June 11, 2025

Episode 100: How to Find Real Talent in a Sea of AI with Erin Turnmeyer

36 minutes

AI is rewriting resumes. Candidates are deepfaking interviews. Job postings go live—and within hours? Thousands of applications flood in. So how does anyone actually hire the right person anymore?

In this episode of Recruiting is No Joke, Joel Lalgee sits down with someone who’s not just talking about the chaos—she’s living it. Meet Erin Turnmeyer, VP of People Operations at Civis Analytics, juggling HR, recruiting, and payroll all on her own. One-person team. Zero fluff.

How do you spot a fake candidate in a world of perfectly polished LinkedIn profiles and AI-generated cover letters? How do you cut through the noise and find people who really bring it?

Erin brings the receipts—from her days recruiting in counterterrorism to leading hiring at high-growth tech startups. She shares what it takes to transition from government to tech, what AI is really doing to the hiring process, and how to keep the human element front and center.

If you’re a recruiter drowning in resumes, a job seeker wondering how to stand out, or just curious about the future of work—this episode is your roadmap. Because hiring in 2025? It’s a battlefield. But Erin Turnmeyer knows how to navigate it—and she’s not holding back..

In this episode:

[00:03] Introduction and episode milestone

[01:37] Guest intro: Erin Turnmeyer and her role at Sybase Analytics

[02:24] Erin’s recruitment journey from federal government to tech

[03:56] The surge in applications and rise of fake/AI-generated resumes

[05:23] Four groups of fraudulent applicants and how they bypass systems

[07:56] 990 applicants, 50 real contenders

[08:38] What “qualified” actually means in tech hiring today

[10:15] AI during interviews: how it’s detected and why it matters

[12:46] How tech companies are thinking about AI—and what candidates need to know

[13:21] Erin’s favorite AI tools and why human connection still wins

[14:08] AI, job security, and why strategic thinkers stay valuable

[15:54] Corporate reorgs, impact measurement, and job self-awareness

[17:37] AI freeing HR pros from paperwork—and unlocking real impact

[18:40] The irreplaceable value of strategic recruiting conversations

[19:36] Advice for government employees moving into private sector

[22:44] Why government workers struggle with bragging on resumes

[23:45] Private sector myths: lazy, slow, and overly bureaucratic?

[24:18] Counterterrorism vs. corporate: pace, pressure, and autonomy

[25:22] Is tech still worth it? Erin’s take on risk, learning, and growth

[27:30] The rise of trades and rethinking what “meaningful work” means

[28:43] Remote work, mentorship gaps, and early-career development

[33:13] Networking, discomfort, and finding your voice online

[35:08] Closing thoughts and where to connect with Erin

About Our Guest

Erin Turnmeyer is the VP of People Operations at Sybase Analytics. With roots in federal recruitment for the U.S. intelligence community, she brings rare insight into both bureaucratic systems and fast-paced startups. Erin now leads HR, recruiting, payroll, and more—solo. She’s a fierce advocate for real hiring practices, ethical AI use, and helping federal employees transition into tech.

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About Joel Lalgee

Joel Lalgee is an internationally known recruitment leader and coach who has helped thousands of recruiters build their brands online. In 2015, Joel started recruiting for a small start-up agency in Milwaukee. He quickly found his passion for recruitment. In 2019, he discovered content marketing, publishing his first posts on Linkedin. Since then, he has grown to over 400k followers, and his content has been seen over 1 billion times. In 2023, he started a business specializing in coaching recruiters, marketing consulting, and influencer partnerships.

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By Joel Lalgee

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