Joining me today is the Vice President and Chief Diversity Officer at Blue Cross Blue Shield, Stephanie Browne. Stephanie is responsible for recruiting, retaining, and developing high-performing staff, as well as guiding diversity and inclusion strategies. Unique to Stephanie is her background in technology which has allowed her to streamline and automate processes regarding talent management and acquisition. In today's episode, we hear about Stephanie's background and discuss topics such as using technology in talent management processes, and diversity and inclusion goals. We also discuss her two roles in the company, how diversity is a strength, how technology can remove bias, what the pillar strategy is, and so much more.

Key Points From This Episode:

• A background into Stephanie and her work at Blue Cross Blue Shield.
• How Stephanie's experience in technology has been benefitted her talent acquisition work.
• Examples of using technology for automation of talent acquisition processes.
• The removal of bias when sourcing processes are automated.
• The importance of sourcing from a wide candidate pool.
• Stephanie tells us more about her two roles in the company.
• The Pillar strategy regarding diversity, equity, and inclusion is explained.
• How building technology and services feed into overall diversity goals.
• Influence versus accountability regarding diversity and inclusion.
• Rob and Stephanie discuss the influence of a talent professional within an organization.
• What Stephanie enjoys most about her job.
• Highlights of Stephanie's experiences within talent acquisition.

Tweetables:

"Between the sourcing team and the interviewing strategy and the goal for my team to actually bring a diverse candidate pool to the table day one, we were able to begin to move the needle around increasing the diversity of our organization." — Stephanie Browne [0:08:04]

"You just need to have that candidate pool be very wide and varied so that they can find that fit." — Stephanie Browne [0:10:46]

"It's good to have different experiences at the table so that we can then, in turn, have a better innovative outcome on how we build those engagements and strategies." — Stephanie Browne [0:18:33]

"I work with my peers across the organization to help them understand what their organizations look like, what do they need and how experiences can shape the outcomes of the work that they do." — Stephanie Browne [0:19:46]

"You are very valuable but you're only as valuable as the relationships and the influence you have in those relationships." — Stephanie Browne [0:24:40]

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Stephanie Browne on LinkedIn

Talk Talent to Me

Hired

Apple Musni, Chipotle's VP People partner, shares her experience with tech-enabled nurturing, purpose-driven employment, employee retention strategies and much more for Chipotle's vast retail workforce.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Apple tells us about her background and how she ended up in her current role.
• The current focus of Apple's recruitment work.
• Differences in recruiting for the corporate and retail side of businesses.
• Why it is critical for tech-enabled nurturing of candidates for high-volume operations.
• Some of the tools that Apple uses for her tech-enabled nurturing, such as an AI powered hiring platform.
• The importance of understanding the next generation of work-force, for example millennials and Gen Z's.
• What effect the drop in labor participation rates has had on Chipotle.
• Definition of what purpose-driven work ethic is and how this translates to modern recruitment strategies.
• The resources that Apple thinks is important to make available to employees to ensure a nurturing environment and retention.
• What is a four-by-four question with some examples.
• The parallels that exist between corporate and retail recruiting.
• Apple explains how she deals with retention of employees for the retail side of the business.
• What the economic reality is of a long-term employee.
• Apple shares how one can get involved in her line of work and what to expect.

Tweetables:

"Experience has to be relevant, fast and simple but especially for the high-volume side of the house and so, making that experience automated and tech-enabled is really critical." — @AppleMusni [0:07:08]

"I think it's, how do you ensure that although technology enables, when they engage with that technology and/or a human being that their experience is connecting to our purpose of cultivating a better world." — @AppleMusni [0:09:26]

"It's understanding what that workforce needs today, whether it's from how we recruit them such as social media, how we retain them through our employee value proposition and then how we continue to grow them through our leadership programs." — @AppleMusni [0:11:15]

"There is always a synergy between the workforces in the restaurant as well as the support center because of our values." — @AppleMusni [0:23:02]

"I think it starts with hiring employees who believe in what we do and then our purpose and then engaging them along the way." — @AppleMusni [0:23:53]

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Apple Musni on LinkedIn

Apple Musni on Twitter

Talk Talent to Me

Hired

Joining us today is Adam Redlich, Vice President and Talent Acquisition at Octane. Adam shares the difference between time to fill and time to hire, why if a candidate is a maybe, they're a no, and why if a company pushes you to sign quickly, there's usually something they don't want you to find out.

