TalentNet Live - 15 Years of TA Community. It's a Wrap!

As I wrap up insights from TalentNet Live 2024 in Dallas, it’s clear that the event delivered a powerhouse of thought leadership, practical takeaways, and forward-thinking strategies tailored for today’s talent acquisition landscape. Here’s a look at some impactful insights from the first half of the day.

Bruce W. Waller, CRP, PHR, SHRM-CP The event started with a bang: We connect to serve. We serve to connect—powerful words. Ask yourself the following questions: How can we help others along the way? How do you want to be remembered? I was lucky enough to snag one of his books. Drive With Purpose: Move Your Career from Success to Significance. Buy it here. I look forward to diving into this over a nice hot cup of tea.

Michael Goldberg and Jennifer Elliott talked about the difference between recruiters being transactional and talent advisors being strategic and consultative—their collective advice: learn what's important to your organization and measure that.

Nicky Russell , Eliud Jimenez, MBA, MHR , and Annie Culbertson touched on inclusive recruitment and the importance of transparent communication. They shared an easy win: look at the language in your job postings and put yourself in the candidate's shoes. Words matter—lead vs. manage, using a caretaker model.

Bryan Adams stated in 2023 59% of employees were not happy in their jobs which is an 8.1trillion, not billion dollar loss in productivity. Dallas, we have a problem. Employer branding and talent acquisition should be prioritized, but they often aren't. Culture is strategy. Leaders care about capability, not talent. People are the only competitive advantage in business. Instead of being attractive, be compelling. Ask yourselves: What's ahead of us and why? What does it take to get there? You can use stories for engagement. Check out Happydance Careers Websites . I'm bummed I did not get to do a happy dance.

Melissa Thompson and John Baldino , touched on the future of talent acquisition innovations and trends. John reminded us that we're important but not that important. Go where the work is happening and sit with the recruiter. What challenges are they facing? Melissa suggested taking the Gemba walk, a workplace walkthrough that aims to observe employees, ask about their tasks and identify productivity gains.

Craig Fisher and Michael Nadeau talked about the next generation of applicant engagement. Ask yourself what it takes to get to the right hire. Chemistry drives culture. The future of hiring is in digital profiles. I agree. Writing a resume sucks! We are hiring people, not paperwork. We need an applicant engagement system to drive more positive candidate experiences. Take a look at Cnect if you wish to improve your candidate experience and recruiting efficiency.

A big shoutout to Sarah White , Chris Allen , Anna Morgan , John Baldino , Owen Shirk , Dan Lockhart , Jason Roberts , Trish Wyderka, CPC, CIR, ACIR , Dave Ralph , Brendan Macomber and Bryan Adams for the most entertaining dinner I've had the pleasure to attend this year. Priceless! Dave has quite a voice, and we enjoyed the short sing-along. And he shared his pizza with me.

I enjoyed getting to know and sharing the stage with my fashionable panelists, Leah Hill and Kelly Thornburg, PHR and talking about effective employer branding and marketing. I am still coveting Leah's tuxedo pants.

It was great reconnecting with many industry friends and making new ones. There are too many people to tag, so I won't, but if you see this please share the love. See you next year for the Sweet 16 celebrations!