Talk Talent To Me Rob Stevenson: Recruiting, Employer Branding, and Career Growth Expert.

Jessica is the Head of Talent Acquisition at Atlantic Street Capital Advisors, as well as the host of the Jess Get Hired Podcast. In this episode, she introduces us to her podcast, explaining the topics she covers, and some of the recurring themes and pieces of advice that come up. You’ll hear how Jessica got her current position at Atlantic Street Capital Advisors, the value of networking (and how to do it), and her recommendations on how other recruiters can find their next positions. She also sheds some light on her role at Atlantic Street Capital Advisors, what she is working on, and some of the recruiting processes her team implement in the companies they acquire. For valuable tips on how to build a network, what the must-have tools for any HR tech stack are, and why cover letters are actually a waste of time, make sure not to miss today’s conversation!
 
Key Points From This Episode:
 
The Jess Get Hired Podcast and how it started during the pandemic.  Jessica’s ultimate goal to leave corporate America and start her own consulting company.  Some of the recurring themes and pieces of advice that come up on Jessica’s show.   Jessica’s recommendations for how recruiters can find their next role.   Thoughts on the LinkedIn trend of Social Saturday. How Jessica got her current position and the value of networking.  Jessica’s role at Atlantic Street Capital Advisors and what she is working on.  Some of the recruiting processes that Atlantic Street Capital Advisors put in place in the companies they acquire. Major challenges faced by Jessica and her team, like introducing technology investments. The types of tech that they introduce and must-have tools for any HR tech stack.  Jessica’s views on the cover letter and whether or not it has any value.  How to avoid posting a cover letter and still get the job!  
Tweetables:
 
“One day, [when I get out of corporate America], then this will be my brand. Hopefully, I can take what I’ve learned through podcasting and all the people that I’ve met along the way and turn it into some type of consulting business.” — Jessica George [0:05:25]
 
“Not all HR people are good recruiters and not all recruiters can do HR. That’s just fact!” — Jessica George [0:16:41]
 
“I hate cover letters. I think it’s a waste of time. As someone who looks at hundreds of resumes a week, the last thing I want to do is read through the fluff of a cover letter. I’d rather get to the nuts and bolts of your resume and see the key things that I need to see” — Jessica George [0:26:46]
 
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
 
Jessica Fiesta George
Jess Get Hired Podcast 
Atlantic Street Capital Advisors
Talk Talent to Me
Hired

Kate Duchene, the CEO of RGP, is here to discuss the new, modern way of matching and connecting professional work to talent. By describing her consultative approach, Kate helps us understand how to break talent into operational and transformational needs in order to ensure efficiency and better outcomes. With her passion for problem-solving and innate curiosity, Kate has built an employee-focused business that is based on project-based hiring and insourcing skillsets to meet shared needs and values. Plus, Kate discusses the work-from-home life model, the importance of letting go, how to move past failure, human competencies, and more!
 
Key Points From This Episode:
 
Some background of RGP. How RGP has early conversations with potential partnering companies. RGPs talent placing process. Common challenges companies are facing: talent gaps.  How the pandemic created changes in approaches to working life. What Kate thinks is sacrificed from working from home.  How Kate became the EVP of HR in RGP. The importance of creating specialized roles as your business grows.   Kate's characteristics which make her a good CEO. Why you don’t need to be an expert in all aspects of your job. Why challenges can build better trust and relationships. The need for finite employees to fill specific needs. Characteristics that make up the power of human competencies.  The talent pool that inspired the beginnings of RGP. How flexibility and accountability have adapted since the pandemic. Kate’s capital and talent management advice.  
Tweetables:
 
“Both leaders of organizations and talent management will have to balance the needs and wants going forward [after COVID-19].” — Kate Duchene [0:08:27]
 
“The challenge is that as an organization grows, when do you start creating more defined roles so that you can achieve the focus and the impact you need?” — Kate Duchene [0:15:39]
 
“Very rarely do you get to perfect and, most times, very good is exactly what you need.” — Kate Duchene [0:20:21]
 
“People remember you when you work through challenges.” — Kate Duchene [0:23:23]
 
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
 
Kate Duchene on LinkedIn
RGP
Talk Talent to Me
Hired

While the impact of successful mentorship has been proven in a multitude of ways, there is still the fear that participants could be mismatched or that a mentor’s time might be wasted. Concerns that the relationship will be short-lived or even fail can also get in the way of tremendous results. Today’s guest asks us to consider using intention and purpose to guide these relationships. Please join us in welcoming Tschudy Smith, Chief People Officer at ForgeRock, to share her perspective on purpose-driven mentorship. Tuning in, you’ll learn some of the characteristics of great leaders, why Tschudy believes we have to be more intentional than ever about who we bring into our network, and how to set outcomes and objectives before entering into a mentorship relationship. We also touch on the importance of empathy, the fundamental differences between a sponsor and a mentor, and the role that places and culture play for CPOs in a post-pandemic world, plus so much more.
 
