far beyond campus recruiting. Together, the team explores how hiring expectations shifted after the pandemic, why “entry-level” jobs now demand years of experience, and how AI, social media, and modern work culture are reshaping the future of employment. The conversation dives into: Why companies reduced internship and early career hiring programs How “entry-level” became “2–3 years required” The disconnect between Gen Z and corporate work culture Why recruiters need more transparency in hiring processes How AI is amplifying distrust in recruiting The role social media plays in burnout and workplace expectations Why recruiters are struggling to balance efficiency with empathy The hidden problem with treating early career hiring as “cheap labor” Why soft skills and adaptability matter more than ever How companies lost the long-term strategy around workforce development Lori also shares her perspective on what younger generations are actually asking for: fairness, honesty, mentorship, and a system that feels human again. If you’ve been wondering why early career hiring feels harder than ever — this episode explains why. Companies didn’t stop wanting young talent — they stopped wanting to train it. “Entry-level” hiring now often requires experience because organizations want to avoid investing in development. AI is exposing communication problems in recruiting, not solving them. Transparency matters more than automation in the hiring process. Gen Z isn’t rejecting work — they’re rejecting exploitation. Recruiters cannot build strong pipelines without trust. Soft skills, adaptability, and communication are becoming more valuable than technical credentials alone. The future of hiring requires mentorship, not just technology. “You cannot build a future workforce while refusing to train future workers.” — Lori Golden “The early career pipeline isn’t broken. Companies just stopped investing in it.” — Lori Golden “If you want to change the game, you still have to learn how to play it.” — Lori Golden “Gen Z isn’t rejecting work. They’re rejecting systems that feel exploitative.” — Talentless Podcast “We automated communication, but not transparency.” — Lori Golden Connect with Lori Golden: LinkedIn: Lori Golden on LinkedIn Community: Rebel HR Early Career Program: Hire You

    49 min

  5. May 13

    AI Isn’t Replacing Recruiters. Bad Leadership Is.

    Recruiting isn’t broken because of AI. It’s broken because too many companies reduced recruiting to speed, admin work, and “paper pushing” long before AI entered the conversation. In this episode of Talentless, Desiree Goldey, Ashley King, and Oscar Chavez unpack the real issue behind modern hiring dysfunction: leadership decisions that stripped recruiting of strategy, empathy, and human judgment. Oscar shares what 20+ years in recruiting from agency to in-house to AI startup environments taught him about hiring systems, recruiter enablement, and why technology cannot fix a broken process without people who know how to lead it. The conversation dives into: Why AI should amplify recruiters, not replace them How companies accidentally trained recruiters to become “inbox managers” The dangerous obsession with speed over quality Why empathy is still the most underrated recruiting skill The truth behind “beating the ATS” What leadership gets wrong about hiring technology How recruiters lost their seat at the strategic table Why passive sourcing and relationship building still matter more than ever Oscar also shares one of the most powerful recruiting stories we’ve ever heard on the podcast a reminder that recruiting is not administrative work. It changes lives. If you’ve ever wondered whether AI is the problem… or just exposing problems that already existed, this episode is for you. Key Takeaways: “If you speed up a broken process, you’re just going to break it faster.” Recruiting was reduced from strategic partnership to administrative support and leadership decisions drove that shift. AI is most effective as an enablement tool, not a replacement for human judgment. Empathy is still one of the strongest predictors of recruiting success. The best recruiters build relationships, not just pipelines. Hiring leaders often want control, not partnership and recruiting suffers because of it. “Your company is only as good as the people in it. Notable Quotes “AI isn’t replacing recruiters. Poor leadership is.” - Oscar Chavez “If your presence adds no value, your absence makes no difference.” -Ashley King “Empathy should be your first strategy.” - Desiree Goldey “We went from being quarterbacks in the hiring process to being ball boys.” — Oscar Chavez “You’re not fixing hiring by removing the humans. You’re just automating dysfunction.” — Talentless Podcast Connect with Oscar Chavez LinkedIn: Oscar Chavez (“Oscar from LinkedIn”) Resume Audit Tool: The Six Second Test

