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The Recruiting Brainfood Podcast: Your weekly 60 minute dose of brilliant conversation about Recruiting & HR
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2 hours ago
2 hours ago
Brainfood on Tour - How to Hire in Brazil in 2025 & Beyond
Brazil - the largest country in South America, an emerging power in the world with enormous natural resources, a growing population and huge space for development. What is it like hiring in Brazil in 2025? How will it look going forward? Brainfood is back on tour, so let’s talk to local recruiters and find out.
We’re going to speak with Juliana Park, Founder (HRX Brasil), Monaly Malucelli, Exec Search (MMT), Patrick Gouy, CEO (Recrut.AI), Karina Fiod, Talent Acquisition Lead (SumUp), Davi Bufalo, LATAM Head of Talent (OLIVER) & friends
- What is the state of the economy in Brazil in 2025?
- What are the main strengths, main challenge here?
- What sectors are the largest employers?
- What is the competition for the top talent?
- What defines top talent here?
- How do candidates behave - what is the best channel of communication for first contact?
- What skills are most in-demand here?
- How is the use of AI changing how companies recruit?
- How is the relationship with the US & China changing the economy here?
- What are the 10 things a recruiter should know in order to become more successful in Brazil?
All this and more, on Wednesday 25th June,2pm BRT / 6pm BST
Click on here to follow the channel (recommended) and click on the green button to register for this show.
6 days ago
6 days ago
BEYOND TALENT ACQUISITION: LEADERSHIP SKILLS NEEDED TO EXPAND SCOPE
Talent Acquisition was the optimal specialism in the People Ops function during the ZIRP of hyper growth; but what organisations needed in 2019 is not what organisations need in 2025. We're already in a world where global growth is slowing, companies are getting smaller, more efficient, more automated. The need for everyone in Talent Acquisition is to expand scope but what skills are needed for us to get there?
- Lay of the land: State of Talent Acquisition
- What is changing in terms of skills demand?
- As companies become 'AI first', what does this mean for organisation structure and team size
- Non-FTE: who is currently doing this and how does TA takes this on?
- Workflow automation: can TA / HR take on the role of 'automators-in-chief'?
- Internal mobility - how to unlock IM, retain the talent and reduce demand for external hire?
- Technology: what innovations can support TA / HR expansion of scope?
- It's too much - how to take on too much and still be effective?
- How to delegate
- How to hire and grow leaders to whom delegation is possible?
- What the main attributes needed for a TA leader to expand scope?
- What skills need to be developed?
- How to accelerate the development of those skills?
All this and more, with Brainfood Live On Air.
We're with Johnny Campbell, CEO (Social Talent), Lyndsey Taylor, Global Head of HR Transformation (Brooks Automation), Christine Ng, Head of Talent (Quantum Motion) & friends
We are on Friday 20th June, 2pm BST
Click on the Save My Spot button to attend for free, and follow the channel here (recommended) to be notified for this and all future Brainfood Lives
Hiring is hard, and getting it right is even harder. It’s a core business-building function with high stakes that takes a lot of moving parts to see real success. You need workflows that accommodate how you function given your company size and goals. You need a user experience that hiring managers actually buy into. And you need an application process that locks talent in.
Only Greenhouse gives you all that in one platform.
Friday Jun 13, 2025
Friday Jun 13, 2025
TALENT ACQUISITION WITHOUT BOUNDARIES: LEADERSHIP LESSONS FOR GLOBAL TA TEAMS
There are many reasons why companies become geographically dispersed - to better service local markets, to develop specific new products, tap into specialist labour markets, corporate tax efficiency and wage arbitrage, taking advantage of skilled labour wherever it can be found at the best cost coefficient for the business.
How is it like to work in, manage and lead a Global Talent Acquisition team? This is the question we'll be looking to ask in this week's Brainfood Live
- What are the main challenges of working with global TA teams?
- How real are cultural differences when it comes to talent acquisition?
- Do local recruiters NEED to operate differently, with behaviours best suited to the local landscape?
- How does AI innovation impact global communication?
- What is the impact of remote vs hybrid vs on premise on management of global Talent Acquisition?
- Can it be said that different countries have different status for TA?
- How realistic / fair is it to cultivate different practices in TA - how do we determine which is most appropriate?
- DEI: how does this work in Global TA?
- What are the best methods of fostering team cohesion across distance / time boundaries?
- KPI's - are these localised and should they be?
