We're Only Human

By WRKdefined Podcast NetworkBusiness Careers Management

We're Only Human episodes

October 13Building High-Impact HR Technology: Featuring Employ, CandorIQ, ClearCo, and TalentGuard
What does it take to build HR technology that delivers real business results?
Four HR tech product leaders explain how they turn customer ideas into product features, use AI to shorten feedback cycles from months to days, and apply AI in talent processes such as job architecture, skills data, and reporting. Guests are @Haris Ikram (CandorIQ), @Dara Brenner (Employ), @Linda Ginac (TalentGuard), and @Arnaud Grunwald (ClearCo).
They also cover the risks of HR teams vibe coding their own tools, how MCP and headless HR tech change who needs to learn the software, and where the industry is heading: AI-native services, shared data across customers, and governance for AI agents.
Key Takeaways
HR technology only works when the data going in is clean. Bad data multiplies when you add AI.

Good product teams solve the underlying business problem. They don’t just build the feature a customer asks for.

AI can pull themes out of sales and customer success calls, which gives product teams feedback that customers never send directly.

Building prototypes with AI lets customers co-develop features and see changes within days.

AI can build job architectures, keep skills data current, and generate board decks automatically.

With MCP and headless HR tech, hiring managers, interviewers and finance partners can do their part of a workflow in tools they already use.

Vibe coding is fine for personal tools. Shared tools bring risks to data security, compliance and ownership.

Code built inside a company is company property. It should live in the cloud, not on someone’s laptop or personal account.

Don’t shut down employee excitement about AI. Point it at fixing internal processes, and leave the high-risk builds to vendors.

As companies deploy more AI agents, they will need rules for who builds them, how governance works, and who approves them.
Timestamps
00:01 What makes HR technology work
00:05 Turning customer ideas into product features
00:07 How AI shrinks the product feedback cycle
00:09 How employers can become product partners
00:12 AI use cases in talent processes
00:15 MCP and headless HR technology
00:19 The risks of vibe coding HR tools
00:26 Compliance, sensitive data, and build vs. buy
00:32 AI-native services and shared data across customers
00:38 Why AI agents need governance
Keywords
HR technology, AI in HR, HR tech product development, vibe coding risks, MCP, headless HR tech, AI agents, HR data quality, change management, AI governance
Connect with the guests from this episode:
Haris Ikram, CandorIQ

Linda Ginac, TalentGuard

Dara Brenner, Employ

Arnaud Grunwald, ClearCo
45 min
September 30How Hiring Performance Drives Business Results
How does hiring performance affect business performance, and how can talent leaders use AI without losing candidate trust? In this conversation, the Marc Thompson, CEO of ICIMS explains why hiring belongs in strategy and board discussions, not just HR. He covers why job openings are rising while hires stay flat, how to show a CFO or board the cost of vacancies and bad hires, and where AI helps recruiters and where humans must stay in charge. You will also hear why the difference between AI and automation matters, why context and the applicant tracking system are central to the next wave of agentic hiring, and how conversational tools may change the way managers hire.
Key Takeaways
Hiring is a strategy and operations issue. Businesses cannot meet their goals without the right people in the right roles at the right time.

Job openings rose 17 percent in July while hires stayed flat, according to ICIMS workforce data. That means demand is not converting into people on the job, which delays projects and growth.

One customer reached a 33-day time to fill, 33 percent better than its industry benchmark, while recruiter productivity rose 17 percent.

To win board support, tie vacancies and bad hires to specific business objectives and back the case with data.

Estimates put the cost of a bad hire at 50 to 200 percent of salary, and hiring, onboarding, and replacing someone can consume months of a 12-month plan.

Speed matters, but a good hiring decision from a process both candidates and recruiters trust matters more.

58 percent of TA leaders could not clearly tell AI from automation. Automating a broken process only gets you to the wrong answer faster.

AI works best on repetitive tasks like screening, scheduling, and interview communications. 80 percent of TA leaders say recruiters now spend more time engaging candidates, and 73 percent say it strengthens hiring manager partnerships.

Humans should own the final decision. Candidates preferred the message "We use AI for screening, but a human makes the final decision." AI adoption will move at the speed of trust.

