Talking TA

Denise Chaffin
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Welcome to Talking TA, your go-to podcast for talent acquisition insights. Hosted by Denise Chaffin, join us for conversations with HR and recruitment experts. Uncover trends, best practices, and strategies to elevate your recruitment game. Expect insider discussions, exploration of talent acquisition techniques, and insights into pressing HR issues. Stay ahead with Talking TA—your key to building and retaining a top-tier team.

  1. 2H AGO

    Most AI in Recruiting Is Noise, Here’s What Actually Works | Trent Cotton & Lisa Fiondella

    Most AI in recruiting is noise. The problem is knowing what actually works. In this episode of Talking TA, host Denise Chaffin sits down with Trent Cotton, Head of Talent Acquisition Insights and Analyst Relations, and Lisa Fiondella, SVP of AI, Data, and Platform at iCIMS, to explore how AI, automation, and agentic systems are reshaping talent acquisition, recruiting performance, and HR strategy. AI is often positioned as a silver bullet in hiring, but the reality is far more nuanced. This conversation breaks down the difference between automation, generative AI, and agentic AI, and where each actually adds value inside the recruiting process. From reducing friction in candidate experience to embedding intelligence directly into ATS workflows, the discussion focuses on what works in practice, not just in theory. The episode also explores the evolving role of recruiters as AI removes low-value tasks and shifts the function toward higher-impact, relationship-driven work. Topics include responsible AI, governance, hiring manager bottlenecks, candidate experience breakdowns, and how leading organizations are thinking about risk, compliance, and ROI when implementing AI in hiring. If you work in talent acquisition, HR leadership, recruiting strategy, or people operations, this episode offers a fresh perspective on how to use AI and automation to improve outcomes without losing the human element in hiring. Key Episode Segments AI vs Automation vs Agentic AIA clear breakdown of the three types of AI shaping recruiting today, and why most leaders misunderstand how each should be used. What’s Real vs Noise in AI for Hiring Cuts through the hype to define where AI actually creates value in talent acquisition and where it falls short. Where Automation Works (And Where It Doesn’t) Explores how to identify low-value tasks for automation while protecting the human moments that matter most in hiring. The ATS Is Evolving Into a System of Action A look at how modern ATS platforms are embedding AI directly into workflows, expanding beyond systems of record. Will AI Replace Recruiters? The Real Answer Why AI won’t eliminate recruiters, but will force a shift toward higher-value, relationship-driven work.

    54 min

  2. FEB 20

    The Future Belongs to Leaders With Generational Intelligence | Ellen Raim

    What happens when hiring shortcuts collide with a generation that refuses to stay quiet? In this powerful conversation, Denise sits down with Ellen Raim, early career advisor and founder of People Matter, LLC, to unpack the growing trust gap in today’s workforce. With Gen Z projected to represent 30% of the workforce by 2030 and 50% when combined with younger millennials, the cultural shift isn’t coming. It’s already here. Ellen shares firsthand insights from working with early career professionals navigating a frustrating hiring landscape filled with ghosting, vague feedback, endless interview loops, and “entry level” jobs requiring years of experience. They discuss: Why trust is eroding in hiring processesHow AI screening may be filtering out strong talentThe real cost of cutting internships and rotational programsThe generational friction around communication, work-life boundaries, and transparencyThe concept of “Generational Intelligence” and why it may determine which companies win long termThis episode isn’t about blaming Gen Z. It’s about rethinking systems. If leaders continue optimizing for speed and cost while ignoring trust, loyalty, and culture, the long-term talent pipeline will suffer. But companies that invest in transparency, feedback loops, and early career development will build something far more powerful than efficiency. They’ll build trust. Key Episode Segments: 1. Ghosting Destroys Trust When candidates hear nothing after applying or interviewing, it erodes confidence in both the company and the profession. 2. Entry Level Isn’t Really Entry Level Many so-called entry-level roles now require 1–3 years of experience, leaving true graduates locked out. 3. Feedback Is a Generational Expectation Gen Z grew up with constant feedback. Silence feels like rejection, not independence. 4. Generational Intelligence Is a Competitive Advantage Companies that learn to bridge generational friction will outperform those that dismiss it. 5. Hiring Is a Long Game Speed and cost matter, but ignoring trust, culture, and development today creates talent gaps tomorrow.