- EVP - are these localised and should they be?
- Career pathing / Internal mobility - how can leaders provide internal labour liquidity in TA?
- Hiring leaders...what best tips / techniques?
- Implementing technology ...how to select and implement?
All this and more, with Brainfood Live On Air.
We're with Sandy Grewal, Global HR Transformation Lead (Kambi), Harpreet Kaur, Director Talent Acquisition (Adobe) & Jennifer Candee, Global Head of Talent Acquisition, (IMI)
We are on Friday 13th June, 2pm BST
Click on the Save My Spot button to attend for free, and follow the channel here (recommended) to be notified for this and all future Brainfood Lives
Ashby is the all-in-one ATS which evolves at the speed of AI.
Trusted by high performing recruiting teams at Notion, Reddit, Shopify, Duolingo, Deliveroo and thousands of other top employers across the globe. Ashby is your core recruitment tool designed to help your organisation excel at hiring.
Give your recruiters and hiring managers the chance to the best.
Friday Jun 06, 2025
Friday Jun 06, 2025
VC Investment in WorkTech - Where is the Money Going in 2025?
We're halfway through the year (can you believe this??) and so a great time to stop and take stock on where we are going with recruitment and HR technology. It's pretty clear that investors know that the organisational transformation is underway - driven by AI innovation which is changing the nature of almost every job.
What can we learn from where the investment is going?
- Volume of VC investment in H1 2025
- How does this compare to 2024, 2023, 2022, 2021 and 2020?
- Breakdown of investment: regional, sectoral, company size
- Categories securing most / least investment interest
- Update on M&A activity so far in 2025 - who has bought what / when
- Vendor updates - who is launching what
- Microsoft / LinkedIn / Indeed - what are they doing?
- Projections for H2 2025 - where do we end up?
- What does this all mean for recruiters?
All this and more, with Brainfood Live On Air.
We're with George LaRoque, Founder (WorkTech), Madeline Laurano, Founder (Aptitude Research) & friends
We are on Friday 6th June, 2pm BST
Scotty AI creates multi-agent systems, that speak with humans and other agents, use software solutions and operate across all communication channels, to automate cognitive labour!
Scotty AI can help recruiters achieve the hiring efficiency demanded for AI-first organisations. Some of our best use cases are from employers who have deployed Scotty to transform how they hire.
Friday May 30, 2025
Friday May 30, 2025
HIRING EFFICIENCY: HOW AGENCIES, RPO'S AND IN-HOUSE USE AI / AUTOMATION
Agencies, RPO's and In-house - we're all recruiters at heart but we too often end up self siloing in order to create safe spaces, which whilst necessary, can also lead to a slow down in knowledge transfer across party lines.
Lets use this week's Brainfood Live to find out if we can break down some of these barriers
- How are recruitment agencies using AI / Automation?
- Is AI transforming how business development is performed?
- Where is AI / Automation in customer retention and up selling?
- How are agencies using AI when it comes to interfacing with candidates?
- Are we seeing any proctoring / ID verification performed by 3rd party recruiters?
- How can technology help SME staffing firms differentiate?
- Has anyone figured out how to actually mobilise the whole store of collected candidate data?
- How do 3rd parties interact with customers when using technology?
- How do we navigate governance and compliance when agencies, RPO and in-house each use different technology stacks?
- Do we have embedded staff working within stack with in-house?
- How is AI changing the skills recruiters need?
- What impact as AI had on how we staff up staffing agencies?
All this and more, with Brainfood Live On Air.
We're with Neil Ray, CEO (Livero), Louise Triance, Founder (UK Recruiter), James Osbourne, Founder (The Recruitment Network), Rob White, MD (Redimeer) & friends
We are on Friday 30th May, 2pm BST
Hire.inc is an AI-powered recruitment platform that streamlines hiring with advanced AI sourcing agents, automated AI interview notes, bulk resume screening, and a collaborative ATS. Designed for startups & staffing agencies, Hire.inc helps recruitment teams find, evaluate, and engage top talent faster while integrating into existing workflows.
Question for all recruiters: how much is your time worth??
Answer: a lot more than you think
Demo and try for free here
Friday May 23, 2025
Friday May 23, 2025
CHIEF OF STAFF - WTF IS THIS ROLE (and can TA / HR do it?)
