There’s a saying that goes “Nothing grows in the comfort zone” and our guest today is a formidable example of success outside of comfort! We are thrilled to welcome to the Talk Talent to Me podcast, Nicolette Jackson, Head of Talent over at Zephyr. Nicolette shares more about what they do at Zephyr and her journey to becoming the Head of Talent. We dive into her inspiring and forward approach to negotiating her job offer at Zephyr, and she highlights what prompted her confidence to (always) ask for more! We then delve into the different facts of her mentor/mentee relationship with Lorraine Buhannic, and much more.

Key Points From This Episode:

• The Nicolette of it all. More about Zephyr and Nicolette’s background and journey.

• Viewing another Chief People Officer’s visible role at the table: how it was apparent to Nicolette.

• She elaborates on the different types of things the board asked Lorraine (the CPO).

• The sparks that influenced Nicolette’s Chief People Officer aspirations.

• Nicolette delves into her approach toward negotiating her job offer at Zephyr.

• The inspiration that prompted her confidence to ask for more (from her job offer).

• Nicolette sheds light on various facets of her mentorship dynamic with Lorraine.

• She shares Lorraine’s anti-imposter syndrome pep-talk/ concept.

• Painting her own data journey and the impact it has had on her confidence.

• She explains the different ways she is currently quantifying the role.

• Why owning your expertise is a beautiful thing to do for a business.

Quotes:

“When I realized that recruiting was — one side bringing people in but then also how to grow them and make them happy while they were there was the whole other side of the spectrum. And to truly be happy in recruiting — I feel like I also wanted a say-so on how people were treated once they were in the door.” — Nicolette Jackson [0:08:40]

“Who gets the oil? The squeaky wheel, honestly the people that ask for the things they want.” — Nicolette Jackson [0:14:44]

“Nothing that I’ve done in this life that has made me successful was ever comfortable. It’s always been uncomfortable. It’s always been a challenge.” — Nicolette Jackson [0:25:20]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Nicolette Jackson on LinkedIn

Zephyr

Hippo Insurance

Lorraine Buhannic on LinkedIn

Episode: Juxtapose Head of Talent Lorraine Buhannic

Juxtapose

Talk Talent to Me

Hired

Sometimes, life is all about taking leaps of faith. And when it comes to talent and talent management, a leap of faith can open doors that you never even considered walking through. Today we are joined by Kara Hughes, the VP, HR Business Partner of Tech & Digital, as well as the Head of Workforce Planning, People Insights, and Analytics at Northwestern Mutual – a financial firm focused on making their clients feel more confident and secure so that they can sleep better, breathe easier, and feel happier. Kara begins the conversation by answering an important recruiting question from one of Rob’s friends about how to approach problematic intake interviews. Then, we get to know more about Kara: how she ended up at Northwestern Mutual and what her job entails. We also discuss the importance of workforce planning, the departments that are responsible for it, and the role of recruiters in becoming part of business strategy and workforce planning conversations. To close off, we explore how the evolution of HR has added to the pains of the industry. Be sure to listen until the very end for some helpful advice on how to send an email in French.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Welcoming Kara Hughes as she answers a recruiting question from one of Rob’s friends.

• Advice for candidates on how to approach intake interviews.

• The leaps of faith that led Kara to Northwestern Mutual and what her title and role entails.

• Exploring the role of recruiters in workforce planning.

• The departments that initiate and prioritize workforce planning, according to Kara.

• How recruiters can involve themselves in business strategy and planning conversations.

• Why many people (incorrectly) believe that HR should not have a seat at the strategy table.

• How the evolution of HR helps to explain the modern challenges of the role.

• Some multicultural advice to end today’s episode.

Quotes:

“Recruiters and hiring managers, you hope they have a really good intake meeting and are really, really clear on requirements but signals get crossed. So, advocate for yourself and cover all those important bases at the outset and don’t feel bad about doing it.” — Kara Hughes [0:03:51]

“Show gratitude and know who has gotten you to where you are and who’s helped you along the way because if you really sit back and take stock, [you’ll realize that] it’s many, many people.” — Kara Hughes [0:09:49]

“There’s been such a radical shift in the value that [HR] is expected to provide.” — Kara Hughes [0:28:28]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Kara Hughes on LinkedIn

Northwestern Mutual

Talk Talent to Me

Hired

In this episode, you will hear about Frank’s wealth of experience, recruiting for SeatGeek and the challenges it has brought, and their amazing finance and HR business partner team We then delve into what Frank is currently working on at SeatGeek before discussing the importance of foresight and being proactive when bringing talent into a large company. Finally, our guest shares advice for anyone in the talent recruitment space who is looking to move into bigger roles. You don’t want to miss this so be sure to tune in now!

Key Points From This Episode:

• A brief overview of Frank’s career and a bit about SeatGeek.

• Overseeing the recruitment period at SeatGeek during COVID and the challenges it brought.

• Frank tells us about their new finance team and HR business partner team.

• Why they place focus on planning in their business while remaining agile.

• How Frank’s experience has helped him participate in the moving parts within SeatGeek.

• What Frank is working on right now at SeatGeek.

• The importance of being proactive about bringing talent into a large company.

• Frank shares advice for anyone wanting to climb the talent recruitment ladder.

Quotes:

“As you – become a more mature and bigger organization, you have to have better foresight just because there are a lot more moving parts.” — Frank Cebek [0:10:46]

“Always try to bring value to the company you’re working at.” — Frank Cebek [0:26:04]

“At the end of the day, recruiting is a support function.” — Frank Cebek [0:26:19]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Frank Cebek on LinkedIn

Frank Cebek on Instagram

SeatGeek

Talk Talent to Me

Hired