Podcasts about hr tech

It's your weekly TA & Recruitment news blast with the Scoop from TaPod. This week Lauren is off, and Bonnie is back and misbehaving. We have all kinds of stories including, working for free is not on, candidates prefer to interview with bots, Christmas comes early, Aussies scrambling for second jobs, the ‘profiler' is the recruitment superhero we all need, Gen Z looking for new roles and much more. And hey, don't forget to check out upcoming events. Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us to bring you the Scoop.

This week on Tapod, we catch up with Kristy Glew and Jessica Raslan from Each, who won the Excellence in Candidate Experience Award at the 2026 Internal Talent Awards sponsored by Havas People. Servicing over 36,000 applicants, CX is a real focus for the team at Each. From their recruit and onboard hub to support hiring managers, to over 70 language translations, to accessibility enhancements to a careers website redesign and much more.Thanks to Smart Recruiters for partnering with us for this episode. 

What if you already have a valuable HR consulting service hiding in your past experience? In this episode of A Better HR Business, Ben shares a story from his own HR career about how a simple employee survey project unexpectedly became a repeatable, productised service that he later sold to businesses ranging from SMEs to government departments. He explains why clearly defined standalone services can be easier for clients to buy, how they can help you prove your value quickly, and why a relatively small initial project can open the door to much bigger consulting opportunities. If you run an HR consultancy, this episode may get you thinking differently about the experience, processes, and ideas you already have. Check out the HR Business Accelerator Fast Track and the B2B podcast launch service. About The A Better HR Business Podcast The A Better HR Business shares strategies, tactics, success stories, and more about marketing for HR consultancies and marketing for HR tech companies, and how to get more clients. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss future episodes. For show notes and to see details of our previous guests, check out the podcast page here: www.GetMoreHRClients.com/Podcast HR BUSINESS GROWTH RESOURCES Get the new book - Grow A Successful HR Business Your Way Launch your own business podcast: B2B Podcast Agency VISIT GET MORE HR CLIENTS Want more clients for your HR-related consultancy or HR Tech business? Visit the Get More HR Clients website for articles, newsletters, podcasts, videos, resources, and more at www.getmorehrclients.com.

It's your weekly TA & Recruitment news blast with the Scoop from TaPod. This week Craig is off, Bonnie jumps into his seat, and we are in for a bucket of fun, including Gen Z turns up to interviews with an iced coffee, Fair Work in the news again, Virgin cancels flights over cabin crew resourcing, changes to skilled migration visas, brutal UK numbers for over 50 job seekers, transgender social worker wins case  and much more. And hey, don't forget to check out upcoming events. Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us to bring you the Scoop.

This week on Tapod, we catch up with Emma Cassidy – Group Head of Talent Acquisition & Workforce Solutions at Ampol. In a triple threat, Ampol won the Enterprise Talent Team of the Year, and the Best Contingent Workforce Program at ITAs' 2026… throw in Emma's own individual award for Enterprise Talent Leader of the Year and it was an exclamation point on a year of transformation and success. Join us as we breakdown these winning submissions across, EVP revamp, careers site upgrade, tech implementation, workforce structure and redesign,  AI enablement and more. It's the industry benchmark and you really need to hear about it!Thanks to Smart Recruiters for partnering with us for this episode. 

Headcount is one of the most familiar metrics in HR. But does knowing how many people work for an organisation really tell us whether the business has the capacity to deliver?In this episode of the HRchat Podcast, Bill Banham is joined by Qadoos Rashid, a board-level Chief People Officer and transformation leader with more than 20 years of experience across PE-backed, listed and privately owned healthcare and services organisations.Most recently, Qadoos served as Group CPO of European Dental Group, an international healthcare platform with around 8,000 colleagues across Europe. His career has seen him lead people and organisational agendas through growth, buy-and-build strategies, M&A integration, turnaround and operating-model change.Ahead of his talk at DisruptHR Birmingham on September 24, Qadoos joins Bill to explore the provocative argument at the centre of his presentation: “Headcount is a Lie.”The problem isn't that headcount is useless. It tells us how many people are present. What it doesn't necessarily tell us is how much productive capacity an organisation actually has.Two businesses — or even two teams within the same company — can have exactly the same number of employees and produce very different results. Productivity, capability, retention, time to competence, technology, leadership, processes and the way roles are designed can all influence how much useful capacity those people collectively create.Qadoos argues that this is where HR has an opportunity to become more commercially relevant. Rather than concentrating primarily on workforce numbers, People leaders can connect workforce strategy to measures the CEO, CFO and board care about: productivity, quality, customer experience, throughput, revenue and ultimately business performance.Bill and Qadoos also explore the role of AI in changing how organisations think about capacity. Rather than treating AI simply as a story about replacing jobs, Qadoos describes it as something closer to an “x-ray” for the organisation — helping leaders identify where capacity is being lost, where tasks can be redesigned and where people and technology can work together more effectively.Drawing on examples from healthcare and dentistry, they discuss how AI can support clinical decision-making, improve appointment diary utilisation, reduce administrative strain and reveal productivity gaps that traditional HR metrics might never expose.Topics discussed include:• Why headcount measures presence rather than productive capacity• How organisations with similar headcounts can deliver very different results• The relationship between retention, productivity and workforce capacity• What Qadoos learned from high-churn environments earlier in his career• Connecting HR and workforce analytics to commercial outcomes• Why HR leaders should think about revenue and capacity at risk• AI as an “x-ray” for organisational productivity• When AI should augment people, automate tasks or stay out of the process• Examples of AI-supported diagnosis and scheduling optimisation in dentistry• Building a stronger commercial conversation between HR, the CEO, CFO and board• Qadoos's upcoming “Headcount is a Lie” talk at DisruptHR BirminghamQadoos leaves HR leaders with a useful challenge: take one of the people metrics you regularly report and ask a different question of it. Does that metric actually tell the business where capacity is being lost and where important work isn't getting done?If the answer is no, it may be time to rethink what we measure.Support the showFeature Your Brand on the HRchat PodcastThe HRchat show has had 100,000s of downloads and is frequently listed as one of the most popular global podcasts for HR pros, Talent execs and leaders. It is ranked in the top ten in the world based on traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness. The podcast is also ranked as the Best Canadian HR Podcast by FeedSpot and one of the top 10% most popular shows by Listen Score. Want to share the story of how your business is helping to shape the world of work? We offer sponsored episodes, audio adverts, email campaigns, and a host of other options. Check out packages here.Follow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our newsletterCheck out our in-person events

It's your weekly TA & Recruitment news blast with the Scoop from TaPod. This week we cover all kinds of angles including, AI redundancies being hired back, Japanese are getting recruitment creative, non-compete clauses being removed under legislation, WFH changes stall, crazy reason a candidate was rejected, surge in AI-generated applications pushing recruitment processes out, judge blocks Trump culture-fit question and much more. And hey, don't forget to check out upcoming events. Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us to bring you the Scoop.