The biggest AI opportunity is intelligence built on context such as roles, skills, hiring manager preferences, policies, and interview history. The system of record becomes more valuable as agentic hiring grows, with 46 percent of companies already using or planning agentic AI.
Timestamps
00:03:00 Why the right person, role, and timing matter
00:04:00 Job openings up, hires flat: what it means
00:07:00 How to make hiring a board-level priority
00:09:00 The real cost of a bad hire
00:11:00 Balancing hiring speed with candidate trust
00:12:00 AI versus automation in recruiting
00:14:00 Keeping humans in charge of hiring decisions
00:17:00 Why context makes recruiting AI useful
00:19:00 Agentic hiring and the system of record
00:22:00 Conversational hiring and the future of the ATS
Keywords
talent acquisition, hiring performance, AI in recruiting, agentic AI, applicant tracking system, candidate trust, cost of a bad hire, time to fill, enterprise hiring, recruiting automation
Connect with Marc and ICIMS
To connect with Marc Thompson, follow him on LinkedIn, and to learn more about ICIMS, its intelligent hiring platform, and customer case studies, visit the company LinkedIn page and website below.
Marc Thompson on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/marc-thompson-284a783/
ICIMS on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/icims/home/
ICIMS website: https://www.icims.com/
30 min
September 08 How to Explain Pay Decisions at Work
In this episode, Shari Kalsta of Jera Compensation Consulting explains why compensation strategy is no longer just about spreadsheets and market data. As pay transparency laws spread and employees gain access to more information about salaries, organizations must rethink how they explain compensation decisions. Shari shares practical lessons from two decades in compensation consulting on why communication, storytelling, and leadership alignment are now essential skills for HR and compensation teams. Listeners will learn how to build a clear compensation philosophy, align leaders on pay decisions, and translate complex pay data into messages employees and managers actually understand.
Key Takeaways
Compensation strategy is becoming more social and emotional as pay transparency increases.
Many organizations publish salary ranges but fail to explain the reasoning behind them.
Employees often have partial information about pay that leads to confusion or false assumptions.
A clear compensation philosophy should explain how pay decisions are made and why.
Compensation teams must shift from technical analysis to storytelling and communication.
Leaders often define promotions and pay decisions differently, creating misalignment.
Successful compensation programs require leadership alignment before rollout.
Managers and recruiters need clear guidance so they can explain pay decisions consistently.
Storytelling helps leaders and employees understand compensation concepts better than data alone.
Compensation systems fail when organizations build the structure but do not train people to use it.
Connect with Shari on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shari-kalsta-ccp-grp-22578b7/
Timestamps
00:00 Why compensation conversations matter today
01:00 Shari’s path into compensation consulting
04:00 Learning the complexity of compensation strategy
06:00 How perspective and bias shape compensation decisions
09:00 The impact of pay transparency laws
12:00 Why most companies lack a clear compensation philosophy
15:00 The biggest mistake compensation teams make
18:00 Why storytelling is essential in compensation communication
21:00 The car shopping analogy for compensation budgets
26:00 Solving hiring pain points with structured compensation
Keywords
compensation strategy
pay transparency
compensation philosophy
salary ranges
HR compensation communication
pay equity
compensation consulting
HR leadership alignment
compensation storytelling
workplace pay strategy

32 min
April 13 How Healthcare Teams Hire Better Talent
In this episode, you will learn how modern talent acquisition leaders improve hiring outcomes while protecting the human side of recruiting. The conversation explores how healthcare organizations handle massive hiring volumes, why candidate experience still matters in a competitive labor market, and how recruiting teams use data to connect HR metrics to real business outcomes. Ryan Henning, Director, Talent Acquisition, Highmark Health, shares practical insights on internal mobility challenges, reducing time to fill, improving candidate experience, and how talent acquisition teams influence patient outcomes by hiring the right people faster.
Key Takeaways:
Recruiting teams can dramatically reduce time to fill while maintaining strong candidate experience.
Hiring the right people faster directly impacts patient care and operational performance in healthcare.
Internal candidates often take longer to hire than external candidates, even though they are known employees.
Talent acquisition leaders must translate HR metrics into business impact when speaking with executives.
Candidate experience matters even in uncertain job markets and should never be taken for granted.
Lowball offers or poor communication can damage employer reputation and long-term hiring success.
Data helps talent acquisition teams influence leadership decisions and demonstrate business value.
Recruiters should operate as consultants to hiring managers, not just resume processors.
Early career and high school pipeline programs are becoming critical in healthcare workforce planning.
Process improvements in interview scheduling and hiring workflows can significantly improve hiring speed.
Connect with Ryan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ryan-henning-phr-0376901a/
Also mentioned in this conversation: Episode 180 on reducing recruiting cycle time: https://megaphone.link/DIRED7119433062
Timestamps:
00:00 Why candidate experience still matters today
02:00 Ryan Henning’s role leading talent acquisition at Highmark Health
04:00 Why healthcare organizations recruit talent starting in high school
06:00 The long-term workforce strategy behind healthcare pipelines
11:30 Hiring 10,000 employees while improving recruiting metrics
14:30 Translating HR data into business impact for executives
18:00 Why internal hiring often takes longer than external hiring
22:30 How recruiting experience affects employee performance
24:00 Fixing interview scheduling and recruiting process inefficiencies
26:00 Lessons on collaboration and knowledge sharing in recruiting
Top Keywords:
candidate experience in recruiting
healthcare talent acquisition strategy
internal mobility hiring challenges
reducing time to fill roles
healthcare recruiting pipeline
talent acquisition metrics and data
recruiting process improvement
early career healthcare programs
HR business impact of recruiting
healthcare workforce shortages