    50 min

  6. Apr 8

    Ghosted by the Machine: What Hiring Lost (and How We Get It Back) with Mark Lane

    What happens when hiring becomes automated, impersonal, and frankly broken? This week on Talentless, Desiree and Ashley sit down with communications strategist and Ghosted by the Machine host, Mark Lane, to unpack what job seekers are really experiencing right now and what recruiters need to hear. From being ghosted for months (or a year ) to competing against AI-generated resumes, this conversation dives into the emotional, systemic, and technological realities shaping today’s hiring market. Whether you're a recruiter, hiring leader, or job seeker, this episode is a reality check. What We Cover: Why 70–75% of resumes never get seen by a human The rise (and risks) of AI in hiring Ghosting, rejection delays, and broken candidate experiences The emotional toll of job searching in today’s market Why networking is more critical than ever Ageism, overqualification, and market saturation The power of storytelling in landing your next role What “career resilience” actually looks like right now The ONE thing recruiters must do better (hint: it’s simple) Key Quotes: “Your AI is competing against my AI.” “It’s not personal, it’s the market.” “If you don’t like what you’re consuming, stop creating it.” “Let’s make hiring human again.” About Mark Lane:Mark Lane is a communications strategist and host of Ghosted by the Machine, a podcast exploring AI-driven hiring and career resilience. With 20+ years of experience, he brings a unique blend of storytelling, strategy, and real-world perspective to the future of work. Also… he’s a saxophonist in multiple bands (yes, really). Where to Find Mark:LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-k-lane/Podcast: Ghosted by the Machine (YouTube, Apple, Spotify, iHeart)

    49 min

  7. Apr 1

    Is Interviewing Broken… or Just Exposed?

    In this episode of Talentless, we’re joined by Victoria Gates and Lorna Erickson; co-founders of Expert Interviewers and hosts of the Don’t Tell Me About Yourself podcast to unpack a truth many companies don’t want to hear: Interviewing isn’t broken because of AI… it was already broken. AI is just exposing it. From gut-based hiring decisions to untrained interviewers and wildly inconsistent processes, we dig into what’s actually going wrong and what it takes to fix it. We cover: Why most interviews are just opinion collection, not evidence collection How AI is forcing companies to confront nonexplainable hiring decisions The dangerous reliance on “gut feeling” (and why it feels so good but fails so often) The difference between “can they do the job?” vs. “do they actually want the job?” Why hiring managers are often the weakest link in the process The real cost of a bad hire (spoiler: it’s way more than salary) How to identify where your interview process is breaking using data Plus:Ashley breaks down how to diagnose a broken hiring funnel using pass-through rates, and introduces one of the most underrated concepts in hiring: assessing the assessor. AI isn’t breaking hiring it’s exposing bad processes Most companies still don’t train interviewers (and it shows) Gut feeling ≠ valid hiring criteria Transparency with candidates is now non-negotiable Interviewing is a leadership skill not an assumption If your process isn’t explainable, it’s not defensible Victoria GatesHas hired 1,500+ people and specializes in helping leaders refine interviewing and better respect candidate time. Lorna EricksonSpent nearly 20 years studying what actually works in interviewing, with 5,000+ interviews analyzed and global training experience. Together, they founded Expert Interviewers to bring structure, consistency, and sanity back to hiring. Key Takeaways About Our Guests Website: https://expertinterviewers.com Podcast: Don’t Tell Me About Yourself Social: @expertinterviewers

    50 min

  8. Mar 25

    Are Recruiting Models Broken… or Just Misunderstood?

    In this episode of Talentless, Des and Ashley are joined by Chloe Ryan, VP of Talent Solutions at WSI Talent Sync, to tackle a question most of the industry avoids: Are recruiting models actually broken… or do we just not understand them? From agency to RPO to retained search, there’s no shortage of options, but most companies still default to the same approach when hiring gets hard. Chloe brings nearly 15 years of experience across recruiting models to break down what each one actually does, where they work, and why so many organizations end up choosing the wrong solution for the wrong problem. In this episode, we cover: Why recruiting models are so misunderstood What RPO actually is (and why it gets a bad rap) The real differences between agency, staffing, embedded, and in-house recruiting When bringing in outside help makes sense and when it doesn’t Why most hiring problems aren’t solved by “more recruiters” The role of data, technology, and scalability in modern recruiting How AI might reshape recruiting models (but not replace them) Why partnership not vendors is the real unlock Big takeaway:If your recruiting process is broken, no model will fix it until you’re ready to change. Guest: Chloe Ryan, VP Talent Solutions, WSI Talent Sync

    44 min
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About

Welcome to Talentless 👋, the podcast that’s all HR, all talent, and zero fluff—the official show for recruiters, by recruiters! If you’re in the people business, this is your one-stop shop for everything that matters. Hosted Industry Leaders Ashley King and Desiree Goldey, we’re here to dig into the heart of what makes workplaces tick (and sometimes, blow up). From talent acquisition tips that actually work to the real talk on DEI and workforce trauma reshaping our industry, we’re not afraid to get into the messy, the meaningful, and the downright motivating. Buckle up—this is where you become the best in the business.

Information

  • Channel
    WRKdefined
  • Creator
    WRKdefined Podcast Network
  • Years Active
    2025 - 2026
  • Episodes
    38
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved by WRKdefined
  • Show Website
    Talentless

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