Podcast appearances and mentions of elena valentine

“I'd like to think that the stories that we tell on behalf of our clients are helping them remember their why, their reason for being, and why they exist today.”In this episode, Jerome and Julienne talk to Elena Valentine. She is the co-founder and executive director of Skillscout, a creative studio dedicated to transforming brand stories into compelling visuals that inspire action and belief. She tells Jerome and Julienne about how her business started with the premise that ‘you cannot be what you cannot see', and how that has influenced her work ever since. They talk about the power of video and storytelling to bring jobs and company culture to life and the most important moments during production of a video: making the people in it feel seen, heard, validated, and celebrated. This leads them to the importance of listening and storytelling in leadership and showing your humanity.Listen to this episode to hear more about story collection and storytelling for video production and to witness some beautiful examples of leaders expressing their humanity. NotesFind Skilllscout at skillscout.com or on InstagramFind Elena on LinkedIn Learn more about NarativFind out more about The Narativ Storytelling Method atnarativ.comEMAIL Jerome@narativ.comLINKEDIN https://www.linkedin.com/company/narativ-incTWITTER @narativBuy Julienne's book here

Crafting Connections through the Power of Storytelling Hosts: Steve Boese, Trish Steed Guest: Elena Valentine, CEO & Co-Founder of Skill Scout Films This episode of At Work in America is sponsored by Paychex, one of the leading providers of HR, payroll, retirement, and insurance solutions for businesses of all sizes. After years of being in survival mode amidst a global pandemic, HR leaders have been challenged to get back to business — ushering in the era of the dynamic workplace. In our 7th Annual Pulse of HR Report, find out how these leaders are optimizing the work experience regardless of where it's done, addressing widening generational gaps, and increasing productivity not just for their employees, but also themselves. Visit paychex.com/awia to check it out today. Today, we spoke with Elena Valentine from Skill Scout Films about the power of storytelling in life and the workplace. - Importance of telling good stories - How to capture culture through film - Connecting people to a mission - The value of work - Personal stories of why we do what we do Thank you for joining the show today!  Remember to subscribe wherever you get your podcasts!

Elena Valentine has created partnerships with recruitment agencies that have trusted them to capture & share workplace stories for some of the world's largest brands. She takes a consultative role, not just on video but on employee and external communication , which has led to 70% of their clients becoming repeat clients. Here's what you're going to learn from Elena: How they navigated economic uncertainty. How to avoid getting caught up in the fundraising cycle. How to stay focused & scale without VC. How she redefined success in 2020 not as growth but rather what she wanted to be remembered for as a leader. Get 5-Min Growth Playbooks Weekly HERE Explore Membership HERE

In the latest episode of A Seat at the Table, listen in as Elena Valentine, CEO and Co-founder of SkillScout Films, a media company that has helped some of the most iconic brands tell their stories, discusses the value of fostering storytelling cultures, emotional connections, kindred curiosity, and more in today's workplace.

In today's episode, you'll listen to the best bits from some of our favourite guests from the first five seasons of Be More. Featuring: Brady Pyle, Larissa Conte, Laurie Ruettimann, Elena Valentine, Lily Zheng and Chris Dyer.

Shelley came bearing gifts for Serge's sweet little girls and they got to meet IRL over the weekend! Plus Shelley's oldest son, Chandler crossed the stage, for his Bachelor's degree this week, a very proud moment! Our recruiting insights this week Avoid seeing your boss the same way you see your dad. Mixed messages on calling your workplace ‘family' can spell disaster Solid recommendations for TA content in 2022. Employee stories will dominate top employer brands and it will be authentic, not scripted by CorpComm.  **Find our past episode with Elena Valentine, Founder of Skill Scout for more inspiration. Employee Referral programs, please stop making employees grovel for their reward money! You are better off with a dollar store card and a hand written thank you note. TA needs to drive the whole thing - no strings attached. Just pay people their referral fee!

Shelley came bearing gifts for Serge's sweet little girls and they got to meet IRL over the weekend! Plus Shelley's oldest son, Chandler crossed the stage, for his Bachelor's degree this week, a very proud moment! Our recruiting insights this week Avoid seeing your boss the same way you see your dad. Mixed messages on calling your workplace ‘family' can spell disaster Solid recommendations for TA content in 2022. Employee stories will dominate top employer brands and it will be authentic, not scripted by CorpComm.  **Find our past episode with Elena Valentine, Founder of Skill Scout for more inspiration. Employee Referral programs, please stop making employees grovel for their reward money! You are better off with a dollar store card and a hand written thank you note. TA needs to drive the whole thing - no strings attached. Just pay people their referral fee!

Wepa! I'm Marina. I am a technologist, mom, podcast host, leadership coach, cruciverbalist and aquarian. ;) UNBOSSED is “Stories of Amazing Women in Chicago”. If you are a new listener to UNBOSSED, we would love to hear from you. Please visit our Contact Page and let us know how we can help you today! Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/marina-malaguti In this episode: Elena Valentine is a workplace filmmaker and design researcher. Elena has made it her mission to help people find meaning in their work through stories that matter. With the motto “you cannot be what you cannot see” Elena started filming jobs as a way to get young people excited about careers. Since then, her team at Skill Scout has since built a world class media company. Their films have helped clients like Nike, McDonalds, and American Airlines engage candidates and employees alike. Elena's particularly excited about Skill Scout's latest project, the Humans@Work documentary and virtual film festival series that shares stories of people who find passion and meaning in their work. Elena was recently named HR Superhero by DisruptHR Chicago and Newcity's Film 50 of 2020. She is also the co-founder of Mezcla Media Collective, a a thriving community based Chicagoland non-profit that elevates femme identifying filmmakers of color. Key Highlights/Tools: Building businesses to last The Power of an Eternal Prayer The Entrepreneurship Journey Memorable Quotes: You cannot be what, you cannot see. Useful Links and Resources: https://www.skillscout.com/ http://www.mezclamediacollective.org/ Digital Minimalism Join the Conversation Our favorite part of recording a live podcast each week is participating in the great conversations that happen on our live chat, on social media, and in our comments section. This week's question is: What challenges have you faced as a woman founder? Ask Elena anything by leaving a question/ comment on Substack. Follow UNBOSSED Podcast Anchor: https://anchor.fm/marina-malaguti Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDTz6_FepG04QTs1BjFLBjw/ Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eUhfH8E Apple Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/e7cWtBv Google Podcasts: https://lnkd.in/enjChPt Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/cea4c49e-6c7e-4dab-833e-eb57d204c493 Substack: https://thechicagowoman.substack.com/ And all others… Music from Uppbeat (free for Creators!): https://uppbeat.io/t/infraction/live-it License code: 0OYRKRXZRCJPIFYY --- Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/marina-malaguti/support

In this week's episode, Patrick is joined by Elena Valentine, CEO, and Co-Founder at Skill Scout. They discuss storytelling, Elena shares an astounding story about vulnerability, reality, and how we can grow stronger by retaining and attracting talent.

In this week's episode, Patrick is joined by Elena Valentine, CEO, and Co-Founder at Skill Scout. They discuss storytelling, Elena shares an astounding story about vulnerability, reality, and how we can grow stronger by retaining and attracting talent.

