Talent Acquisition Podcast: Season One Round-Up

After we close out season one of the Talent Sandbox podcast, we wanted to share a summary from what has turned out to be a fantastic series of insightful conversations with TA leaders!We kicked off the season with Neil Kelly, founder and CEO of Talent Sandbox, where we examined the challenges and opportunities facing the profession. Neil talked about the evolving role of talent acquisition, the impact of technology and automation, and the importance of continuous learning in this fast-paced industry. His candid outlook provided a glimpse into the future of talent acquisition, offering valuable perspectives on the complexities and opportunities that lie ahead, including:

• The need to standardise TA practice around a gold standard.
• Designing candidate-centred hiring practices that enrich and improve candidate experience.
• Ability for TA teams to quickly and effectively scale up and down, in line with the organisation.
• The importance of learning and skill development in driving career pathways in talent acquisition.

Listen to episode one. In episode two we were joined by Evelyne Van Vosselen, a highly experienced Global Learning, HR & OD practitioner. Evelyne talked about the transformative power of learning and development in talent acquisition. She emphasised how these initiatives can serve as strategic enablers, attracting and nurturing top talent through personalised training solutions and captivating learner experiences:

• The importance of developing a culture of authenticity and trust, as a context for continuous learning.
• The power of building communities of practice to support learning and development.
• Seeing learning and development as a critical business process, rather than a transactional commodity.

Listen to episode two. In episode three, we were privileged to have Sven Steinebach, VP and Head of Global Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding at Evotec, join us. Sven's incredible journey from recruitment to leadership shed light on how talent acquisition has evolved into a strategic enabler of business success:

• The enhanced professional identity of talent acquisition, attracting people into the industry for longer term careers.
• The pivotal role of recruiters as matchmakers, influencers, and negotiators, enabling organisations to find and secure the right talent.
• The power of mentorship in guiding and accelerating performance in aspiring talent professionals.

Listen to episode three. Episode four took a deep dive into the topic of neurodiversity with Theo Smith, a passionate advocate who educates organisations on how to build neuro-inclusive workplaces. Theo talked about the barriers facing neurodiverse people at work, in recruitment processes and society. Theo encourages organisations, in particular talent acquisition to start taking action with three practical recommendations:

• Ensure your communications to candidates and hiring managers are clear and actionable.
• Audit your hiring content and process through the lens of your neurodiverse applications.
• Ask for feedback from your neurodiverse applicants and employees to better understand how the process be refined and improved.

Listen to episode four. Next, we welcomed Todd Raphael, Head of Content at AI company, SkyHive. Todd talked about the common challenges faced by talent acquisition leaders, particularly dealing with and responding to employee turnover. Through improved communication, understanding employee needs, and fostering positive work environments, Todd provided strategies to tackle this pressing issue head-on.

• There is a disconnect in the perspectives between and organisation and its employees.
• Burnout is on the rise, especially in recruitment and talent acquisition.
• Get closer to your employees to better understand what keeps them in your organisation, their motivations and how to reduce stress.

Listen to episode five. Finally, we explored the world of outsourcing in episode six with Ken Coyne from Ops Talent. Ken highlighted how Ops Talent addresses the people and culture deficit in the outsourcing industry, providing multilingual customer experience and technology services from Poland, a thriving outsourcing hub.

• Outsourcing can be an effective part of talent strategy, in particular being able to scale up or down as the market fluctuates.
• Outsourcing helps organisations to quickly access expertise and high cost-savings.
• flexibly scale, access expertise, and achieve cost-savings.
• Opportunity to widen the talent pool and access talent from diverse backgrounds and cultures.

Listen to episode six.E ach episode of Talent Sandbox was carefully crafted to empower talent acquisition leaders with knowledge, insights, and strategies to excel in their roles. From navigating the changing landscapes of talent acquisition to leveraging learning and development, enabling the potential of talent acquisition, embracing neurodiversity, addressing turnover challenges, and empowering outsourcing, the first season of Talent Sandbox delivered a diverse range of topics that captured the essence of talent acquisition excellence.