This week Off The Cuff returns to celebrate our veterans with an interview with Steve Chang, Founder of the Veteran Transition Accelerator Headlamp. Steve is a retired Special Forces Officer and graduate of The Wharton School of Business where he received his MBA. In this episode, Christina and Steve unpack the huge variety of skills and qualifications that veterans bring to the job market. Steve explains how Headlamp intersects with the Department of Defense’s Skillbridge program and what makes them unique within the accelerator space. 

Headlamp believes that humans are more important than hardware and that optimizing human potential is the most pressing issue to solve for our nation. They abhor the wasting of talent and do this by being fanatical about eliminating any friction that gets in the way of optimizing talent. Their current focus is on finding transitioning veterans the right job building a veteran transition accelerator consisting of a community of communities, access to opportunity, and last-mile training. Their product is Skillbridge-as-a-Service, to connect veterans and employers in Headlamp Fellowships and they invite all veterans to join the platform.

Veterans, especially junior enlisted, are undervalued by the workforce for many reasons. And while veterans have good access to resources and to effective expert advice to call attention to their value, Headlamp thinks that the problem is structural and that these solutions can only “treat the symptoms”. Headlamp believes that addressing the structural elements of Information Asymmetry and Friction will magnify the impact of existing resources.

If you or your company are interested in how Headlamp can provide top-level candidates for your business please feel free to reach out to Steve at steve@myheadlamp.com. Thanks for taking the time to listen to the pod and in doing so supporting both our retired and active service veterans who are serving all over the world to keep us safe!

Topics Include:

• Steve’s Experience In the Armed Forces
• The Current Job Market For Veterans
• Unpacking and Understanding the Skillbridge Program
• Why Veterans Make Such Incredible Job Candidates
• How Headlamp Is Equipping Veterans For Their Future

Connect with Steve & Headlamp:

Website

Email

LinkedIn

Instagram

X

Facebook

Connect with SSi People:

LinkedIn

Facebook

Instagram

SSi People’s Job Board 

Produced by: Social Chameleon

In this special addition of Off The Cuff with SSi People I was delighted to welcome back Amanda Marciniak to celebrate her being honored as one of SIA’s (Staffing Industry Analysts’) 40 Under 40 Honorees. As the director of learning and development for SSi People, Amanda has a thoughtful and intentional way of teaching and coaching. A lifelong learner herself, she continually asks, “What can I give to others to help them grow and be successful?” Her contagious energy draws others in, and she is most passionate about watching those she has hired and trained move up in their own careers.

In her first year with SSi People, Amanda revamped the company’s training program and updated it to four weeks from six, enabling new employees to reach productivity 33% sooner. She also implemented a learning management system that provides employee access to development-focused material at any time, and she tripled the amount of content available. In addition, Amanda led the migration of a new applicant tracking system, increasing the company’s capabilities to view, report, analyze and utilize data more effectively.

Amanda’s goal is to leave a department or company better than she found it by building structure in a flexible way that enables us to grow and thrive well into the future. In fact, at a prior employer, she created and built a recruiter and sales training program and integrated its technology tools to build a comprehensive tech stack.

In this conversation we discuss the state of the staff industry while diving into the emerging trends in both technology and relationship building. Amanda shares her thoughts on how the industry is evolving and what it's going to take to stay ahead of the competition while still delivering the human component that is so essential to the work that we do at SSi People.

Topics Include:

• The 2023 SIA 40 Under 40 Honorees
• Amanda’s Journey with SSi People
• The Current State of The Staffing Industry 
• How Technology is Affecting The Industry 
• The Importance of Maintaining Personal Connections

The SIA 40 Under 40 

Connect with Amanda:

Linkedin

SSi People

Connect with SSi People:

LinkedIn

Facebook

Instagram

SSi People’s Job Board

This week Off The Cuff returns for a delightful and inspiring conversation with Rocki Howard about training and equipping women of color for modern, higher-paying careers in tech, administration, HR, and more. Rocki is committed to helping women remain active in the workforce at every stage of their journey​​. She has spent 20-plus years in the human resource and talent acquisition space and is a firm believer in the power of helping people get jobs, in a culture where they are free to be themselves and change their lives. This belief has driven her career creating work cultures that allow companies to hire and retain the best talent.

Currently, Rocki is the Chief Equity and Impact Officer at The Mom Project, helping to power the future of work one mom at a time. The Mom Project believes in the power of moms, and that diverse, talented, and committed moms are a force to be reckoned with. They believe that parenting skills sharpen business skills and know that when mom thrives, families thrive, business thrives, society thrives...and things change for the better.

In this episode, Christina and Rocki discuss their passion for diverse workplaces while exploring THE RISE SCHOLARSHIP, a program committed to accelerating equity for moms and women of color by providing access to upskill tech certifications while harnessing the power of community and support - in six months or less, and at no cost to participants! Rocki points out the array of benefits that this program is offering while illustrating some of the perks and advantages that businesses and organizations see when investing in RISE. This is a truly inspiring conversation for women from all walks of life and a reminder of the life-changing power of equitable employment for women and moms.

