LinkedIn Leaders

Célia Sauthier is the Head of Talent Acquisition at Moss. She’s leading a project to expand TA’s role beyond recruitment into onboarding, probation, feedback, and retention.

She’s combining AI + automation pilots with recruiter upskilling to free up capacity, future-proof her team, and position recruiters as true business partners.

In this episode, we explore how TA teams can move beyond hiring and deliver more value across the full talent lifecycle.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:25 TA moving upstream

05:39 Partnering with People Ops

07:23 From recruiter to coach & consultant

10:56 Running AI + automation in parallel

15:29 Measuring probation & productivity

18:14 Proving TA’s value to leadership

21:12 Competing for talent in AI-first world

Connect with Célia: https://www.linkedin.com/in/celiasauthier/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Resources & Concepts Mentioned:

• Moving Upstream in TA – expanding recruiter scope beyond hiring

• AI as a Capacity Enabler – automation that frees recruiters to add value

• Probation Check-Ins – measuring productivity & retention impact

• Recruiters as Business Partners – shifting into coaching & consulting

• AI Funding Trends – how investor focus on AI changes the talent market

• Lovable – no-code platform helping PMs launch products without engineers

• 20VC Podcast – insights from leading VCs on startup growth & AI

• Accel Spotlight Podcast – deep dives on tech trends & company building

Andreea has 15+ years of experience in Talent, including a decade in corporate recruiting and now as a career coach and mentor. She’s helped 100s of people accelerate their careers, shift into new paths, and build confidence in their next step.

In this conversation we cover:

→ Why your career strategy shouldn’t start with your CV or LinkedIn

→ How to run a “work audit” to uncover your skills, strengths & values

→ The 3 a.m. test & childhood curiosity test for identifying natural strengths

→ Finding and working with mentors (formal vs informal)

→ Why recruiters must urgently upskill in AI & automation

→ The irreplaceable skills AI can’t replicate (and how to build them)

→ How to use unemployment or downtime as an opportunity to reskill

→ Andreea’s new Career Operating System masterclass

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

00:47 Career development foundations

02:36 The work audit

04:37 Strengths vs skills

07:40 Why mentorship matters

10:14 Formal vs informal mentors

13:29 Advice for recruiters in a tough market

15:56 Upskilling in AI & automation is non-negotiable

18:59 Opportunity in unemployment

19:46 Andreea’s Career Operating System

Connect with Andreea: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alungulescu/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Andreea's free resources:

https://www.theprincipalrecruiter.com/post/a-step-by-step-framework-for-skills-connectedness-and-using-them-for-career-growth

https://www.theprincipalrecruiter.com/post/develop-me-carving-out-bold-careers

https://www.theprincipalrecruiter.com/post/forget-the-traditional-career-paths-in-talent-acquisition-here-are-the-modern-roles

🔑 Key Concepts & Tools Mentioned in This Video:

- Work Audit (task/energy mapping)

- Strengths vs Skills framework

- 3 a.m. Test & Childhood Curiosity Test

- Mentorship approaches (formal & informal)

- Career Operating System (Andreea’s masterclass)

- AI & Automation in recruitment

- Critical Thinking & Creative Problem Solving as irreplaceable skills

Szymon Kubicki is a former Head of Talent at Spendesk and Docplanner. Today he works with startups through a VC lens, helping them build lean, tech-enabled recruiting functions.

In this episode, Szymon shares how the best talent teams are being built in 2025 — smaller, smarter, and driven by impact, not headcount. We break down how AI is changing team design, what tools actually make a difference, and the new skills every recruiter needs to stay relevant.

Whether you lead a TA team or want to future-proof your career, this one’s full of practical advice.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro

01:10 The new talent game

04:20 Output over Headcount

07:30 Building lean teams

10:00 Internal vs third-party automations

13:10 Skills recruiters still need

16:40 How AI changes early-stage hiring

19:00 Tool recommendations

22:00 Advice for recruiters early in career

Connect on LinkedIn:

Szymon: https://www.linkedin.com/in/szymonkubicki/

Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1

Episode Links

Szymon's Newsletter: https://szymonkubicki.substack.com/

Joe’s Newsletter: https://newsletter.gopurpl.io/

Key Concepts & Tools Mentioned in This Video

• Designing lean talent teams

• Talent density vs headcount growth

• AI’s role in recruiting workflows

• LinkedIn’s future (and its challengers)

• Internal TA tooling vs vendor tools

• Practical AI tools: PeopleGPT, HeroHunt, Granola, Zapier

• Custom GPTs for internal use

• Scaling without adding recruiters

• Business-aligned recruiting

• Hands-on TA leadership in the AI age

• Skills future recruiters need (data, tech, empathy)

Sign up to Recruiting Wisdom (for free) – https://newsletter.gopurpl.io/signup

Eric Guidice is the founder of Headcount365 and Unicorn Talent. He’s a former global recruiting leader at Uber and Bird, and now helps TA leaders turn their QBRs into strategic tools that drive real business outcomes.