In this special compilation, Wendy shares some favorite moments from the first 5 HR Wonder Women episodes. You'll hear from Margaret Spence, Sarah Morgan, Elena Valentine, Aiko Bethea, and Tamara Rasberry. You'll get their thoughts on leadership training for women, intention vs impact, owning your vulnerability, taking DEI beyond your recruitment pool, and why it is important to understand your employee's personal life doesn't end at your doorway.   How to reach the guests: Margaret Spence https://twitter.com/margaretspence Sarah Morgan https://twitter.com/TheBuzzOnHR Elena Valentine https://twitter.com/skillscout Aiko Bethea https://www.linkedin.com/in/aikobethea/ Tamara Rasberry https://twitter.com/tmrasberry   This episode is sponsored by the Talent Magnet Institute.  Visit talentmagnet.com to enroll today.    Join us on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month at 7 PM ET for the #HRSocialHour chat on Twitter!  Be sure to check out our storefront (all profits go to charity): https://www.teepublic.com/user/hrsocialhour

In this episode of Margins, Dr. Sam Goldstein (4:49) tells Mary Ellen Slayter and Elena Valentine why everyone has a different internal clock. Then, Elena's husband Emilio (9:21) drops by to tell us about how time affects his work as a trader, and Dr. Chris Mullen (15:21) breaks down why “work-Iife balance” is a bunch of BS. Learn more about Margins from Managing Editor: http://www.managingeditor.com/podcast Subscribe to our Friday morning email: http://www.managingeditor.com/subscribe

In this episode of Margins, Mary Ellen Slayter and Elena Valentine spoke with Stetson University professor Sven Smith (03:43), Fordham University professor Paul Levinson (10:44) and human rights activist Ben O'Keefe (15:06) on the forces that drive how we organize ourselves as societies and why they can be so difficult to change. Learn more about Margins from Managing Editor: http://www.managingeditor.com/podcast Subscribe to our Friday morning email: http://www.managingeditor.com/subscribe

How do you tell a memorable story through video? Elena Valentine is an expert in leveraging video stories in the workplace. As the CEO & Co-Founder of Skill Scout Films, she's helped clients like Nike, American Airlines and McDonald's engage candidates and employees through video stories. Join us as we explore the topic of "How I Create Video Stories for Iconic Brands with Elena Valentine"

We are excited about today's Digital Meetup, and we have two stellar guests on deck! How we tell the story of work changed completely when work changed completely. Jess and Jason are joined by Katrina Kibben, CEO of Three Ears Media. Katrina is a professional work storyteller with special expertise in writing job descriptions FOR the candidate, not ABOUT the employer. We talk about using inclusive language at work, the use of pronouns, and writing job advertisements that don't stink. We also focus on the power of storytelling for work during our chat with Elena Valentine, CEO of Skill Scout. We will unpack the art of visualizing and illustrating opportunity when it comes to talent, the work they do, where, and how they do it! Grab some coffee or a snack and TUNE IN. Jess will be live from the Black Hills of South Dakota. I have a feeling this is going to be a good one to share with your colleagues and team. See you soon on our live broadcast! Connect with Katrina: https://www.linkedin.com/in/katrinakibben/ Connect with Elena: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenavalentine1/

Organizing work is complex. From organizational culture, to societal values around how we value labor, creating the proper structure is essential. This week, Elena Valentine and Mary Ellen Slayter speak to three experts who think about organizing work in different ways. Join us as we chat with Henry Albrecht (04:08), Amy Dufrane (13:09) and Harish Patel (19:33). Learn more about Margins from Managing Editor: http://www.managingeditor.com/podcast Subscribe to our Friday morning email: http://www.managingeditor.com/subscribe

Space can impact our emotions, determine our path, and set us up for success or failure. This week Elena Valentine and Mary Ellen Slayter are speaking with two masters of maintaining and building productive spaces. We’ll be joined by chef Katie Juban (07:14) and architect Katherine Darnstadt (15:08) to hear how they organize space. Learn more about Margins from Managing Editor: http://www.managingeditor.com/podcast Subscribe to our Friday morning email: http://www.managingeditor.com/subscribe