Chief of STAFF? Sounds like it should be a role which falls into the People Org so its weird that such a senior position so often appears elsewhere ;-) What is the Chief of Staff role, how does it differ from CHRO / Head of HR / EA ....and is it a good idea to have one in your organisation?
- Wtf is Chief of Staff? Can we outline what it definitely is or isn't
- History of the role, why is it in politics and governance, but not always in corporate?
- What is the main value CoS delivers to the business?
- What kind of organisation is most suitable for a CoS position?
- Are there any sectors where this appears most?
- Job design CoS
- What is the reporting line, what are the direct reports, which are the main stakeholders?
- Who does CoS butt heads with most?
- What skills most appropriate for CoS? What attributes?
- If TA / HR want to do the role, what things have to change?
- Hiring for CoS - best source sites, assessment techniques, EVP pitches
- Career path to and from ...is there any?
- Great things about the job / terrible things about the job?
- Recommendations for wannabe CoS
We're with Evan Gusev, Chief of Staff (Pleo), Ben Craig, Chief of Staff (Miro), Teddy Owen, Head of Growth (Autoblocks), Christine Ng, Head of Talent & People (Quantum Motion), Alex Ashford, Chief of Staff (Continuum) & friends
We are on Friday 23rd May, 2pm BST
Great teams start with great hiring — and that’s exactly what Teamtailor is built for.
Loved by companies like Happy Socks, OneFlow, Oatly, and Five Guys, Teamtailor is the all-in-one recruitment platform trusted by over 10,000 businesses and 150,000 recruiters worldwide. It combines a powerful ATS with fully customizable, AI-powered tools to elevate your employer brand and deliver a standout candidate experience.
From career sites to collaboration workflows, Teamtailor helps talent teams move faster, work smarter, and create hiring journeys that people actually enjoy — candidates and hiring managers alike.
Friday May 16, 2025
Friday May 16, 2025
HIRING MANAGER SELF SERVE - THE PAST AND FUTURE OF RECRUITMENT?
It was also the Past of Recruitment - where hiring managers were doing most of the work in hiring for their teams, everything from putting up adverts in shop windows, handling the first enquiries, reviewing CV's, screening candidates, scheduling interviews, interviewing candidates and then offering / hiring said candidates. Perhaps Personnel got involved in the contracts of employment, but 'recruitment' was once handled entirely by the line.
Could it be that this model returns, as AI improves to such an extent that a centralised TA function may not be the most optimal model?
Lets explore how some companies have shifted from centralised TA to empowering hiring managers to do more of the hiring work
- What conditions best suit centralised vs decentralised TA teams?
- Pro's / Cons of decentralised vs centralised
- What degree of hiring maturity is required for hiring manager self serve?
- Retail franchises are the obvious business type for this model: which others?
- How to avoid hiring managers bad practice in hiring?
- Bias mitigation - realistic in HM?
- How to ensure QoH in decentralised model?
- What tools are best suited for this model
- How does AI support hiring manager self serve?
- What role does a recruiter continue to play in such a set up?
- How can a business improve its hiring capability if we go hiring manager self serve?
- What are the top things to remember if you are planning to making this shift?
We're with Martin Warren, TA Leader (ex-Grab), Lyndsey Taylor, Head of HR Transformation (Brooks Automation) & friends
We are on Friday 16th May, 2pm BST
Ashby is what an ATS should be: an integration of sourcing automation, AI-supported outreach sequencing, native interview scheduling, a searchable CRM, and advanced analytics – all in one ATS++ system. That means better data, less context switching, and more streamlined workflows.
Chosen by over a thousand companies, including Quora, Docker, Ironclad, and Multiverse, Ashby stands out as the top-rated ATS on G2. It is renowned for its real-time and reliable reporting, the ability to centralize the entire hiring process, and unparalleled customer support.
Talent Trends Reports are freely available: Download the latest here
Thursday May 15, 2025
Thursday May 15, 2025
HOW TO BUILD CAREER PAGES WHICH ACTUALLY WORK
One of the biggest mistakes in Talent Attraction is failure to maximise conversion from attention you've already captured! The people who visit your career page are ALREADY declaring interesting in working for your business and you need to have a digital property there that underlines your EVP, helps both self select in/out and makes it easy for the right candidates to enter into the recruiting process.
What do know today about building a career page that does all of these things?
- What does a great career page look like - can we have examples?
- 2025: what basic elements must a career page today?
- What are some basic errors to avoid on career pages?