    56 min

  3. FEB 5

    Growth and Comfort Don’t Coexist, and That’s the Point, with Minette Norman

    In this episode of Talking TA, Denise Chaffin sits down with leadership expert and author Minette Norman, founder of Minette Norman Consulting to unpack what it truly means to lead with humanity in today’s workplace. Drawing from her 30-year career in Silicon Valley and her books The Psychological Safety Playbook and The Boldly Inclusive Leader, Minette shares real-world stories that expose the hidden costs of fear-based leadership, emotional reactivity, and exclusion. The conversation explores why leaders don’t need to have all the answers, how listening is one of the most underdeveloped leadership skills, and why normalizing mistakes is essential for innovation and trust. Minette also dives into inclusive leadership, dismantling in-groups, and the neuroscience behind workplace exclusion. This episode is a powerful reminder that leadership is not about control or perfection, but about creating environments where people feel safe to speak up, contribute, and do their best work. Key Episode Segments: • Psychological safety is shaped by leader behavior Leaders set the emotional tone, how they respond under pressure determines whether people speak up or shut down. • Listening is a leadership skill, not a personality trait True listening requires presence, curiosity, and resisting the urge to prepare your response while others are speaking. • Admitting “I don’t know” builds credibility, not weakness Leaders gain trust when they elevate others’ expertise instead of pretending to have all the answers. • Failure must be discussed to drive improvement Teams that openly talk about mistakes learn faster and perform better than teams that hide them. • Inclusion is intentional, not accidental Leaders must actively dismantle in-groups, share power, and ensure all voices are heard.

    1h 2m

  4. JAN 22

    Workplace Happiness Isn’t Soft, It’s Profitable, with Valerie Alexander

    Workplace happiness is often dismissed as a “nice to have,” but this conversation makes it clear, it’s one of the most powerful business levers leaders can pull. Denise Chaffin sits down with Valerie Alexander, CEO of Speak Happiness, to unpack the real economic impact of unhappy workforces, from turnover and absenteeism to product defects, safety issues, and lost productivity. Valerie breaks down decades of research showing that happy employees deliver better outcomes across nearly every measurable metric. The discussion goes deeper into leadership behavior, layoffs, boardroom decision-making, and why so many organizations continue to repeat costly mistakes. They explore how culture is shaped at the top, why accidental managers cause long-term damage, and what leaders can do immediately to rebuild trust after layoffs. The episode also tackles inclusion, gender dynamics in leadership, and why systems reward the wrong behaviors. Valerie offers clear, practical frameworks leaders can use to improve workplace happiness through accomplishment, autonomy, and acknowledgment, without gimmicks or corporate buzzwords. This is a must-watch conversation for leaders who want sustainable performance, not short-term optics. Key Episode Segments: • Happiness Directly Impacts the Bottom Line Organizations with happy workforces see lower turnover, fewer errors, and stronger financial performance. • Layoffs Rarely Solve the Problem Leaders Think They Do Short-term financial optics often create long-term damage to productivity, trust, and retention. • Culture Is Set at the Top, Not from the Middle Sustainable culture change only happens when leadership models the behavior they expect. • Inclusion Drives Better Decisions, Not Just Representation Diverse leadership teams outperform because they reduce risk and expand perspective. • Three Things Create Workplace Happiness Accomplishment, autonomy, and acknowledgment consistently predict engagement and

    1h 13m

  5. JAN 15

    Why Your Best Talent Knows More Than Your Systems, with David Warren

    In this episode, Denise Chaffin sits down with David Warren, founder of Oomiyasa and former digital transformation leader at companies like Zara and Salesforce, to unpack one of the most overlooked challenges in modern organizations, the loss of tacit knowledge. David explains why companies have become good at documenting processes but struggle to capture judgment, experience, and decision-making insight, the kind of knowledge that lives in people’s heads and walks out the door when they leave. Together, Denise and David explore how this gap affects hiring, onboarding, retention, and time-to-proficiency, especially as companies navigate skills-based hiring, AI disruption, and shifting workforce models like contractors and fractional talent. The conversation dives into practical ways organizations can identify critical capabilities, interview for judgment instead of credentials, reduce ramp-up time for new hires and contractors, and build cultures that reward wisdom-sharing rather than hoarding expertise. David also introduces orchestration as a core future skill, the ability to coordinate people, systems, AI, and external partners in an increasingly complex workplace. This episode is essential listening for TA leaders, HR practitioners, and business leaders who want to future-proof their organizations without buying more software or chasing the latest trend. Key Episode Segments: 1. Tacit knowledge is where real value lives What makes top performers successful is rarely documented. It’s how they think, read signals, and make decisions under uncertainty. 2. Skills-based hiring requires better questions, not better resumes Judgment and capability are revealed through scenario-driven questions, not job titles or past employers. 3. Time-to-proficiency matters as much as proficiency itself Organizations lose money when new hires and contractors spend months figuring out how things really work. 4. Knowledge hoarding is often a trust issue, not a people issue Employees withhold insight when they fear replacement or lack clarity on how their expertise will be valued. 5. Orchestration is an emerging must-have capability The future workforce will include humans, contractors, AI agents, and bots, and someone must coordinate it all.

