The Talent Tango

In this episode, Amir Bormand interviews Kelly Kinnard, the Operating Partner and Head of Talent at Khosla Ventures. They discuss the importance of improving the candidate experience and avoiding pitfalls in the hiring process. Kelly shares insights and strategies for creating a positive candidate experience and highlights the mission of Khosla Ventures to invest in companies that positively impact society. This episode is a must-listen for anyone looking to enhance their hiring practices and create a better experience for job candidates.

Highlights:

00:07:49 Candidate experience is crucial.

00:11:26 Long hiring processes hinder success.

00:16:03 Communication is key for candidates.

00:22:46 Candidate experience is crucial.

00:28:35. Candidates don't get better, they get different.

00:29:03 Treat candidates like external customers.

Guest:

Kelly Kinnard is an Operating Partner at Khosla Ventures, where she leads the talent team to advise our portfolio companies and helps recruit senior executives.

Prior to joining KV, Kelly was the Talent Partner at Battery Ventures, where she managed talent globally across the 125+ venture/growth companies in their portfolio.

Previously, she was the executive leadership recruiter for the president of Oracle, and recruited 50 senior technology executives at the VP/SVP/EVP level and above to lead the company's cloud efforts. Earlier, she did executive search for the retained search firms Riviera Partners and SPMB, both of which represent venture capital-backed and emerging growth companies working with the most promising portfolio companies of top-tier VC firms.

Kelly graduated from Whittier College and studied in Denmark and Italy.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellykinnard/

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Talent Tango, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode, I am joined by Jose Benitez Cong, the VP of Talent and Culture at Humane. We discuss the importance of managing the candidate experience and shifting away from a yes or no mentality in the hiring process. Jose shares insights on how to approach talent acquisition strategically and the value it brings to organizations. We also learn more about the company, Humane, which is set to reveal more on November 9th. Tune in to gain valuable insights on improving the hiring experience and fostering a mindset shift in talent acquisition.

Highlights:

[00:02:14] Rethinking the impact of devices.

[00:06:13] Hiring with confidence.

[00:09:05] Extracting value from "no" decisions.

[00:14:04] Creating a hiring strategy.

[00:18:07] Going back to the beginning.

[00:20:43] Lessons learned from mistakes.

[00:24:13] Recruiting as sales vs. engineering.

[00:30:05] Optimizing the hiring process.

[00:33:09] Approach every new search from a forensic perspective.

[00:36:53] Structuring a business for success.

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Guest:

Jose Benitez Cong is currently the VP of Talent and Culture and Humane. Formerly co-founder & CEO at Plause (HR engagement platform), Google ($3.2B acquisition of: Nest), Nest Labs (early employee), and Apple (early employee iPod, iPhone, Special Projects Group, Advanced Technologies, Camera, Imaging, Acoustics), LSI, and RBK Executive Retained Search (early nvidia, Micron, Alteon).

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Talent Tango, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode, Adriana Roche, Head of Talent at Uncork Capital, joins Amir Bormand to discuss the importance of getting back to basics as people leaders. She shares insights on the fundamentals companies should focus on during lean times and highlights healthy people practices for early-stage startups. Uncork Capital, a seed investor, has been supporting startups for almost 20 years and invests in a range of technology companies, including consumer, marketplace, frontier, and B2B SaaS. Tune in to gain valuable perspectives on building successful teams and nurturing early-stage companies.

Highlights:

[00:02:32] Getting back to basics.

[00:06:07] The reactive nature of HR.

[00:08:00] Metrics in talent and sales.

[00:12:56] Surveying stakeholder needs.

[00:15:23] Grabbing a seat at the table.

[00:18:37] Healthy people practices.

[00:26:23] Building with stakeholder input.

[00:28:29] Tough conversations and disagreeing.

Guest:

Adriana Roche has seen firsthand many of the team-related issues startups face. She joined Uncork from Mural, a maker of visual team collaboration software, where she was Chief People Officer as the company grew from 150 employees to 900 in just two years. Prior to that, Adriana was VP, People and Places at Segment, a customer data company that grew from 50 people to 650 in four years and was acquired by Twilio in 2020. Earlier, Adriana led employer branding and managed a large recruiting team at Dropbox. She was also a recruiting manager at Salesforce and a recruiter at Google.