Key Points From This Episode:
 
Insight into Tschudy’s background and how she ended up in her current role at ForgeRock. How she came to understand the role that empathy plays in a leadership role. The value of mentorship and why Tschudy believes we have to be more intentional than ever about who we have in our network. A purposeful, outcomes-driven approach to inviting a mentor or a sponsor to work with you. Measuring the success of a mentor/mentee relationship against those initial objectives. An understanding of the differences between a mentor and a sponsor. Characteristics of a great leader, from transparent dialogue to advocating on behalf of others. Why the role of a sponsor is such a complicated one in today’s highly matrixed organizations. How Tschudy conceived of the role of Chief People Officer (CPO) and her approach to it. Why today’s leadership is about more than to-do lists and agendas; it’s about people. The role that places and culture play for CPOs in a post-pandemic world. Tschudy elaborates on some of the ‘non-negotiables’ for CPOs today. How Tschudy decided that CPO was the right role for her and how it aligned with her goals.  
Tweetables:
 
“Some of those formal or informal engagements we might have expected to have are fewer and [farther] between, [so] we have to be even more intentional about who we have in our network that is there to support us, to guide us, and to give us some coaching and insight.” — Tschudy Smith [0:06:22]
 
“I feel like it’s important to pay it forward and, I’ll tell you, when you can play the role of mentor, you also learn.” — Tschudy Smith [0:07:32]
 
“The idea of a sponsor is to have somebody who advocates on your behalf, who is in those rooms, who is in those conversations, and who actually [thinks] about you when you’re not there.” — Tschudy Smith [0:15:07]
 
“This is 22nd-century leadership. It isn’t just about managing a to-do list. It isn’t just about showing up to run an agenda for a team meeting. It’s getting proximate, caring for your people, seeing them at their best, and figuring out how you can help them do more of that.” — Tschudy Smith [0:22:22]
 
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
 
Tschudy Smith on LinkedIn
ForgeRock
Talk Talent to Me
Hired

 
When you are walking around an airport, you see employees doing many different things ranging from working at ticketing counters, client services, pushing people in wheelchairs, or driving them around on carts, to someone loading and off-loading baggage from an airplane. Recruiting applicants for these jobs, especially on such a large scale, requires a system that is both effective and user friendly, on either side. On the show today is Akshay Loomba, the VP and head of talent acquisition over at Unifi. Join us for an insightful conversation about their new ATS, or as Akshay calls it, the iPhone of ATS’. We also hear about Unifi the company, their services, and recruiting and onboarding processes across 200 airports in the US.
Key Points From This Episode:
 
Unifi clients serviced. More about what Unifi is and does: the largest ground services aviation company in the US. Hear about the recruiting process at Unifi. The onboarding process of airports and how that differs across the airports. Akshay shares more about his role at Unifi.  What Akshay has been working on lately: the iPhone of ATS’. How he knew the time was right to implement changing tools.  More about the rollout process of their new system across the 200 airports. Akshay shares about the ATS training experience he went through. How the software swap campaign was met internally: navigating resistance. How Akshay vets vendors and whether they can deliver custom requirements. How they get around positivity bias. Areas Akshay would like to see innovation and growth in the market.  
Tweetables:
 
“The way you look at the recruiting world today, post-pandemic — everybody’s trying to recruit or has the option to recruit from home. They have a lot of remote options.” — Akshay Loomba [0:04:04]
 
“Anything and everything from the geopolitical environment, the stimulus checks, whatever happens in the economy kind of affects this industry [aviation] and the way we recruit today.” — Akshay Loomba [0:06:17]
 
“The kind of integrated systems, which we are building at Unifi, I could safely say — that it’s one of the best in the industry at the moment.” — Akshay Loomba [0:19:17]
 
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
 
Akshay Loomba on LinkedIn
Unifi
Talk Talent to Me
 

Empathy, Honesty, and Transparency with Cade Garret
 
Episode 270: Show Notes
 
Today on Talk Talent to Me, we are joined by the Head of Talent at super{set}, Cade Garrett. Cade talks about what his company does, how he ensures his clients make a big impact, where he believes early-stage companies should source their candidates, what he looks for in early-stage employees, and the pushback he gets from early-stage founders who refuse to prioritize hiring. You’ll learn how Cade assesses his recruiters, the potentially traumatic experience of moving between jobs, and forms of communication that alienate candidates from recruiters. To find out why transparency is so important and to learn how to build trust with a candidate, tune in now!
 