Achtung (Werbung in eigener Sache):  Jetzt mein Buch kaufen (in Co-Produktion mit Prof. Dr. Johanna Bath): "Die perfekte Employee Journey & Experience" (erschienen im Oktober 2025): Springer: https://link.springer.com/book/9783662714195 Amazon: https://bit.ly/44aajaP Thalia: https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/A1074960417 Dieses Fachbuch stellt die wichtigsten Elemente der Employee Journey vor – vom Pre-Boarding bis zum Offboarding – und erläutert, wie Verantwortliche in Unternehmen eine gelungene Employee Experience realisieren und nachhaltig verankern können. Mein Gast: Marc Stratmann Marc Stratmann ist Co-Founder und Geschäftsführer Marketing & Vertrieb beim HR-Autopilot. Gemeinsam mit Peter Praeder-Hinzpeter hat er das Unternehmen im Juni 2024 gegründet. Zuvor sammelte Marc Erfahrungen in komplexen Organisationen wie Roche und DHL. Nach eigener Aussage hat ihn dort besonders geprägt, wie entscheidend klare Prozesse und verlässliche Strukturen für erfolgreiche Digitalisierung sind. Mit dem HR-Autopilot adressiert er heute eines der zentralen Probleme moderner HR-IT: die stark fragmentierte Systemlandschaft. Das Unternehmen verweist darauf, dass allein in Deutschland mehr als 600 HR-Systeme existieren. Statt für jede Systemkombination isolierte Einzellösungen zu bauen, setzt der Ansatz auf standardisierten Datenaustausch, Schnittstellen und einen Workflow-Builder, der Prozesse, Tools und Menschen miteinander verbindet. Marc ist außerdem Host der HR-Innovators Lounge. Dort spricht er regelmäßig über HR-Tech, Automatisierung, KI und Prozessdesign. Für unser heutiges Thema ist das besonders relevant: KI kann nur dann verlässlich arbeiten, wenn sie Daten erhält, die eindeutig, aktuell, konsistent und im richtigen Kontext verfügbar sind. Genau deshalb schauen wir uns heute an, welche Datenbasis HR dafür konkret aufbauen muss. Thema der Folge: In dieser Folge spreche ich mit Marc Stratmann, Co-Founder und Geschäftsführer von HR-Autopilot, darüber, wie Unternehmen eine belastbare Datenbasis für KI-gestützte HR-Prozesse schaffen können. Herzlichen Dank an Marc für den sehr guten Input zum Thema. Die wichtigsten Erkenntnisse aus dem Gespräch mit Marc: • KI löst keine schlechte Datenstruktur. Sind Daten unvollständig, widersprüchlich oder nicht eindeutig zuordenbar, kann KI bestehendes Chaos sogar verstärken. • Eine „Single Source of Truth" bedeutet nicht, dass sämtliche HR-Daten in einem einzigen System liegen müssen. Entscheidend ist, für jede Information eindeutig festzulegen, welches System die führende Quelle ist. • Gute Daten benötigen klare Verantwortlichkeiten. Die fachliche Verantwortung für HR-Daten sollte im HR-Bereich liegen, beispielsweise bei HR Operations oder People Analytics. IT unterstützt bei Integration, Infrastruktur und Sicherheit. • Wesentliche Kriterien für eine gute Datenqualität sind Eindeutigkeit, Vollständigkeit, Aktualität und Konsistenz. • Schnittstellen allein reichen nicht aus. Daten aus unterschiedlichen HR-Systemen müssen normalisiert werden, damit sie systemübergreifend miteinander verarbeitet werden können. • HR-Prozesse sollten zunächst standardisiert werden, bevor sie automatisiert werden. Nur ein klar definierter Prozess lässt sich sinnvoll an Technologie oder KI delegieren. • KI und Automatisierung sollten nicht ausschließlich der Effizienz dienen. Sie können gleichzeitig die Qualität der Employee Experience und Candidate Experience verbessern, beispielsweise durch schnellere Rückmeldungen oder automatisiertes Preboarding. • Bei sensiblen Entscheidungen bleibt der Mensch entscheidend. KI kann Informationen vorbereiten und Entscheidungen unterstützen, sollte aber beispielsweise bei Absagen, Gehaltsentscheidungen oder Kündigungen nicht autonom entscheiden. Marcs Empfehlung für einen pragmatischen Einstieg: In den ersten 30 Tagen: Systeme, Prozesse, Excel-Schattenlisten und Datenqualität analysieren sowie die führenden Datenquellen definieren. In den zweiten 30 Tagen: Daten, Begriffe, Pflichtfelder und Prozesse standardisieren und Systeme miteinander integrieren. In den dritten 30 Tagen: einen konkreten KI-Piloten starten, Ergebnisse messen, Feedback einholen und kontinuierlich optimieren. Die zentrale Botschaft der Folge: Nicht die leistungsfähigste KI entscheidet über den Erfolg von KI im HR, sondern die Qualität der Prozesse, Daten und Strukturen, auf die diese KI zugreifen kann. #GainTalentsPodcast #KI #KünstlicheIntelligenz #ITUpskilling #FutureSkills #Softwareentwicklung #Talententwicklung #Reskilling #Leadership Shownote-Links Marc Stratmann https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcstratmann/ https://hr-autopilot.de/ https://hr-autopilot.de/podcast/ https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1aelz9FDcgGoaINUN3ye-VhXsMfywKPK3ejRyDNgc0AM/edit?slide=id.g3e5710f8c2b_0_7#slide=id.g3e5710f8c2b_0_7   Links Hans-Heinz Wisotzky:  Website: https://www.gaintalents.com/podcast und https://www.gaintalents.com/blog Podcast: https://www.gaintalents.com/podcast Bücher: Neu (jetzt überall zu kaufen): Die perfekte Employee Journey und Experience https://link.springer.com/book/9783662714195 Erste Buch: Die perfekte Candidate Journey und Experience https://www.gaintalents.com/buch-die-perfekte-candidate-journey-und-experience LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/hansheinzwisotzky/ LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/gaintalents XING https://www.xing.com/profile/HansHeinz_Wisotzky/cv Facebook https://www.facebook.com/GainTalents    

What if the candidate whose resume looks “wrong” is actually the person your organisation needs most?In this episode of the HRchat Podcast, Bill Banham is joined by István Szabó to discuss unconventional career paths, hiring for potential, leadership, workplace culture, career reinvention and the growing influence of AI on recruitment.István's own career has rarely followed the expected path. He has served in the French Foreign Legion, worked in security and hands-on technical roles, studied for a degree while pulling cables, managed major infrastructure projects and progressed to become a divisional director responsible for 60 people. He has also led a major post-merger integration, implemented an ERP system and later moved into AI and automation consulting.That varied experience has given István an unusual perspective on the people who don't necessarily look like the obvious hire. He describes himself as a “black sheep” – someone who doesn't quite fit the expected shape of the room – and argues that unconventional talent can bring enormous value when organisations know how to integrate and support it.Bill and István dig into some of the hidden problems within modern recruitment. Drawing on his experience of conducting more than 300 interviews, István explains how pressure to hire quickly can contribute to higher probation turnover and why improving the hiring system itself can sometimes matter more than simply searching for “better” candidates.They also explore the increasing role of AI and automation in recruitment. What does it mean when candidates can receive an automated rejection almost immediately after applying? Where should organisations draw the line between efficiency and human judgement? And when hiring decisions can significantly affect someone's career, how important is it to keep a genuine human in the loop?The conversation also looks at the challenges of rebuilding a career in different countries and cultures. István shares experiences from Hungary, Canada and Ireland, including the frustrating reality that “local experience” can sometimes carry more weight with employers than qualifications or transferable experience gained elsewhere.Finally, Bill and István consider what HR and business leaders can do differently. Rather than using culture fit as a blanket filter, organisations can create hiring, onboarding and leadership practices that allow people with different backgrounds, experiences and ways of thinking to integrate, contribute and stay.Topics discussed include:• Unconventional career paths and transferable skills• Hiring for potential rather than a conventional resume• Lessons from conducting more than 300 interviews• Speed-hiring, probation turnover and employee retention• Culture fit versus culture add• Supporting “black sheep” and unconventional talent• Hiring and onboarding processes that improve integration• Leadership communication, transparency and trust• AI, automation and automated screening in recruitment• Why human oversight still matters in AI-assisted hiring• International careers and the challenge of “local experience”• Career reinvention, resilience and starting again• Leading teams through mergers and organisational changeIf you work in HR, talent acquisition, recruitment, people leadership or organisational development, this episode offers a useful challenge: look beyond the expected candidate profile and consider whether the person who doesn't quite fit the mould could be the person who helps change it.Support the showFeature Your Brand on the HRchat PodcastThe HRchat show has had 100,000s of downloads and is frequently listed as one of the most popular global podcasts for HR pros, Talent execs and leaders. It is ranked in the top ten in the world based on traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness. The podcast is also ranked as the Best Canadian HR Podcast by FeedSpot and one of the top 10% most popular shows by Listen Score. Want to share the story of how your business is helping to shape the world of work? We offer sponsored episodes, audio adverts, email campaigns, and a host of other options. Check out packages here.Follow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our newsletterCheck out our in-person events

Hallo, hier spricht die KI! In vielen Arztpraxen ist das Telefon bis heute einer der größten organisatorischen Stressfaktoren. Patient:innen hängen in Warteschleifen, Anrufe bleiben unbeantwortet und gleichzeitig wird das Praxisteam permanent aus anderen Aufgaben gerissen. Daniel Laiminger, Co-Founder von One100, spricht mit Host Dominik Flener darüber, wie KI-basierte Telefonassistenz den Praxisalltag tatsächlich entlasten kann.Die spannende Frage ist nicht, ob eine KI freundlich ans Telefon gehen kann. Entscheidend ist, ob aus einem Gespräch tatsächlich ein funktionierender Prozess wird. Kann sie den richtigen Termin buchen? Erkennt sie, welcher Arzt zuständig ist? Wie verhindert man Halluzinationen? Und was passiert, wenn die KI eben doch einmal falschliegt?Genau hier zeigt sich, warum Schnittstellen, Prozesslogik und die saubere Einbettung in den Praxisalltag mindestens genauso wichtig sind wie das Sprachmodell selbst. Gleichzeitig wird deutlich: Wer KI einfach „einschaltet“, ohne das Team mitzunehmen, schafft womöglich ein neues Problem statt einer Entlastung.Daniel Laiminger gibt Einblick in die Entstehung von One100, erklärt, warum das Unternehmen seinen ursprünglichen Präventionsansatz verworfen hat und weshalb heute gerade die Patientenkommunikation im Mittelpunkt steht.Highlights dieser Folge:Warum das Telefon trotz Online-Terminbuchung ein zentraler Kanal bleibtWarum Arztpraxen digital dort steht, wo HR-Tech vor zehn Jahren warWas Arztpraxen bei der Einführung von KI plötzlich über ihre eigenen Abläufe lernenWarum ein hybrides Modell oft besser funktioniert als „KI statt Mensch“Warum Schnittstellen und Prozesslogik oft wichtiger sind als das Sprachmodell selbstWarum die Einführung einer KI-Telefonassistenz auch ein Change-Prozess im Praxisteam istWas passiert, wenn die KI falschliegt und warum organisatorische Backups genauso wichtig sind wie technischeUnd wie persönliche KI-Assistenten die Kommunikation zwischen Patient:innen und Arztpraxen langfristig verändern könntenDiese Episode ist für alle, die wissen wollen, was passiert, wenn KI auf echte Praxisprozesse trifft.LINKS ZUR EPISODEDaniel Laiminger auf LinkedInOne100 im WebFEEDBACK & SOCIAL MEDIADu hast Feedback zu dieser Episode?Schreibe uns gerne an podcast@healthcarechangers.com.Folge dem Host Dominik FlenerLinkedIn | Facebook | InstagramFolge dem Healthcare Changers PodcastLinkedIn | Facebook | Instagram

This week on Tapod, we catch up with Rebecca Houghton, Australia's leading Middle Management Expert, Founder of BoldHR, Speaker, Best-selling Author and a brilliant person to boot!Today, we're discussing the ‘B-Suite Benchmarks Report', the only comprehensive study of Middle Managers in Australia. We drill down on a variety of statistics, causes, risks and remedies including 21% of Middle Managers are operating in the ‘AI-Risk zone', 63% report high frustration and influence takes over from burnout as the primary leadership challenge… And this is just the tip of the iceberg. Join us as we place ourselves firmly in ‘the middle'.Thanks to Smart Recruiters for partnering with us for this episode. 