    50 min

  6. JAN 8

    Treat Candidates Like Customers or Lose Them, with Eric Smuda

    Candidate experience is no longer an HR side conversation, it is a direct reflection of your brand. In this episode, Denise Chaffin sits down with Eric Smuda, customer and employee experience leader and former executive at major consumer brands, to unpack why candidates should be treated like customers, not transactions. Drawing from decades of experience in highly competitive industries, Eric explains how moments of friction, lack of communication, and poor process design quietly drive talent away long before an offer is made. The conversation explores practical parallels between customer journeys and candidate journeys, how transparency and communication reduce anxiety, why AI must be managed, not deployed blindly, and what happens when companies ignore the experience of contractors, gig workers, and referrals. As hiring begins to accelerate again, this episode challenges TA and HR leaders to rethink how experience, culture, and trust are built from the very first interaction. Key Episode Segments: • Candidate experience is brand experience Every interaction shapes whether a candidate trusts your company, even if they never get hired. • Silence creates anxiety, communication builds trust Candidates disengage when they do not know where they stand or what to expect next. • AI requires ownership, not autopilot AI tools must be actively managed, monitored, and improved to avoid damaging trust. • Contractors and gig workers still define your culture How you treat non-full-time workers sends a clear signal about values and leadership. • Employee referrals fail when experience is broken Poor candidate experience discourages future referrals and damages internal trust.

    53 min

  7. 12/19/2025

    Why Recruiting Teams Fall Behind Without Business Insight, with Michael Goldberg

    In this episode of Talking TA, Denise Chaffin sits down with Michael Goldberg, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition Operations at U.S. Renal Care, for a candid and deeply practical conversation about the future of recruiting. Michael shares his career journey from frontline recruiting into TA operations and explains why operations, metrics, and project management are becoming mission-critical for modern TA teams. Together, Denise and Michael explore why sourcing is not disappearing, but evolving, how AI should support recruiters instead of replacing them, and why decision-making is the biggest gap in hiring today. They discuss recruiter accountability, candidate experience, retention responsibility, and the importance of truly understanding the business you recruit for. The conversation also tackles the reality of today’s conferences, the loss of real community learning, and what TA professionals must focus on to stay relevant heading into 2026. This episode is a grounded, experience-driven look at what actually works in talent acquisition when technology, people, and leadership align. Key Episode Segments: • TA operations is no longer optional, it’s essential for scale and consistency • AI should remove admin work, not human connection or accountability • Recruiters share responsibility for retention through better hiring decisions • Understanding the business is a required skill, not a nice-to-have • Real recruiting success comes from service, curiosity, and communication

    52 min

  8. 12/11/2025

    The Bionic Employee Era: Steven Swan on Skills That Will Matter Most

    In this episode of Talking TA, Denise talks with Steven Swan, CEO of The Swan Group, about the rise of the “bionic employee” and the dramatic shifts happening across IT, business operations, and talent acquisition. Steven explains how AI is transforming technical roles, creating hybrid talent that blends business understanding with technical literacy. He covers how coding tasks are changing, why business partner roles are surging, and how transferable skills will matter more than degrees for future IT opportunities. Denise and Steven also explore what roles will become obsolete, which ones will grow, and how TA professionals can better support these evolving teams. The conversation offers a clear, grounded view into why the future belongs to employees who can sit between business and technology and articulate the “art of the possible.” Key Episode Segments: • AI is creating the “bionic employee,” where workers become faster and more effective by offloading repetitive work to AI. • Business partner and relationship management roles are booming, as companies need people who can translate business needs into technical solutions. • AI is shifting coding work back onshore, because employees can now generate and review code locally while maintaining direct communication with business teams. • Transferable skills will fuel internal mobility, especially for TA, HR, operations, and customer-facing professionals who understand how business functions work. • The middle of the hiring process remains irreplaceable, since AI cannot build relationships, qualify motivations, or manage offer dynamics the way experienced recruiters can.

    44 min
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About

Welcome to Talking TA, your go-to podcast for talent acquisition insights. Hosted by Denise Chaffin, join us for conversations with HR and recruitment experts. Uncover trends, best practices, and strategies to elevate your recruitment game. Expect insider discussions, exploration of talent acquisition techniques, and insights into pressing HR issues. Stay ahead with Talking TA—your key to building and retaining a top-tier team.

Information

  • Creator
    Denise Chaffin
  • Years Active
    2024 - 2026
  • Episodes
    81
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Denise Chaffin
  • Show Website
    Talking TA