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Tea Time with Talent Acquisition is proudly sponsored by Peritus Partners - Peritus Partners - Next Generation Recruitment
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What does it really take to build a talent function from scratch inside an early-stage startup?
In the final episode for this season of Tea Time with Talent Acquisition, Zvjezdana Topalović, Head of Talent, unpacks the reality of hiring in high-growth, chaotic environments where there’s no structure, no employer brand, and no clear roadmap.
Just ambition, pressure, and the need to get it right.
We cover:
🔵 The metric that matters more than time-to-hire: time to alignment
🔵 When to say “no” to a hiring request and why that’s your job
🔵 How to tell the difference between a true business-critical hire and task overload
🔵 Navigating founder friction, internal politics, and resistance to structure
🔵 Hiring for attitude and learning agility in ambiguous environments
🔵 Building trust, integrity, and sustainable pace in startup growth
If you’re a founder, recruiter, or talent leader operating in (or curious about) early-stage startups, this conversation offers practical insight into how great hiring actually happens and how to protect the essence of recruitment while scaling fast.
Feel free to find Zvjezdana here - Zvjezdana Topalović | LinkedIn
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If you find this topic interesting or have an idea about a future topic in which either you would like to speak yourself or would like us to cover, please reach out to the host, Eden here - Eden Whitcomb | LinkedIn
Thank you for supporting our project, if you liked what you heard then we would appreciate if you could drop us a review or rating!
Tea Time with Talent Acquisition is proudly sponsored by Peritus Partners - Peritus Partners - Next Generation Recruitment
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Kathrin has led talent acquisition through hypergrowth across different organisations, scaling from early market entry to complex international expansion.
And if there’s one thing she’s learned:
👉 Scaling hiring is hard.
👉 Upholding quality while scaling is even harder.
In this episode of Tea Time with Talent Acquisition, we unpack what it means to “hit the gas pedal” but with the right checks and balances in place.
In this episode, we cover:
🔵 Why structured hiring is non-negotiable (and what “brilliant basics” actually look like)
🔵 How to scale across countries without lowering the hiring bar
🔵 Bar raisers, hiring committees, and when they help vs. slow you down
🔵 Business enablement: why training, education, and empowerment determine adoption
🔵 Why hiring should be treated as a strategic investment, not a “bums on seats” exercise
🔵 The future of TA: moving from delivery engine to strategic talent advisory
Kathrin shares practical frameworks for workforce planning, influencing executive stakeholders, articulating ROI, and embedding hiring philosophy across a global organisation.
This is a must-listen for Talent Leaders, Founding Recruiters, and People Teams navigating scale, international expansion, or the shift from hypergrowth to lean, high-impact teams.
If you care about quality of hire, talent density, and long-term business value this one is packed with insight.
Feel free to find Kathrin here - Kathrin Holzfurtner | LinkedIn
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If you find this topic interesting or have an idea about a future topic in which either you would like to speak yourself or would like us to cover, please reach out to the host, Eden here - Eden Whitcomb | LinkedIn
Thank you for supporting our project, if you liked what you heard then we would appreciate if you could drop us a review or rating!
#podcast #recruitment #talentacquisition #hiring #HR #HRBP
Tea Time with Talent Acquisition is proudly sponsored by Peritus Partners - Peritus Partners - Next Generation Recruitment
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Today we welcome Jim Miller, VP Talent @ Ashby and T100 winner onto Tea Time with Talent Acquisition for a conversation packed with real insight on scaling, location strategy, and building talent density with intention.
Jim was Google’s first Tech Recruiter in London when the company was around 8,000 people and we rewind to that pivotal moment to unpack how Google thought about expansion, why London mattered, and what smart location strategy really looks like later in his career.
In this episode, we cover:
🔵 The three lenses of location strategy: competitors, market creators, and individuals
🔵 The risks of over-hiring from competitors
🔵 Local vs global hiring and where companies get it wrong
🔵 Employer brand, contextual SEO, and why transparency drives better candidates
This is a practical, strategic conversation for anyone thinking about global hiring, intentional growth, and long-term talent strategy.