Topics Include: 

• Opportunities For Women of Color In Today's Workforce
• The Empowerment That Comes with Proper Training
• How The Modern Workplace Is Transforming
• The Life-Changing Power of The Rise Scholarship
• How Investing In Rise Could Benefit Your Business

To learn more about how to Partner with RISE, message Rocki Howard on LinkedIn or email her directly at rocki.howard@themomproject.com.

Connect with Rocki:

Linkedin

Instagram

Twitter

Connect with SSi People:

LinkedIn

Facebook

Instagram

SSi People’s Job Board

In this installment of Off The Cuff Christina was excited to welcome Jeff Collins to the podcast  for an informative guide to understanding the basics of conversational AI and Natural Language Processing. (NLP) refers to the branch of computer science and more specifically, the branch of artificial intelligence or AI concerned with giving computers the ability to understand text and spoken words in much the same way human beings can. This technology is the backbone of applications such as ChatGPT and Google Bard that have been making headlines over the past few months.

Jeff currently serves as the Chief Strategy Officer/CISO for Lightstream, a Global Solution Innovator focused on application delivery leveraging unique infrastructure solutions tightly integrated with Next-Generation Global Intelligent IP Networks. Jeff is the ideal guest to explain to listeners the basis of how this technology is revolutionizing so many aspects of research, communication, software development, and so much more. With over fifteen years of diverse experience transforming brands, companies, and cultures by creating business solutions that drive profitable growth, Jeff is passionate about leading disruption through an insight-driven strategy that activates brands and companies by attracting customers, inspiring stakeholders, and creating community.

Before joining Lightstream, Jeff led the sales and engineering organization for EarthLink’s Cloud and Managed Services Division. Prior to this, he held strategy, sales engineering, and network engineering leadership roles at XO Communications and Concentric. Jeff has extensive experience designing and implementing infrastructure, application, and security convergence solutions for Fortune 500 companies worldwide.

In this chat, Jeff guides us through the basics of this powerful new technology while also pointing out some of the limitations and possible abuses of applications like ChatGPT and Bard.  Christina and Jeff also discuss some of the basic ways that you can protect yourself from potentially nefarious uses of this new technology and the possible need for further protections or even regulation.

Topics Include:

• Defining Artificial Intelligence
• Understanding ChatGPT and Bard 
• Differentiating NLP From Search Engines
• The Practical Uses of ChatGPT & Bard
• The Potential Dangers of ChatGPT & Bard
• Tips For Protecting Yourself & Your Family
• Speculations On What The Future Holds 

Connect with Jeff:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmcollins/

Lightstream: https://www.lightstream.tech/

Connect with SSi People:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ssipeople/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SSIpeople

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ssipeople/

SSi People’s Job Board - https://ssipeople.com/careers/#/

Off The Cuff is back in 2023 for a round table talk with three members of our incredible executive team here at SSi People: Joshua Beyer, VP of Client Engagement, Pharmaceuticals & Life Sciences, Michael Daniluk; VP of Client Engagement, Finance, Insurance & Technology and Chris Stone; VP of Client Engagement, Retail & Engineering. This all-star team of experts is here to provide listeners with an inside look at this trend of job scams, identity theft, and fraud.

This episode is a natural follow-up to our last podcast on fraudulent job candidates and includes a bounty of tips, tricks, and red flags to be on the lookout for when hunting for your next job or freelance gig. Due to the dramatic rise of remote work coupled with accelerated changes in technology, predatory job scams have been steadily rising over the past few years. In this episode you will learn from our team on how to identify these scams and ways to protect yourself or your company from falling prey to this growing trend.

Christina and the guys share their observations on the recurring patterns and techniques used by scammers to gather job hunters personal information and defraud the public. You will learn how to keep yourself safe when job hunting and how to implement best practice for your business when searching for new candidates.

Tips Include:

• Search the company website directly and use links on the websites to apply for jobs. Many times links on legitimate job boards lead to cloned/false websites. 

• Use LinkedIn to gather intel on the company’s job page to see if the job is actually being advertised.

• Check to see if you have any connections listed on LinkedIn that work at the company and verify the job opening with them.

• Google Search the company with the word “scam” included to find fraudulent activity.

• Don’t pay for job offers. Legitimate companies won’t ask you to pay for job offers or any other offers related to the job. 

• Staffing firms may require the last four numbers of your social security identification, but a legitimate staffing company will explain why it’s needed and won't pressure you for the information. If in doubt, reach out to the company to verify this practice. 

• Never provide credit card or bank account information. 

• Legitimate companies always provide you with technology tools and never require you to purchase them up front with your own money.