Joel, Chad , and Emi break down the intersection of AI recruitment technology, global labor markets, and industry regulation, alongside pop culture banter and sports highlights. Key Topics Covered:Pop Culture & Fantasy Football: Reactions to Steve Ballmer's retro Microsoft commercials and NBA ban, US Open tennis highlights, and fantasy football draft grades. HR Tech & Startups: Spotlights on Sonic Jobs' LLM integrations, Hackajob's Archer agent rebranding following a 3x ARR increase, and previews of global HR events. The H-1B & Union Debate: A look at how H-1B visa restrictions drive different hiring behaviors. Jobs Report Reality Check: An analysis of August's 162,000 job additions, against structural economic shifts, immigration, and tariff impacts. AI Compliance & Job Board Evolution: The European crackdown on fully automated management illustrated by Uber's €825 million Dutch fine, and what the closure of Guardian Jobs signals for traditional recruitment advertising.

What does great HR leadership look like after more than 25 years of change in the profession?In this episode of the HRchat Podcast, Bill Banham is joined by Siobhan Reid, Head of People and Culture at Circle Voluntary Housing Association, to explore the evolution of HR from the traditional personnel department to a modern People and Culture function built around human connection, psychological safety and better use of data.Siobhan has more than 25 years of HR experience across commercial, public and non-profit environments. Her senior HR career stretches back to 1999, when she became Head of HR and Training covering Ireland, the UK and international operations at O'Briens Irish Sandwich Bars. Since then, she has built HR functions from the ground up, supported organisations through significant change and developed a leadership philosophy centred on fairness, compassion and listening.Bill and Siobhan discuss why organisations can have excellent policies and processes on paper while still creating poor employee experiences in practice. They explore the influence individual managers have on workplace culture, why listening should come before action when transforming a People function, and the importance of creating environments where employees feel psychologically safe.The conversation also considers menopause in the workplace and why employers need to make it a normal and supported part of the wellbeing conversation. Siobhan shares her thoughts on annual leave and recovery, including why employees often need a meaningful, uninterrupted period away from work to properly switch off and recharge.Turning to Circle and the wider housing and non-profit sectors, Siobhan discusses some of the challenges organisations face around attracting and retaining talent, burnout, employee wellbeing and pay.Finally, Bill and Siobhan explore the growing role of people analytics, automation and AI in HR. They discuss how HR teams can move beyond vanity dashboards and use workforce data to provide leaders and boards with actionable insights, while maintaining reliable source data and using AI responsibly.Topics discussed include:How HR has evolved over the past 25 yearsWhat hasn't changed about great people leadershipBuilding and transforming People and Culture functionsWhy listening should come before implementing new HR initiativesThe impact managers have on the employee experiencePsychological safety, fairness, empathy and compassion at workThe "stop, start, continue" approach to organisational changeThe Sunday night test for workplace cultureMenopause support in the workplaceAnnual leave, recovery and employee wellbeingTalent attraction, retention and burnout in housing and non-profit organisationsTurning people data into actionable business insightsMoving beyond vanity metrics in HR dashboardsUsing AI and automation to identify workforce trends and potential hotspotsThe importance of clean, reliable data and responsible AI useAbout Siobhan ReidSiobhan Reid is Head of People and Culture at Circle Voluntary Housing Association, one of Ireland's leading social housing providers. Circle manages and owns more than 2,000 homes nationally and works with local authorities, state agencies, developers and funders to deliver social and affordable housing solutions.Siobhan has more than 25 years of experience in HR and People and Culture across commercial, public and non-profit organisations.Connect with Siobhan on LinkedIn to continue the conversation.And if you're in Dublin in November, join Bill and Siobhan at the next Disrupt event in the city.Subscribe to the HRchat Podcast, follow HR Gazette on social media and visit HR Gazette for more conversations with HR, talent and business leaders.Support the showFeature Your Brand on the HRchat PodcastThe HRchat show has had 100,000s of downloads and is frequently listed as one of the most popular global podcasts for HR pros, Talent execs and leaders. It is ranked in the top ten in the world based on traffic, social media followers, domain authority & freshness. The podcast is also ranked as the Best Canadian HR Podcast by FeedSpot and one of the top 10% most popular shows by Listen Score. Want to share the story of how your business is helping to shape the world of work? We offer sponsored episodes, audio adverts, email campaigns, and a host of other options. Check out packages here.Follow us on LinkedInSubscribe to our newsletterCheck out our in-person events

It's your weekly TA & Recruitment news blast with the Scoop from TaPod. This week we cover all kinds of angles including, WFH laws might just be unconstitutional, recruiter rocks up for an interview straight from Vegas, talent gaps driving jobs offshore, bots keep interviewers on their toes, over 1 million holding down 2 (or more) jobs in Australia, man pretends to hallucinate in a job interview, AI work colleagues described as genius, sociopathic five-year-olds and much more. And hey, don't forget to check out upcoming events. Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us to bring you the Scoop.

In this episode of the HR business marketing podcast, A Better HR Business, Ben speaks with Magnus Wood, Founder & Board Adviser of Wild Leadership, a company helping founders and senior leaders who have been quietly domesticated by the organizations they run to get their edge back. Magnus Wood is a board adviser, leadership thinker, and former CMO with more than 30 years of experience across global businesses and startups. His career has spanned roles from Managing Director to Chief Marketing Officer, most recently as CMO and board director of a PE-backed business. His work explores what happens when leaders become too shaped by the organisations they lead—when caution replaces conviction, and “being sensible” starts to mean saying what will land rather than what needs to be said. Through his work with CEOs and leadership teams, Magnus focuses on what is genuinely getting in the way, rather than simply treating the commercial symptoms. His approach, which he calls Wild Leadership, challenges conventional organisational thinking and encourages leaders to become more grounded, courageous, and fully themselves. Magnus shares his thinking through essays, a podcast, and a book currently in development. What You'll Learn in This Episode: How to recognize and overcome “domestication” as a consultant or senior leader. Why finding your niche and reclaiming your unique edge helps attract the right consulting clients. How AI tools can empower HR and workplace consultants to save time, add value, and stand out in the market. Episode highlights: Magnus's professional background and the inspiration behind Wild Leadership. The concept of domestication and how leaders can lose their edge over time. Practical steps (the “3 moves”) leaders can take to regain authenticity and impact. Real-world examples of self-editing and how it affects leadership and team dynamics. Types of services Magnus provides for CEOs, boards, and senior teams, including the consigliere role and workshops. An overview of the Bearings program for individuals at career crossroads. How Magnus helps clients identify unique strengths and market opportunities. The importance of finding a niche and marketing to it rather than offering broad, generic services. Balancing personal fulfillment with organizational effectiveness. Developing products and standalone tools by identifying real market needs. Repurposing processes for different audiences, such as team tools and individual programs. Leveraging AI tools (like Claude) for business and creative growth. Advice for consultants on choosing marketing channels and standing out from the crowd. Using a “council” of virtual advisors to spark creativity and diversify perspectives. Marketing and Business Growth: Magnus focuses on value-driven marketing by consistently writing insightful content on Substack and refining his messaging to resonate deeply with his target audience. He emphasizes the power of finding and speaking to a specific niche rather than broad audiences, utilizes lead magnets like the free version of Bearings, and experiments with less crowded channels such as Facebook for B2B advertising. Additionally, Magnus embraces AI to enhance productivity, streamline operations, and generate new ideas, freeing valuable time for strategic tasks. Resources & Links Mentioned: Company's website: www.wildleadership.co Magnus' LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/magnuswood Check out this B2B podcast launch service. About The A Better HR Business Podcast The A Better HR Business shares strategies, tactics, success stories, and more about marketing for HR consultancies and marketing for HR tech companies, and how to get more clients. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss future episodes. For show notes and to see details of our previous guests, check out the podcast page here: www.GetMoreHRClients.com/Podcast HR BUSINESS GROWTH RESOURCES Get the new book - Grow A Successful HR Business Your Way Launch your own business podcast: B2B Podcast Agency VISIT GET MORE HR CLIENTS Want more clients for your HR-related consultancy or HR Tech business? Visit the Get More HR Clients website for articles, newsletters, podcasts, videos, resources, and more at www.getmorehrclients.com.

This week on Tapod, we catch up with Jake Ellul, TA Manager at Consolidated Power Projects, all the way from Adelaide. They are doing great things at CPP – moving from a recruitment delivery function to a full strategic workforce partner. We talk tech, ‘C' suite buy-in and transformation. And it all starts with trust and relationships.Thanks to Smart Recruiters for partnering with us for this episode. 

Group coaching is becoming a bigger part of leadership development, but it is still often confused with training, mentoring, or simply putting several people into the same coaching session. In this episode of A Better HR Business, I speak with Dominique Mas, Co-Founder and CEO, and Priscilla Lavoie, Head of Marketing at Group Coaching HQ. Group Coaching HQ works with HR, talent, L&D, and internal coaching teams to design, run, and grow group coaching programmes inside organisations. Dominique and Priscilla explain what effective group coaching looks like, where it can have the greatest impact, and how organisations can measure results without undermining trust within the group. We also discuss how Group Coaching HQ is growing through events, speaking, founder-led content, and other personal, trust-based forms of marketing. Priscilla explains how the company tracks its marketing activity and supports HR and L&D buyers at different stages of the buying process. In this episode, we discuss: What group coaching is and how it differs from training and mentoring Why it works particularly well for new managers and senior leaders How it can improve leadership skills, connection, and retention How to collect useful data while protecting trust and psychological safety How organisations can measure the business impact and ROI Why human, trust-based marketing is working well for Group Coaching HQ Dominique also shares findings from Group Coaching HQ's 2026 study, including the growing use of group coaching for leadership development and the need for clear programme structures and evidence of business value. About Group Coaching HQ Group Coaching HQ helps organisations create group coaching programmes that bring people together, improve leadership skills, and give more employees access to coaching. Its work includes consulting, programme design, coach training, ICF-approved group coaching certification, and the delivery of fully managed group coaching programmes. Links Group Coaching HQ Dominique Mas on LinkedIn Priscilla Lavoie on LinkedIn Listen to A Better HR Business on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or the Get More HR Clients website. Check out this B2B podcast launch service. About The A Better HR Business Podcast The A Better HR Business shares strategies, tactics, success stories, and more about marketing for HR consultancies and marketing for HR tech companies, and how to get more clients. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss future episodes. For show notes and to see details of our previous guests, check out the podcast page here: www.GetMoreHRClients.com/Podcast HR BUSINESS GROWTH RESOURCES Get the new book - Grow A Successful HR Business Your Way Launch your own business podcast: B2B Podcast Agency VISIT GET MORE HR CLIENTS Want more clients for your HR-related consultancy or HR Tech business? Visit the Get More HR Clients website for articles, newsletters, podcasts, videos, resources, and more at www.getmorehrclients.com.

