Talk Talent To Me

For departments that are supposed to be working in tandem, HR personnel and recruiters are often putting each other down and devaluing the other’s role. Today’s guests have rectified the situation and are showing us exactly how it should be done, with HR and TA working side-by-side to deliver a hit podcast, The Career Saloon. Carla Patton is VP of HR at RAPP, and her twin sister, Camille Tate, is Head of Talent at Strava. The pair give us a breakdown of their podcast and explain why they started it, before detailing exactly how they ended up in their current careers. We discuss how to turn a bad interview into a valuable one, why it’s vital to be self-aware and own your mistakes, and why personal branding is inherent in every one of us. As Carla and Camille explain why they’ve never switched from HR to TA and vice versa, they give us their take on their least favorite aspects of the opposite department. Carla’s passion for TA is mirrored by Camille’s love for HR and after telling us which type of person is suited for each of their career paths, they explain why recruiters need to up their game and be more deliberate in their approach, and how technological advancements are making people forget about human-centric work departments.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Introducing today’s guests, twins Carla Patton and Camille Tate.
• Our guests break down their podcast, The Career Salon, and explain why they started it.
• Why Carla wanted Camille’s blog (which turned into their podcast) to have more HR content.
• HR versus recruitment: each twin’s journey to their current roles.
• How to turn around a bad interview.
• The importance of taking ownership of your mistakes and being self-aware.
• Stripping personal branding down to its foundation.
• Why they’ve never switched from HR to talent and vice versa.
• The aspect of recruitment that Carla likes the least.
• What Camille dislikes most about HR and why she only does the work of her job title.
• How candidates can read the mood of the recruiter.
• Why recruiters need to put out the right energy and be deliberate in everything they do.
• How technology is making the world forget that HR and recruiting are human-focused.
• The circumstances under which Carla believes a person is more suited for HR than recruiting.
• When Camille thinks that someone should pursue recruiting instead of HR.

Tweetables:

“Like most people in HR, HR chose me; I didn’t choose it.” — @peepcenteredhr [0:07:01]

“People are always watching you. It doesn’t matter if you think they aren’t; they are always watching you. If you don’t think you have a personal brand, you do.” — @camilleRecruits [0:09:53]

“If you make a mistake, own it. Own it, and then rectify it.” — @camilleRecruits [0:14:14]

“I do what works for me. I know myself. I am self-aware.” — @peepcenteredhr [0:25:18]

“The recruiting function is super important because we are like the cheerleaders, the welcome mats for the company. And if your welcome mat is tired, worn out, raggedy, then that’s a disservice, and you shouldn’t be doing that job.” — @camilleRecruits [0:33:40]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Camille Tate on LinkedIn

Camille Tate on Twitter

Carla Patton on LinkedIn

Carla Patton on Twitter

The Career Salon

The Career Salon on Instagram

The Career Salon on Facebook

The Career Salon on Twitter

Talk Talent to Me

Hired

Joining us in conversation today is Rick Jordan, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition over at DICK’S Sporting Goods. You’ll hear the story of how DICK’S was started and how Rick landed his current role with them with a background in hospitality and talent. DICK’S is a pandemic success story, and Rick tells us about the unexpected turn of events that resulted in the business thriving despite the restrictions. You’ll also hear about the exciting projects that DICK’S is working on at the moment, and why, in the current market, we need to think more like marketers and less like human resource people.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Meet today’s guest, Rick Jordan, with DICK’S Sporting Goods.
• The story of how DICK’S started in New York before opening corporate campus in Pittsburgh.
• Why Pittsburgh is called the Steel City and how it has evolved over the last 15 years.
• Rick’s background in hospitality and talent and how he ended up in his current role.
• Why nothing beats Resorts World Las Vegas.
• How DICK’S navigated the pandemic and what they are doing today to reach their goal of $15 million by 2025 (plus the role that talent plays).
• The natural upswing in interest in golf thanks to its natural social distancing.
• The new store where you can buy big brands: Going, Going, Gone!
• DICK’S House of Sport stores that have opened in Rochester and Knoxville.
• Why brick and mortar stores are far from dead.
• The leaders that Rick works with across his company and their team dynamic.
• The role of the TA Focus Project Manager
• Why we need to think more like marketers in the current market and less like HR people.
• The difference that having been funded to tell the story has made.
• Why Rick believes that the war on talent is over, and that talent won!
• Why people no longer settle for a job, but seek opportunities they are excited about.
• The mini war that is going on within HR talent and the power of investing in a strong team.

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Rick Jordan on LinkedIn

DICK’S Sporting Goods

Talk Talent to Me

Hired

Karen Weeks is the founder of Shine at Work, a coaching company geared toward setting people up for career success. She is also the Chief People Officer at Obviously, the innovation influencer agency. When we spoke to Karen, she had only been at Obviously for a week, and she spilled the tea on how she landed the job and how she’s adjusting to her new role. We also discuss the changes she’d make to Obviously’s onboarding process, why she prioritizes relationships above all else (and how she builds them in a new environment), and how to gently rock the boat at your new job while “proving yourself” as a new employee. Karen believes that you cannot be interviewed without asking questions, and she outlines some of the questions that potential recruits should be asking. Then, we learn about Shine at Work, the importance of “why” in their intake process, common characteristics of successful clients, and the trends that Karen sees being adopted by many in the future of HR.