Max: Hello. Welcome back to the recruitment hackers podcast.I'm Max your host and today I am delighted to welcome on the show, Elena Valentine from Skill Scouts. Elena: Yes. Max: Hi, Elena. Welcome. Elena: Thank you. I'm glad to be here. 3:30 PM my time and 5:30 AM. Hong Kong time. Max: Oh, don't embarrass me, come off as this person with social skills.Now, everybody knows  I work before everybody wakes up. It's sad, but it's true. So Elena thanks for coming and for taking time off your working hours to share your story with us. I connected with you after hearing your voice on LinkedIn, which by the way, is getting increasingly populated with crazy content.I don't know if that's part of the strategy that you support for your customers. But we've got a lot to cover for today's interview. I'm going to ask Elena how she ended up in the wonderful space of employer branding and production of content for employers.  And how to give a talent acquisition team, an edge through content and maybe if we're lucky and then I will sing a little bit for us.  I don't know. Elena: Depends how close we hit to the 20 minute mark. Max: Perfect. So yeah, Elena, tell us how did you end up in employer branding? Did you grow up dreaming to be in recruitment? Elena: Not at all. Didn't even realize this.Yeah I didn't grow up as a five-year old wishing I could recruit people to a company. I didn't think that existed, but where my story, you know, does start is I'm a former design researcher that used to work, you know, for design thinking kind of an ideal like environment. And how this really came to be was because of a project that I worked on there as a design researcher that inevitably would change my life and that of my co-founder. And in particularly it was a national kind of challenge here in the U S around, how do we connect 6 million young people to employment? And primarily young people who may not look good on resumes, Maybe they don't have a lot of job experience. Maybe, you know they've had to go through the juvenile justice system. So how do we connect those who are not in school, in the workforce to more meaningful pathways to employment. And that's where, you know, we saw our lives change and what our purpose would be, which was, we were talking to hundreds and hundreds of incredibly talented, young people of workforce development leaders and employers and what we saw loud and clear is that there was a hiring process that was shutting out non-traditional talent. And out of many of the challenges that were there. One of the things that we saw in particular was that you cannot be what you cannot see. And for young people who have never left their neighborhoods, they lack access and exposure to jobs, so at the essence of what we started to do, even prior to founding, skill scout was just a film jobs. Realistic in a visual way so that young people could kind of see what these jobs were actually like. And it started to work, they started to put their phones down. They started to ask questions, they started to get excited.And that's when we realized that we had something that we could hack for candidates, this opportunity for them to really understand what jobs were like. But inevitably for half companies to hack what it could be to really differentiate themselves to provide more realistic previews for candidates so that they have an opportunity to self screen in our self screen out.And that was really the origin for why we started what we do. Max: Yeah. Well thank you for reconnecting all of us and me to why we're in this industry. Yes. It's great to help people get to work and find employment and find a place in society and  I think whether you went to, you got the best education in the world, or you never graduated from high school it's a real mystery. What goes on in most people's jobs when you're at that age, when you're 20 something when you're starting out, you just don't know what you're getting into job descriptions. They don't tell you anything really. They don't feel real. Elena: Yeah the whole thing was, that we saw, look, job descriptions don't show what a job is like and resumes don't depict a candidate's skills. And so, you know, look at what we're seeing over the past several years. Of, types of via technologies or approaches like ours, like yours that are really coming into this market to, really helped to de-mystify and provide a bit more transparency, provide a bit more humanity into, you know, how we really care for in our case candidates.Max: And Elena, how does your business work? Do you typically work with a recruitment marketing team that says we want to run a big, national campaign for our graduate hiring program? Can you make us look good?  Is this kind of  what kind of agency type of arrangement, or is it more a pay as you go? How does it work? Elena: It's really any, and all of the above. So inevitably we exist to capture the humanity of work primarily through the power of film. And so we work on behalf of agencies. We work on behalf of companies and employer branding, recruitment marketing leaders, themselves who are looking to infuse content to support via the employee experience and, you know, for our conversation,  the candidate experience. And so what that might look like might be. Us, you know, working to produce a job video or a cultural video, or, as we're thinking about the pandemic, we have so many processes that are changing. We have so many approaches to how we might be interviewing and what the candidate needs to expect that, you know, right now we're actually creating a lot of content, new content that needs to be created.So that, hiring managers can ensure that candidates are still having as much of a seamless experience as they can during this time. Max: Right. And even though. The buzz is remote work, work from home and all that the majority of jobs still require physical presence still require for people to come in and some time put on a uniform and do the things they do.Elena: So yeah. Yeah, I mean, so especially, so for example,we recently worked with Kohl's. You know they're hiring warehouse, logistics, distribution jobs, like crazy, but even more importantly, they have to show the realities of today because candidates are paying attention to, in addition to everything else. How is that employer going to keep me safe, going to keep me healthy? And so we've certainly been working with, you know, several companies that are having to not just rethink well. Yeah, the world is trying to rethink workplace safety right now as it comes to the pandemic, but even more so, when it comes to the questions that we know that candidates need addressed, how are we ensuring that we're telling the story of safety? and that's a really big one right now that we're seeing within kind of the candidate story cycle. Max: Do you have a big theme like this for every year you've been in business like this year was masks and gloves and your videos and two years ago it was maybe something else. I don't know. Elena: No, I like this, you know, it's hard to actually define the trends as close as they are.Now I will say when we started out. Because, you know we had a focus. We primarily had built this business proudly on the shoulders of small to midsize manufacturers in the Midwest. So, you know, we spent two or three good solid years. You know, really working on behalf of the tool and die makers and the CNC, machinist and production operators and engineers. So certainly there's been themes like that in terms of work. Certainly in the beginning, it was around attracting young talent between you know, of a certain age. So that definitely was a huge theme then. So yeah we've definitely seen some of those cycles. I think in part, because, you know, from business owner to business owner, we're kind of pivoting and in thinking through our focus But it's certainly, definitely shifted now.Max: So I'm thinking maybe it's because I work in talent acquisition, so I'm very exposed. I'm thinking I'm saturated. I'm like safety, safety, safety, safety, safety. I mean, if everybody's talking about safety, then I need to, you know, we need to latch on to a new theme or something else, but maybe that's me, you know, I'm never looking for a job, but I'm always exposed. So I may be a little saturated perhaps for it is still universally a driving force, I guess, for all employer branding campaigns right now to take care of their people. And but you know, I mean I started as an entrepreneur attracted to the kind of ethos of the startup culture of the Air bnbs of the world and the Netflix of the world where it was very performance driven and it was not about safety. I'll say that it was about something else. So I'm just thinking that It must be difficult to differentiate yourself right now, if everybody's talking about the same thing. So maybe that will come back stronger talking about but switching gear a little bit talking about video do you have a position on whether video is better as user generated content from the employees, scruffy and real or polished and you know, manicured.Elena: There's room for both. I mean, and I think maybe it's worth talking through the considerations of what that is because we've seen it done really well on both ends. And in fact, we work with many companies where they literally leverage both professional video and user-generated video. Sometimes it's a mix. So I don't even necessarily know if it's about one or the other, certainly there is data behind why user generated works. I think in part we're all very used to social media we see this as being most authentic and raw, right. There is data around that, says  55% of candidates see employee generated content as being more trustworthy if you will, you know, but I would say, typically what happens is..Max: No stock photos for sure.Elena: No stock photos and no stock photos. Max: And you still use actors.Elena: NoMax: No actors. Okay. That's good. No, I mean, if you come to a company, people should be on the lookout for you because it's their chance to be on camera. Elena: Yeah. Well, clearly you know, getting back to the point of professional user generated typically for example, stories that might not change for a long time, or think about origin stories, founders, stories, you know, kind of missions and values, things that don't change. Often times that's where we might see companies who are investing in more kind of high-level professionally professional quality video, especially because if this might be seen by even more kind of external audiences and communities  in sometimes what it is sometimes it's just a capacity issue.You know, you have a talent acquisition team, employer branding team that is just stretched so thin that their ability to, I think, be able to implement something like a user generated initiative just might be too challenging at the time. And certainly then there's things around budget, but sometimes the reason why companies might go to a professional