• Be suspicious of offers that are too good to be true. If a job offer seems too good to be true, it probably is. Be suspicious of offers that promise high pay with minimal experience or qualifications.

• Trust your gut!

Connect with Our Guests:

Joshua Beyer: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-beyer-13aab36/

Michael Daniluk: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldaniluk/

Chris Stone: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christopher-stone-603a675b/

Connect with SSi People:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ssipeople/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SSIpeople

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ssipeople/

SSi People’s Job Board - https://ssipeople.com/careers/#/

In this episode, Christina was excited to welcome Sean Slater to the podcast to discuss the ever increasing trend of Candidate Identity Fraud. Sean is the VP of Client Service at The Brixton Group a national technology staffing & recruiting company headquartered in Charlotte North Carolina. 

Christina and Sean discuss how technology and the rise of remote working has contributed to increased cases of CID and how third party recruiting has added to the difficulty of monitoring such activities and identifying their perpetrators. Sean unpacks some vital tips on what to look for when interviewing candidates and points out a few key techniques that he and his team employ when remotely interviewing potential hires.

In addition to discussing CID and how to prevent it, Sean also offers up his take on the state of the staffing industry and what he predicts for 2023. Christina and Sean discuss how layoffs at major Fortune 500 tech firms won't necessarily affect smaller mid-sized companies and how staffing agencies can leverage this moment for their advantage. 

UPDATE: Army defeated Navy, 20-17, in an historic double OT! Go Army, Beat Navy!

About Sean: 

Sean is an accomplished leader and entrepreneur with responsibility for all aspects of Brixton Development & Delivery within North America. Sean provides insight, guidance, and counsel from his technology consulting experience to guide success in strategy, approach, process, and delivery. He also oversees quality programs to ensure the successful delivery of results to Brixton’s Clients. Prior to his work with Brixton, Sean was a 15 year Accenture executive based out of the Philadelphia, Los Angeles, and Washington DC offices. His workforce experience includes Consulting, Infrastructure & Application Outsourcing, and Business Process Outsourcing (on & off shore). He possesses strong capabilities across the entire SDLC and hands on experience with several global service technology offerings. Sean has an undergraduate degree from the University of Michigan and an MBA from Penn State University.

Connect with Sean:

Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seancslater/

WSJ article cited in the interview: Your Boss Still Thinks You’re Faking It When You’re Working From Home - WSJ

Connect with SSi People:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ssipeople/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SSIpeople

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ssipeople/

In this episode, Christina is delighted to welcome the Vice President of Advancement for Veterans Bridge Home, Steven Cole. After graduating from West Point Steven served in the US Army for 20 years as a Public Affairs Officer in both Washington and Afghanistan. After retiring from the service Steven returned to his hometown of Charlotte, NC where he joined the staff of Veterans Bridge Home, a non-profit dedicated to connecting Veterans and their families, in any state of transition, to the community through their network of partners. 

Steven unpacks the work that he does with VBH while explaining some of the challenges and roadblocks that our veterans face in 2022. In addition to educating listeners on the mission of VBH, Steven also illuminates some of the qualities that make veterans uniquely suited to adapting to new working environments and how their unselfish and mission-oriented nature makes them wonderful members of both a workforce and a community.

About Steven: 

Steven Cole is responsible for community engagement, communications and development at Veterans Bridge Home.

A retired Army lieutenant colonel, Steven served for more than 20 years in roles including: the Public Affairs Officer in Washington DC, Kabul, Afghanistan, and as the Army's liaison to the film and TV industry in Los Angeles, CA. Prior to these public relations assignments, Steven taught history at West Point and served in numerous management and staff assignments in armor and cavalry organizations.

Prior to joining the VBH team, Steven was the Director of Communications at Charlotte Center City Partners. A native Charlottean, Steven earned a B.S. in history from the United States Military Academy at West Point, N.Y. and a Masters of Arts in African History from the University of Maryland, College Park.

Learn More About Veterans Bridge Home:

Veterans Bridge Home - https://veteransbridgehome.org/

Veterans Day Festival - https://veteransbridgehome.org/2022/

Hero Run - https://veteransbridgehome.org/hero-run/

Veterans Suicide Line - Call or Text 988

Connect with SSi People:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ssipeople/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SSIpeople

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ssipeople/

In this episode, host Christina Vinson talks with her sister Claudia Ramirez Tate, who is a Senior Account Executive at Flexential & the President & Co-Founder of Women's Technology Alliance of Charlotte (WTAC).

Claudia and Christina discuss growing up in an hispanic household in the south, fitting in at school, and how they both got into the IT space.

Topics Include:

• Claudia’s Background & Mission
• Educational Opportunities for Women
• Family Life
• Upcoming Events at WTAC

Connect with Claudia:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/claudiatate

Connect with SSi People:

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/ssipeople/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SSIpeople

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ssipeople/

Resources: