Recruiting Toolbox

10/08/2026

📽️ What if removing interviews could actually improve hiring?
In the latest episode, John Vlastelica speaks with Kylie Kingston and Melissa Oakley of FedEx about transforming frontline hiring at massive scale.
One of the most interesting takeaways: FedEx eliminated interviews for certain frontline roles after data showed they weren’t improving hiring decisions.
By combining conversational AI, automation, and better job matching, FedEx redesigned the process around what actually predicts success—while freeing recruiters to focus on workforce strategy, labor-market insights, and talent advising.
A fascinating conversation about what happens when companies redesign hiring around the business problem—not the traditional recruiting process.
🎧 Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube. Find every episode here: https://na2.hubs.ly/H08gWwC0

09/29/2026

📽️ New episode of John Vlastelica’s Try Harder is Not a Strategy podcast!
John talks with Ryan Cook, Head of Talent Acquisition at Gallo, about building a more agile TA model in a rapidly changing business.
They explore squad-based recruiting, automation, candidate experience, and how to balance AI with human judgment.
At Gallo, the new model helped reduce time to offer acceptance by 37%, automate 18 manual processes, and reduce the overall TA budget by 8%.
Thank you to Paradox for partnering to bring this series to life.
🎧 Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube. Find every episode here: https://na2.hubs.ly/H083B1R0

09/11/2026

Got to or had to?
In his latest newsletter, John Vlastelica explores a subtle difference in how recruiters describe challenging experiences—and what it can reveal about their approach to Talent Advising.
“I got to work on a challenging role.”
vs.
“I had to work on a challenging role.”
The challenge may be the same. The mindset is different.
John argues that choosing hard things—difficult searches, challenging Hiring Managers, messy problems—is often how Talent Advisors build their skills, confidence, and value.

So, how do you describe the challenges in your career?
📩 Read John's latest newsletter and subscribe to Try Harder Is Not a Strategy:
https://na2.hubs.ly/H07MFv80

I’ve interviewed well over 100 recruiters and TA manager candidates for jobs on my corporate teams over the years. And when I evaluated Talent Advising skills, there were a few things I always listened for: Do they sound like a process manager who fills reqs — or more like a businessperson there...

09/10/2026

What does it take to transform Talent Acquisition at global scale?
In Episode 3 of Try Harder Is Not a Strategy, John Vlastelica sits down with Blair Bennett, SVP of Talent Acquisition at PepsiCo, for a deep conversation about the future of TA.
They explore:
• Preparing a complex organization for technology and AI
• Finding the right balance between automation and human expertise
• Rethinking the relationship between speed and quality
• Moving from reactive recruiting to anticipating future talent needs
A valuable conversation for TA leaders thinking about how their organizations need to evolve—not just for today’s hiring demands, but for what comes next.
🎙️ Listen to the episode or watch the full conversation:
https://na2.hubs.ly/H07L0Sr0

09/01/2026

What if Talent Advising has an adoption problem?

In his latest article, John Vlastelica explores an important challenge in the evolution of recruiters into Talent Advisors.
We spend time teaching recruiters to be more strategic—but how often do we teach hiring managers what great Talent Advising actually looks like?

As John puts it, you can’t order off a menu you’ve never seen. The ultimate test isn't the recruiter's title or training. It's whether business leaders seek out their judgment because they believe it will lead to better decisions.

📖 Read John's latest article:
https://na2.hubs.ly/H07yRm00

For years, the most savvy TA leaders I know have been telling recruiters they need to become Talent Advisors. Be more strategic.

08/27/2026

📽️ New episode of John Vlastelica’s Try Harder is Not a Strategy podcast!

John talks with Shay Johnson, VP of Strategic HR Partnerships at Compass Group USA, about designing better high-volume hiring experiences at scale. They explore automation, candidate experience, and how AI could reshape the future of talent acquisition.

🎧 Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube. Find every episode here: https://na2.hubs.ly/H07tV3m0

08/25/2026

Are recruiters operating like contractors—or consultants?

In his latest article, John Vlastelica explores how the recruiter role is changing as AI takes over more transactional work.
His key question is simple: What are we actually paying recruiters to do?
Is it to complete recruiting activities—or to help the business make better talent decisions?
John argues that the future belongs to recruiters who understand the business, challenge assumptions, improve hiring decisions, and help build stronger teams.
The goal isn't to find a more impressive title for recruiters. It's to make sure the value of their work goes far beyond a “contractor” mindset.

📖 Read John's full article:

I'm not one of those people who gets too caught up in the different meanings of similar words - goals vs mission, complicated vs complex. (Except for intake meetings vs strategy meetings - I will fight that fight).

08/06/2026

We're excited to celebrate the launch of Try Harder is Not a Strategy, the new podcast from John Vlastelica.

The first episode features Tyler Weeks, Vice President of HR Research & Performance at Marriott, exploring questions such as:
• How useful are assessments in predicting success in hourly roles?
• Should quality of hire be measured at the individual or team level?
• Could AI's greatest value come from measuring work rather than automating it?
• How is AI helping us better understand the work people actually do?

Congratulations to John on the launch, and thank you to Paradox for partnering to bring this series to life.

🎧 Listen on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or watch on YouTube. Find every episode here: https://na2.hubs.ly/H072Vs10

08/04/2026

Should your TA team focus on building a recruiting machine?
In his latest article, John Vlastelica argues that while AI can automate many recruiting tasks, technology alone won't create a competitive advantage.

The real differentiator? Recruiters who operate as Talent Advisors—building trust, influencing hiring decisions, and helping leaders make better talent decisions.

John's message is clear: use AI to eliminate administrative work, but invest in the human skills that technology can't replace.

📖 Read the full article:
https://na2.hubs.ly/H070lvD0

About 10 years ago, at my Talent42 tech recruiting conference in Seattle, I watched two talent acquisition leaders give presentations just hours apart. The first was from Amazon.

07/07/2026

Are hiring teams relying too much on proxies for quality?
In his latest article, John Vlastelica challenges a common hiring practice: prioritizing candidates from well-known companies, schools, or referrals simply because they feel like a safer bet.
John argues that the real issue isn't where candidates come from—it's whether hiring teams have the skills to consistently evaluate talent.
Some key takeaways:
• Strong candidate assessment is more valuable than relying on proxies.
• Expanding beyond "known" talent opens larger and often more affordable talent pools.
• Talent Advisors should play a bigger role in coaching hiring managers on how to evaluate candidates effectively—not just sourcing them.

As AI continues to reshape recruiting, John suggests the recruiter's role will increasingly evolve from finding talent to helping organizations make better hiring decisions.
📖 Read the full article:
https://na2.hubs.ly/H06wm5b0

Hiring managers have depended on proxies for quality since I began recruiting the late 20th century :) On some level, it makes complete sense. Known candidates feel less risky and more predictable to many hiring managers than unknown candidates.