video versus user-generated is because of marketing and legal, right? Like, and we know these companies where you might have these marketing brand watch dogs, where it just might be just. Next to impossible for, you know, the HR teams to get approved, to be able to use user-generated. So there's definitely some factors that are there for while Max: that's going away, progressively where the strong hold on, we want to control every piece of media that goes out.I would imagine it's eroding with time, but I mean, these are powerful forces, marketing and legal, Elena: For sure. No, and certainly I think that Marketing and legal is coming around to it. I think part of that is also a need for control. And so we're kind of constantly seeing the tug of HR and marketing doing that.Max: There'll be an endless battle really. They'll never, yeah. So continue forever. Elena: Yeah. And certainly the case for user generated content outside of the, some of the data I shared is. One it's  you get to tell more stories more often. If what we're really trying to do is at scale, be able to tell a diversity of stories and experiences.This becomes a great way to do it. And because plus one you're democratizing the tools. You're allowing anyone from any country from anywhere they're sitting to all primarily have access to things that they already have access to. And our big saying is, if you can take videos of your dog, cats and kids, you can take videos of your workplace.And so there's, you know, certainly kind of a level of access that everyone has, but then people are also thinking about a lot. How updatable are these videos? That's the biggest thing is, you know, roles, change events, drastically change. Max: Oh yes. You're a star employee  will become a persona non grata.Elena: Yeah, exactly. And so that's kind of certainly a case, you know, as we're working with clients, Long-term where, you know, every year we might update that video because it's evolved or maybe in this case, the environment has changed in this manufacturing facility and everyone's wearing masks that they want to be able to kind of provide some freshness to that video while still keeping some of the foundation.So I could go on and on about that. But yeah, those are the key factors. Max: Yeah that's a question I always had talking about these employees that leave is, what about the content that they filmed before?  Are you in trouble? If you didn't get a release form and the right to use their image on your social media maybe, you know the answer.I know you're not a lawyer, but. Elena: You know, I would say primarily most folks that might be participating in engagements that we work on typically are all signing media releases. And typically there is that language where you know, that employer you know, has kind of rights to that footage.Max: You guys I'm sure.But if we do like fully user generated content and we just kinda let the. Elena: Yeah, I think that really depends on the culture of the company. I think so much of that is typically defined by what are kind of  the rules already in place for so many other things. And so you kind of get a sense already if that's the company that's like, as soon as that person leaves we're done or inevitably look at that, if that employees still had a great experience and they're in a, you know, a little fraction of a video it may not be the biggest cause for concern.Max: Yeah, sure.   I guess  I'm getting my models.  My demo models you know, on the cheap and I felt a little bit guilty asking my staff to play out on videos. So maybe that's where it's coming from. And well you see some trends in terms of the way media is being consumed?The rise of TikTok and the new platforms does that affect the production work that you do? Are people I would assume wanting to consume shorter and shorter videos might be one trend. Are there other trends like that? Elena: Yeah. I mean, well, first of all, more than one, anything, what we're seeing even back from when we started six years ago was that video is no longer a nice to have, it's a must haveso that's certainly kind of becoming even for some of your most traditional HR, unfortunately, maybe a checkoff, the list. You know, certainly some of the big trends we're seeing is that you know, just the need for more and more content. All the time, whether that's around celebrations or a project, right.It's never, here's this one big video initiative and we're pushing it out for this one year. It really all kind of happens over time. And it's a living organism just in the same way that your workforce and your company is a living organism. So we've certainly seen a lot of trends around that. And certainly then the user generated content, which is something that, you know, we've kind of done really all the way from the beginning in terms of offering that at this point now for many companies, it may be the only way, right? You do have folks that are now all kind of working from home and everyone kind of has to figure out how do we still push out, you know, quality content? How long do we wait? So we've definitely seen an uptick in that, but I will actually, you know, at least I pushed back a while.It is true that candidates are, you know, anyone online is going for shorter and shorter and shorter content. Sometimes it's not just because we have short attention spans sometimes it's because. The content is bad. And so, you know, especially I think the kind of new energy that I want to bring as a leader to skill scout films, is that, you know, look, you could create incredible, beautiful 20 minute documentaries about someone's work and the entire time that person doesn't realize that this might be someone who's really talking about a role. And so that's what I think is really interesting about storytelling is that I would argue Max: Is that just a story or this movie, are we going to go inside the life of a warehouse operator forklift driver. You can stretch that out.Elena: Yeah. We just Maya for talking about just kind of  you know the changing kind of world of work. Absolutely. But it goes beyond, and I think this is what we're seeing, right. Especially for this generation, Z  you know, our personal lives, our work lives are often one in the same, you know, this is no longer separate.And so for me, what I see as being a good film, That people resonate with is because it gets personal is because they, you go behind the scenes of that person outside of their suit. And outside of what you see on zoom and you really helped to kind of understand the context of their lives and even more so really start to see why is it that they do what they do and what does bring them meaning?Max: I work with a lot of call center companies and so. They're not a consumer brands, so nobody knows about them except in the countries where they hire, they're known as an employer brands, which gives them quite a lot of freedom, actually, because if you have McDonald's or Coca-Cola, maybe  you have a much stronger marketing department, you have less room to play.And it was like a beautiful campaign. I remember the exci where. It was a single mother that was talking about how work allowed her to send her daughter to school. You know, these kinds of stories  that just lifted everybody's hearts. And I'd like to see more of that really kind of fallen off with it.Elena: That's what makes it all relatable? You know, like I don't have to know about exactly what you do, right. If I were to see a film, right. About recruitment automation, et cetera, et cetera. Right. Some of that is likely to go over my head, but what won't be right is when I get to see, Hey,  like he has this wonderful relationship with his mother or kind of look at who, how he's honoring his mentor.Right. And these are all kinds of life experiences that many of us have, or have a connection to negative or positive, but it allows us to feel something. And that allows me to even better understand how you show up to work as a leader of talk, push.Max: Okay I'm going to give it a go. The zoom revolution, zoom was maybe the best performing communication platform of 2020 an opportunity for people  saying and get-together on group calls.  Did you use that medium to create some content last year, or is that just using the generated.You let the other companies handle that without any,Elena: Oh, this is so I'm a heavy user and fan of Prezi, which is, you know, originally a presentation tool and they've come out with a really great video product. And so, yeah great for presentations, great for training, sales enablement, all that kind of stuff.So  it's been a really cool product. I've been really excited to use it more as it just came out last year. Long story short. That is all to say, no, I don't sing on every presentation. If at all ever there typically, never is a reason why I would break out into song during a sales conversation, but a Prezi put out a fun challenge to create a 32nd to video that they could potentially leverage in a real and the winner.Would receive a $1,000 donation to the charity of their choice.Max: Oh, and did you win ?Elena: I did ! Max: did you, did you give it to the Elena Valentine charity fund?Elena:I gave it to Mezcla media collective, which is a nonprofit that I helped to co-found. Max: Yeah. Okay, great. And what does this nonprofit do? we might as well, a little bit of advertising for it. Elena: Yeah. We're a kind of a nonprofit community of femme identifying filmmakers of color, primarily in Chicago and throughout the Midwest. So  we started in 2017 and we've grown to well over 600 community members. Max: Congratulations.Elena:Thank you.Max: Okay, well, what, where can our listeners find out more about the Mezcla media collective and Skill Scouts and what's the best way for them to get a hold of you? Elena: Be my friend on LinkedIn, let's start there. And however, I can be helpful. Either myself or Skill Scout will always find the right path for you.Max: We didn't do any singing. I just don't know how to bring that up.Elena:  I haven't been a part of a band in years.Max: Where can people log on to listen to you sing.Connect on LinkedIn. And maybe if they asked nicely, you'll send them a little on LinkedIn. You know, you can send a little voice now.Yeah.  I hear that's an effective way to do sales these days. If I had your voice, I wouldn't hesitate a second. So thanks for coming on the show and all the best between 21.Elena: Perfect.Inspiring words from Elena Valentine, CEO of skill scout, who reminded us that there's nothing like a personal story. Tell the story of why the people came to work for you. Their personal story, and maybe as a differentiator in a world where everything is bite-sized and short, maybe this is an opportunity to go deeper and tell a long story and try to make a film that people want to watch.Hope you enjoyed it. And that you'll come back for more. Follow us on your favorite podcast platform. Please share with your friends. Thanks.