30 min
March 02 7 Methods for How to Prevent Candidate Fraud in Hiring
If you are wondering how AI is changing candidate fraud and what recruiters can do about it, this episode breaks it down in practical terms. In this conversation, Terry Terhark, CEO at NXTThing RPO, shares what he is seeing firsthand across enterprise recruiting teams. You will learn what candidate fraud really looks like today, how AI tools are helping applicants misrepresent skills and identity, and what talent acquisition teams can do to protect their hiring process without overreacting. The discussion includes real-world examples of fake resumes, AI-assisted interviews, dual employment, falsified references, and remote hiring risks, along with concrete steps to reduce bad hires and improve hiring integrity.

Key Takeaways

Candidate fraud today is more sophisticated and often powered by AI tools.
Fraud can include fake resumes, fake locations, fake identities, falsified work eligibility, and stand-in interviewees.
AI tools can provide real-time interview answers, making it harder to assess real capability.
Some candidates hold dual full-time remote jobs without disclosure.
The cost of hiring a fraudulent candidate is far higher than candidate ghosting.
Employers must clearly define what counts as acceptable AI
use versus cheating.
Requiring ID checks during video interviews can help verify identity.
Asking candidates to share their screen during assessments can expose AI assistance.
More companies are returning to in-person interviews to reduce fraud risk.
Training recruiters and hiring managers to spot red flags is a critical first line of defense.

Connect with Terry on e-mail: [email protected]
Connect with Terry on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/terryterhark/

Timestamps
00:00 What Is Candidate Fraud Today
04:30 AI Tools Perfecting Resumes
09:15 Real Stories of Fake Remote Hires
14:00 The True Cost of a Bad Hire
18:20 Dual Employment and Remote Risks
22:45 Practical Ways to Verify Identity
27:30 In-Person Interviews Making a Comeback
31:00 Creating Clear AI Usage Policies
35:40 Training Recruiters to Spot Fraud
39:00 The AI Arms Race in Hiring

Keywords
candidate fraud in hiring
AI in recruiting
fake resumes
AI interview cheating
remote hiring risks
dual employment fraud
identity verification in recruitment
background check best practices
AI hiring policies
talent acquisition challenges
31 min
February 23 How to Make AI Work for Employees
Guest: Robin Barbacane, Chief Talent Development Officer,
Rackspace
In this episode, you will learn how to successfully
introduce AI into your workplace without creating fear, resistance, or chaos.
The conversation breaks down how to build AI literacy and confidence across
your workforce, how to use AI agents to solve real business problems, and how
to shift HR from a support function to a strategic driver of transformation.
You will hear practical examples of AI adoption inside HR, including virtual
assistants handling employee questions, AI tools supporting recruiting and
employment law across multiple countries, and a structured approach to testing
and scaling new AI use cases. If you are wondering how to start with AI, how to
handle resistance, how to clean up your data, or how to measure success without
demanding instant ROI, this episode offers a clear roadmap.
Key Takeaways:
AI adoption must focus on both skills and confidence, not just training.
Start with hands-on workshops and real business problems instead of abstract
theory.
Treat AI like a coworker that needs onboarding, training, and performance
reviews.
Use a hackathon-style approach to generate AI solutions tied to business
outcomes.
Begin inside one function, prove value, and then scale across the organization.
Clean and centralize your data before expecting strong AI results.
Create guardrails and governance, but avoid banning AI outright.
Identify early adopters and change agents instead of fighting detractors.
Expect mistakes and iteration rather than demanding perfect ROI on day one.
Shift human effort toward higher-value, revenue-producing work while AI handles
routine tasks.
Timestamps:
00:00 Why AI confidence matters as much as skills
03:00 Moving from AI education to real action
06:00 Using a hackathon model to solve HR problems
08:00 Building an AI HR assistant to handle employee questions
11:00 Learning from AI mistakes and improving accuracy
16:00 Build versus buy AI tools across global operations
17:30 Creating an AI ambassador certification program
20:00 Why banning AI is a strategic mistake
22:00 Cleaning data before scaling AI
25:00 The human skills that matter most in an AI-driven workplace
Top Keywords:
AI in HR
AI adoption strategy
AI workplace transformation
HR automation
AI employee experience
AI coworker model
AI governance and guardrails
Low-code AI agents
HR digital transformation
AI change management
Connect with Robin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinbarbacane/