Key Points From This Episode:
 
A warm welcome to today’s guest, Cade Garret.  What Cade and super{set} are busy working on.  Cade explains what super{set} does as a company.  Hiring he is currently doing for both super{set} and external companies.  Advice he gives to his clients to help them make a big impact.  His thoughts on where companies should source their talent in the early stages.  What he looks for in early-stage employees.  The pushback Cade gets from early-stage founders who do not prioritize hiring.  The interview process and how managers engage their candidates.  How he assesses recruiters on their interview style.  Transitioning between jobs as a potentially traumatic experience.  Whether Cade considers a therapeutic approach to some interviews.  Forms of communication that alienate the recruiter from the candidate.  The importance of always being transparent.  How to build trust so that candidates are honest with you.   
Tweetables:
 
“You can’t wait for the perfect scenario and the perfect storm. You just have to start talking to people, you have to start pitching, you have to start figuring out how to bring people on, and then you can start to incorporate everything that you learned as you go along.” —@cadegarret13 [0:04:33]
 
“Tom Chavez turned to us and said, ‘People are the secret, people are what make this all work,’ and I agree with that wholeheartedly.” —@cadegarret13 [0:07:43]
 
“When you’re getting to know people, you can’t just ask the same generic questions. You have to really get empathetic with them and understand a little bit more about what makes them tick.” —@cadegarret13 [0:07:52]
 
“It needs to be a really good split between interviewing and selling candidates because if you spend all of your time interviewing, you’re going to get to the end of the interview, and there’s going to be no connection.” —@cadegarret13 [0:12:58]
 
“People just really want to work with good people. They really want to love their job and believe in what they’re doing, and you just have to find that throughout the [interview] process, you have to discover it with them.” —@cadegarret13 [0:20:39]
 
“No one should want to get into a company that isn’t going to be a fit for them, and no recruiter should want to put someone who is not a fit into a company.” —@cadegarret13 [0:23:02]
 
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
 
Cade Garret on Twitter
Cade Garret on LinkedIn
super{set}
SuperSummit
Tom Chavez on LinkedIn
Vivek Lodhia on LinkedIn
SalesForce
Talk Talent to Me
Hired

Billd's Head of People Ops, Francisco Michel, discusses the importance of goal setting and KPIs being tailored specifically to each individual employee while keeping the company’s overall goals in mind. Francisco shares his plans to revamp the EMPS survey in the future. Next, Francisco shares his favorite ‘hat’ to wear, how he defines and manages his abundance of responsibilities, and his hopes for the future of Billd. He even delves into how his interview process at the company inspired him to make changes to it when he started, how he selects employees and the importance of having grit. Francisco also shares his belief that a start-up creates opportunities and implores listeners to work for one at least once in their career. So, tune in now to hear more and to find out why “Happy people produce and happy people stay!” 
 
Key Points From This Episode:
 
Introducing today’s guest, Francisco Michel. An overview of Billd and Francisco’s role in the company is.  How much Francisco’s job is changing with his new promotion.  The issues he plans to tackle in the company right now.  How Billd has created KPIs for the company by focusing on the company’s goals.  Francisco shares his KPIs with us based on the different hats he has to wear at work. The one question Billd asks people when it comes to EMPS.  How Francisco manages being the bearer of good or bad news in Billd.  Francisco’s long-term plan to revamp the EMPS survey and make it more robust.  Why every individual person needs different KPIs and how Francisco goes about doing this. Why Francisco pushes employees quite a bit.  Francisco’s favorite part of his job and what he hopes to focus on in the future.  How Francisco defines and manages all of his responsibilities at work. Why working at a start-up presents many opportunities.  How Francisco figures out if someone actually wants to join his company. The importance of finding the right personality to fit within your company.  Why you need grit in Francisco’s industry.  What Francisco’s interview process was like at Billd and how he subsequently changed it.   
Tweetables:
 
“I do think it’s important to make [KPIs] simple but [focus on] what is really going to matter at the end of the day for this individual and what is going to show that they are a good performer.” — Francisco Michel [0:12:48]
 
“When it comes time to review this person on their performance, how are you going to define what good performance looks like if you don’t have something to measure it off of?” — Francisco Michel [0:14:00]
 
“At a startup, you really get to learn a lot not only about yourself but a lot about what other departments do, how everything works, how it needs to be built, and how to accept your failures because you don’t know everything and you are trying to build the plane and fly it at the same time.” — Francisco Michel [0:16:22]
 
“Take a chance on a startup at least once in your career, you’ll learn a lot. Either you’ll learn that startups are not for you or you’ll learn that you can really do more things at a startup and discover new job opportunities.” — Francisco Michel [0:17:32]
 
“If you can’t take your façade down, you won’t be successful at Billd”. — Francisco Michel [0:21:48]
 
“Happy people produce and happy people stay.” — Francisco Michel [0:23:30]
 
Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:
 
Francisco Michel on LinkedIn
Billd
Talk Talent to Me
Hired