Talentless

This week on Talentless, Desiree and Ashley sit down with communications strategist and Ghosted by the Machine host, Mark Lane, to unpack what job seekers are really experiencing right now and what recruiters need to hear. From being ghosted for months (or a year ) to competing against AI-generated resumes, this conversation dives into the emotional, systemic, and technological realities shaping today’s hiring market.

Where to Find Mark:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-k-lane/

Podcast: Ghosted by the Machine (YouTube, Apple, Spotify, iHeart)

In this episode of Talentless, we’re joined by Victoria Gates and Lorna Erickson; co-founders of Expert Interviewers and hosts of the Don’t Tell Me About Yourself podcast to unpack a truth many companies don’t want to hear: Interviewing isn’t broken because of AI… it was already broken. AI is just exposing it.

Key Takeaways About Our Guests Website: https://expertinterviewers.com Podcast: Don’t Tell Me About Yourself Social: @expertinterviewers

In this episode of Talentless, Des and Ashley are joined by Chloe Ryan, VP of Talent Solutions at WSI Talent Sync, to tackle a question most of the industry avoids: Are recruiting models actually broken… or do we just not understand them?

Guest: Chloe Ryan, VP Talent Solutions, WSI Talent Sync

The resume is not dead yet.But it is definitely on life support.

In this episode of Talentless, Des and Ashley sit down with Mayur Macwan, CEO of Roundone.ai, to talk about what happens when the traditional resume stops being a useful signal and hiring teams are left drowning in volume, noise, and top-of-funnel chaos.

They get into why so much human time gets burned before any real evidence exists, what AI screening can actually solve, and why the goal is not to remove recruiters from the process. It is to give them better information, faster.

This conversation covers:

Why the top of the funnel is broken

Whether the resume still does what we need it to do

Why quantity of applicants is not the same as quality

How AI voice screening creates more signal than a polished resume alone

Why video screening introduces bigger risk than people realize

What “human in the loop” should actually mean

How AI can improve recruiter productivity without replacing recruiter judgment

Why candidate experience still matters, even in an AI-enabled process

If you’ve ever posted a job and watched 1,000 applications roll in before you could blink, this episode is for you.

Guest: Mayur Macwan, CEO, Roundone.aiLearn more: roundone.ai

AI didn’t just change hiring. It changed lying.

In this episode of Talentless, Des and Ashley sit down with Maryam Mahdaviani, Founder & CEO of Attesto, to unpack what “candidate fraud” actually looks like in 2026.

We’re not talking about a little resume inflation. We’re talking:

Fabricated LinkedIn + resume + GitHub ecosystems

Impersonation and proxy interviews

Fake candidates who pass early screens

Social engineering inside interviews

And the real incentives behind it all

Maryam explains how Attesto operates at the top of the funnel to generate trust signals, why relying on one “fraud tell” can cost you great candidates, and what “human in the loop” really means in an AI-driven hiring process.

This conversation isn’t just about speed or efficiency.It’s about trust, security, morale, and accountability.

If you think this is a small problem… you might want to listen.

Guest: Maryam Mahdaviani, Founder & CEO, AttestoLearn more: attesto.com

Leadership conversations love to talk about intention.This one talks about impact.

In this episode of Talentless, Desiree Goldey and Ashley King sit down with Felicia Smith, founder of The Climb, to unpack what leadership development actually looks like when diversity moves beyond buzzwords and into real behavior, decision-making, and power structures.

We get into:

The moment representation stops being a “pipeline problem”

Why mentorship without systems falls short

How bias hides behind words like fit and readiness

What leaders consistently miss when evaluating talent

Why building better tables matters more than asking for a seat

This conversation blends real leadership strategy with the deeper psychology behind access, opportunity, and advancement and challenges leaders to move from performative support to meaningful action.

Learn more about The Climb: the-climb.org Connect with Felicia Smith on LinkedIn

Leadership conversations love to talk about intention.
This one talks about impact.

In this episode of Talentless, Desiree Goldey and Ashley King sit down with Felicia Smith, founder of The Climb, to unpack what leadership development actually looks like when diversity moves beyond buzzwords and into real behavior, decision-making, and power structures.

We get into:

The moment representation stops being a “pipeline problem”

Why mentorship without systems falls short

How bias hides behind words like fit and readiness

What leaders consistently miss when evaluating talent

Why building better tables matters more than asking for a seat

This conversation blends real leadership strategy with the deeper psychology behind access, opportunity, and advancement — and challenges leaders to move from performative support to meaningful action.

 Learn more about The Climb: the-climb.org
 Connect with Felicia Smith on LinkedIn

In this episode of Talentless, Desiree Goldey and Ashley King sit down with Ben Abear to talk about why modern hiring breaks when decisions are driven by feelings instead of facts.

Ben shares how data builds trust, strengthens partnerships with the business, and helps recruiters move from order takers to true strategic partners even on small or under-resourced teams.

We dig into what hiring metrics actually matter, how qualitative insight adds critical context, and where AI can support (but not replace) good decision-making.

What you’ll hear:

Why data is essential in today’s hiring landscape

How trust with the business is built through clarity

The role of qualitative data in better hiring decisions

How small teams can still leverage data effectively

Hiring veterans isn’t hard.Hiring veterans without understanding them is where everything falls apart.

In this episode of Talentless, Desiree Goldey and Ashley King are joined by Lee Cage Jr. (SPHR, HRIP, CSM) to break down the myths, mistakes, and missed opportunities in military hiring.

Lee brings a rare mix of experience across enterprise transformation, HR technology, and 17+ years of service in the Army National Guard, making this conversation equal parts practical, strategic, and overdue.

We get into:

The biggest misconceptions companies have about military talent

Why “they don’t have corporate experience” is usually lazy hiring

How to translate military roles into skills without oversimplifying them

What real veteran support looks like after hiring (onboarding + retention)

Where recruiters get stuck: sourcing, evaluation, and hiring manager bias

What TA leaders should do right now to build military hiring programs that actually work

If your company says “we love hiring veterans” but can’t explain what that actually means… this episode is your mirror.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts Submit your #dumdum talent stories for a shoutout

In this episode of Talentless, Ashley King and Desiree Goldey cut through the hype and talk about what AI actually does well in talent, what it does dangerously wrong, and why the biggest risk isn’t the tech. It’s the humans using it without guardrails.

We get into:

Why AI isn’t the villain, but people using it without limits absolutely are

The difference between automation vs. AI (and why most teams confuse the two)

Where AI can genuinely help recruiters: admin work, sourcing, templates, strategy prep

Why AI should never be the final decision-maker in hiring

Candidate experience: where “efficient” starts to feel cold and gross

How AI interviews and avatars can create new bias (dialect, culture, speech patterns, “presence”)

The compliance reality: it doesn’t have to “decide” to still influence outcomes

The underrated concern: environmental impact (your prompt isn’t free, babes)

A practical takeaway for TA leaders: create prompt libraries so recruiters show up as partners, not order-takers

Bottom line: AI can give TA time back. But only if the process and the people using it are ready. And right now? The class is… not ready.

Listen wherever you get your podcasts Submit your “Dum Dum” recruiting story for a shoutout (anonymous is cool too)