It's time for all the best TA & Recruitment News from here and around the globe with the Scoop. Presented by the number 1 TA podcast in APAC – TaPod.We cover all kinds of drama including, the job market is broken according to Wired, strikes and more strikes in Australia and NZ, North Korean spies infiltrate US Government, Fair Work pass on costs for AI slop, the FBI open to hiring prostitutes and much more.Big thanks to Indeed for supporting the Scoop 

Robin Sudermann hat zehn Mitarbeiter, die keine Menschen sind. Sie haben eine Aufgabenbeschreibung, durchlaufen ein Onboarding von einer Woche, stehen im Organigramm und werden nach drei bis sechs Monaten in Rente geschickt, weil sie dann überholt sind. Der CEO der Kölner talentsconnect AG und Raphael Wischnewsky, dort verantwortlich für Finanzen und Recht, haben ihr eigenes Unternehmen in zwölf Monaten radikal auf KI umgebaut. Und sie legen dabei Zahlen offen: Die EBITDA-Marge drehte in 36 Monaten von minus 30 auf plus 30 Prozent. Wie viel davon wirklich auf KI entfällt und wie viel auf klassisches Aufräumen, rechnen die beiden im Gespräch mit Christoph Fröhlich Stück für Stück auf. Für die Finanzbranche wird es konkret, wenn vier Personas auf den Tisch kommen: der 63-jährige Makler mit 700 Bestandskunden und einer Schrankwand voller Ordner. Die Backoffice-Leiterin, die als Einzige weiß, warum ein Prozess seit 2011 genau so läuft. Der Vertriebler mit prallem Kundenbuch kurz vor der Rente. Und der Fondsmanager, der Dotcom, 2008 und Corona im Sessel erlebt hat. Wer davon lässt sich agentisieren und wo ist Schluss? Dazu: warum unaufgeräumte Unternehmen an KI eher scheitern als profitieren. Wem der digitale Klon eines Mitarbeiters gehört, wenn der kündigt. Was die Compliance einer Fondsgesellschaft zu alldem sagt. Und warum eine Hauptversammlungspräsentation heute acht Stunden dauert statt zwei Wochen.

This week on Tapod, we catch up with Deepak Singh, Culture & DE&I expert at Mission and Rhythm. Deepak really knows his stuff, having been named in the top 12 at the HR Influencer Awards 2026. According to Deepak, great culture comes from great leadership, and that is the place we need to focus on to generate meaning in the workplace. Most of us are carrying a lot of work weight and stress due to many issues, including changes in DE&I policy, changes driven by AI and unstable economic conditions affecting culture, and it's time for leaders to really stand up. A really interesting chat!  Thanks to Paradox for partnering with us for this episode. 

Join us for a special Tapod episode, where we catch up with Adam Godson – GM Talent Acquisition Products at Workday and former CEO at Paradox. We talk new products, enhancements, and updates at Workday. As well as touch on the excitement of the Workday/Paradox marriage. Adam is super excited with where HR Tech is headed and gives us great insights into what the next couple of years might look like – join us.

Welcome to TaPod's 600th episode! It's your weekly TA & Recruitment news blast with the Scoop from TaPod. This week we cover all kinds of angles, unemployment on the up, Workday valuation is through the roof, KPMG shrinking under scandal, interviewer catches candidate out, Fair Work Commission hands out new rules, LinkedIn profile edits creating risk, FedEx workers to strike, Google doesn't trust its own AI, and much more. And hey, don't forget to check out upcoming events. Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us to bring you the Scoop.

This week on Tapod, we catch up with the brilliant Jo Vohland, Director, Curator & Event Host from ATC. And today we are all about the 2026 State of TA Report. With almost 250 Talent Teams contributing to a 41-page report and 18,000 data cells. It is chock-full of information from maturity levels, to the impact of AI, to what's driving industry-wide redundancies, to restructuring, to skills, advisory, tasks and outcomes, to what a future talent function may look like. This episode gives you a blueprint to model your Talent Strategy on. And don't forget ATC ‘Uplift' is very close – get your tickets now! Thanks to Paradox for partnering with us for this episode. 

It's your weekly TA & Recruitment news blast with the Scoop from TaPod. This week we cover all kinds of angles, including Harvard finds women on Ozempic have better work prospects, Lauren goes whack on Oracle, digital literacy required in 90% of all roles, Hobart is Australia's best city for career growth, 24% of AI job interviews happening in the middle of the night, Lunar the AI Agent dismisses human employee, recruitment and Chinese spies, global youth unemployment skyrockets. And much more. And hey, don't forget to check out upcoming events. Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us to bring you the Scoop.

This week on Tapod, we catch up with Emi Beredugo, Senior Manager – Recruiting Enablement @Elastic, Non-Executive Director, Advisory Board Member, Speaker & Podcaster and most importantly a bloody fantastic person. We talk AI and specifically what's next for TA. Emi is very, very clear—we need to stop prompting and start building—but what should we be building? And more importantly, where the bloody hell do we start? Here's the road map. And if your leaders aren't your champions… start there… and start soon. Thanks to Paradox for partnering with us for this episode. 

On our special TaPod does Recfest UK series, we catch up with Lia Manafova - Talent Tech Strategy Lead at Sanofi. If you want to hear about a real transformation journey Lia has got a story for you! Integrating Paradox (a Workday company) into their business saved 38.6 minutes via email applications and 84.5 minutes via WhatsApp while still focusing on candidate experience, and fully automated scheduling runs in 8 seconds! And that's just for starters. Join us in the glorious UK sunshine as we unpack this fantastic transformation. 

In this episode of the HR business marketing podcast, A Better HR Business, Ben speaks with Cary Sparrow, Founder and CEO of WageScape, a labor market intelligence company transforming how organizations understand hiring, pay, and workforce trends through real-time AI-powered data. A former U.S. Navy nuclear submarine officer, Cary has more than 35 years of leadership experience spanning engineering, global consulting, and HR analytics, including executive roles at Willis Towers Watson and Cargill. He is passionate about using data, technology, and high-performing teams to solve complex workforce challenges and help organizations make smarter, more confident decisions. WageScape delivers real-time labor market and compensation intelligence through one of the largest continuously updated workforce datasets available. Its AI-powered platform helps organizations gain deeper insights into hiring demand, pay trends, and talent markets across the globe, enabling better workforce planning, business strategy, and AI-driven decision-making with reliable, high-quality data. What You'll Learn in This Episode: A smarter approach to client acquisition by leveraging current labor market insights. The specific consulting use cases powered by real-time wage and hiring data. How Cary Sparrow built WageScape—and why trust and partnerships are at the heart of marketing and business growth. Episode highlights: Cary's career journey: from US Navy officer to HR analytics leader to tech entrepreneur. The inspiration behind founding WageScape and how it answers long-standing HR compensation questions. What WageScape does and the global scale of its labor market intelligence platform. Typical use cases for WageScape's data across HR, consulting, and financial services. The challenge and value of collecting and cleaning real-time pay and hiring data. How WageScape's approach removes the pain of outdated manual compensation research. The importance of curated, high-quality data versus relying on generic AI-generated answers. How consultants and consulting firms use WageScape to improve services, margins, and client retention. Strategies for client retention and delivering consistent value. Marketing & growth: Building awareness through partnerships rather than traditional marketing funnels, and the benefits of value-based co-marketing. Giving away limited data access as a deliberate marketing and trust-building strategy. Advice for HR tech founders on modern marketing, trust, and partnering within the crowded information space. Marketing and Business Growth: Cary explains that WageScape, as a self-funded company, focuses on building targeted partnerships instead of traditional (and expensive) mass marketing. By aligning with industry leaders, providing valuable data, and leveraging the trust that established partners have with their audiences, WageScape efficiently extends its reach and drives growth. Giving away useful sample data through associations and industry channels acts as both a marketing funnel and ongoing brand builder. Resources & Links Mentioned: Company's website: www.wagescape.com Cary's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/carysparrow Thanks, Cary! Check out this B2B podcast launch service. About The A Better HR Business Podcast The A Better HR Business shares strategies, tactics, success stories, and more about marketing for HR consultancies and marketing for HR tech companies, and how to get more clients. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss future episodes. For show notes and to see details of our previous guests, check out the podcast page here: www.GetMoreHRClients.com/Podcast HR BUSINESS GROWTH RESOURCES Get the new book - Grow A Successful HR Business Your Way Launch your own business podcast: B2B Podcast Agency VISIT GET MORE HR CLIENTS Want more clients for your HR-related consultancy or HR Tech business? Visit the Get More HR Clients website for articles, newsletters, podcasts, videos, resources, and more at www.getmorehrclients.com.

It's your weekly TA & Recruitment news blast with the Scoop from TaPod. This week we cover all kinds of angles, including Deel and Rippling in new drama, the EU AI Act in force, job ads on the up, Lauren gets political, Craig has marbles in his mouth, the candidate putting cricket ahead of Saturdays, AI users maybe working longer hours, and candidates getting smarter… or are they? And much more.Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us to bring you the Scoop.

