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2026 kicks off with an awesome new episode of Hiring University with guest Dustin Talley, founder of Direct Collective. 

Big takeaway: the market isn’t shrinking, it’s shifting. And the mid-market is where the action is: less noise, more opportunity, and a real need for leaders and partners who can help programs level up.

We also hit on the following topics during this episode:

• Self-managed vs. MSP (and why more programs are moving in-house)
• AI reality vs. hype. Enterprises move slowly, and partners are expected to bring innovation
• The hard truth about “partnership”: it isn’t a tagline, it’s behavior, trust, and showing up when things get hard

For more Hiring University episodes tune into your favorite podcast player or visit us at www.ursusinc.com

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What a way to close out the year! Our final episode of Hiring University for 2025 just dropped, and we’re finishing strong with none other than Ryan McNair, VP of Workday VNDLY Services at Helios Consulting.

Ryan has forgotten more about VMS platforms than most of us know, or however that phrase goes.😄 Point is, the guy’s been in the game for nearly two decades, and it shows.

From VMS innovation to AI hype vs. reality, self-managed programs, integrations, data transparency, and even the Broncos’ Super Bowl dreams… this conversation delivered. 💥

Ryan and I break down:

•  Why the VMS world has exploded with vendors
•   Where companies underestimate complexity
•   Why SaaS and integrations are the real game-changers
•   The truth about “AI” in VMS right now
•   What the next 5 years should look like
•  … and of course, some career wisdom we can all use heading into 2026.

If you touch contingent labor, technology, or talent strategy, or want a smart, real, no-BS perspective, this one is a must-listen.

For more Hiring University episodes tune into your favorite podcast player or visit us at www.ursusinc.com

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🎙️ New Hiring U! Episode Just Dropped!

I’m excited to welcome back Carlos Martinez, Founder & CEO of Lumibuild and Nexxtspace, and officially Hiring U’s first repeat guest! When Carlos and I get together, the conversations are always real, unfiltered, and rooted in what it truly means to build and lead service businesses in today’s market.

In this episode, we dig into:
 🔥 Why 2026 is already buzzing with momentum
 🏗️ The breakneck pace of AI-era office builds
 🤝 How service businesses actually differentiate in a “commoditized” world
 🧠 Leadership, humility, culture, and protecting your team
 ⚠️ The realities (and risks) of AI adoption for small companies
 …plus a few laughs and some founder-to-founder truth bombs.

If you’re a leader, founder, builder, or anyone navigating the wild ride of scaling a services business — this one’s for you.

🎧 Listen to the full episode here: https://ursusinc.com/media/
Let me know what resonates!

#HiringU #Podcast #Leadership #Entrepreneurship #Staffing #Culture #AI #Founders #LUMIBuild 

For more Hiring University episodes tune into your favorite podcast player or visit us at www.ursusinc.com

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🎙️ Fighting Candidate Fraud in the Age of AI

In the latest episode of Hiring University, I sat down with Brian Vesce, Co-founder & CEO, and Vinda Souza, Chief Marketing Officer at RefAssured, for a fascinating (and slightly terrifying) discussion on one of the biggest challenges in today’s hiring landscape….candidate fraud.

We unpacked:

• How AI-generated resumes and automated screening have created an “AI stalemate” in recruiting, and how RefAssured can help!
• Why human judgment still matters more than ever, and how to re-center it in hiring
• The staggering impact of fabricated candidate profiles (yes, including North Korean operatives inside Fortune 500s)
• Why resumes might soon be obsolete, and what could replace them
• How RefAssured is building the “back of the baseball card for talent” with real, validated data

Brian and Vinda also share an honest look into the future of ethical AI in hiring, redeployment at scale, and how to bring authenticity back into the talent experience.

💡 One big takeaway: candidate integrity isn’t just a compliance issue for staffing firms; it’s a growth strategy!

Tune in wherever you get your podcasts or at hiringu.com to catch this episode.

For more Hiring University episodes tune into your favorite podcast player or visit us at www.ursusinc.com

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🎧 New on Hiring University!

