Hiring On All Cylinders

As Senior Director of Talent at venture capital firm SignalFire, Mario Espindola has the science of headcount planning down to art. In this insight-packed episode, he joins Chris to discuss how talent leaders can help drive a more cost-effective, strategic, and data-driven headcount planning process. They begin by stressing the importance of risk management in the current economic climate, with Mario offering advice for assessing resources and project readiness. As the conversation continues, Chris and Mario weigh up the benefits of top-down and bottom-up approaches, explore cost analysis techniques, and ask: when is it the right time to adopt sophisticated headcount management tools? They end on an optimistic note, as Mario shares his vision of an AI-enabled, time-rich future for talent acquisition.

The boom times are over. To succeed in a post-pandemic world, talent leaders must move beyond delivery and embrace a more strategic role. In this episode, Chris talks to Paddy Lambros, Talent Director at venture capital firm Atomico, to explore how in-house recruiters can earn their seat in the C-suite. Change is inevitable, argues Paddy, and it’s a sink-or-swim situation. But the best leaders can rise above turbulent waters by demonstrating adaptability, foresight, and a deep understanding of their organization’s goals. Paddy also talks through a strategic hiring process and shows how data-led insights and tactical planning can help manage stakeholder expectations. Finally, the conversation turns towards the future, as Chris and Paddy predict how AI could shape the talent space. Spoiler: its impact will be game-changing – but not in the way we might expect.

For many tech recruiters, India represents both a wellspring of capability and an uncharted territory. In this episode, Chris chats to Jeremy Bushaw, VP of Global Talent Acquisition at Informatica, to learn how he steered the data management firm through the fast-moving Indian recruitment market. Jeremy opens up about the challenges of hiring in an unfamiliar cultural environment and shares first-hand advice to help TA leaders stake their claim in a fiercely competitive space. The conversation also covers the importance of technology in global talent acquisition, as Jeremy explains how he harnessed AI and automation tools to increase reach, bolster DE&I initiatives, and cut time to fill by around 30%. It’s a jam-packed episode that will inspire anyone looking to tap into new territories and new talent.

As a Talent Acquisition Director at a fast-growing software startup SevenRooms, Katie Moriarty has turned C-suite recruitment into an art form. In this episode, she joins Chris to explain how talent leaders can streamline executive-level hiring and deliver on everyone’s expectations – no matter the size of their organization. Drawing on her extensive TA leadership experience, Katie explores common challenges associated with high-level recruiting and shares practical advice on managing relationships, building trust with CEOs, and delivering engaging candidate experiences. What should TA leaders look for in an external search firm? When is the right time to implement an in-house executive search function? And how should startups approach that all-important first executive hire? Listen now to find out.

In this episode, Chris chats to Ben Abear, an experienced recruitment strategist, to explore how data-driven decision-making and strong leadership can transform a hiring function into an indispensable strategic value-add. Drawing from his experiences at Google and Meta, Ben shares tips to help talent leaders become more adaptable, boost their data fluency, and build end-to-end hiring processes that support long-term business goals. Next, the conversation turns to the value of talent mapping, as Ben recommends strategies to track career journeys, improve internal mobility, and predict and prepare for attrition. Finally, Chris and Ben look to the not-too-distant future and ask: has our age of big data and smart AI rendered the résumé obsolete?

As SVP of People at SmartRecruiters, Lehua Stonebraker doesn’t just advocate for her organization’s products – she uses them every day. In this episode, she joins Chris to discuss how her team’s intimate knowledge of end-user experience has helped bolster product quality, generate sales leads, and improve internal mobility. Their conversation also covers the value of rotational programs, the state of remote work, and the role of effective talent leadership in navigating mergers and acquisitions. Reflecting on her experience at HR software firm Ceridian, Lehua shares actionable advice to help talent leaders add value and reduce friction during an M&A process.

Can startups use size to their advantage when recruiting for growth? In this episode, Chris Marty, Operating Partner at venture capital firm Unusual Ventures, explains how holistic hiring and shrewd planning can help early-stage companies compete in a crowded talent market. Chris starts with a whistle-stop tour of his résumé, from initial roles at Google and Dropbox to success stories with startups like Wealthfront and Fleetsmith. Drawing on these experiences, he shares a wealth of suggestions to help founders and recruiters hire the right people at the right pace. How can startups sell themselves without an established brand? What attributes should you look for in early-stage candidates? And when should growing companies start building an internal talent function? Get all the answers and more in this insightful episode of Hiring On All Cylinders.