In this episode, Eric breaks down how to run a world-class QBR — what to include, how to present it to execs, and how to turn data into action. Whether you’re a recruiting leader or an IC who wants to level up, this conversation is packed with practical advice.

Chapters

00:00 Why QBRs Matter

02:15 Climate vs Weather

05:42 What Execs Really Care About

08:33 Budget, Titles & Cultural Debt

13:20 Turning Insights Into Action

17:12 Driving Stakeholder Buy-In

19:40 Coaching Recruiters Commercially

23:10 Tools & Templates You Can Use

Connect with Eric: https://www.linkedin.com/in/eguidice/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Episode Links:

QBR Blog: https://www.headcount365.com/blog/a-recruiting-leaders-guide-to-the-qbr-quarterly-business-review

QBR Teamplate: https://www.unicorntalent.com/recruiting-qbr-template

Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/

Headcount 365: https://www.headcount365.com/

Key Concepts & Tools Mentioned in This Video:

• Talent Acquisition QBRs

• Climate vs. Weather in TA data

• Aligning with finance and workforce planning

• Headcount variance tracking

• Recruiter performance scorecards

• Hiring manager accountability

• Cultural debt in hiring

• Predictable hiring & planning

• Team-based recruiting accountability

• Unicorn Talent community

• Headcount 365 platform

• TA’s impact on revenue & OPEX

• Stakeholder buy-in through data

• Coaching ICs on business impact

• AI and productivity metrics in recruiting

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Shiv is a former Head of Talent for high growth companies such as Multiverse and Assembly Global. She now helps founders at companies like Metaverse and Learnably hire the top 1% of talent into their high growth environments.

In this episode Shiv debunks what A-Players actually means. How to find, assess and hire top performers who thrive in a high growth environment. And some of the core differences in hiring for start-ups vs scale-ups.

Chapters

00:00 Growth Stage Hiring

02:28 Top Talent in High Growth Environments

04:55 Attracting Talent to Early Stage Businesses

06:14 Finding and Assessing Candidates

09:17 Differences in Hiring for Seed vs Series C

11:46 Why Does it Matter?

14:10 Who Can We Learn From?

Connect with Shiv: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivbrodie/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Episode Links:

Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/

Shiv’s Website: https://found-global.co/

Key Concepts & Tools Mentioned in This Video:

• Growth-stage hiring

• Hypergrowth startups

• Identifying top talent / “A-players”

• Force multipliers in teams

• High-growth environment challenges

• Career acceleration vs. steady-state roles

• The “give and get” Venn diagram for talent attraction

• Rate of learning and growth mentality

• Winning trajectory and pattern of achievement

• Coachability (early stage vs. scale-up context)

• Critical thinking at pace

• Resilience in ambiguous environments

• Additive, challenging interview processes

• Retention challenges in startups

• Top-of-funnel ratios

Screening for soft skills vs. hard skills

Pass-through rates and data-driven hiring

Talent density in organizations (e.g., PayPal Mafia, Revolut)

Peer learning and micro-communities for TA leaders

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Rory Mullins is a Director of Talent Acquisition and former People Director who has worked in Leadership roles at Uber, Wise, Trainline and TransferGo.

In this episode Rory shares how he recently achieved 180+ hires with 2 other recruiters in 12 months, including how to balance speed and quality.

He also gives tips to accelerate your career within talent acquisition including how to work more efficiently and adopt new technology such as AI.

Chapters

00:00 Recruitment Efficiency

04:34 Balancing Quantity & Quality

09:11 The Future of Talent Acquisition

13:49 Continuous Improvement in Recruitment

Connect with Rory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorymullins/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Episode Links:

Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/

Key Concepts & Tools Mentioned in This Video:

• Recruiter Intake Process

• Recruitment Automation (ATS, interview scheduling, note-taking tools)

• Offer Acceptance & Closing Strategies

• Data-Driven Recruitment (tracking time, efficiency metrics, capacity planning)

• Stakeholder Engagement in Talent Acquisition

• Agentic AI in Recruitment

• Bulk & Volume Hiring Strategies

• Career Site & EVP (Employer Value Proposition) Redesign

• Continuous Improvement in Screening and Interviewing

• Project-Based Development for Recruiters

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Matt is a former Meta Sourcer, responsible for sourcing, attracting, and engaging with Senior-to-Lead Machine Learning Engineers across Europe.