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to today's guest, Adam Redlich, at Octane.
• The state of things at Octane, having moved from hybrid to remote working.
• Expectations and predictions on how the remote and hybrid systems will evolve.
• Adam's role at Octane and what the business focuses on within the Fintech space.
• How the growth they have experienced was not part of any particular plan.
• Why they have chosen to be conservative with growth.
• Distinguishing between when it is time to fill and when it is time to hire.
• Why he works according to the mantra that if somebody is a maybe, they are a no.
• What you should do as a candidate if an employer tries to keep you on the line.
• Why he believes that transparency is key to the hiring process.
• How working in a bigger more established company might not be the best place to start.
• Diversity inclusion at Octane and how Adam was involved in the process.
• How, if a company is pushing you to sign quickly, there is usually something they don't want you to find out.
• How upfront you should be with your current employer when you are looking for a new role.

Tweetable:

"One of the engineering leaders made the comment, if somebody is a maybe, they are no and for me, that's been a mantra that I've had since, because, especially at a growth stage company, we need to hire people that we're excited about." — Adam Redlich [0:13:28]

"I believe that transparency is key throughout the process. I let candidates know, early on, during my very first conversation with them." — Adam Redlich [0:15:50]

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Adam Redlich on LinkedIn

Talk Talent to Me

Hired

Dax Sardinha is a human resources expert and talent acquisition specialist who has been helping businesses recruit the most suitable talent for over 19 years. Dax is also director of talent at of Canada Life, which is Canada's largest insurance provider for groups and individuals across the country. In today's episode we hear about Dax's personal journey from talent expert to leader, and some of the most valuable lessons he learnt along the way. Our conversation also covers workplace culture, how to best manage your employees, and the importance of succession planning.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Brief highlights about what Dax is currently working on.
• Dax tells us about his company, Canada Life, and his role in the company.
• The various types of roles within a company are discussed.
• Dax and Rob discuss the culture of constant promotion seeking.
• Why businesses should not promote certain personality types into leadership roles.
• Dax's personal journey from talent acquisition expert to a leadership role.
• What one should expect when working in a leadership role.
• The importance of empowering employees and allowing them not to 'burn-out'.
• Burn-out and other challenges that employees commonly face.
• How ensuring that your employees are tasked with balanced workloads leads to improved overall activity.
• Changes in work-life balance as a result of the COVID pandemic.
• The advantages of using technology for planning in the workplace.
• Dax tells us about succession planning, and why it is important for the productivity of a company.
• What the next generation of VP and C-level talent will look like.
• We find out if there are any additional skill sets Dan would like to learn in the future.

Tweetables:

"It's encouraging them to speak up, empowering them to really understand that you don't have to do that. You can work your regular shift, there will always be work, work will still come, there always be more." — Dax Sardinha [0:12:48]

"I've never been a title chaser. For me, it's about the work itself. I love the ability to come in and I said this before is to be able to impact and influence an organization in a positive way." — Dax Sardinha [0:28:31]

"As long as you're focusing on those values, on that development, you're going to find the job title and the role in the organization that fits you, ultimately at the end of the day." — Dax Sardinha [0:31:56]

"If you're not passionate about the work that you're doing, you're never going to exceed, you're never going to excel, you'll just get bored and burn out and go somewhere else." — Dax Sardinha [0:32:23]

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Dax Sardinha

Dax Sardinha on LinkedIn

Hired

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Life-life Balance Over Work-life Balance with Hannah Kreiswirth

Episode 222: Show Notes

In most companies, the role of the chief operating officer is not directly concerned with employee wellbeing, satisfaction, or recruitment. This is not the case with AREA 17, where COO Hannah Kreiswirth makes it her priority to ensure that the employees are happy. Join us to find out why Hannah does this (people make the company), and how she ensures employee contentment. Hannah explains the difference between jobs that are just jobs and those that are someone's life, as well as why life-life balance is a better concept than work-life balance. We touch on the debate around remote work and returning to the office, and what companies can do to create a space that empowers employees to be the person they want to share. For all this and so much more, tune in today!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Welcome to Hannah Kreiswirth, COO and partner at AREA 17.
• How Hannah moved from the film industry to publishing and finally to AREA 17.
• Finding the company for you: identifying those that care about the same things you do.
• Using storytelling in the interview process, from both a recruiter and a candidate's point of view.
• The pros and cons of "Some jobs are jobs" and "Some jobs are life".
• Why the distinction between "Life-life balance" and "work-life balance" is an important one to make.
• Why flexibility is key in creating a work environment that benefits all parties.
• What companies can do to empower people to design a work-life that is best for them.
• AREA 17's values, and what Hannah understands by them.
• Why Hannah, as a COO, has focused on people.
• The debate around remote work vs office work, and balancing the two.
• How Hannah feels about the virtual work experience.