Thank you, Jim, for such an open and thoughtful discussion.
Feel free to find Jim here - Jim Miller | LinkedIn
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If you find this topic interesting or have an idea about a future topic in which either you would like to speak yourself or would like us to cover, please reach out to the host, Eden here - Eden Whitcomb | LinkedIn
Thank you for supporting our project, if you liked what you heard then we would appreciate if you could drop us a review or rating!
#podcast #recruitment #talentacquisition #hiring #HR #HRBP
Tea Time with Talent Acquisition is proudly sponsored by Peritus Partners - Peritus Partners - Next Generation Recruitment
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I was so excited to welcome Andreea onto Tea Time with Talent Acquisition for what turned into a deeply thoughtful, honest, and timely conversation.
Andreea brings such a grounded, human perspective to talent acquisition and in this episode, she takes a step back from day-to-day hiring to reflect on the bigger picture: purpose, community, and what our role really is.
This is a refreshingly real discussion covering…
🔵 The long-term cost of deprioritising DEI, belonging, and well-being during times of scarcity
🔵 How market fear and “survival mode” thinking quietly push people and communities aside
🔵 The power of networking, human connection, and simply showing up for people, even when there are no jobs
🔵 Why recruiters have a responsibility to help candidates recognise and own their value
🔵 How community, mentoring, and human empathy matter more than ever in a tech-driven, AI-shaped future
This episode is a powerful reminder that even when we can’t offer roles, we can still offer support, perspective, and humanity and that impact lasts far longer.
Thank you so much, Andreea, for sharing your insight so openly.
Feel free to find Andreea here - Andreea Tilvan (She/Her) | LinkedIn
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If you find this topic interesting or have an idea about a future topic in which either you would like to speak yourself or would like us to cover, please reach out to the host, Eden here - Eden Whitcomb | LinkedIn
Thank you for supporting our project, if you liked what you heard then we would appreciate if you could drop us a review or rating!
#podcast #recruitment #talentacquisition #hiring #HR #HRBP #diversity #EDI #DEI
Tea Time with Talent Acquisition is proudly sponsored by Peritus Partners - Peritus Partners - Next Generation Recruitment
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Hiring over the last years has changed dramatically and tech hiring is no different.
Coming away from the viewpoint of talent acquisition or recruiters however, this week we explore the theme of tech hiring with Lead Engineer Elman Hüseynov.
Elman shares a 'feet on the ground' perspective to tech hiring, offering us in talent and recruitment a clearer insight into how hiring managers are thinking...🔵 Missed clarity on what is actually needed before searching begins🔵 Long hiring processes that optimise for the wrong signals🔵 A sharp stance on AI usage and how this might be impacting hiring
All this and more is discussed for which you can draw your own decision... is tech hiring broken?
Feel free to find Elman here - Elman Hüseynov | LinkedIn
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If you find this topic interesting or have an idea about a future topic in which either you would like to speak yourself or would like us to cover, please reach out to the host, Eden here - Eden Whitcomb | LinkedIn
Thank you for supporting our project, if you liked what you heard then we would appreciate if you could drop us a review or rating!
#podcast #recruitment #talentacquisition #hiring #HR #HRBP
Tea Time with Talent Acquisition is proudly sponsored by Peritus Partners - Peritus Partners - Next Generation Recruitment
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Over the last few years we have had a few talks about AI within recruitment and talent acquisition but Senior Global Talent Advisor, Hari Sarangam takes it a step further...
Not talking about theory and ideas, but rather real practical AI examples that can become the starting block to you building your own AI Agents for personal or work life!
Hari doesn't claim to be an AI Engineer or expert in developing agents, he is simply someone in our field with enthusiasm about what is happening to tech in general and as a result has taken it upon himself to explore AI past articles and videos with his own AI Agent that he gracefully talks us through during this packed episode.
If you are unsure how to start building AI agents then this is for you.
Feel free to find Hari here - Dr Hari Sarangam | LinkedIn
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If you find this topic interesting or have an idea about a future topic in which either you would like to speak yourself or would like us to cover, please reach out to the host, Eden here - Eden Whitcomb | LinkedIn
Thank you for supporting our project, if you liked what you heard then we would appreciate if you could drop us a review or rating!