Born and raised in Venezuela, Adriana immigrated to the U.S. when she was seventeen. She earned a Master's degree in Organizational Psychology at New York University and a Bachelor's degree in Psychology at College of the Holy Cross.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrianaroche/

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Talent Tango, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

n this episode, Amir Bormadn interviews Suzanne Crettol, Head of Talent Acquisition @ CommerceIQ, about streamlining processes. Suzanne shares her consultative approach to talent acquisition, emphasizing the importance of listening, assessing, and leading appropriately. She discusses her background in retail operations and sales and how it has shaped her perspective on building teams and processes. Tune in to learn more about streamlining processes and the underutilization of ATS.

Highlights

[00:01:27] Importance of listening in recruitment.

[00:06:40] Metrics in talent acquisition.

[00:08:10] Building a repeatable process.

[00:14:35] Underutilization of ATS.

[00:15:31] LinkedIn as a recruiting tool.

[00:19:11] Timing and reaching out to candidates.

[00:22:05] Always staying ahead in hiring.

[00:28:34] Using analytics for recruitment.

Guest:

Suzanne Crettol is a skilled eCommerce recruitment expert who specializes in connecting exceptional talent with the right career opportunities. She takes a consultative approach by evaluating the individuals' skills, values, interests, and the role and company's requirements to ensure alignment and retention. She currently leads a Global Talent Acquisition team for a high-growth eCommerce SaaS startup. Previously, she owned an Executive Search Firm, where she played a crucial role in recruiting top eCommerce talent across the Consumer Goods industry, including SaaS, manufacturers, agencies, and more. Her exceptional knowledge of Talent Acquisition Strategies and Consumer Goods has earned her a reputation as a go-to consultant for numerous organizations.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/suzanne-c/

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Talent Tango, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode, host Amir Bormand interviews Rich Adao, the Head of Talent at Anyscale. They discuss various aspects of recruiting, including the market, hiring managers' perception of the market, and the state of recruitment and recruiters. Rich shares his responsibilities as the head of talent and how his team recruits top talent for engineers, product managers, marketers, and salespeople. Tune in to gain insights into the world of recruiting and the challenges faced in finding the right talent.

Highlights

[00:01:03] Responsibilities of a head of talent.

[00:05:31] Retaining top talent during COVID.

[00:09:31] Educating hiring managers.

[00:12:09] Hiring for long-term value.

[00:16:46] Paired sourcing and training.

[00:18:21] The craft of recruiting.

[00:21:20] Choices in your career.

[00:25:01] Improving your pitch better.

Guest:

Rich Adao is currently the Head of Talent at Anyscale, a tech startup in San Francisco focused on helping companies scale their AI and ML applications (they're hiring!). Earlier in his career, he was a senior recruiter at organizations such as Google and Facebook. Rich has more recently been a Recruiting leader at Udemy and helped build them up from a 150 person company to over 1400 employees in 4+ years. He believes in a strong work ethic that stems from his Chicago-born roots.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richadao/

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Talent Tango, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode, Joe Doyle, the Director of Talent Acquisition at Harness, joins the show to discuss the topic of leverage within talent acquisition. Joe shares insights on the ebb and flow of supply and demand in the hiring market, especially during times of booms and busts. He emphasizes the importance of being proactive and prepared for these cycles, even though it may be challenging to anticipate them. Tune in to gain valuable insights on navigating hiring trends and planning for success in talent acquisition.

Highlights:

00:01:16 Leverage in talent acquisition.

00:08:28 Remote work has changed salary dynamics.

00:11:26 Leverage in job market is shifting.

00:20:03 Searching for the "right" hire

00:25:21 Clear hiring criteria is essential.

00:29:10 Adjusting talent acquisition during downturn.

Guest:

Joseph Doyle is a global recruiting leader for Harness.io, a modern software delivery platform and hyper-growth startup. Prior to Harness, Joseph helped grow AppDyanmics from 150 - 2000 employees prior to the acquisition of AppD by Cisco. Joseph also has experience working on the side of Silicon Valley giant Apple and being hands-on post the Cisco acquisition and integration of teams. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jdoyleta/

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Talent Tango, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

In this episode, Beth Scheer, Talent Partner at Homebrew, talks about the drivers for hiring a coach and what to look out for while going through the process.

Key Takeaways:

• Why would a founder should look for a coach?
• Big commitment to hiring a coach
• Make sure you do a reference check with people the coach has worked with the right questions are a must.
• A good coach for someone else might not be the right coach for you
• How to interview a coach
• Costs of hiring a coach
• Red Flags to look for when hiring a coach

About today's guest:

At Homebrew, Beth Scheer works closely with founders and their executive team members as an advisor on all things Talent-related, including recruiting, diversity & inclusion, compensation, onboarding, and people operations. Before Homebrew, Beth spent 5+ years at Salesforce leading executive search, sales leadership search and the sales growth/professional services recruiting teams. Before that, she built the Google AdSense team in 2003 and then spent 6 years hiring for business operations, corporate communications, and various engineering teams. She is a proud graduate of The Colorado College with a BS in Psychology.

⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethscheer/⁠

[email protected]

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Talent Tango, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at ⁠https://www.elevano.com⁠

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at ⁠https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand⁠ (Amir Bormand)

In this episode of the podcast, the host interviews Anna Chalon, Head of People at Runway, a content creation platform powered by machine learning. The discussion focuses on building a feedback culture, with Anna defining it as ingrained in the day-to-day without additional efforts. Topics covered include the benefits of a feedback culture, the steps to building one, and lessons learned from implementing it at Runway. The episode offers insights into creating a healthy culture where employees can learn, grow, and thrive.

Highlights:

[00:01:51] Feedback culture defined

[00:04:13] Demystifying feedback culture.

[00:08:06] Giving and Receiving Feedback.

[00:11:44] Giving constructive feedback.

[00:17:10] Radical candor and feedback.

[00:19:27] Psychological safety and inclusion.

[00:23:24] Company culture and feedback.

[00:29:26] Feedback training in triads.

[00:31:37] Giving Feedback and Validation.

[00:35:08] Feedback culture in relationships.

[00:40:03] Culture of remote vs hybrid.

Guest:

Anna Chalon is originally from Paris, France, where she studied Private Law before moving to London to study guitar and songwriting and eventually moving to NYC in 2012.

She pursued a singer-songwriter career for a few years, allowing her to receive a Green Card and transition into a different career!

She joined the Recruiting team at Percolate, a Marketing SaaS company, and led the department a few years later. She then went on to join Frame.io as the 50th employee to build the Recruiting and DE&I functions.

For 4.5 years there, she helped the company scale to over 300 by the time of its acquisition by Adobe. She stayed on for six months post-acquisition to work on integration initiatives before transitioning to a new role as Head of People at Runway.

Runway is a Series C content creation software powered by AI. The company has scaled from 30 to 45 employees in less than a year and has exciting growth plans for the remainder of 2023.

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Talent Tango, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

Host Amir Bormand meets with Trish Pandya, the Senior TA Manager at Alluxio. She and Amir discuss the significance of mentors - and how forming a meaningful connection with the right mentor can help you grow professionally and personally.

Highlights

3:12 - Trish shares why she began to search for a mentor.

8:29 - What qualifies someone as a mentor?

14:13 - How to know if mentorship is or isn't working for you.

18:48 - Trish offers her insights on becoming a better mentor to her team.

Guest:

Trish Pandya is a Talent Acquisition Leader with 10 + years of experience in the San Francisco Startup Arena as a recruiter for startups that empowers minorities, including the female, minority, and underrepresented communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, and aspires to do this nationwide. She is currently the Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition at Alluxio, which is an open-source data orchestration software for the cloud for enterprise companies.

She aspires to spread the word with a twisted sense of humor about her views on talent acquisition/recruiting, thoughts on diversity and unbiased hiring, scaling teams with structure, the importance of mentorship, and of course, the crazy world of working in tech. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/trishnapandya/

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Talent Tango, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)

On this episode of The Talent Tango, host Amir Bormand talks with TA Leader Elena Stefanopol about recruiting strategies. The two explore subjects like velocity and data-driven hiring as well as working on a remote/international team.

Highlights:

05:09 - Elena shares how she's used metrics to remain efficient during a mass hiring phase.

07:52 - Know when it's time to hire externally.

12:07 - Here's how a structured interview process can benefit hiring managers.

18:04 - Maintaining morale when there's a reduction of your workforce.

22:58 - Talent Debt is real. Here's how to deal with it.

Guest:

Elena Stefanopol is a talent acquisition leader with a passion for establishing recruiting functions from the ground up and building strong inclusive global teams. Her experience spans various industries and geographies, having worked in both Europe and the US with non-profit, tech, and gaming companies.

Before joining Labelbox 2 years ago to build the internal recruiting function, she led recruiting for Airbnb's R&D team.

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenastefanopol/

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Thank you so much for checking out this episode of The Talent Tango, and we would appreciate it if you would take a minute to rate and review us on your favorite podcast player.

Want to learn more about us? Head over at https://www.elevano.com

Have questions or want to cover specific topics with our future guests?

Please message me at https://www.linkedin.com/in/amirbormand (Amir Bormand)