Key Points From This Episode:

• How Karen landed her new job and how she’s settling into her role at Obviously.
• The changes she’d make to Obviously’s onboarding process after going through it herself.
• How she went about building relationships at her new job and what she prioritizes.
• The balance between gently rocking the boat and trying to prove yourself as a new employee.
• Who Karen listens to and engages with first when trying to understand a new company.
• How she prepared for the interview for her current role.
• Finding the problem: the questions you should be asking in your recruitment interview!
• How Karen feels when recruits don’t ask questions in their interviews.
• The ins and outs of the company she founded, Shine at Work.
• A peek into Shine at Work’s intake process and the importance of “why.”
• Perseverance and other traits of success.
• The trends and technologies Karen sees flourishing in the future of HR.

Quotes:

“Strong managers make you, as a leader, stronger.” — @career_changers [17:56]

“What’s the right time to work with us? – When you’re trying to think about what to do. The reason for that is because you’re honestly in a better place emotionally to go through that decision-making.” — @career_changers [25:57]

“I always want people to be running towards something, whether that’s an internal opportunity, staying where you are and re-engaging, or changing jobs. Doing it before you’re at the breaking point is actually the healthier time to do it.” — @career_changers [26:29]

“If you’re working with a personal trainer and you hit your weight goal or your marathon goal – you don’t usually stop working them – They help you stay in shape. That’s what we also do with folks. Your career is a journey. We can partner with you along the way as well.” — @career_changers [28:03]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Karen Weeks on LinkedIn

Karen Weeks on X

Obviously

Shine at Work

Talk Talent to Me

Hired

Today's guest, Dr. Serena Huang, champions the crucial role of data experts in people teams, showing how people analytics can lead to smarter talent decisions. A globally recognized speaker and innovator, Dr. Huang has a unique background as a data executive at Fortune 100 companies and a Chief Data Officer in the startup world. Her work goes beyond numbers, using data to create healthier, more productive workplaces. A Wiley author and sought-after lecturer at top MBA programs, she’s passionate about empowering the next generation of leaders with data-driven insights. In this episode, Dr. Huang discusses her journey into the people side of business, why data experts are vital to talent teams, and how people analytics can transform decision-making. She also dives into the data behind remote work trends, pawternity, and the inspiration for her book; sharing valuable insights on the art of data storytelling in talent leadership.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Winning the fight with talent leadership: the importance of installing data experts on the people team.
• She unpacks the value of people analytics and how it generates valuable information.
• How she works with CHROs to define their actual problem.
• Data storytelling with people data: what makes it different.
• The verdict (and her opinion) on pawternity.
• We look at the current data on remote work and the push for office returns: making decisions based on informed data (from your people!)
• How Dr. Huang decided to write her book and what topic she wanted to focus on.

Quotes:

“What holds people back is the data quality. You can have great dashboards but when the underlying data is not trustworthy, no one is going to do anything with the data.” — @SerenaHuangPhD [0:10:27]

“Having autonomy, having the agency to decide where, how, and what you work on [is what matters] as humans. [And] I think that’s why remote work was so successful during COVID, for a short while, [and] that shocked everyone.” — @SerenaHuangPhD [0:21:38]

“For validation, I also found that people are much happier on Fridays. No matter where you are, no matter where you’re working, [on] Fridays, everyone’s mood is better!” — @SerenaHuangPhD [0:27:58]

“I think we are just starting on this AI journey and what AI can do. So much is yet to be seen!” — @SerenaHuangPhD [0:33:51]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Dr. Serena Huang

Dr. Serena Huang on LinkedIn

Data with Serena

The Inclusion Equation: Leveraging Data & AI For Organizational Diversity and Well-being

LHH Recruitment Solutions

Local recruiting for a global brand is not always as synchronous as it could or should be. Joining us with the solutions to this problem is the Head of Talent Acquisition for Europe and Latin America at Munich Re, Nuria Munoz. We discuss the importance of large company gatherings and how to maximize that time before unpacking the value of building both internal and external work relationships. Nuria then describes the efforts of her team in merging local hires with the company’s global vision, the many hats she has to wear in her current role, how she plans on improving the traditional way of making hires in insurance, and the undeniable importance of building a talent pipeline for your business. We end with Nuria’s protocol for cultivating interest in the insurance industry, Munich Re’s approach to succession and workforce planning, the ins and outs of what our guest has dubbed “the skills economy”, and her final words of wisdom for those hoping to follow a similar career path.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Nuria Munoz unpacks the global Munich Re team after the company’s recent conference.
• Making the most of large company gatherings and the importance of building relationships.
• How Nuria and her team merge local hires with the company’s global vision.
• The many hats she wears as the Head of Talent Acquisition for Europe and Latin America.
• Why the traditional way of making hires in insurance is unsustainable.
• Exploring Munich Re’s approach to its relationships with talent agencies.
• Industry branding: how Nuria cultivates interest in insurance.
• The ins and outs of succession and workforce planning at Munich Re.
• Unpacking the skills economy: skills matching and transferable skills.
• Nuria’s parting words of wisdom and advice.

Quotes:

“I’m trying [to get] the [talent] agencies [to] change their business models so that they bring me something that is different; that is more sustainable long-term.” — @NuriaLorMun [0:12:05]

“When you start looking at ‘what’s next, what’s next, what’s next,’ sometimes you miss the ‘right now.’” — @NuriaLorMun [0:28:47]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Nuria Munoz on LinkedIn

Nuria Munoz on X

Munich Re