This week on Tapod, we catch up with Professor Toby Walsh – Australia's preeminent expert on AI and Chief Scientist at UNSW. Described by The Australian as the ‘rock star of the digital revolution', Toby has appeared this year on 60 Minutes, The Today Show and delivered an address to the Australian Press Club. His soon-to-be-released 5th book – ‘God AI – Boom or Doom?' What to expect when machines outsmart us' – focuses in on how to navigate the anxiety of the AI age and talks about existential risks posed by our accelerating efforts to realise an AI-powered future. AI moves quickly, from the newly announced Office of AI to rogue agents to using the technology to support your career; we cover it all. And who better than Professor Toby Walsh to help us navigate this brave new world?Thanks to Paradox for partnering with us for this episode. 

Join us for a special Tapod episode, where we catch up with James Ellis – global branding expert and best-selling author. We discuss James new book – Becoming Choosable – written specifically for TA and employer brand leaders. James has so much energy and knowledge and for the first time ever in Australia, you can join him for a Talent Strategy Masterclass in Melbourne on September 2nd. It's a hands-on half day workshop where James works with you, not at you, to build the foundations of a talent strategy that actually holds up. Brought to you by the amazing team at Video my (link to tix in comments) – this is really must-attend… no really. 

It's your weekly TA & Recruitment news blast with the Scoop from TaPod. This week we cover all kinds of angles including, possibility of Victorian WFH law changes, Australian workers staying put in record numbers, NZ upgrade Holiday Act, SA botch their recruitment drive, Oracle lay off those with earned equity, ATO have an AI whoopsy, tech bro has potential candidates ink up and much more. Don't forget to check out the upcoming events.Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us to bring you the Scoop.

This week on Tapod, we catch up with Natalie Badaway – or ‘Nat Bad' as we like to call her (thanks Denise Pereira, for the nickname). Nat is busy as Talent Acquisition Specialist at Andromeda (a really cool robotics company) and co-organiser at the Melbourne Talent Meet-Up. We are all very aware of the pressure and anxiety our industry has been under over the last 18 months. With the rise of AI, war in Europe and the Middle East, global tariffs, increased inflation and interest rates all affecting hiring levels and redundancies across our sector, we are all feeling it. And this is why Community is so important. Nat talks us through the how and why. If you do not attend 'meet-ups' in your city, it's about time you bloody did! No-one understands our industry like our community, and if you need support, we are all here for you.Thanks to Paradox for partnering with us for this episode. 

 Join us for a special Tapod episode, where we catch up with Lee Seymour – Founder and CEO at XRef. We discuss the shadow of AI – the good, the bad and the outright fraud. The transitional recruitment market we currently find ourselves in and the challenges associated with the current environment. And we drill down on on xref.me – your verified digital resume that's powered by verified references. It's a game changer.

It's your weekly TA & Recruitment news blast with the Scoop from TaPod. This week we cover all kinds of angles, including emerging roles in AI, Ghost Jobs crack down in the US, economic updates with Callam Pickering, firing a time traveller in the UK, China making hiring decisions based on zodiac signs, and workers nostalgic about life before AI. Don't forget to check out the upcoming events.Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us to bring you the Scoop.

This week on Tapod, we catch up with Matthew Lant – Head of Recruitment and Employer Brand at AFCA, and David Macciocca – Founder & CEO at VideoMy. We dig deep on the AFCA-nites ambassador program, and it's a ripping example of how an EB program comes to life. From targeting specific candidate profiles to telling stories via real internal employees, the results are amazingly successful. We look at the partnership between AFCA and VideoMy and how that generated results that resonated all the way up to the C-suite. In a world where we rely on third-party technology, AFCA now hires over half of their talent from channels they own themselves.Thanks to VideoMy for partnering with us for this episode. 

In this episode of the HR business marketing podcast, A Better HR Business, Ben speaks with Caroline Dowling, Executive Coach and founder of Zeal Compass. Caroline Dowling is helping senior leaders navigate the challenges of organisational change with greater clarity and confidence. After more than 20 years at Google, where she led global teams across Dublin and Silicon Valley, she understands that the toughest leadership challenges are rarely technical - they are human. Drawing on her experience in high-pressure technology environments, Caroline helps leaders move from reactive decision-making to grounded, intentional leadership. Her coaching creates the space for reflection, enabling clients to strengthen their self-awareness, emotional resilience, and ability to lead others through complexity. Rather than offering prescriptive advice, Caroline works alongside leaders as a trusted thinking partner, helping them uncover their own solutions. She believes that the most effective leadership begins with understanding people, because no matter how advanced the technology, meaningful progress is always driven by humans. What You'll Learn in This Episode: How to leverage your internal coaching experience to find your first consulting clients Practical steps for transitioning from corporate roles to running a workplace consulting business Caroline's unique lessons in experimenting, personal branding, and using LinkedIn as a consulting marketing tool Episode highlights: Why focusing on human relationships is essential for successful change management, and why neglecting this often leads to failure. Caroline's accidental entry into the tech sector, and early days at Google Ireland. Learning about change in both organisational and personal contexts, and why coaching became her long-term path. How coaching roles evolved within Google, including using an internal platform to connect leaders with coaching mentees. The transition from career coaching to focusing on leadership development, and why supporting other leaders became Caroline's main focus. How the concept of Zeal Compass was born to support leaders finding meaning and navigating transition. The long, experimental journey from tech leadership to launching an independent coaching business, including study, introspection, and small-scale trials. The structure of leaving a corporate career, including internal role pivots, network conversations, and planning a smooth transition. Shaping a commercial coaching proposition, identifying target clients, setting prices, and the importance of feedback and positioning. Building a first client base through tech industry credibility, referrals, and associate partnerships. Lessons for those facing redundancy or rapid career change - how to learn, unlearn, and rebuild a support network Marketing and Business Growth: Caroline described her approach to growing her business as practical and experimental. She invested in learning the fundamentals through a "Start Your Own Business" course, reconnected with LinkedIn as a key platform for building her profile, and announced her move into executive coaching to her professional network. She also emphasised the value of attending industry events, building genuine relationships, and leaning on her network for support and opportunities. Her experience offers practical insights for senior leaders considering a similar career transition or navigating change in their own organisations. Resources & Links Mentioned: Company's website: www.zealcompass.com Caroline's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-dowling Check out this B2B podcast launch service. About The A Better HR Business Podcast The A Better HR Business shares strategies, tactics, success stories, and more about marketing for HR consultancies and marketing for HR tech companies, and how to get more clients. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss future episodes. For show notes and to see details of our previous guests, check out the podcast page here: www.GetMoreHRClients.com/Podcast HR BUSINESS GROWTH RESOURCES Get the new book - Grow A Successful HR Business Your Way Launch your own business podcast: B2B Podcast Agency VISIT GET MORE HR CLIENTS Want more clients for your HR-related consultancy or HR Tech business? Visit the Get More HR Clients website for articles, newsletters, podcasts, videos, resources, and more at www.getmorehrclients.com.

It's your weekly TA & Recruitment news blast with the Scoop from TaPod. This week we cover all kinds of angles, including fashion brand changes their parental leave program, job ad results in zero applications, teachers striking… and miners striking, Indeed launches Career Scout, another job ad calls for 10 years of Claude Code experience, Deel and Rippling continue to rumble, AI firm calls for masturbation consultants, and much more. Don't forget to check out the upcoming events.Thanks to Indeed for partnering with us to bring you the Scoop.

This week on Tapod, we catch up with Emma Cassidy, Group Head of Talent Acquisition & Workforce Solutions at Ampol. We hear a lot about transformation, but in Emma's own words it's been ‘A huge year of transformation for Ampol'—in this episode we focus in on the contingent workforce. From knowledge retention to classification to visibility to a new career website to employing a new model to workforce redesign to task intelligence to working collaboratively across the business, what we see is a true transformation success story and a blueprint for other Talent Teams to follow.Thanks to Greenhouse for partnering with us this month. 