29 min
February 16Building Human Connection at Work
In this episode, you’ll learn how intentional people practices help fast-growing organizations maintain culture, trust, and connection as they scale. The conversation explores how HR leaders can design meaningful employee experiences, hire for the right mindset, strengthen culture beyond perks, and build human connection in distributed and hybrid environments—all while supporting business growth. Join us as Emma Belconis shares practical, real-world lessons from helping a healthcare fintech company grow rapidly without losing its human core.
This episode is supported by Insperity.
Key takeaways:
Employee experience starts with empathy and asking what would feel meaningful from a human perspective.

Rapid growth requires agility, curiosity, and a willingness to figure things out in real time.

Hiring for mindset and adaptability matters as much as skills, especially in fast-paced organizations.

Clear expectations during recruiting help ensure people thrive in the environment they’re joining.

Culture is built through consistent behaviors, not posters, perks, or one-time activities.

Executive visibility and authentic leadership set the tone for connection and trust.

In-person moments still matter for building relationships, trust, and shared energy.

HR leaders must intentionally create spaces for connection; it rarely happens
on its own.

Trust is foundational to proactive HR, allowing issues to surface earlier and
more honestly.

Strong culture drives retention, referrals, innovation, and long-term
performance.
Connect with Emma on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emma-belconis/
Timestamps:
0:00 Why empathy is central to employee experience
2:00 Navigating rapid growth and organizational change
4:00 Hiring for agility and curiosity
6:30 Setting expectations in recruiting and onboarding
8:10 Maintaining connection as teams scale
10:30 The role of leadership visibility in culture
12:20 Why in-person gatherings still matter
14:30 Building culture beyond perks and benefits
17:00 Trust as the foundation of effective HR
20:00 Advice for new HR leaders in fast-growing companies

Keywords:
employee experience
HR leadership
organizational culture
human connection at work
scaling companies
people strategy
trust in the workplace
hybrid work culture
HR best practices
leadership and empathy
34 min
February 09Stop Rubber Stamping: How AI Changes HR Work
AI is not ending HR but accelerating its evolution into a more strategic function.
AI tools can significantly reduce time spent on repetitive HR tasks like policy drafting, reporting, and reviews.
The real value of AI comes from connecting data across the entire employee lifecycle, not isolated HR silos.
HR professionals need stronger skills in data literacy, technology, and business strategy to succeed.
AI can help HR teams surface insights and patterns that humans often miss due to bias or time constraints.
Automating compliance and administrative work frees HR to focus on coaching, development, and leadership support.
AI will impact jobs and tasks, making workforce planning and reskilling a critical HR responsibility.
HR must advocate for people by helping leaders balance automation with long term talent development.
Using AI without clean, trustworthy data limits its value and increases risk.
The future of HR work is humans plus AI, not humans replaced by AI.
Timestamps:
00:00 Why HR has always evolved and why AI is different
05:00 Is AI really the end of HR
07:00 Practical AI use cases for HR professionals
09:30 Using AI beyond HR silos across the talent lifecycle
12:30 Saving time with AI for research, writing, and analysis
15:00 Why HR teams must become more strategic partners
18:00 The growing importance of data and technology skills in HR
22:00 AI, workforce change, and the risk of job displacement
27:00 Advocating for people in AI driven decisions
31:00 What HR hopes AI will eliminate from daily work
Keywords:
AI in HR
HR technology
people operations
workforce transformation
data driven HR
AI and jobs
HR strategy
employee experience
talent lifecycle
future of work
Show Links/Resources:
Watch the AI for HR Livestream Replay: https://lhra.io/ai25

Connect with Sandra on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sandraloughlin

Connect with Lane on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lanem1/
37 min
January 12Hiring, Cheating, and the AI Dilemma
Join host Ben Eubanks for a thought-provoking conversation with Dr. Cari Miller about one of the most pressing questions in today's workplace: When does using AI cross the line from productivity tool to cheating? From academic integrity to job applications and workplace performance, they explore the blurred boundaries of AI usage and what it means for workers, employers, and the future of work. This episode tackles the double standards, ethical dilemmas, and practical realities of AI adoption in hiring and beyond.