Our new reality has made fostering human-to-human connections with new and existing talent harder than ever. At the same time, communicating your company's values, culture, and employer brand has never been more important. So can you break through the screen and bring your company's story to life? Find out in our chat with Elena Valentine, CEO & Co-Founder of Skillscout. She'll guide us through steps you can take to level-up your employer brand strategy with video.Subscribe to the podcast and visit our blog, resources.workable.com for more ways to move your hiring forward.

She scaled to $27 Million with 400% growth in the last 3 years self-funded. Meet Jen Leech, the founder of Truss. Jen's journey has common patterns I've started to see amongst successful founders: She focused on a zone of genius that was templatzied and scaled like Kara Brown & Janice Omadeke. She used existing technology to develop systems to drive and support demand before building out any proprietary tech like Nassim Abdi and Farah Allen. She has a deep sense of compassion and empathy for who she serves like Rachel Renock & Elena Valentine. Here's what you'll learn from Jen, Founder of Truss: Their empathetic approach to sales WHY the MAJORITY of her business is inbound interest via referrals. Their hyper-focused qualification process checklist for leads that allows them to drive impact and the bottom line. How she leveraged the flywheel approach to double down on scaling core competencies. And more... Subscribe & Rate Now. #getsshitdonepodcast Learn More About the Get Sh!t Done: shegetsshitdone.com Have feedback, a show topic you want us to cover, or just want to say hi: tribe@shegetsshitdone.com

How do you bounce back after losing 50% of revenues? I've never cried during a podcast interview until I interviewed Elena Valentine. I wanted to interview Elena on how she scaled her company to 7-figures bootstrapped. However, it was of the most meaningful conversations I've had about leading through a storm. Elena's storm was the pandemic stripping her company of 50% of revenues in 2020. The entrepreneurial ecosystem tends to discuss when people failed or when they succeed. But what about what it's like to fall? To get back up? To keep going? THESE moments define GREAT leaders & companies. Here's what you'll learn from Elena, Founder of SkillScout: How external validation led to a worthiness conundrum. The raw reality of what it's like to fight for your team so they can feed their families. How she redefined success in 2020 not as growth but rather what she wanted to be remembered for as a leader. Elena successfully navigated her company through & WILL be remembered for that. What will you be remembered for as a leader? Subscribe & Rate Now. #getsshitdonepodcast Learn More About the Get Sh!t Done: shegetsshitdone.com Have feedback, a show topic you want us to cover, or just want to say hi: tribe@shegetsshitdone.com

Elena is an expert in leveraging video stories in the workplace. With the motto “you cannot be what you cannot see” Elena started filming jobs as a way to get young people excited about the world of work. Since then, her team at Skill Scout has since built a world class media company. Their films have helped clients like Nike and American Airlines engage candidates and employees alike. She was recently named “HR Superhero of the Year” by DisruptHR Chicago. She is also the co-founder of Mezcla Media Collective. A non-profit that elevates women filmmakers of color.  If you like what you hear, we would like to encourage you to subscribe to our channel! We would also appreciate it if you would rate this channel by going here: RateThisPodcast.com/inclusiveaf We create this podcast as a labor of love. But if you would like to support this channel you can buy us a cup of coffee here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/InclusiveAF

Elena is an expert in leveraging video stories in the workplace. With the motto “you cannot be what you cannot see” Elena started filming jobs as a way to get young people excited about the world of work. Since then, her team at Skill Scout has since built a world class media company. Their films have helped clients like Nike and American Airlines engage candidates and employees alike. She was recently named “HR Superhero of the Year” by DisruptHR Chicago. She is also the co-founder of Mezcla Media Collective. A non-profit that elevates women filmmakers of color.  If you like what you hear, we would like to encourage you to subscribe to our channel! We would also appreciate it if you would rate this channel by going here: RateThisPodcast.com/inclusiveaf We create this podcast as a labor of love. But if you would like to support this channel you can buy us a cup of coffee here: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/InclusiveAF

Are you and Artist or Worker? Hear the 2 most inspiring people talk about the power of storytelling in the workplace and how artists will be the only job that will never be automated. Recommended reading in this next round of isolation, The Rise of the Creative Class by Richard Florida There are a few Easter Eggs in this episode from James; listen for the reference to Weezer and Velvet Underground Recruiters are the best corporate storytellers; it's our secret sauce The vibe of TikTok explained. Bonus material: getting fired from Sherwin Williams was the best thing for Tony Piloseno.

Summary: Elena Valentine helps organizations capture more of the humanity of their workplaces through stories that matter. She runs a company with her co-founder Abby Cheesman that seeks to help companies sell their job opportunities. But they're not using standard things like bulleted requirements, responsibilities, and about us sections. They bring workplaces to life through the power of film and stories. This episode we talk about the art and science of the humanity of sales. A philosophy that's guided her human approach to sales as a business owner and in the films she makes. We go over what questions you can ask to get people to build deeper connections with you. Finally, we discuss how you can grow stronger relationships with your internal teams. Key Takeaways by Time! 9:41 - Elena's Why of starting Skillscout. Changing the narrative of work through film 10:47 - Capturing the humanity of work through stories that matter. Film just happens to be the medium 23:40 - We're a special kind of spice. Why understanding why finding the right business is key in sales not winning all the business. Winning the right business is. 25:11 - What makes your heart sing? 27:25 - How to get people to advocate not just for your product but for you. 36:29 - Being good story listeners Connect with Elena https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenavalentine1/ (LinkedIN) https://www.humansat.work/events/humanswork-virtual-film-festival (Humans of Work Film Festival )- Check out some sample videos! https://www.skillscout.com/ (SkillScout) Connect with Us! https://www.linkedin.com/company/53108426/admin/ (LinkedIN: ) https://stories-of-selling-human.captivate.fm/ (Website: )

Elena Valentine, CEO/Co-Founder with Skill Scout, shares some #SnackableHR.

Elena Valentine is the CEO and co-founder of Skill Scout, an organization that specializes in talent acquisition and employer branding. She is also the co-founder and Board President of Mezcla Media Collective, whose goal is to elevate women of color and non-binary filmmakers in Chicago. She joins Mike Wood to discuss Skill Scout’s mission and how they have been carrying it out. Skill Scout Elena and her colleague realized that many youths lacked access and exposure to job opportunities, and were hindered from achieving success by their lack of knowledge. They founded Skill Scout to provide youths and the wider community with the opportunity to understand which jobs would be the right fit for them. Skill Scout captures and shares the stories of employees from various industries and brings their jobs to life on video. Humans at Work Elena describes Skill Scout’s latest project: a series called Humans at Work. It tells the raw, authentic and emotional stories of employees who have found their purpose as people first, workers second.  This series stemmed from a need to increase the number of positive stories in the workplace, as they have the power to shift bias and counterbalance and form our brains in new ways. One of the major objectives for filming was to recognize and celebrate employees, she adds. When employees feel appreciated, they are more engaged and loyal to their companies. COVID-19’s Impact We are not working from home; we are working at home during a crisis. In previous generations it was the social norm to have a different persona for the workplace than you do at home, but because of the virtual and mostly remote nature of the global workforce, it is almost impossible to separate your work life from your home life. It is important to have empathy during these uncertain times.  Resources Elena Valentine on LinkedIn Email: elena@skillscout.com SkillScout.com HumansAt.work

Elena Valentine CEO of Skill Scout joins Serge and Shelley to discuss the impact that video can have on your recruitment marketing efforts. Elena shares her insights on how companies can share true authentic stories through video.

Peer influence is massively important in marketing, but what does it really mean — and how we can use it for good? First, HR tech guru Jessica Miller-Merrell tells us about what it’s like to be a peer influencer (6:49). Then, designer Theresa Stewart joins co-host Elena Valentine for a discussion about how her Twitter thread about her experience working at Cards Against Humanity went viral — and what it’s like to speak your truth and create change (14:18). For more context on Theresa's experience, be sure to read this in-depth article from Polygon. Click here for more about Margins from Managing Editor: http://www.managingeditor.com/podcast Subscribe to our Friday morning email: http://www.managingeditor.com/subscribe

This episode of The Goblin Podcast - Musical Stories for Kids we are in the Wild West for The Mouse and the Cactus by Dan Bottomley & Elena Valentine. We meet a prickly character and his loyal friend, as we see if there's more to life than being spikey and lonesome.Suitable for all ages.The Mouse and the CactusWritten by & featuring Dan Bottomley & Elena ValentineMusic, Lyrics & Production by Dan BottomleyFor more about Dan's work check out https://www.danbottomley.co.ukIf you've enjoyed the podcast, please tell friends and family and spread the word on social media. You can find us on online @goblintheatre and at https://goblintheatre.co.uk/podcast See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