In this episode of the HR business marketing podcast, A Better HR Business, Ben and his guest, John Barron, Co-Founder & CEO of GoChallenge, explore how a gamified movement platform is helping teams boost wellbeing, deepen engagement, and build stronger company cultures. GoChallenge is a science-backed HR tech platform that uses team-based movement challenges to improve employee wellbeing, prevent burnout, and strengthen workplace culture. It helps HR and People & Culture leaders increase engagement and build more connected hybrid teams through simple daily physical activity that fits into the workday. Unlike traditional fitness apps, GoChallenge is designed specifically for organisations - requiring no gym, equipment, or extra time outside work routines. Trusted by organisations such as Tirlan, DocuSign, Gartner, Red Hat, and Three Ireland, GoChallenge delivers measurable impact across wellbeing, performance, and retention. Users report reduced stress and improved productivity, while companies see stronger cross-team connections and alignment with ESG and CSR goals. The platform is easy to deploy at scale and is built on behavioural science to make workplace wellbeing both effective and engaging. You'll hear practical strategies for how to attract HR consulting clients, running a workplace consulting business, and business growth strategies for consultants. Whether you identify as HR, workplace, L&D, OD, recruitment, or people & culture, you'll discover real stories and actionable advice to attract clients, win contracts, and grow sustainably. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Insights on the power of movement-based challenges to build workplace connection and engagement How to use inclusive wellbeing programs to appeal to HR and people & culture leaders Lessons from GoChallenge's growth - scaling through values-led marketing, partnerships, and proven client results Episode highlights: The inspiration behind GoChallenge and the real obstacles to regular exercise. Building movement, motivation, support, and accountability into workplace initiatives. The role of meaningful workplace connection - why it's essential for wellbeing and performance. Employee stories: From workplace rivalry to authentic relationships through team challenges. How GoChallenge works for employers: challenge formats, inclusivity, and rewards. Creating a level playing field to boost engagement across all abilities. Bringing company values to life and examples of running challenges globally. Marketing and business development: blending conferences, LinkedIn, partnerships, and charity tie-ins. Outbound selling and value-driven messaging to busy HR professionals. Practical challenges of scaling, integrating with existing platforms, and keeping things simple for buyers. The role of internal comms teams and having a plug-and-play “playbook” for successful implementation. Marketing and Business Growth: John outlines a two-pronged approach to growing GoChallenge: attending conferences and events for traditional networking and lead generation, alongside leveraging the visibility of successful client challenges on LinkedIn, often with video content and charity partnerships. The GoChallenge team uses targeted outbound email, focusing on company values and pain points. They emphasize the importance of being easy to work with and integrating seamlessly with existing HR and comms tech stacks. Plans for further growth include partnering with benefits providers and health insurers for wider distribution. Resources & Links Mentioned: Company's website: www.gochallenge.com John's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/johnrbarron Thanks, John! Check out this B2B podcast launch service. About The A Better HR Business Podcast The A Better HR Business shares strategies, tactics, success stories, and more about marketing for HR consultancies and marketing for HR tech companies, and how to get more clients. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss future episodes. For show notes and to see details of our previous guests, check out the podcast page here: www.GetMoreHRClients.com/Podcast HR BUSINESS GROWTH RESOURCES Get the new book - Grow A Successful HR Business Your Way Launch your own business podcast: B2B Podcast Agency VISIT GET MORE HR CLIENTS Want more clients for your HR-related consultancy or HR Tech business? Visit the Get More HR Clients website for articles, newsletters, podcasts, videos, resources, and more at www.getmorehrclients.com.

Most companies talk about purpose. Patagonia builds the systems to back it up. Even when that means holding many contradictions. In this episode, Teresita Richard, Chief People Officer at Patagonia, joins Culture Amp's Justin Angsuwat to unpack how the company protects a culture built by climbers and surfers while scaling it across nearly 4,000 employees worldwide. From "liberating structures" that replace bureaucracy with just enough guardrails, to a hiring philosophy built on alignment over "fit," Teresita shares what it really takes to stay radical, human, and honest.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Too many HR tech companies are still selling the way they did five or ten years ago—and buyers have changed.In this episode, I explore why the future of HR technology isn't about sending more emails, making more cold calls, or pushing harder. It's about understanding people better.I cover..Why traditional outbound sales tactics are losing effectivenessHow authentic buyer conversations should shape your product roadmapThe difference between selling to HR leaders and actually listening to themWhy honesty creates better outcomes for both buyers and vendorsThe hidden cost of poor onboarding and misaligned rolesWhy the smallest daily frustrations often do more damage than the biggest conflictsAt the heart of every HR technology purchase is a human being—not just a budget or a buying committee. The companies that win won't be the loudest. They'll be the ones that understand people the deepest.

Yep, it's that time again. Join Jon Reed and Brian Sommer for the Enterprise Month in Review. We'll pick our underrated stories, and then, in a classic show mashup, Amy Wilson and Meg Bear of the Meg and Amy how will give their live reactions to Brian Sommer's run-down of where HR tech, AI and leadership is falling short. We'll also have some make-your-own-buzzword surprises, and of course, Brian's infamous slide deck. As always, bring your savviest and snarkiest commentary, as you help steer the show and we field your reactions in real-time. Note: for the full slide experience, catch the YouTube replay at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWtobJAsYqE

Yep, it's that time again. Join Jon Reed and Brian Sommer for the Enterprise Month in Review. We'll pick our underrated stories, and then, in a classic show mashup, Amy Wilson and Meg Bear of the Meg and Amy how will give their live reactions to Brian Sommer's run-down of where HR tech, AI and leadership is falling short. We'll also have some make-your-own-buzzword surprises, and of course, Brian's infamous slide deck. As always, bring your savviest and snarkiest commentary, as you help steer the show and we field your reactions in real-time. Note: for the full slide experience, catch the YouTube replay at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bWtobJAsYqE

What happens when a philosopher walks into Wall Street? Richard Taylor, SVP of People Experience at Nasdaq, left a near-complete PhD in Buddhist studies to find out. In this episode, he joins Culture Amp's Justin Angsuwat to reveal how one of the world's most powerful financial institutions built a culture of empathy, data-driven people decisions, and radical transparency – with turnover 3x lower than the industry average.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

What happens when a software company building AI tools for HR teams uses those same tools to transform itself? Josh McKenzie, Chief Technology Officer at ELMO Software Group, shares how his team rebuilt their entire software development lifecycle around AI agents and redrew the boundaries of every engineering role. He breaks down how to lead that shift without losing people's trust, why domain expertise is the real SaaS moat, and how the right analytics partner unlocks decisions HR teams have never been able to make before. Key Moments: The SaaS Moat: What AI Can't Erode (06:37): Josh argues SaaS value runs deeper than software. Accountability, compliance, and domain expertise keep purpose-built platforms irreplaceable. How ELMO's AI Journey Started (10:23): ELMO started by mapping every role against AI impact. Turning that lens on their own engineering team set the full transformation in motion. Why ELMO Chose ThoughtSpot Over Building Its Own Analytics (18:42): A homegrown tool requiring too much user expertise led ELMO to look elsewhere. ThoughtSpot Spotter and natural language capabilities closed the gap. Why HR Teams Are the Most Underserved (20:21): Payroll here, benchmarking data there, performance data somewhere else. HR teams have been drowning in spreadsheet hell for years. Josh explains how AI finally closes that gap. From Engineer to CTO: Build a Team of Complements (24:17): Josh reflects on the mindset shift that defined his path to the C-suite. Great leadership means building a team whose strengths cover your blind spots. Key Quotes: “ ThoughtSpot was particularly interesting for us… The big thing for us was the Spotter product. Allowing users to bridge that data analyst gap was really important. So, that product has yielded really, really great results for us.” - Josh McKenzie “I think it's really important that we instill a culture where it's okay to fail, and it's okay to make a mistake. You want to be vocal about your mistakes so others don't repeat the same mistake.” - Josh McKenzie “My belief is you want to focus on your secret sauce. So, what is the thing that makes your business super successful? And for us, that's where we came to look at ThoughtSpot. It has a really nice visual user interface and allows you to create some great dashboards.” - Josh McKenzie Mentions Hiring and Onboarding Taking Longer Despite Widespread AI Adoption, New Australian Research Finds The 5 Levels of AI Coding (Why Most of You Won't Make It Past Level 2) WireGuard: Next Generation Kernel Network Tunnel | Jason A. Donenfeld Guest Bio As the Chief Technology Officer, Josh McKenzie is responsible for both technical strategy and delivery (build, release and operation) of the ELMO product suite. Josh has a proven track record of successfully leading technology teams and implementing transformative strategies that enhance efficiency, drive growth, and elevate overall technological capabilities. Josh has 20 years of experience in technology, primarily in FinTech. Before joining ELMO in 2024, Josh held executive and senior positions at Lendi Group, OFX, ASX and Westpac. Josh holds a Bachelor of Computer Science from the University of Newcastle and an MBA from the University of Sydney. Hear more from Cindi Howson here. Sponsored by ThoughtSpot.

In this episode of the HR business marketing podcast, A Better HR Business, Ben and his guests, Stephen Anderson (CEO) and Marc Harrison (Account Director) discuss how crooton is transforming recruitment marketing with hyper-targeted, data-driven strategies. crooton is a recruitment marketing business specialising in location-based recruitment marketing powered by its proprietary, highly targeted technology. The company helps employers promote job vacancies directly to the right people in the right locations at the right time, rather than relying on candidates actively searching for roles. This approach enables organisations to reach both active and passive candidates, improving the quality of applications while often reducing cost compared with traditional recruitment agencies. By combining AI-driven insights with human expertise (“AI + HI”), crooton uses data to inform targeting while its recruitment specialists refine campaigns for maximum effectiveness. The team—made up of recruiters, data experts, developers, and digital marketers—designs and delivers tailored campaigns that improve ROI, strengthen employer brand visibility, and attract candidates who are more likely to stay longer and perform well. Founded in 2019 by Stephen Anderson, crooton was created to challenge traditional recruitment models and deliver better outcomes for employers in terms of cost and candidate quality. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the business supported large-scale NHS recruitment campaigns, which helped establish its reputation for high-impact, location-based hiring solutions across healthcare and other high-volume sectors. Today, crooton works with SMEs, global brands, and non-profit organisations to deliver strategic recruitment and digital marketing campaigns worldwide. Its technology and approach have also expanded into broader marketing services, enabling clients to run highly targeted, location-driven campaigns that connect them with the right audiences at scale. You'll hear practical strategies for finding consulting clients, marketing for HR & workplace consultants, and using AI in consulting. Whether you identify as HR, workplace, L&D, OD, recruitment, or people & culture, you'll discover real stories and actionable advice to attract clients, win contracts, and grow sustainably. What You'll Learn in This Episode: How hyper-targeted geofencing campaigns help win large recruitment projects The emerging challenges (and solutions) with AI-driven application volumes in recruitment Why crooton's real-time tools and bespoke approach drive better ROI for recruitment clients Episode highlights: What crooton is and how it helps employers attract talent using geofencing and hyper-targeted campaigns. Why targeted local advertising is more effective than mass-market strategies for specific hiring needs. Sectors and role types where crooton's approach is most impactful (healthcare, logistics, retail, hospitality). The shift towards hyper-targeting and how it reduces wasted ad spend. How advances in AI have created new challenges with high application volumes—and how crooton's Crucial tool addresses this. Ways to identify and focus on quality applicants rather than just volume, and the importance of real-time campaign optimisation. The development and benefits of Atlas, a tool for visualising and planning recruitment campaigns collaboratively with clients. The role of face-to-face events, partnerships, and content marketing in crooton's growth strategy. Why effective recruitment increasingly relies on a balance of AI technology and human judgement. How Crooton Markets and Grows Their Business Using their own geofencing technology to target decision-makers at trade shows and industry events. Running digital billboard campaigns around key event venues to ensure visibility to relevant audiences. Attending and networking at recruitment events, conferences, and think tanks to directly engage potential clients. Building partnerships with complementary tech providers and RPOs to reach larger clients and co-market services. Publishing an online and print industry magazine, Untapped, to share stories and insights and extend brand reach. Resources & Links Mentioned: Company's website: www.crooton.com Stephen's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/stephen-anderson-993427a Marc's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/marcharrison1 Check out this B2B podcast launch service. About The A Better HR Business Podcast The A Better HR Business shares strategies, tactics, success stories, and more about marketing for HR consultancies and marketing for HR tech companies, and how to get more clients. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss future episodes. For show notes and to see details of our previous guests, check out the podcast page here: www.GetMoreHRClients.com/Podcast HR BUSINESS GROWTH RESOURCES Get the new book - Grow A Successful HR Business Your Way Launch your own business podcast: B2B Podcast Agency VISIT GET MORE HR CLIENTS Want more clients for your HR-related consultancy or HR Tech business? Visit the Get More HR Clients website for articles, newsletters, podcasts, videos, resources, and more at www.getmorehrclients.com.