He’s now a leading Sourcing Trainer, helping recruitment teams build scalable and efficient sourcing functions as well as finding & engaging with niche talent.

In this episode we focus on Matt’s sourcing principles that can make every recruiter more productive, regardless of what tools they have access to.

Chapters

00:00 Intro to Sourcing Principles

01:14 Narrow Then Wide

04:46 Critical Thinking

08:44 Iterative Processes

11:23 80-20 Rule in Sourcing

15:45 Deep Work and Focus

22:35 More, Better, New

Connect with Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewmercer-elgenia/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Episode Links:

Matt’s Website: https://www.techtalentdelivery.com/

Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/

Resources Mentioned in This Video

Books & Concepts:

• Deep Work by Cal Newport: Learn how to cultivate focus and achieve high productivity through deep, uninterrupted work.

• Pareto Principle (80-20 Rule): The concept that 20% of inputs often yield 80% of results, applied to sourcing and recruitment efforts.

• Attention Residue by Sophie Leroy: A concept explaining the impact of task-switching on focus and productivity.

Techniques & Sourcing Strategies:

• Narrow First, Then Wide: A sourcing strategy that prioritizes precision before expansion to maximize efficiency.

• Keyword Analysis: A method to refine Boolean searches by analyzing existing candidate profiles for additional terms.

• Implicit Search: A technique to uncover candidates who don’t explicitly list skills by searching for contextual clues.

• Iterative Sourcing Process: A continuous loop of research, review, sourcing, and feedback to refine and improve results.

• More, Better, Before New: A framework for maximizing the impact of existing tools and processes before investing in new ones.

Creators & Thought Leaders:

• Glenn Cathy: A sourcing thought leader known for his work on Boolean search techniques and implicit search.

• Alex Hormozi: Entrepreneur and investor who coined the phrase “More, Better, Before New” to optimize processes and outputs.

Platforms & Tools:

• Google Scholar: A valuable research platform for finding candidates in research-heavy roles.

• LinkedIn Recruiter: A widely used tool for sourcing candidates, with advanced search and filtering capabilities.

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Giovanni Di Felice is the Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Statista. He previously held leadership positions in the Delivery Hero and Zalando recruitment functions.

This episode we focus on how to work effectively with business leaders, senior executives and founders as a recruitment professional, something Giovanni helps mentor and upskill his teams on regularly.

Chapters:

00:00 Senior Stakeholder Engagement

01:38 How to Build Trust

03.19 Partnering with Busy Execs

06.40 Balancing Process and Flexibility

08.50 Measuring Hiring Manager Experience

10.40 Where Recruiters Go Wrong

Connect with Gio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovanni-di-felice-berlin/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Episode Links:

Gio’s Article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-stakeholder-management-tips-in-house-recruiters-giovanni-di-felice-nosxf/

Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/

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Dave Owen is the former Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Dyson and Talent Strategy Consultant at The BBC. He now advises on workforce transformation, organisational design and preparing workforces for AI.

He’s therefore perfectly positioned to advise recruiters and talent acquisition professionals on what they should be doing to prepare for the future. In this episode we cover what skills you should start to build now and how to get to grips with new technologies.

Chapters:

00:00 The Future of Talent Acquisition

02:10 Learning New Technology

06:34 Efficiency in Talent Acquisition

12:23 Skills for the Future of Recruitment

17:47 Embracing Change

Connect with Dave: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-owen-ta/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Episode Links:

Dave’s Website: https://www.dawntalent.co.uk/

Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/

Sign up to Recruiting Wisdom (for free) - https://newsletter.gopurpl.io/signup

Ben is currently Global Employer Branding Lead at Boosky. He previously worked in leadership roles at IBM, Tesco & Hootsuite.

He’s an award-winning EVP, employer branding and talent marketing leader with experience across recruitment, culture transformation, learning / leadership development, and consumer marketing.

In this episode we focus on tactics for early-stage and growth companies when it comes to Employer Brand & Recruitment Marketing.

Chapters:

00:00 Understanding Employer Branding for Startups

04:49 Tactical Approaches for Recruiters in Early-Stage Companies

10:32 Balancing Strategy and Immediate Needs

15:22 Flipping the Script on Messaging

20:06 Measuring the Effectiveness of Employer Branding

23:30 Resources for Learning and Upskilling in Employer Branding

Connect with Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-real-ben-phillips/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Episode Links:

Ben’s Website: https://www.revealthereal.co.uk/

Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/