Tweetables:

"I found myself engaged in the Internet and realizing that that is a space where storytelling and sort of social history is happening as we speak." — @hannahteak [0:02:18]

"There's that trope of 'work to live' versus 'live to work'. My view is that both of those are a bit wrong because work is inherently a big part of all of our lives unless you're so privileged to not need to do that at all." — @hannahteak [0:08:09]

"It never occurred to me that having a focus on people wouldn't fundamentally be what a COO's job is. Because at the end of the day, to me, our business doesn't exist without our people and that's something that has been central to who we are from day one and 19 years later." — @hannahteak [0:21:33]

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Hannah Kreiswirth on LinkedIn

AREA 17

Talk Talent to Me

Hired

Joining us in conversation today is Bryan Menduke, head of recruiting at Kensho. Tune in to hear all about his journey into the world of recruitment and the ins and outs of his work at Kensho. We talk about the difference between working for large and small companies, and Bryan assesses the state of operations at Kensho, from communication to a profile of the type of person they are looking to hire. We talk about all things interview-related, from determining if a client's values are in alignment with the company, to training staff to conduct these kinds of conversations. Learn what shadowing can show you that an interview can't, hear Bryan's advice to folks who are just getting started, and so much more. Thanks for joining us!

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to today's guest, Bryan Menduke, head of recruiting at Kensho.
• Some insight into Bryan's education and career thus far.
• Why he wanted to make the move to work for a smaller team.
• The tradeoff between the resources of a big company versus the agility of a small company.
• His assessment of the state of operations at Kensho.
• Defining what you are looking for when it comes to acquiring new talent.
• Standardizing feedback through forums, unit tests, checklists, and more.
• Communication and hierarchy at Kensho.
• Why they are looking to hire people who aren't afraid to fail.
• Determining a candidate's alignment with company values.
• The process of interview training at Kensho.
• Why arming an interviewer with specific questions for behavioral and technical interviews is essential.
• The role of shadowing, why it is important, and what it can determine outside of an interview.
• What the process of revamping the interview rubric looks like.
• Bryan's advice to people who are just beginning the process: start by finding the biggest gap.

Tweetables:

"How do you get into recruiting? The answer is, I have absolutely no idea, I just do it now. Anyone that tells you differently is probably lying." — Bryan Menduke [0:02:55]

"I joined a small team because I think there's a lot of ability to innovate and take on a lot of things outside of just a really small scope that you get in some larger companies." — Bryan Menduke [0:04:33]

"There's way more than just what a job description says and what you're looking for in a role. How do we actually define for someone that's never interviewed before?" — Bryan Menduke [0:09:07]

"We're looking for people that aren't afraid to ask questions or aren't afraid to fail but you're going to run experiments and some of them are going to fail and some of them are going to be great, you're going to try." — Bryan Menduke [0:13:30]

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Bryan Menduke on LinkedIn

Kensho

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Hired

Preparing Underrepresented Talent For Success with Andrea Guendelman

Andrea Guendelman is the CEO of Speak_, the interview preparation service helping underrepresented software engineers clinch roles at the best tech companies in the world. In our conversation with Andrea, we hear about the structure and methodology of Speak_'s program, the level of their engagement with the companies in which they are placing talent, and what's involved in the resume creation process. We discuss the multitude of factors limiting the hiring funnel, and what companies can do to make a difference from a diversity hiring perspective! Tune in for this informative episode on what's being done and what still needs to be done to ensure fairness and equality in the hiring process.