In this episode of the HR Leaders Podcast, I had an inspiring conversation with Arun Serikar, VP, HR Technology, Digital Platforms & AI Innovation, Corp Functions at Schneider Electric, to unpack what it really takes to simplify HR technology, scale AI, and build a better employee experience across a global enterprise.Arun shares how Schneider Electric went from 545 HR applications to 303, reducing tech debt, breaking regional silos, and building stronger governance around the tools, data, and platforms used across the business. He explains why employees are not looking for the “best system”, they are looking for fewer systems that actually work together.Most importantly, Arun breaks down how Schneider Electric is using AI to move HR from a back-office function to an intelligence layer for the enterprise, from internal chatbots and ticket reduction, to performance review AI assistance, agentic workflows, and a future where employees can complete tasks without jumping between systems.

In this episode of the HR business marketing podcast, A Better HR Business, Ben and his guest, Mike Minett, Founder of PORTABL, an innovative platform reimagining financial, health, and wellbeing services for today's independent workforce, to discuss how freelancers and gig workers can finally access the support once reserved for full-time employees. Mike Minett is the Founder and Chief Growth Officer at PORTABL, a platform helping businesses manage and support the global independent workforce. He is focused on enabling organisations that rely on freelancers, contractors, and contingent workers to better retain, engage, and protect their flexible talent through modern benefits and workforce infrastructure. Alongside PORTABL, Mike is a growth advisor to a range of businesses and passion projects. He also works on building access to global AI, software, and tech talent, including developing pathways for distributed freelance talent in emerging markets such as Ghana, aligned to global time zones for remote delivery. PORTABL is a SaaS platform and orchestration layer for the flexible workforce, designed to close the gap between traditional employees and independent workers. While permanent employees typically receive structured benefits such as health cover, pensions, and wellbeing support, freelancers and contractors often do not. PORTABL addresses this by providing access to health, insurance, financial wellbeing, and savings products, alongside tools that help businesses improve retention, engagement, and compliance across their contingent workforce. Recognised by organisations including Zurich Innovation, the MetLife Techstars Digital Accelerator, and Plug and Play, PORTABL is building a new category in the future of work. It is founded by a team with deep experience across freelancing, insurance, employee benefits, fintech, and B2B platforms, and is built by independent workers for independent workers to help them connect, stay protected, and thrive. You'll hear practical strategies for starting an HR consulting business, finding consulting clients, and business growth strategies for consultants. Whether you identify as HR, workplace, L&D, OD, recruitment, or people & culture, you'll discover real stories and actionable advice to attract clients, win contracts, and grow sustainably. What You'll Learn in This Episode: Lessons from moving out of corporate and launching an HR-related business. The unique challenges and opportunities of supporting freelancers, gig workers, and consultants. How to validate new consulting and HR tech ideas with real market feedback. Episode highlights: Mike's background in investment banking, his transition to entrepreneurship, and writing his book, “Follow Me Out the Door”. The problems faced by freelancers and the inspiration behind founding PORTABL. How PORTABL delivers employee-style benefits to independent workers, and how the model works. The bulk buying/group buying power of the platform and how it benefits users. Validation of the business concept through over a thousand one-to-one conversations with freelancers. Challenges of building a marketplace for diverse types of independent workers. The business model: B2B2C (working through coworking spaces, associations, etc.). Marketing and growth: targeting both organizations and end users, go-to-market strategies, and the challenge of telling the story to multiple audiences. Attracting investment: The story of connecting with investors and how AI-powered networking led to a partnership with Alligator, a leading HR tech investor. Advice for other HR tech founders: the importance of resilience, community, and persistence. The significance of community for independent workers and how to find support networks. Marketing and Business Growth: Mike explains that PORTABL's business model is B2B2C, meaning it reaches freelancers via organizations such as coworking spaces, business teams, or industry associations. Marketing efforts focus on educating both the organizations providing access to freelancers and the individuals who will use the platform. Mike notes the complexity of storytelling when there are multiple audiences and highlights the importance of focus and segmentation for early growth. PORTABL is currently concentrating on launches in the UK and Ireland, with plans for expansion into Germany and further afield. Building partnerships, leveraging AI-powered tools for investor connections, and forming a community around the platform are key elements of their growth strategy Resources & Links Mentioned: Company's website: www.portabl.co Mike's LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/mikeminett Check out this B2B podcast launch service. About The A Better HR Business Podcast The A Better HR Business shares strategies, tactics, success stories, and more about marketing for HR consultancies and marketing for HR tech companies, and how to get more clients. Follow the show on Apple Podcasts or Spotify so you don't miss future episodes. For show notes and to see details of our previous guests, check out the podcast page here: www.GetMoreHRClients.com/Podcast HR BUSINESS GROWTH RESOURCES Get the new book - Grow A Successful HR Business Your Way Launch your own business podcast: B2B Podcast Agency VISIT GET MORE HR CLIENTS Want more clients for your HR-related consultancy or HR Tech business? Visit the Get More HR Clients website for articles, newsletters, podcasts, videos, resources, and more at www.getmorehrclients.com.

These episodes of #thePOZcast, live from Transform 2026 in Las Vegas, are proudly brought to you by our friends at PIN. AI recruiting tools that automate candidate sourcing, screening, and scheduling across 850M+ profiles. Built for recruiters, agencies, and hiring teams. Learn more and check out a demo:  https://www.pin.com/book-a-demo?via=adam-posner Thanks for listening, and please follow us on Insta @NHPTalent and www.youtube.com/thePOZcast For all episodes, please check out www.thePOZcast.com CHAPTERS: 00:00 – The Witching Hour: An Impromptu Stop-and-Chat Day 10, final afternoon, luggage everywhere — Adam spots Mike Johnson at the Onboarded booth and pulls him into an unscripted conversation that delivers more insight than most prepared interviews. 02:00 – Meet Onboarded: The Messy Middle of HR Tech What Onboarded actually does: orchestrating the compliance-heavy gap between recruiter technology and back-office HRIS — federal, state, local obligations, background checks, integrations — built elegantly for high-volume hirers. 04:30 – From Checkr to Onboarded: The Origin Story Mike's background building trust and safety infrastructure for the gig economy at Checkr, why that exposed the far greater complexity of W-2 hiring, and what made him want to solve it. 07:00 – Building With People You Know, Love & Trust The team that followed Mike from his previous life — people whose kids and spouses he knows, who've gone on trips together — and why that trust foundation is the real secret ingredient behind Onboarded's early traction. 10:00 – Family First as a Company Value — Not Just a Talking Point Offsites where spouses and kids are invited, a hiring philosophy that prioritizes family relationships above work, and why Mike believes that's not a soft value — it's a performance strategy. 13:00 – The White Space Nobody Else Was Solving Every HR software product has its own onboarding experience. Nobody had built the orchestration layer that unifies the end-to-end worker experience across all of them. 15:30 – Enterprise Software Re-Architecture: 5 Months, Not 5 Years The speed at which AI is upending enterprise software is being radically underestimated. Not a five-year transformation — a five-month one. What Claude and coding agents are making possible right now. 18:00 – Compliance Is Not Vibable Federal, state, and local compliance obligations are discrete, black and white, and non-negotiable. That's Onboarded's moat — and why no amount of AI creativity replaces domain expertise in this space. 21:00 – Enabling Builders on Top of the Compliance Foundation How Onboarded balances compliance rigidity with entrepreneurial flexibility: partners and independent builders using the platform to build their own products on top of a compliance-ready foundation. 24:00 – The Founder Philosophy: Say Stupid Stuff to the Right People Finding people you trust enough to say your dumbest ideas to — who will push back hard and still be with you when the dust settles. That's the real engine of innovation. 27:00 – Where to Find Onboarded onboardr.com — a freshly launched website with a free trial and direct scheduling available.   TAKEAWAYS: 1. The Messy Middle Is the Most Underserved Layer in HR Tech Every recruiting tool has onboarding. Every HRIS has onboarding. But nobody built the orchestration layer that connects them elegantly for the worker and for the operators managing it all. That's the gap Onboarded identified — and it's larger and more painful than most people outside high-volume hiring environments realize. 2. W-2 Hiring Is 10x More Complex Than Contractor Onboarding The gig economy built an enormous amount of infrastructure for contractor trust and safety. But the W-2 world — with its federal, state, and local compliance obligations, background check requirements, I-9 verification, and benefits enrollment — is a fundamentally different problem. Mike learned this at Checkr and built Onboarded to solve it. 3. Enterprise Software Is Being Re-Architected in Months, Not Years Mike's view on AI's pace is one of the most direct in the series: people are underestimating how fast the change is coming. Not a five-year transformation curve — a five-month one. The coding agents available today, powered by tools like Claude, are already capable of building enterprise- grade software. Every software company needs to be honest about what that means for their product. 4. Compliance Is the One Category AI Cannot Vibe Away The federal, state, and local obligations governing W-2 hiring are not ambiguous, interpretable, or creatively solvable. They are discrete, binary, and non-negotiable. That is Onboarded's defensibility. No vibe coding tool can build compliance infrastructure. That requires domain expertise, legal knowledge, and years of working inside the problem — and that's exactly what the Onboarded team brings. 5. The Right Moat Is Domain Expertise, Not Just Technology In a world where building software is getting cheaper and faster, the companies with genuine defensibility are those with deep domain expertise that can't be replicated with a good prompt. Mike's background at Checkr building trust and safety infrastructure for the gig economy is the foundation that makes Onboarded's compliance product credible — and the reason partners trust it enough to build on top of it. 6. Build With People You Know — Especially Your First Team Mike's intentional choice to build Onboarded with people from his past — people whose families he knows, who've traveled together, who have real relational history — wasn't nostalgia. It was strategy. Trust that's pre-built from shared experience is the fastest path to a high-functioning founding team. You spend zero time establishing credibility and all your time solving problems. 7. Family First Is a Performance Strategy, Not Just a Value Onboarded invites families to offsites. They prioritize the spousal and parental relationships of their employees as an explicit part of their culture. Mike's reasoning: companies that ask people to choose between family and work get less from both. Companies that make space for the whole person get more output, more loyalty, and more resilience when things get hard. 8. The Best Founding Teams Can Say Stupid Things to Each Other Mike's counterintuitive founder philosophy: the most important feature of a great founding team isn't complementary skills or market knowledge — it's the psychological safety to say your worst ideas out loud without losing credibility. When you can argue, disagree, say the dumb thing, and still trust each other completely, you can work through anything. That's the trust foundation that makes the rest possible. 9. Enabling Others to Build on Your Foundation Is a Growth Strategy Onboarded isn't just a product — it's a platform. Partners and independent entrepreneurs are building compliance-ready applications on top of the Onboarded foundation, extending its reach and value without the company having to build everything itself. In an era of rapid AI-enabled building, making your core defensible and your surface area open to builders is a powerful combination.