As the leader of a business that set out to prioritize hiring women of color from the moment of their inception back in 2014, Skill Scout now finds themselves validated and invigorated in a renewed way, as the world shifts its consciousness and Black Lives Matter holds our attention. Skill Scout is a workplace media company to help tell the stories of work on video as a way to attract, hire, or engage talent. The passion Elena brings to her company is nothing short of manifested life purpose- and her intentions to lead with empathy shine through. This episode gets into the ideas of social justice, the importance of empowering and hiring young people, and the advantage of naivete when launching a new product. We discuss the responsibility of taking the weight of a crisis on your shoulders as a leader and making your workforce feel empowered, safe, and confident. All in all, through the challenges, we discuss how being an entrepreneur is a privilege and to creativity is the ultimate gift. Statement Sip: "Growth vs Grace"

Right now, adaptation is the name of the game. In this episode, we break down one of many marketers’ biggest challenges at the moment— going from a live world to a digital one. In our introduction, host Elena Valentine shares some best practices for recording quality, compelling DIY video. Then, corporate speaker Ryan Estis joins us to share how he’s learning to deliver a high-impact customer experience digitally (10:01). Dr. Nick Morgan stops by to explain why video-conferencing is so frustrating — and the science behind improving it (17:47). Finally, comedian O’mar Finley shares what it’s like performing a standup show to his laptop (24:30). Want even more on making great video? Check out these great resources from Elena and the Skill Scout team. Click here for more about Margins from Managing Editor: http://www.managingeditor.com/podcast Subscribe to our Friday morning email: http://www.managingeditor.com/subscribe

On this episode of the Jason Cavness Experience we talk to Elena Valentine, CEO/Cofounder at Skill Scout cavnessHR website: https://www.cavnessHR.com Jason's email: jasoncavness@cavnessHR.com @cavnessHR   across social media @jasoncavnessHR across social media We talk about the following How Elena started out in media. What are some common mistakes when making videos Her entrepreneurial journey Why is HR important Elena's Bio Elena is an expert in leveraging video stories in the workplace. With the motto “you cannot be what you cannot see” Elena started filming jobs as a way to get young people excited about the world of work. Since then, her team at Skill Scout has since built a world class media company. Their films have helped clients like Nike and American Airlines engage candidates and employees alike. She was recently named “HR Superhero of the Year” by DisruptHR Chicago. She is also the co-founder of Mezcla Media Collective. A non-profit that elevates women filmmakers of color. Next up for Elena and her team is the Humans@Work. Elena's Social Media Elena's LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenavalentine1/ Elena's Twitter: https://twitter.com/Elena_Valentine Elena's Advice While we are working remotely while our lives are being uprooted. Right now is finding ways that we can stay creative and grounded. One of the things that I'm doing every day as someone who does video is I'm creating  a short video piece every day. I've committed to every time that we are in quarantine, to create one short video piece a day. This isn't necessarily about work. It's just to provide moments of pause for myself and for others if it happens to strike them. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Join Shalom Klein on his weekly radio show, Get Down To Business with guests: Elena Valentine Carl Dekker Zeyad Matariyeh Sid Mathias

Nancy Harris chats with Elena Valentine, CEO and co-founder of Skill Scout, an organization which specializes in talent acquisition and employer branding, about a more inclusive way to build your workforce. Here are a few highlights from their conversation: Elena is dedicated to looking past qualifications and sourcing talent in trendy ways: by media, which she calls the literacy of the 21st century. You cannot be what you cannot see, Elena says.  The idea for Skill Scout stemmed from Elena's and her colleague's realization that many youths and disenfranchised communities lacked access and exposure to job opportunities. “Production light” is a method Skill Scout uses to help companies attract more employees. By encouraging the employees to show their experiences via their own smartphones, they democratize the tools so more narratives can be shared. Elena quotes, “If you want to change the story, you must change the storyteller.” Elena shares some of the backlash she received from putting women of color at the center of her other business, Mezcla Media Collective. She explains that rather than being about diversity and access, the purpose of her decision was about equity. We have to look at our employees holistically, as more than just workers and as people with unique interests and families, Elena says. At the heart of diversity and inclusion is feeling like you belong. Resources SkillScout.com

Let’s Fix Work Episode 92: On today's show, I'm speaking to Elena Valentine, the Co-Founder, CEO, and Servant Leader of Skill Scout, a Chicago-based filmmaking company. Elena and her colleagues are workplace documentarians—they tell workplace stories. What's a workplace story? Well, it could be a video on a careers page. It could be a film attached to a job description. Or, it could be a welcome video on your first day of work.  Listen in as Elena and I talk about the many different work environments and how every job has a purpose and a story behind it. If you're interested in a far-ranging discussion about workplace identity, tune into this episode of Let’s Fix Work.    In this episode you’ll hear: BTS (behind the scenes) of a workplace filmmaker, what they do and how they do it. How social justice and equality intersect in workplace storytelling. Bridging the gap between HR departments and people in power with those doing the work. How Elena became a workplace filmmaker and why this is important to her. Elena answers the question, “Are there work environments that lend themselves to better stories compared to others?” The ethical dilemma of being asked to work with a company or organization whose values, mission, or viewpoints don’t necessarily match your values or those of your company.   Resources from this episode: Skill Scout Skill Scout on YouTube Elena on Twitter Elena on LinkedIn Laurie on Instagram Laurie on LinkedIn Read more from Laurie Work with Laurie   *** EPISODE CREDITS: If you like this podcast and are thinking of creating your own, consider talking to my producer, Danny Ozment. He helps thought leaders, influencers, executives, HR professionals, recruiters, lawyers, realtors, bloggers, coaches, and authors create, launch, and produce podcasts that grow their business and impact the world. Find out more at https://emeraldcitypro.com   

In this long conversation with the one and only Elena Valentine, we get into what employer branding means, branding fan fiction, telling better stories and all sorts of other goodies. Don't miss this one!   Show notes: What?! You don't know Elena Valentine?! Twitter, Skill Scout, LinkedIn Sign up for my free newsletter on employer brand headlines Want to ask me anything? I have open office hours. Grab your free spot.

In the world of Talent Acquisition (and attraction!), providing a clear and compelling message to candidates has never been more critical for organizations that want to differentiate themselves.  Join us for a lively and informative discussion with Elena Valentine of Skill Scout  when we discuss the foundations of effective storytelling and explore how the use of video can enhance the experience.    

