When Marc Lipkin started his recruiting career in the late '90s, the tech world looked dramatically different. Armed with a catalog of company listings and a phone, he was hunting for software engineers in the nascent days of the internet boom. Today, he brings a wealth of experience from working with tech giants like Amazon, Google, and innovative startups like Material Bank.

In this fascinating episode of Meet My Network, Marc takes us on a journey through the dramatic transformation of tech recruiting:

* The Early Days: Discover how recruiting worked before LinkedIn, when finding top talent meant creative networking and physical catalogs

* Tech Recruiting Insights: Learn about Marc's experiences recruiting for cutting-edge projects at Amazon, including work with academic scholars and innovative technology teams

* Career Evolution: Hear how Marc transitioned from an individual contributor to a leadership role, sharing invaluable lessons about team building and talent acquisition

Key Highlights:

* Recruiting for world-class teams at Google and Amazon

* The art of identifying exceptional talent beyond traditional profiles

* Insights into the changing landscape of tech recruiting

Whether you're an aspiring recruiter, a tech professional, or simply curious about the behind-the-scenes of talent acquisition, this episode offers a rare glimpse into the world of high-stakes tech recruiting.

Listen now and dive deep into a career that has shaped the tech talent landscape over the past decades!

Hosted by Michael Doran | Talent Grind Meet My Network Podcast

Hi, I’m Michael, a recruiting exec based in the SF Bay area, who specializes in startup recruiting and HRTech building. I previously built recruiting functions at Oyster, Bolt, and Dropbox. Now I am co founder at TeamSourced, where we offer a free platform along with our recruiting service business.

On this substack, I share frameworks, case studies, stories, and links from inside the recruiting and future of work worlds. Not yet subscribed? No worries. You can check out the archive, or sign up below:

Talent Grind is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Recruiting has come a long way since the days of “personnel departments” and faxed resumes. Few people understand this evolution better than Mary Kay Baldino, a recruiting veteran whose career spans decades in both corporate and agency settings.

In this episode of Meet My Network, I had the privilege of speaking with Mary Kay about her unexpected entry into recruiting, how she built a career in corporate talent acquisition and leadership, and how AI, proactive hiring, and strategic workforce planning are shaping the industry today.

From College Career Center to Recruiting Leadership

Mary Kay didn’t plan to go into recruiting—it found her. While working her way through college, she discovered an interest in HR (then called “personnel”) and started working in recruiting before she even graduated. That early start gave her an edge, allowing her to skip the usual entry-level HR roles and dive straight into recruiting.

After working in corporate recruiting at Famous Footwear and Manpower, she transitioned to agency recruiting, gaining a broader understanding of hiring at scale. But it was her return to corporate recruiting where she made her biggest impact—especially in the insurance and healthcare industries, where she spent a significant portion of her career.

What It Takes to Become a Recruiting Leader

Mary Kay’s career took off when she started challenging outdated hiring processes. She pointed out inefficiencies in how recruiting was being handled, leading her to build Manpower’s first corporate recruiting function. Her ability to see hiring from a strategic and operational perspective helped her rise into leadership.

Her biggest lesson in leadership? Understanding compensation and job architecture. She quickly realized that job descriptions, salary structures, and talent planning needed to be addressed before hiring even started—something many companies still struggle with today.

Key Takeaways for Recruiters and Hiring Leaders

1. Proactive Recruiting Is the Holy Grail—but Hard to Implement

Most executives don’t translate their business strategy into specific hiring needs until it’s too late. Mary Kay believes recruiters must push for workforce planning, even if it’s not naturally built into the company’s process.

2. AI Is a Recruiter’s Best Friend (Not a Replacement)

Mary Kay sees AI as a tool to remove repetitive tasks, not replace recruiters. She encourages TA leaders to embrace automation for scheduling, resume screening, and outreach, allowing recruiters to focus on relationship-building and strategic hiring.

3. The Best Recruiters Are Intensely Curious

Curiosity is what separates great recruiters from average ones. Mary Kay believes recruiters should ask better questions, learn the business inside out, and push leaders to make data-driven hiring decisions.

Final Thoughts: Recruiting as a Strategic Business Function

Mary Kay sees recruiting as one of the most impactful functions in any organization—and yet, most companies don’t invest in it properly. She hopes the future brings more CEOs and CHROs with recruiting backgrounds, as those who truly understand hiring understand how to build successful companies.

Her message to recruiters? Stay curious, embrace AI, and push for strategic workforce planning.

Want more deep dives into the careers of top recruiting leaders? Subscribe to Talent Grind for exclusive insights from the best in talent acquisition.

Hi, I’m Michael, a recruiting exec based in the SF Bay area, who specializes in startup recruiting and HRTech building. I previously built recruiting functions at Oyster, Bolt, and Dropbox. Now I am co founder at TeamSourced, where we offer a free platform along with our recruiting service business.

On this substack, I share frameworks, case studies, stories, and links from inside the recruiting and future of work worlds. Not yet subscribed? No worries. You can check out the archive, or sign up below:

Talent Grind is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

In this eye-opening episode of Talent Grind Live, Michael Doran and Alex Mann tackle "The Big Freeze" - our current economic downturn that economists compare to the Great Recession.

As hiring slows to 2009 levels and competition intensifies, discover why personal branding is no longer optional but essential for recruiters. Michael shares how AI tools can give you back 20% of your workday while elevating your professional profile.

Learn practical strategies for building your digital presence, leveraging relationship networks as a protective "moat," and positioning yourself to thrive when the economy thaws.

Whether you're a seasoned recruiter or new to talent acquisition, this episode delivers actionable advice for navigating uncertain times with confidence and vision.

Don't miss Michael's powerful analogy about "being in the foam" and how to find your way to the surface during economic turbulence.

In this episode of Talent Grind Live, CEO of TeamSourced, Michael Doran, and Alex Mann, head of go-to-market sales at Elly.ai, discuss the current state of recruiting.

They start with a casual chat about personal experiences and weather before diving into the core topics. Michael provides an overview of his extensive background in recruiting and talks about his new initiative to unify various components into a single vision, including the launch of the Talent Grind community.

He stresses the importance of genuine experience and mentorship in the recruitment industry, critiquing influencers who lack practical recruiting experience. Michael also explains the unique challenges recruiters face, especially during economic downturns, and emphasizes the need for evolving recruitment strategies.

The conversation includes insights into how AI and technology could enhance recruiting efficiency and a call for creating valuable content to share within the community.

The episode concludes on an optimistic note with Michael's commitment to provide tools, resources, and support for recruiters.

AI in recruiting and talent acquisition is transforming how we work.

Join recruiting leader Michael Doran and AI expert Alex Mann as they analyze LinkedIn's 2025 AI Report, revealing how artificial intelligence is saving recruiters a full day each week.

Learn about AI recruiting tools, automation in talent acquisition, and how to build better candidate relationships with more time.

Essential insights for recruiters, talent acquisition professionals, and hiring managers navigating the future of recruitment.

AI recruiting tools are changing talent acquisition - but not how you think.

In this debut episode of Talent Grind Live, recruiting veteran Michael Doran and AI specialist Alex Mann debunk AI doomerism in recruitment.

Discover how artificial intelligence in recruiting reduces stress by 90%, why AI gives recruiters an edge in talent acquisition, and how tools like Claude and Otter are transforming candidate sourcing and engagement.

Perfect for recruiters, hiring managers, and talent professionals embracing AI in recruitment.