Episode #51 features Katy Eddington-Lesperance, PMP, Manager of Global Contingent Talent Operations at Netflix. Katy shares how her team supports Netflix’s creative “big bets” through innovative, people-first workforce strategies.

Some of the many topics we explore include

·      The benefits of Netflix’s in-house contingent talent model

·      How the company approaches AI adoption responsibly

·      Joint accountability in preventing candidate fraud

·      Ongoing efforts to advance diversity, equity, and inclusion across the talent ecosystem

Katy also offers leadership insights on balance, adaptability, and staying connected to purpose.

🎙 Listen now: Hiring University.  https://ursusinc.com/media/

For more Hiring University episodes tune into your favorite podcast player or visit us at www.ursusinc.com

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Episode 50: Ashley Andersen — Building Mental Strength and Sustainable Culture in the Workplace
In this milestone episode, Ashley Andersen, MSW, Founder and CEO of Ezra Sage, joins to discuss how companies can move beyond surface-level onboarding to truly support employees’ mental resilience and emotional well-being. From the dangers of burnout and the illusion of “toughness” to redefining leadership through empathy, vulnerability, and sustainable productivity, Ashley shares practical insights on cultivating healthy cultures that last.

For more Hiring University episodes tune into your favorite podcast player or visit us at www.ursusinc.com

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James Fitzgerald joins the program to discuss the transition from one side of the proverbial desk supporting Thermo Fisher as an MSP Vice President and now as Director of Human Resources Operations.  

James Fitzgerald is currently the Director, Talent Acquisition Vendor Managment at Thermo Fisher Scientific. Before this, they were the Vice President of Program Management at Workspend Inc. from May 2019 to August 2021. James also worked at DCR Workforce from November 2017 to May 2019 as the Program Lead - Managed Service Provider.

James Fitzgerald completed a Bachelor's degree in Business Administration and Management, General at St. Thomas Aquinas College.

For more Hiring University episodes tune into your favorite podcast player or visit us at www.ursusinc.com

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Will Ulmer joins Hiring University to discuss the latest and hottest contingent worker topics, including why some contingent programs work better than others and why!

Will Ulmer has over 15 years of experience in contingent workforce programs. He is recognized for his strategic, compliance-focused, and results-driven approach. Will has successfully built and managed first-generation programs at FanDuel and Epic Games, where he was named a Contingent Workforce Program Game Changer in 2023 by Staffing Industry Analysts. He has led implementations of VNDLY and Monument Consulting on schedule and under budget at Epic Games. At Waste Management, he also managed over $200M in spend and a contractor headcount exceeding 4,000 weekly.

"I truly believe that your talent brand attraction strategy can start or should start  with the utilization of contingent workers."

- Will Ulmer

For more Hiring University episodes tune into your favorite podcast player or visit us at www.ursusinc.com

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Allen Chilson, a recognized leader in the talent industry and frequent keynote and panelist speaker, joins Hiring University to talk about the importance of defining and defending company culture, AI pros and cons, and his win/loss prediction for his beloved Dallas Cowboys!  This is an episode you don't want to miss!

"The last thing I want to do is totally rely on the data that I'm getting without having a conversation. Because if it's a fiercely competitive market to find the best people and you're throwing out those that are the outliers, you're missing a huge segment of the population. I think that is the risk and you're talking about some of the legal issues that the profiling and where the origin of the AI data is coming from that is going to get some people into trouble."

- Allen Chilson

For more Hiring University episodes tune into your favorite podcast player or visit us at www.ursusinc.com

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We took notice that staffing, talent, and recruiting events are typically represented by suppliers, clients, technology, and managed service providers. Noticeably absent from these industry forums is YOU, the employee doing the work and making it all possible!  

The Ursus Contractor Care and creative recruiting leadership facilitate our quarterly Contractor Council Meeting where recent employment trends, market outlook, and general questions about finding and keeping jobs are addressed. 

For more Hiring University episodes tune into your favorite podcast player or visit us at www.ursusinc.com