Timestamps
Episode Topics & Timestamps

0:00 - Introduction & Guest Background
0:50 - Dr. Cari Miller's Research on AI & Worker Impacts
3:00 - Academic Integrity vs. AI Literacy Debate
5:00 - Defining AI "Cheating" in Education
5:40 - Domain Knowledge & Copyright Considerations
6:50 - Spell Check Analogy: Tools vs. Cheating
11:00 - The Hiring Double Standard
12:30 - Should We Test Candidates on AI Skills?
13:50 - 61% of Jobs Don't Match Interview Descriptions
15:20 - The Broken Application Process
17:30 - Emotional Toll of Job Searching
18:00 - Networking & Volunteer Work Strategy
19:40 - Ben's Story: Volunteering to Break Into HR
21:20 - Genuine vs. GPT: When Does AI Feel Like Cheating?
23:30 - Disclosure & Context Matter
25:00 - Survey Results: What Employers Consider Cheating
27:00 - The AI Arms Race in Job Applications
30:00 - The Entry-Level Crisis
30:50 - Learning in the File Room: Foundation Skills
32:00 - Junior vs. Senior Workers Using AI
33:00 - The DOS to Windows Analogy
35:30 - CEOs vs. Managers: Who Decides on AI?
36:30 - AI Procurement & Process Design
38:30 - Finding the Middle Ground
39:00 - Connect with Dr. Cari Miller on LinkedIn
40:15 - Closing Thoughts

Connect with Cari: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cari-miller/

See the show archives and sign up for episode updates
38 min
December 01, 2025Curiosity Over Control: Redefining Recruiting in the Age of AI
🎧 Episode 219
Guest: Amandeep Shergill
In this episode, we explore the realities of modern recruiting, the pressure of “doing more with less,” and the challenge of navigating uncertainty in today’s global talent market. Ben and Amandeep discuss how economic shifts, evolving business priorities, and organizational ambiguity shape the day-to-day experience of recruiters.
Amandeep shares practical examples from his career—ranging from prioritizing high-impact roles to building stronger partnerships with business leaders. This conversation dives deep into what it truly means to be a strategic advisor instead of a reactive firefighter in talent acquisition.
You’ll hear insights on:
• Market uncertainty and its effect on TA planning
• Productivity vs. unrealistic “do more” expectations
• The role of tech and efficiency in the future of TA
• How recruiters can better understand business impact & prioritization
• Real-world examples of shifting from reactive to proactive hiring
• Why understanding revenue, OKRs, and leadership goals changes recruiting outcomes
Whether you're a recruiter, hiring leader, or people leader, this episode provides immediately applicable frameworks for better decision-making in TA.
⏱️ Timestamps
00:03 – Welcome to Episode 219
00:16 – Introducing guest Amandeep Shergill
00:55 – Amandeep’s background and global role at Automattic
01:59 – Life outside of work: parenting, sports, and model building
03:16 – Creativity, hobbies & high performance
04:49 – The biggest recruiting challenges today
05:11 – How economic uncertainty shapes hiring plans
05:54 – Productivity, efficiency & “doing more with less”
06:28 – The disconnect between expectations and TA bandwidth
07:22 – Why “doing more” isn’t a real strategy
08:06 – What investment vs. volume actually means for TA
09:46 – Moving from reactive to proactive recruiting
10:26 – Practical strategies for strategic partnership
10:30 – Amandeep’s story from Intuit: prioritizing 38 open roles
11:48 – Understanding business impact behind hiring requests
12:49 – Revenue today vs. revenue tomorrow: prioritizing for impact
13:58 – Why recruiters must understand OKRs, revenue, and strategy
14:46 – Pausing hiring until business impact is clear
15:13 – How proactive planning creates better long-term outcomes
🔗 Connect with Amandeep
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/amandeepsshergill/?originalSubdomain=uk

🎓 Learn more about HR Summer School
https://hrsummerschool.org

See the show archives and sign up for episode updates
30 min

About We're Only Human

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An HR podcast focusing on the intersection of people and technology at work, We’re Only Human examines research, technology, and practical strategies for creating better outcomes for employers and the…