Hiring On All Cylinders

Could skills-based hiring be the key to unlocking future success for your TA team, and across the wider business? In this episode, Matthias Schmeisser of EMnify joins Chris to discuss the positive effect of moving to a skills-based hiring system on their business. He explains why a focus on skills over behaviours is important, why you should prioritise a select number of skills you are looking for, and why the resume isn’t always an effective way of assessing a candidate. Listen to the full episode to find out why EMnify have implemented a ‘licence to hire’, and how Matthias is working with other stakeholders to drive and measure the success of skills-based hiring.

This episode is sponsored by Talentful - Subscription talent solutions for the world’s most innovative companies

In the latest episode of Hiring On All Cylinders, Talentful's CEO and co-founder, Chris Abbass, dives deep with Carla McIntosh, VP of Global Talent Acquisition and Contingent Workforce at Reddit, on the nuances of candidate assessment. Beyond the conventional parameters of IQ and EQ, they explore the significance of Adaptability Quotient “AQ”. Carla, drawing from her unique experiences, including her time in the Air Force, discusses the importance of adaptability in navigating challenges and ensuring success. As talent strategies evolve, so should our approach to recognizing and valuing adaptability.

This episode is sponsored by ⁠Talentful ⁠- Subscription talent solutions for the world’s most innovative companies.

As Senior Director of Talent at venture capital firm SignalFire, Mario Espindola has the science of headcount planning down to art. In this insight-packed episode, he joins Chris to discuss how talent leaders can help drive a more cost-effective, strategic, and data-driven headcount planning process. They begin by stressing the importance of risk management in the current economic climate, with Mario offering advice for assessing resources and project readiness. As the conversation continues, Chris and Mario weigh up the benefits of top-down and bottom-up approaches, explore cost analysis techniques, and ask: when is it the right time to adopt sophisticated headcount management tools? They end on an optimistic note, as Mario shares his vision of an AI-enabled, time-rich future for talent acquisition.

This episode is sponsored by ⁠Talentful ⁠- Subscription talent solutions for the world’s most innovative companies.

This episode poses the question everyone in TA is talking about: how will AI impact Recruitment? Host Chris is joined by Matthew Parker, Director of International Talent at Procore, to discuss what we should expect from the integration of AI into our daily workload. They cover AI’s crucial role in interview data collection, how it can improve candidate experience, which tools to look out for and, crucially, how it will change the way we set up our TA teams. Chris asks the all-important question of what the AI-powered future of TA looks like, and what we have to be optimistic about. This episode is not to be missed for those looking to lead TA teams of the future.

This episode is sponsored by ⁠Talentful ⁠- Subscription talent solutions for the world’s most innovative companies.

As the co-founder of WorkTripp, Sally Page has the opportunity to work with plenty of founders and senior leaders on how they can create memorable offsite experiences to engage employees. In this episode, Sally argues that an offsite should be regarded as a strategic initiative to boost employee engagement and help achieve company goals. In conversation with Chris, she covers how to plan the perfect offsite, how frequently to run them, how the in-person experience is crucial in an increasingly remote world, and how you can measure the impact of offsite events. Tune in to hear Sally and Chris discuss how the offsite should be seen less as a ‘nice-to-have’ reward, and more as a crucial tactic for aligning your people to your goals. 

This episode is sponsored by ⁠Talentful ⁠- Subscription talent solutions for the world’s most innovative companies.

For Sasha Katz Murphy, company values aren’t just words – they’re actions. In this episode, she joins Chris to explain how she transformed ActiveCampaign’s values into a company-wide framework for hiring, development, and performance evaluation. As Global Head of Talent Acquisition, Sasha embarked on a year-long, cross-functional collaboration to define and crystallize the core behaviors that drive success among ActiveCampaign’s staff. The result was The AC Way: a unique talent management framework that’s helping the marketing automation firm improve interview effectiveness, mitigate bias, and manage candidate expectations. Tune in to hear how Sasha project-managed this monumental task, as she shares valuable insights for talent leaders who want to make their company values work harder.

This episode is sponsored by ⁠Talentful ⁠- Subscription talent solutions for the world’s most innovative companies.

The boom times are over. To succeed in a post-pandemic world, talent leaders must move beyond delivery and embrace a more strategic role. In this episode, Chris talks to Paddy Lambros, Talent Director at venture capital firm Atomico, to explore how in-house recruiters can earn their seat in the C-suite. Change is inevitable, argues Paddy, and it’s a sink-or-swim situation. But the best leaders can rise above turbulent waters by demonstrating adaptability, foresight, and a deep understanding of their organization’s goals. Paddy also talks through a strategic hiring process and shows how data-led insights and tactical planning can help manage stakeholder expectations. Finally, the conversation turns towards the future, as Chris and Paddy predict how AI could shape the talent space. Spoiler: its impact will be game-changing – but not in the way we might expect.

This episode is sponsored by ⁠Talentful ⁠- Subscription talent solutions for the world’s most innovative companies.

For many tech recruiters, India represents both a wellspring of capability and an uncharted territory. In this episode, Chris chats to Jeremy Bushaw, VP of Global Talent Acquisition at Informatica, to learn how he steered the data management firm through the fast-moving Indian recruitment market. Jeremy opens up about the challenges of hiring in an unfamiliar cultural environment and shares first-hand advice to help TA leaders stake their claim in a fiercely competitive space. The conversation also covers the importance of technology in global talent acquisition, as Jeremy explains how he harnessed AI and automation tools to increase reach, bolster DE&I initiatives, and cut time to fill by around 30%. It’s a jam-packed episode that will inspire anyone looking to tap into new territories and new talent.

This episode is sponsored by ⁠Talentful ⁠- Subscription talent solutions for the world’s most innovative companies.

In this episode, Talentful CEO and co-founder Chris Abbass dives into one of the most pressing challenges in talent acquisition - capacity planning. Joined by Alex Marshall, CEO at Taltrix, they discuss the impacts of the COVID-19 "boom and bust cycle", the surging demand for recruiters, and the turmoil faced by many TA teams in recent months. As an expert in advanced capacity planning, Alex shares insightful analysis of the various problems troubling the industry. Tune in to this episode to hear Alex's optimistic view on how organizations can use strategic planning to adapt and succeed in any business climate.

This episode is sponsored by ⁠Talentful ⁠- Subscription talent solutions for the world’s most innovative companies.

As a Talent Acquisition Director at a fast-growing software startup SevenRooms, Katie Moriarty has turned C-suite recruitment into an art form. In this episode, she joins Chris to explain how talent leaders can streamline executive-level hiring and deliver on everyone’s expectations – no matter the size of their organization. Drawing on her extensive TA leadership experience, Katie explores common challenges associated with high-level recruiting and shares practical advice on managing relationships, building trust with CEOs, and delivering engaging candidate experiences. What should TA leaders look for in an external search firm? When is the right time to implement an in-house executive search function? And how should startups approach that all-important first executive hire? Listen now to find out.

This episode is sponsored by ⁠Talentful ⁠- Subscription talent solutions for the world’s most innovative companies.