These episodes of #thePOZcast, live from Transform 2026 in Las Vegas, are proudly brought to you by our friends at PIN. AI recruiting tools that automate candidate sourcing, screening, and scheduling across 850M+ profiles. Built for recruiters, agencies, and hiring teams. Learn more and check out a demo:  https://www.pin.com/book-a-demo?via=adam-posner Thanks for listening, and please follow us on Insta @NHPTalent and www.youtube.com/thePOZcast For all episodes, please check out www.thePOZcast.com TAKEAWAYS: 1. The Industry Shifted From Doing More to Doing Better Kyle's State of the Union in a single sentence: a year ago, AI was being applied to do more things faster. In 2026, the question has become whether those things are being done better. Volume was the first wave. Quality is the second. The vendors who survive the next cycle will be the ones who can demonstrate genuine outcome improvement, not just efficiency gains. 2. The Consolidation Bloodbath Is Over — and the Race Is Back On The expected wave of vendor exits didn't fully materialize, but AI gave surviving vendors the ability to ship value to customers faster than ever before. The competitive dynamics haven't eased — they've intensified. The companies still standing are moving faster, not slower. 3. Build vs. Buy Is Now a Real Strategic Question for TA Teams Enterprise talent acquisition teams are building their own AI workflows in-house, and that's changing the calculus for every vendor on the floor. Kyle's framework for go-to-market leaders: track how much building culture exists in your target accounts before burning sales calories. If a prospect is already building, that's not necessarily a lost sale — but it's a fundamentally different conversation. 4. Recruiting Fraud Has Become a National Security Issue The convergence of application agents, high job-seeker volume, and organized bad actors has turned recruiting fraud from an edge case into a genuine organizational risk. Kyle knows first- degree connections who have had the FBI in their office after hiring agents of foreign states. This is not hypothetical. Every company with any sensitive data or infrastructure is a target. 5. Fraud Detection Isn't One Problem — It's a Stack Problem Interview fraud doesn't have a single point of intervention. It needs to be addressed at the ATS, at the top of the funnel, and through identity verification across multiple interview stages. Kyle's benchmark of 12 AI interviewers found screen analysis capabilities — matching visual identity from interview to interview — becoming a standard feature. Manual workflows are a bridge, not a solution. 6. AI Is Finally Making Benefits Personal at Scale Benefits has always been complicated, jargon-heavy, and delivered as a one-size-fits-all package that employees don't understand. AI chat interfaces that know an employee's profile — single, two dogs, no kids — and can explain in plain language which plan makes sense for their specific life are making personalized benefits navigation possible without requiring an HRBP to sit with every employee. That's a meaningful change in how benefits gets delivered. 7. Candidates Are Getting Smarter About Total Comp — And Recruiters Need to Keep Up Kyle's observation from the market matches what Adam hears in the trenches: candidates are increasingly asking about the full picture of compensation, including employer contributions to healthcare, equity, and benefits value. Recruiters who can't articulate total comp in real numbers are at a disadvantage — and companies that can are converting more offers. 8. The Trust Gap Between Candidates and AI Is a Communication Failure, Not a Technology Failure The friction candidates are experiencing with AI in the hiring process isn't primarily a product problem — it's a communication problem. Employers are deploying AI interviewing, screening, and assessment tools without telling candidates how to use AI, what to expect, or why these tools actually benefit them. That vacuum is being filled by Reddit misinformation and candidate frustration. Simple, proactive communication could close most of that gap. 9. AI Interviewers Eliminate Ghosting — and That Matters More Than People Admit Kyle's case for AI interviewers directed at frustrated candidates: no ghosting (every candidate gets an interview option), 24/7 scheduling flexibility, the ability to self-select out of a bad fit, and a genuine touchpoint with a company that otherwise might never respond. The value proposition is real. The problem is nobody is communicating it clearly to the people who most need to hear it. 10. Practitioners Build Better Best Practices Than Vendors Do Kyle's Human-Centric AI Council — an independent group of HR and talent leaders producing free, practitioner-led resources for navigating AI — is a direct response to the gap between what vendors say about AI and what people actually in the trenches need to know. The best guidance on using AI in HR isn't coming from conference keynotes. It's coming from the people doing the work. 11. Data Labeling Is the Final Mile of AI — and Almost Nobody Is Talking About It Kyle's standout product observation from the conference: Findem's data labeling capability gives AI the contextual grounding it needs to move from generic outputs to genuinely useful ones. The last mile of AI isn't the model — it's how well the data feeding the model is understood and labeled. That's an unsexy insight with enormous downstream impact. CHAPTERS: 00:00 – Introduction: The Analyst With the Best Swag Game Adam welcomes Kyle Lagunas — industry analyst, founder, and proud owner of a Peppa Pig cardigan — and sets up a State of the Union on AI in HR tech. 02:30 – State of the Union: From More to Better Kyle's one-line summary: a year ago the industry was doing more stuff. Now it's trying to do better work. What that shift actually means. 05:00 – The Consolidation Question: Is the Bloodbath Over? The expected vendor consolidation didn't fully materialize — but AI unlocked a new level of innovation speed for those who survived, putting the race back on. 07:30 – The Build-vs-Buy Threat: When Clients Become Competitors Enterprise TA teams are building their own AI tools — and what that means for vendors without genuine defensibility beyond workflow automation. 10:00 – Fraud: From Edge Case to FBI in the Office First-degree connections who've had the FBI show up after hiring agents of foreign states. How application agents, volume, and bad actors have converged into a national security problem. 13:00 – Where Fraud Detection Lives in the Stack Fraud isn't one problem with one solution — it needs to be addressed at multiple points from ATS intake through interview identity verification. 16:00 – AI as the Great Equalizer in Benefits How AI chat interfaces are finally making personalized benefits navigation possible at scale — without requiring an HRBP to sit with every employee one-on-one. 19:30 – The Smart Candidate Who Asks About Total Comp Candidates are getting more sophisticated about total compensation — and recruiters need to be ready to explain the full picture in real numbers. 22:00 – The Trust Gap: Candidates, AI, and No One Telling the Rules Employers are deploying AI throughout hiring but issuing no guidance to candidates. The result: friction, mistrust, and a PR problem that doesn't have to exist. 25:00 – The Case for AI Interviewers — Told to the Frustrated Candidate Kyle's win-win reframe: no ghosting, 24/7 scheduling, self-selection out of bad fits, and a real company touchpoint. The value is real; the communication isn't. 28:00 – The Human-Centric AI Council: Practitioners Building the Playbook An independent council of HR and talent leaders producing practitioner-led best practices for navigating AI — free, no vendor influence. 31:00 – Love It: Findem's Data Labeling Capabilities The quiet feature Kyle called the final mile of AI: contextual data labeling that gives models the grounding they need to actually deliver value. 33:30 – Love It: CodeSignal's Persona-Based AI Interviewer The demo that impressed him most — an AI interviewer that adopts the persona of the actual hiring manager, not a generic interviewer. 35:30 – Leave It: Generic Vendors Running the Same Playbook Booths full of AEs, cheap water bottles, same motions. Kyle's prescription: bring your solutions people, bring your product people, bring something worth the conversation. 37:30 – Where to Find Kyle & Transformation Realness kyleandco.com for research, Transformation Realness for the podcast, and LinkedIn where he checks in every morning and afternoon.