So you’ve got a big, new idea — but how do you know if it’s as good as you think it is? Or even if you’re addressing the right problem? On this episode, we share how we judge the quality and viability of our own ideas. Elena Valentine interviews entrepreneur and design process pioneer Chris Conley about how design thinking can help you create amazing ideas (7:07). Marketing guru David Meerman Scott drops by to discuss the big new ideas that inspired his new book “Fanocracy” and how he brings his ideas out into the world (15:47). Learn more about Margins from Managing Editor: http://www.managingeditor.com/podcast Subscribe to our Friday morning email: http://www.managingeditor.com/subscribe

How to make your employer brand stick? Turns out - you don't Real Employer Branding is about discovering what is true about the work in your business and exposing that truth the outside world, warts and all. Fascinating conversation with James Ellis and Elena Valentine which segued into ethnography, anthropology, design thinking, film and media, authenticity vs diversity, Fox News and the rest. Must watch / listen for anyone interested in the state of recruitment in 2019

There’s no worse feeling than getting stuck on a creative project. But often, getting stuck — and getting unstuck — is just part of the creative process. On this episode, we introduce new Margins co-host Elena Valentine and discuss what we do to get unstuck in our work. Then, we talk with comedian and speaker Jessica Holmes about her experiences navigating depression (7:49). Finally, author John Jantsch (18:18) joins us to talk about his new book “The Self-Reliant Entrepreneur,” and what it means to sustain a business and a career through the long haul.   Click here for more about Margins from Managing Editor: http://www.managingeditor.com/podcast   Subscribe to our Friday morning email: http://www.managingeditor.com/subscribe

Here’s a brutal reality for marketers and creatives: sometimes, you hit a wall with a big project — and you have no choice but to strike a match and burn it all down. But sometimes burning it down is the best possible thing for your big idea. First, we discuss how burning down our agency blog led to Managing Editor and Margins from Managing Editor (:31). Then, we talk with marketer and writer Alison Pittaway about walking away from her novel (11:17), “The Disruption Mindset” author Charlene Li about preparing ourselves and our businesses for disruption (19:45) and SkillScout co-founder Elena Valentine about having to burn down a brand new business almost overnight (31:18). And stay tuned to the end for some special announcements (43:55) about Season 2 of Margins from Managing Editor! Click here for more about Margins from Managing Editor: http://www.managingeditor.com/podcast Subscribe to our Friday morning email: http://www.managingeditor.com/subscribe

Julie and Torin have the honor to welcome master of her video universe, Elena Valentine, CEO and co-founder of Skill Scout. Video is so hot in Talent Acquisition and D/I and Elena and her team not only tell us how to do it better and authenticly, but they also LEAD by example. Join Torin and Julie with Elena as she sets the bar for leading in an HR and TA environment.  PREPARE YOURSELF FOR CRAZY AND THE KING!  Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrazyAndTheKing About Elena Skill Scout: https://www.skillscout.com/ Mezcal Media Collective: www.mezclamediacollective.org Womxn of Craft: https://www.womxnofcraft.com/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/elena_valentine LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenavalentine1/ More on Torin and Julie: Julie: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliesowashdisabilitysolutions Torin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/torinellis  Cred:  Produced by Julie Sowash Music by DJ Cellz Pic: Elena Valentine

In our increasingly digital candidate experience, we’re seeing more and more videos. So how do we keep a human touch in the hiring process? Meghan M. Biro talks to video pro Elena Valentine about the future of hiring and employer branding.

Developer Hiring TableXI is now offering training for developers and products teams! For more info, email workshops@tablexi.com or find us at http://tablexi.com.workshops Today on the show, we're talking about hiring with Jennifer Tu and Zee Spencer of Cohere, Thayer Prime of Team Prime, and software consultant Matt Patterson. We talk about the entire developer hiring process from how to advertise your company to potential candidates, through coding tests and interviews, and all the way to the final decision process. It's a great conversation with a lot of different perspectives and a lot of good advice. We’d like to hear from you. What do you look for when hiring developers? Let us know at http://techdoneright.io/56 or on Twitter at @tech_done_right Guests Jennifer Tu (https://twitter.com/jtu): Cofounder of Cohere (http://wecohere.com). Zee Spencer (https://twitter.com/zspencer): Cofounder of Cohere (http://wecohere.com). Thayer Prime (https://twitter.com/Thayer): Founder of Team Prime (https://team-prime.com/). Matt Patterson (https://twitter.com/fidothe): Software Consultant. Notes 02:55 - Common Mistakes When Hiring Developers 05:17 - Effective Hiring Procedures and Interview Processes 10:31 - Getting Your Company’s Name Out There 15:30 - Recruitment, Onboarding, and Reviews 18:52 - Sending Take-Home Exercises and the Problems They Present; Pre-Hire Pairing 30:33 - Good and Bad Uses of Interview Time 33:11 - Developing Interview Question and Using Standardization to Remove Biases 35:34 - Making Yes/No Decisions Related Episodes Apprenticeship with Megan Tiu, Kara Carrell, and Alyssa Ramsey (https://www.techdoneright.io/41) Diversity and Inclusion at Small Companies with Meara Charnetzki, Michael Donnelly, and Elena Valentine (https://www.techdoneright.io/40) Live Panel: Hiring Developers in (and out of) Health Care (https://www.techdoneright.io/23) Developer Bootcamps and Computing Education with Jeff Casimir and Mark Guzdial (https://www.techdoneright.io/20) Special Guests: Jennifer Tu, Matt Patterson, Thayer Prime, and Zee Spencer.

Bringing Innovation To The Hiring Process + Keeping WOC At The Forefront w/ Elena Valentine by Loni Swain

Welcome to the new year! Resolutions suck, but that doesn't mean this isn't a great time to make change happen. The trick isn't focus on a big hairy audacious goal, but to build better habits that lead you to doing amazing things! Show notes: Thank you (in no order) to Elena Valentine and Abby Cheeseman, Lindsay Parks, Katrina Kibben, Ben Gledhill, Iain Hamilton, Charu Malhotra, Audra Knight, Andrea Hurtado, Angie Verros, Hing Lee, Tiffany Lee, Will Staney and Bryan Chaney, Torin Ellis, Tracey Parsons, Shane Grey, Chad Sowash and Joel Cheeseman, Alison Krause, Jeff Hyman, the Talent Brand Alliance Board, Brad Farris and Jill Salzman. Talent Brand Summit in Austin (Mar) Social Recruiting Summit in Atlanta (Jan) Employer Brand Manifesto I can help your solve your messiest recruiting problems with employer brand thinking Book me for speaking engagements on employer brand and recruitment marketing Ask Me Anything!

It's easier to tell a story with pictures and video, which is exactly what Elena Valentine is doing with her own organization, SkillScout, to help other businesses tell their story through video to attract and retain employees. Wendy and Anne talk to Elena about her efforts to create a diverse staff and “drink her own champagne.”   Elena's recommendations:   Brene Brown    You can find Elena online: https://www.skillscout.com/ https://twitter.com/skillscout https://www.instagram.com/skillscoutjobs/    

Video is HUGE! Employer Brand is HUGE! Candidate Experience is HUGE! No surprise there. But how does it impact employment? Chad sits down with Elena Valentine, CEO and co-founder at Skill Scout to find out. "STORY TELLING IS DOPE!" - Elena Enjoy, and support our sponsors America's Job Exchange, Sovren and JobAdX.