In this week’s jam-packed episode of Hiring on all Cylinders, Danielle Colanto, Director of Global Talent Acquisition at Yotpo, eCommerce marketing platform, sits down with Chris to delve deeper into the importance of soft skills for your recruitment career. The conversation covers the movement of employees from talent acquisition and recruitment into the tech industry, touching on Danielle’s personal experience of pivoting from fashion and retail into the world of tech. Danielle shares her advice, including the importance of identifying transferable skills and being curious to learn about the changing landscape of tech, as well as the power of leveraging your network. Considering a similar career move into tech? Then this episode is for you.

How do you make an immediate impact as a talent acquisition leader? In this week’s episode of Hiring on all Cylinders, Chris Abbass catches up with Samantha Perlman, Head of Talent, at OneSignal, a leading customer engagement platform for brands. The conversation covers her recruitment career journey, her responsibilities as Head of Talent and what excited her most about her latest role at OneSignal. Wondering how to address resistance to change when taking on a new senior leadership role? Listen to learn more from Samantha and her best practices as Head of Talent.

In this episode, Kan Ta, Talent Acquisition Leader at Robinhood, shares his thoughts on what makes a high performing talent acquisition team. He delves into his extensive experience, having been a Partner at his own recruitment company Binc Search (later acquired by Robinhood), to deliver thought-provoking advice on how to set your TA team up for success. Think high-volume hiring or filling the top of funnel with candidates is always the answer? Think again.

Without transformation, you can risk becoming irrelevant in today's fast-changing landscape, but what are the cornerstones of business transformation? In this week’s episode, Chris sits down with Garry Fielding, Private Equity Executive at Francisco Partners Consulting, a leading global investment firm that specialises in tech. They discuss the foundations of large-scale business transformation and chart Garry’s career from working as an assistant analyst at Deloitte to his transition into private equity. Curious about his advice to the world’s fastest-growing companies? Garry shares his expert insight on the most common challenges companies are facing right now, from retention to the importance of creating pipelines of talent. Tune in to learn more!

In this episode, Fastly’s Head of Global Talent Acquisition, Shirin Parineh, joins Chris to discuss the role of Talent Acquisition in sustainable growth. Their conversation covers what good leadership looks like, upskilling team members and how to be an effective partner to the wider business. Shirin also touches on Fastly’s growth through uncertain times and how a conservative approach to scale can pay off in the long term. This episode is a great listen for aspiring talent leaders who want to build an established career in the Talent Acquisition space.

When is it right to hire for potential? And when should you rely on experience and expertise? Holly May, Chief People Officer at Datavant, sits down with Chris to discuss how onboarding high-growth potential talent has helped increase the size of the company (by 10x) in four years. She covers the importance of defining culture at an early stage and argues that a lean team of top performers can easily outstrip a much larger team of mid-level performers when it comes to impact and value. Noting that there’s no singular approach to scale that suits all businesses, Holly shares tips on identifying what will work for your organization.

What can you learn from a breadth of experience across different roles and in different leadership positions? In this episode, Kelly Cartwright, VP of Global Talent Acquisition at Splunk, tells us how her wide-ranging experience has taught her the importance of data in TA leadership decision-making. She discusses how data can be used to drive real business impact through strategic headcount planning and argues that we should reframe who the real ‘customer’ is when thinking about team growth.

In times of great organizational transformation, storytelling can be a leader’s most powerful communication tool. In this episode, Jocelyn Lai, Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Duolingo, joins Chris to talk about the power of storytelling in talent acquisition to spark action and inspire people to join a mission. Jocelyn shares her own examples of storytelling when conveying expectations and explains how to set people up for success by communicating with passion and enthusiasm. Whether your business is experiencing a culture change, appointing a new leader, going through a team restructure, or about to hyper-scale, listen to this episode for top tips on communicating your message and being truly heard and engaged with.

Welcome to our first episode of the Hiring On All Cylinders podcast. Meet our first guest, Becky McCullough, VP of Global Recruiting at HubSpot, the #1 CRM platform for scaling businesses. Starting her career in Finance, Becky speaks about her move into the People and Talent space during a tenuous time in the market after the Great Recession in 2008. Becky discusses how to be a strong people leader and drive organizational change in small and bold ways during uncertain times. Tune into this episode to hear Becky's experience and tips on building strong talent teams, getting buy-in from senior leaders during times of change, and measuring success when scaling rapidly.