Key Points From This Episode:

• The important service Andrea Guendelman's startup, Speak_, offers underrepresented software engineers.
• How Speak_ was born of Andrea's attempt to make the Latino community visible in the US.
• The lack of opportunities for underrepresented talent to interview for positions.
• How the current US economy is providing a great opportunity to level the playing field.
• The methodology used at Speak_ to prepare underrepresented talent for big tech roles.
• The benefits of the community aspect of Speak_'s course structure.
• The access and information that candidates receive in the program.
• Where the deficiency lies in terms of not having representative workforces.
• Why Speak_ focuses on teaching candidates to speak the language of the targeted company.
• The preferred source of hire of the companies in which Speak_ is placing talent.
• The prevalence of imposter syndrome amongst underrepresented candidates.
• What leads candidates to believe they're not qualified according to the job description.
• Why years of experience isn't a fair requirement in the software engineering space.
• Other factors which limit the hiring funnel.
• How the Speak_ program helps candidates create suitable resumes.
• The consulting incorporated into Speak_'s engagement with clients.
• Why Speak_ does 12 cohorts a year.
• What Speak_ is looking for in its clients!
• The discrepancy Andrea has observed between recruiters and hiring managers.
• What companies can do to make a difference from a diversity hiring perspective.

Tweetables:

"Speak_ is interview preparation as a service using cohort-based company-branded programs to prepare underrepresented software engineers and place them at the best tech companies in the world." — @FutureofWomen [0:01:38]

"A lot of underrepresented talent is not given the opportunity to fail often enough. In other words, they're not even selected to take an interview many times, so they're not given the opportunity to fail." — @FutureofWomen [0:04:20]

"The name of our company is called Speak_because we're teaching candidates to speak the language of the company." — @FutureofWomen [0:10:52]

"If we compare years of experience so verbatim, we're going to leave a lot of people behind that you actually need in your organization." — @FutureofWomen [0:16:25]

"We have found out that companies will reject someone sometimes just because of their resume, even though we know that they're qualified for the job." — @FutureofWomen [0:18:21]

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Webinar: Diversity Hiring That Works with Greenhouse CEO Daniel Chait

Andrea Guendelman on LinkedIn

Andrea Guendelman on Twitter

Speak_

Speak_ on Twitter

Talk Talent to Me

Hired

Our behavior dictates how people treat us in all aspects of our lives. Talking to us today about adjusting behavior to define and maintain company culture is Joe Bast, organizational psychologist and Head of People at Laika. We start the discussion by diving into Joe's past and what got him interested in psychology in the first place. From his extensive work experience, we segue into his roles at different companies, and how he realized that recruitment was what he was passionate about. We hear some amusing anecdotes about his time at the Cheesecake Factory, all the while learning about the structure and the ethos underlying it. Part of the Cheesecake Factory's success is the clear definition and focus on company culture, something that Joe looked for in his next job. Tune in to learn why defining culture early on in a company's life cycle is key to success, and how Joe identifies companies that have done so. We also hear some great tips on how to identify behaviors that are indicative of a company's values and how to tell if these behaviors are ingrained in the employees. Joe reminds us that behaviors need to be maintained by rewarding and removing those that are desired and unwanted (respectively), and why this role falls to those in recruitment and HR. For all this and so much more, tune in today.

Key Points From This Episode:

• An introduction to organizational psychologist turned head of people at Laika, Joe Bast.

• What Laika is and their recent exponential growth.

• Joe's journey: from exposure to entrepreneurs as a kid to the Cheesecake Factory (and everything in between!)

• When Joe realized his role at the Cheesecake Factory wasn't a good fit.

• What's going on at the Cheesecake Factory from an insider's perspective.

• How Joe used recruitment data and employee satisfaction to predict profit and growth.

• Why Laika has continued to grow during The Great Resignation: Engagement.

• Why defining the culture you're looking for upfront is key to success.

• How Joe identifies companies with defined cultures and his experience at Laika.

• The behaviors that are indicative of a company's values.

• Understanding the culture shift when a company grows, and scaling it accordingly.

• Why rewarding desired behavior and removing unwanted behavior is part of creating company culture.

• Applying organizational psychology to everyday life.

• How Joe is like the Jane Goodall for ties.

Tweetables:

"I could see how the money we've put into recruiting people and training people and onboarding people could be impacted by how much we train managers and did organizational culture at the restaurant level because turnover went down." — @Joeb2727 [0:06:19]

"When we talk about creating the culture, yes you can hire for it and you can reward the culture congruent behaviors but you also have to remove the people who are behaving in ways that are contraindicated in the culture and that are toxic to the culture." — @Joeb2727 [0:19:08]

"I think a lot of my job, being the top people leader is holding the leaders in general, the founders, the executives in particular accountable to the things they say they want to do." — @Joeb2727 [0:31:36]