#podcast #recruitment #talentacquisition #hiring #HR #HRBP #AI #ChatGPT #promptengineering
Tea Time with Talent Acquisition is proudly sponsored by Peritus Partners - Peritus Partners - Next Generation Recruitment
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Having known Matt for over a decade, I was so excited when he agreed to join us as a guest on Tea Time with Talent Acquisition!
Watching him develop as a recruiter has been one of the biggest joys in my own personal career so when he wanted to take a step back in the topic today and focus on burnout within recruitment, I leaned in to learn more.
This is a very honest and raw discussion covering...
🔵 The importance of reconnecting your WORK to your WHY
🔵 Setting clear boundaries and routines to prevent burnout
🔵 Using reflection and renewal as part of performance
and a lot lot more!
Truly, thank you Matt for sharing your insights here and for anyone who might be experiencing burnout, please note my inbox is always open to speak.
Feel free to find Matt here - Matthew Noble | LinkedIn
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If you find this topic interesting or have an idea about a future topic in which either you would like to speak yourself or would like us to cover, please reach out to the host, Eden here - Eden Whitcomb | LinkedIn
Thank you for supporting our project, if you liked what you heard then we would appreciate if you could drop us a review or rating!
#podcast #recruitment #talentacquisition #hiring #HR #HRBP #leadership #AI #burnout #mentalhealth
Tea Time with Talent Acquisition is proudly sponsored by Peritus Partners - Peritus Partners - Next Generation Recruitment
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It's the start of a new season and a new year and what better way to kick off Tea Time S09 than discussing the topic of ethics in AI recruitment...
Honestly, a topic I haven't seen too much about so when Astghik Gapoyan (Senior Talent Acquisition Manager) mentioned it, I was immediately hooked.
AI is woven in so much of our lives but are we really thinking of the ethics behind it's usage, especially in the context of talent acquisition.
This episode is more focused on getting you thinking that driving any certain action, it's about posing and pondering.
It's one of those talks that I firmly believe should be front and centre of all our minds, especially in leadership roles.
Watch, listen and enjoy!
Feel free to find Astghik here - Astghik Gapoyan | LinkedIn
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If you find this topic interesting or have an idea about a future topic in which either you would like to speak yourself or would like us to cover, please reach out to the host, Eden here - Eden Whitcomb | LinkedIn
Thank you for supporting our project, if you liked what you heard then we would appreciate if you could drop us a review or rating!
#podcast #recruitment #talentacquisition #hiring #HR #HRBP #leadership #AI #Ethics
Tea Time with Talent Acquisition is proudly sponsored by Peritus Partners - Peritus Partners - Next Generation Recruitment
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If you have listened to an episode or two this year you would have heard me ask the same question to every guest... what makes a high performing recruiting team?
Now for the first time, in one place we will explore these answers together, giving you clarity on what others feel will help you build your own high performing recruiting team as we head into 2026.
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If you find this topic interesting or have an idea about a future topic in which either you would like to speak yourself or would like us to cover, please reach out to the host, Eden here - Eden Whitcomb | LinkedIn
Thank you for supporting our project, if you liked what you heard then we would appreciate if you could drop us a review or rating!
#podcast #recruitment #talentacquisition #hiring #HR #HRBP #leadership
Tea Time with Talent Acquisition is proudly sponsoredby Peritus Partners - Peritus Partners -Next Generation Recruitment
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Another 9 episodes packed with insights and knowledge from the talent acquisition community! In this season we had new and returning guests shed light on a host of topics.
We are deep into recording Season 09 and cannot wait toshare it with you but for now, subscribe and stay tuned so you don’t miss when we drop E01!
If you have an idea about a future topic which either youwould like to speak yourself or would like us to cover, please reach out to me here - Eden Whitcomb | LinkedIn
Thank you for supporting our project, if you liked what you heard then we would appreciate if you could drop us a review or rating
From the publisher's feed