- Images: how to use this - stock, real, AI generated - what are the pros and cons?
- How do we communicate EVP?
- What do we do when company brand vs employer brand are divergent?
- What do we do if we want to create an inclusive message, even though we might not be demographically diverse?
- How AI is too much AI - on copy, image, video?
- Humour: do we use this?
- What is the right degree of friction on apply?
- How does this thing look on mobile?
- Integration with CRM / ATS
- Who is control of this - Recruitment Marketing if it exists, but TA vs Marketing if it does not?
- What are the most common pitfalls in career page design?
- How to handle it when your audience is multiplication?
All this and more as we talk brainfood live. We are on Thursday 15th May, 2pm BST with Bas van de Haterd, Author (Talent Acquisition Excellence), Charu Malhotra, Head of Talent Attraction (ex-PA Consulting, McKinsey & Co, Koos Wurzer, Global Director Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding (Danone)
Great teams start with great hiring — and that’s exactly what Teamtailor is built for.
Loved by companies like Happy Socks, OneFlow, Oatly, and Five Guys, Teamtailor is the all-in-one recruitment platform trusted by over 10,000 businesses and 150,000 recruiters worldwide. It combines a powerful ATS with fully customizable, AI-powered tools to elevate your employer brand and deliver a standout candidate experience.
From career sites to collaboration workflows, Teamtailor helps talent teams move faster, work smarter, and create hiring journeys that people actually enjoy — candidates and hiring managers alike.
Monday May 12, 2025
Monday May 12, 2025
RECRUITING REIMAGINED IN THE AI ERA
Friends, we have a special Brainfood Live to kick off the week! Continuing our series of profiling innovative AI solutions in the recruitment space, we have none other than Hari Srinivasan, VP of Product at LinkedIn, joining the show on May 12th to talk about LinkedIn’s AI hiring tools for recruiters!
Including LinkedIn’s first generative AI hiring experience, Recruiter, and the launch of its first AI agent, Hiring Assistant.
Hear directly from Hari about how LinkedIn is reimagining candidate search and hiring with AI, early feedback on the hiring tools, and why this new tech will help usher a new era of recruiting—that will help recruiters focus on their most impactful work
Saturday May 10, 2025
Saturday May 10, 2025
TRANSITIONING TO CV FREE HIRING
The CV has been around for maybe even longer than recruiting itself become a distinct profession, so are we destined to forever have a document like this in our hiring process? What does it look like if we can remove the CV - does it thicken our pipeline, improve it or make it even harder to handle or process?
Lets have a chat with TA leaders who have made the shift to CV Free Hiring and see if we can learn how they did it, what they learned and what they would recommend to others contemplating the same.
- Why CV Free Hiring?
- How does this argument translate into the business case?
- What types of scenario is optimal for CV Free Hiring?
- What kind of roles are most suitable for it?
- Conversely, what scenarios / roles are NOT suitable for CV free hiring?
- Change management: what were the expected outcomes of shifting to CV free hiring?
- What challenges can TA Leaders expect to encounter?
- How did you handle them?
- What did the recruitment team think of CV free hiring?
- What TA strategies are eliminated by going CV Free hiring - presumably, sourcing?
- Short / Medium / Long term outcomes of the shift
- CX impact?
All this and more as we tackle an issue whose moment may be now!
We are on Friday 9th May, 2pm BST with Jessie Schofer, Founder (Stakked), Matthias Schmeisser, VP People & Operations (Emnify), Tony McCaffery, Founder (Diversity Scotland) & Kare Heward, Talent Acquisition Manager (QVC)
Ep306 is sponsored by our friends at Willo
Recruiting for high-volume positions in a global, diverse workforce is increasingly challenging, especially when relying on traditional methods and the limitations of written CVs. Managing thousands of applications manually is not only exhausting and inefficient, it can also prevent you from finding the top talent your organization needs to thrive.
Enter Willo. The award-winning team is transforming the hiring process with a dynamic candidate screening solution that users love, backed by an NPS score to prove it!
Their web-based, human-centric platform enables candidates to record responses to a predefined set of questions at their convenience. With over 5,000 secure integrations, Willo makes it easy to supercharge your recruitment process, reduce bias, and support diversity, equity, and inclusion goals—all while helping you tap into a larger, more exciting pool of global candidates.
Book a demo at willo.video this month to get 10% off—just use the coupon code "brainfood”. That's W-i-l-l-o dot video.