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Joe Bast

Laika

Talk Talent to Me

From his decade at Merrill Lynch, followed by a decade at OppenheimerFunds, to his current position as Chief Human Resources Officer over at Vitech Systems, Andy Doyle knows what questions he needs to be prepared to field and how best to represent his talent in the boardroom. In this episode, he fills us in on how he strikes the balance between profitability and compensation and how bonuses and salary increases are typically calculated. He shares what he learned from his move from large organizations to an 'adolescent' company, what he found needed the most attention upon commencement, and we discuss the immense power of company culture and what needs to be put in place in order to nurture it, as well as what it means to cultivate culture in a remote world. Andy also explains what Vitech has done to actively engage with employees and shares some tips on how to propagate culture from afar.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing Andy Boyle, Chief Human Resources Officer at Vitech Systems.
• Who Vitech's board is comprised of.
• Find out how Andy prepares for board meetings with investors.
• How Andy strikes the balance between profitability and compensation.
• Insight into how bonuses and salary increases are calculated.
• The vital partnership between the CHRO and CFO of a company.
• Andy's experience of moving from large companies like OppenheimerFunds and Merrill Lynch to a smaller company like Vitech.
• In what area Andy felt he could be most impactful when he started working at Vitech.
• The factors that go into making a company a great place to work.
• Why it's important to build a social contract between employees and the organization.
• The power of a great company culture!
• How Andy's approach to engaging with employees has had to change due to the pandemic.
• The adverse effects of remote work, and how to propagate culture in a remote world.
• The benefits of a change of scenery amidst the remote work lifestyle.

Tweetables:

"If you don't have a great CFO, your job as CHRO is very, very difficult." — Andy Doyle [0:07:00]

"I think that [the] social contract becomes the foundation of a strong company culture." — Andy Doyle [0:15:19]

"I've seen the power of what great company culture can do in my career and, when you don't have that, it doesn't matter what your strategy is." — Andy Doyle [0:15:33]

"People will care about their company when they feel their company cares about them. The leaders of the organization have to do that, not just with what they say, but with their actions." — Andy Doyle [0:16:23]

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Andy Doyle on LinkedIn

Vitech Systems

Talk Talent to Me

Hired

For today's episode, we are thrilled to welcome Cyril George, who currently serves as the Global Talent Acquisition Lead at General Motors, and started his career doing talent acquisition at Ford Motor Company. We kick off our conversation by discussing how to choose your meetings, why too many people are often included, and how to ensure you only attend what you need to. Next Cyril expands on the effort he's made to hire from diverse backgrounds by focusing on a combination of outside perspectives and domain experience in his effort to build a balanced team. Tuning in you'll also hear a deep dive on tech stacks, the webinar that inspired Cyril's vision, and a breakdown of how they have built and integrated theirs. Cyril also shares how he approaches vendors, including which questions to ask to ascertain whether their product is a good fit for your company. Today's episode is jam-packed with excellent tips and useful insights, so make sure you tune in to hear it all!

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing today's guest, Cyril George, Global Talent Acquisition lead at General Motors (GM).
• Why Cyril is extremely selective about the number of meetings he has to attend in a day.
• What Cyril's typical day looks like and how he supports his teams.
• A breakdown of Cyril's teams and their functions.
• Cyril's background in talent acquisition and his previous position at Ford.
• The big campaigns and goals that Cyril is currently focusing on.
• Insights into GM's investment in electric and autonomous driving vehicles.
• The huge increase in hiring at GM and the forces behind it.
• How Cyril has scaled up recruitment to meet the demand of the business.
• Cyril's refreshing perspective on outside pitches on technological innovations.
• Cyril's teams' tech stack and how they determine theirs.
• The role of integration between different platforms when you are building your tech stack.
• Why the integration needs to be seamless to best accommodate candidates and hiring managers.
• Which questions to ask vendors to ensure they can supply what your organization needs.
• The one message Cyril wants to share about recruiting: stop sharing unsolicited advice and let recruiters do their job.

Tweetables:

"One of the things I do is I really focus on clearing my calendar as much as possible. One of the things that I practice is to rigorously reject the amount of meetings that I have to attend in a day." — Cyril George [0:01:27]

"50% of my leadership team was hired in the last two years. We made it a point to ensure that we hire people from very diverse backgrounds." — Cyril George [0:10:17]

"I personally think that those are some of the most important meetings where you need to be involved. You need to understand what the technology can do, and you need to show your full commitment in terms of how important that piece of technology is going to be towards your future goals." — Cyril George [0:24:52]

Links Mentioned in Today's Episode:

Cyril George on LinkedIn

Talk Talent to Me

Hired