On this episode, I Zoom in Elena Valentine and we chat about living in purpose and challenging yourself to achieve greatness. Workplace storyteller and Design Researcher, Elena spends her days leading the team at Skill Scout to bring jobs and company culture to life on video. Every workplace has a story to tell about the team, skills, environment, and output. Elena helps tell those stories to attract the right candidates for the job and keep existing employees happily where they are. As CEO, Elena wears many hats, but really geeks out on new media (360, VR, POV videos, silent storytelling), and building Skill Scout to become an employer of choice for women of color. She was recently named “HR Superhero of the Year” by the DisruptHR Chicago community. She's also the founder of Mezcla Media Collective, an organization that provides opportunities for female filmmakers of color to connect, partner, and build their skill sets as leaders and storytellers. Elena holds a BA in Spanish and Anthropology from Grinnell College and AA in Recording Arts from Tribeca Flashpoint College. She currently resides in her hometown of Chicago with her rescue pup Yofi and her husband Emilio (a.k.a her 11 year old school crush from the neighborhood). Connect with Elena on Twitter: https://twitter.com/Elena_Valentine Don't forget to check out Minda Harts' podcast #SECURETHESEAT on iTunes https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/securetheseat/id1364451513?mt=2

Diversity and Inclusion at Small Companies with Meara Charnetzki, Michael Donnelly, and Elena Valentine TableXI is now offering training for developers and products teams! For more info, email workshops@tablexi.com. Get your FREE career growth strategy information and techniques! (https://stickynote.game) Summary What can a small company do to improve its diversity and inclusion practices when your company just isn't changing personnel quickly enough to improve via hiring? Here to discuss this are Meara Charnetzki from Table XI, Michael Donnelly from the FWD Collective and Elena Valentine from Skill Scout. We'll all about company values, supporting a wider community, using internal feedback, and what to do to encourage improvement at your company. Guests Meara Charnetzki (https://twitter.com/m34ra) of Table XI (https://www.tablexi.com/) Michael Donnelly (https://twitter.com/realmdonnelly) of The FWD Collective (https://fwdcollective.io/) Elena Valentine (https://twitter.com/Elena_Valentine) of Skill Scout (https://www.skillscout.com/) Notes 02:56 - Advice For Small Companies Interested in Being More Diverse 09:08 - Vetting Companies for Diversity & Inclusion Values 13:59 - Having a Healthy Company Feedback System - Know Your Company (https://knowyourcompany.com/) - Managing for Career Development with Claire Lew (http://www.techdoneright.io/12) 17:02 - Building Relationships as a Company Leader 20:09 - Diversity and Inclusion Benefits Everyone 23:31 - Encouraging Companies to Start D&I Initiatives as an Employee 30:45 - Company Exit Interviews 32:26 - Salary Transparency 35:51 - Flexible Working Structures Related Episodes Diverse Agile Teams with Marlena Compton, Betsy Haibel, and Jennifer Tu (http://www.techdoneright.io/38) Your First 100 Days at a New Company with Katie Gore and Elizabeth Trepkowski Hodos (http://www.techdoneright.io/36) Managing for Career Development with Claire Lew (http://www.techdoneright.io/12) Special Guests: Elena Valentine, Meara Charnetzki, and Michael Donnelly.

We’re all posting job openings, and our postings are competing with hundreds of others to grab the attention of top candidates. How do you fight through to be sure your posting gets in front of the kinds of candidates you seek, and then entices them to respond? Today’s guest, Elena Valentine, CEO at Skill Scout, has advice on how to add the “Wow Factor” top all your posts. A workplace storyteller and design researcher, Elena spends her days leading the team at Skill Scout to bring jobs to life on video. Note: This episode was recorded live at BLR's RecruitCon conference in Nashville, where Elena presented on the topic of visual job postings. RecruitCon 2019 will take place in Austin, TX next May. Learn more at http://live.blr.com/event/recruitcon.

Learn how the Gig Economy is important for the employer and the creative.  Today's guest is Elena Valentine. Elena is the CEO of Skill Scout and is passionate about Skill Scout because she believes job seekers need another way to tell their story and show what they can do.  Also, check out Mezcla Media Collective a hub for diverse boss women behind the camera. Go to www.mindaharts.com for the show notes.

With a focus on diversity and inclusion, the CEO of a Chicago-based media company focused keeps it real about the myths and struggles of leadership. Claire: Hi everyone, I'm Claire Lew and I'm the CEO of Know Your Company and it is my honor today to introduce a very good friend of mine who is on the heartbeat, the… Read the full article

Welcome to the first mini episode of MakingChips. In this special MakingChips mini episode, we welcome back Elena Valentine of Skill Scout to the show. Elena talks about what brought her to IMTS, what's new at Skill Scout, the Smartforce Student Summit, and the resurgence of the maker movement.   Episode Structure: [01:30] - What Brought you to IMTS? [03:20] - Paradigm Shift in Manufacturing [07:30] - Smartforce Student Summit [08:20] - What’s New with Skill Scout? [10:45] - Conclusion of Episode Mentioned in this Episode: Skill Scout Smartforce Student Summit Elena Valentine | LinkedIn  We Want to Hear From You, The Metalworking Nation: jim@makingchips.com jason@makingchips.com ryan@makingchips.com Telephone: (312) 725-0245  

An important part of what makes a manufacturing leader successful is their ability to think outside of the box. This line of thinking should also extend to the hiring process. Successful companies are good at bringing the right people into their team, but it isn't always so easy. What if you had the ability to see candidates in action before you made a decision about who to hire? “Manufacturing has always been sexy... It just needs a generational communications facelift.” - Elena Valentine This week on MakingChips, we welcome back last week's guest Elena Valentine. Elena walks us through Skill Scout's process of screening, assessing, and recommending candidates through hands-on manufacturing activities. We also discuss the Crain's Midwest Manufacturers Summit, the consequences of declining oil prices, how Skill Scout got involved in manufacturing, the "new" old way of doing things, and steps to finding the right candidate for your business.  Episode Outline: [00:07] - Episode Preview [01:00] - Crain’s Manufacturing Summit [03:15] - Manufacturing News [05:40] - Welcome Back Elena [06:15] - Why Manufacturing? [09:40] - How Companies Experience Candidates [10:11] - Skill Demonstrations and Work Samples [14:15] - Learned Interview Behaviors [17:00] - Finding the Right Candidate [20:00] - Virtual Meaningful Conversations [22:50] - Outside of the Resume [24:30] - Elena’s Call to Action for Listeners [25:50] - Conclusion of Episode Mentioned in this Episode: Crain's Manufacturing Summit Skill Scout elena@skillscout.com

Finding the right person for your company is crucial for building a thriving business. When recruiting for open positions, employers look for candidates with the skills, experience, and demeanor they believe will benefit their company. That said, it isn’t always easy to identify candidates who understand the needs and expectations of the job. What can an employer do to capture and relay their company's culture to a prospective candidate, while showing them exactly what the job entails? How can you more meaningfully connect a candidate to your company? "This is not just about building your employer brand, this is about getting quality talent in the door, so that you can get them on-board right away and build your business."          - Elena Valentine On this episode of MakingChips, we have a conversation with Elena Valentine, CEO and Co-Founder of Skill Scout. Skill Scout uses an innovative and fresh approach to connect potential employees to companies. Elena shares some of the methods the company uses to match candidates with employers, most notably in the form of video job postings. Also discussed in this episode is the Crain’s Manufacturing Summit and Jim’s recent trip to Jackson, Michigan.   Episode Outline: [00:14] - Episode Preview [01:20] - Crain’s Manufacturing [03:30] - Jackson, Michigan [05:40] - Welcome Elena Valentine [08:58] - Attracting Talent [10:20] - Bringing Job Posts to Life [13:45] - Better Hiring Results [16:00] - Logistics Behind the Video [20:52] - How to Shoot a Good Ad [23:45] - Authentic Window [25:20] - Success Story [27:30] - Conclusion of Episode Mentioned in this Episode: http://shoprat.org http://www.skillscout.com https://www.linkedin.com/in/elenavalentine1