Have you ever wondered if the increasing reliance on AI in hiring is slowly eroding the very human touch that makes recruitment so personal? In this episode of Recruiting is No Joke, Joel Lalgee sits down with Jessica Begley, COO of Very, to explore key topics such as recruitment trends, employee engagement, and the role of AI in the workforce. Jessica shares her journey from Chief People Officer to Chief Operating Officer and emphasizes the importance of treating employees as individuals. The discussion covers strategies for engaging a remote workforce, the risks of AI implementation, and the crucial need for upskilling in the evolving job market. They also address recent layoffs at Workday and Meta, underscoring the emotional toll and the need for transparent communication. The conversation delves into job market segmentation, discussing the challenges faced by skilled workers, wisdom workers, and knowledge workers, while also addressing issues like overqualification for entry-level roles and the impact of job report revisions on economic decisions. Finally, they offer practical advice for job seekers on the power of networking and building meaningful professional relationships.

In this episode:

(00:00:03) Introduction to the episode

(00:01:38) Guest introduction

(00:03:03) Jessica's career journey

(00:04:41) Importance of people in business

(00:09:26) Engagement strategies

(00:10:38) Creating a people-centric culture

(00:13:45) Intentionality in engagement

(00:15:34) Recent layoffs discussion

(00:16:01) Impact of AI on jobs

(00:17:56) Identifying replaceable jobs

(00:19:33) AI in corporate strategy

(00:20:18) Implications of AI on workforce

(00:21:12) Upskilling employees

(00:22:14) Zapier's hiring philosophy

(00:23:40) Meta layoffs and employee perception

(00:24:20) Communication and transparency issues

(00:25:31) Skill set definition challenges

(00:29:57) Understanding job segmentation

(00:30:03) Challenges for wisdom workers

(00:30:41) Networking for executive roles

(00:31:10) The role of knowledge workers

(00:32:01) Job growth analysis

(00:33:01) Hiring challenges in trades

(00:34:15) Overqualification issues

(00:34:36) Job report revisions

(00:36:03) Economic decisions impact

(00:37:07) Interconnected economic systems

(00:38:28) Government worker exits

(00:39:09) Networking advice

(00:41:27) Long game mentality in networking

(00:42:23) In-person interaction opportunities

(00:43:09) Sustainable networking practices

(00:45:24) Closing remarks

About Jessica Begley

Jessica Begley is the COO of Very, a leading provider of IoT hardware services. With a diverse background in human resources, Jessica transitioned from Chief People Officer to Chief Operating Officer, bringing her expertise in people management, employee engagement, and organizational development. She is passionate about fostering people-centric cultures and navigating the evolving landscape of technology and recruitment.

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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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