Podcast
HR Tech 2025
Hosted by WRKdefined Podcast Network · EN
Recorded live from the official HR Tech podcast studio, this limited series drops you straight into the conversations everyone at the conference actually wanted to hear. HR Tech—over 25 years strong and the annual migration point for every HR and TA pro on the planet—handed the WRKdefined Podcast Network the keys to a studio, and we spent three days pulling in our hosts to interview operators, executives, consultants, product leaders, and investors in rapid-fire episodes. No BS. Just sharp perspective, fresh takes, and the best brainpower from the world’s largest gathering of HR and talent leaders. If you want to know what people were thinking between the sessions, this is where you’ll find it. To learn more about HR Tech, visit www.hrtechnologyconference.com
10episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Why Most Companies Aren’t Ready for AI with Jess Von Bank and Jason Averbook
Nov 2600:25:55Tap to summarizeThis series was recorded live at HR Tech 2025 inside the HR Executive studios on the expo floor in partnership with the WRKdefined Podcast Network. Make sure you’re subscribed to the full series and visit HRExecutive.com for the news, analysis, and insights shaping the future of work. AI hype is loud, messy, and often misguided. Jess Von Bank and Jason Averbook cut through the noise and get right to the uncomfortable truth. Most companies aren’t ready for AI because they haven’t fixed the basics: broken systems, outdated processes, and low organizational literacy. This conversation gets into the heart of what actually needs to change before AI can deliver real value. In this episode we speak with Jess Von Bank and Jason Averbook about responsible AI, organizational readiness, governance, incentives, failed expectations, and why rethinking work itself matters more than any new tool. Key Takeaways AI won’t fix anything until organizations fix their fundamentals Governance, literacy, and incentives decide whether AI succeeds Automating old processes is not innovation Most AI failures come from bad expectations, not tech Leaders need to rethink how problems are defined The industry must stop “AI sprinkling” on outdated systems Real transformation requires behavior change and reimagining work Chapters 01:56 Why the TA and HR tech ROI hasn’t matched investment 02:45 The opportunity and danger inside the AI buzz 03:26 Human centricity, fairness, and literacy 04:11 The hype cycle and the rush to adopt 05:10 Asking “AI for what?” before chasing ROI 06:14 Why this is a reset, not another tech wave 07:33 Digital lipstick on an analog pig 08:11 Transformation vs ongoing evolution 09:52 What will happen to most vendors 10:39 Why AI projects fail 11:41 Redefining how companies solve problems 12:21 Defining success the right way 13:03 HR’s responsibility in making AI work 14:00 Leaders need AI literacy too 14:47 Productivity vs collective intelligence 15:55 Redeploying work, not displacing workers 16:24 The limits of current AI use cases 17:00 Why displacing jobs is the wrong metric 18:15 Vendors must solve real problems 18:59 Consolidation, infrastructure, and the ecosystem 20:04 Responsible innovation needs offense and defense 20:32 Why infrastructure consolidation matters 21:21 Why responsible AI starts with asking “why?” 22:01 Rethinking whether core HR practices still make sense 22:44 The crisis moment HR is facing 23:08 Closing thoughts and gratitude Guest Info Jess Von Bank, Global Leader, Digital HR Transformation LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jessvonbank/ Jason Averbook, Sr. Partner Mercer LinkedIn:https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonaverbook/ Host Bob Pulver, Elevate Your AIQ Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bobpulver/ Connect with WRKdefined Site: http://www.wrkdefined.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrkdefined LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrkdefined Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WRKdefined Twitter: https://twitter.com/WRKdefined Substack: https://wrkdefined.substack.com/
Transcribe →Getting InclusiveAF with CoAdvantage, PrimePay, AI And The SMB Reality
Nov 2600:21:33Tap to summarizeThis series was recorded live at HR Tech 2025 inside the HR Executive studios on the expo floor in partnership with the WRKdefined Podcast Network. Make sure you’re subscribed to the full series and visit HRExecutive.com for the news, analysis, and insights shaping the future of work. In this episode we talk about HR tech, PEOs, SMBs, AI in hiring, and why owning your own product roadmap matters. We walk through how CoAdvantage and PrimePay serve small businesses that often have no HR leader, how they think about employee experience and mobile access, what they are seeing on the Pitchfest stage, and why HR should be using AI as an additive tool instead of a replacement for real people strategy. Key Takeaways HR tech for SMBs is shifting from “forgotten buyer” to primary target, with more vendors openly building for small and midsize businesses. The PEO model plus a modern HCM platform lets SMBs pool benefits, workers’ comp, payroll, and 401(k) under one roof instead of stitching together point solutions. CoAdvantage’s CoAdQuantum platform and mobile app give employees browser-level access on their phones, including pay history and total compensation views. AI in hiring is getting congested and same-y, but the most interesting tools are removing identifiers and focusing on skills, language, and behavior to reduce bias. Performance management AI that “advocates” for employees by surfacing year-long contributions can fix the nine-month memory gap of annual reviews. Pitchfest revealed a divide between “sizzle” AI pitches and deeper semantic and behavioral models that are harder to explain in three minutes but more differentiated. HR is finally being talked about as a business impact driver, with clearer correlations between bad hires, brand damage, culture, and hard financial cost. There is a growing risk that free AI tools tempt leaders to skip a real people strategy, which turns HR tech into a liability instead of a safeguard. CoAdvantage built and owns its own technology so it would not be a small fish on someone else’s roadmap, and migrated clients to CoAdQuantum to control its destiny. The product “personality” the team aims for is flexible, honest, self-aware, reliable, and deeply listening to SMB clients, not pretending to be all-knowing. Chapters 00:00 AI, bias, and sanitizing candidate data 01:44 Katee and Robin intro Inclusive AF live at HR Tech with CoAdvantage | PrimePay 02:29 Who CoAdvantage and PrimePay serve and how the PEO model works for SMBs 04:55 Employee experience, mobile app, and total compensation visibility 07:27 Why CoAdvantage sponsored Pitchfest and what they are seeing in the HR tech startup field 10:33 AI tools that strip identifiers, de-bias hiring, and support performance management 12:12 The forgotten SMB HR tech buyer and why distribution strategy matters 16:03 Making HR credible to business leaders and tying HR decisions to ROI and risk 17:11 AI hype, liability risk, and why HR has to stay the protector of the business 18:28 If your product had a personality – how CoAdvantage describes its tech and service 20:54 Owning the tech stack, CoAdQuantum migrations, and controlling product destiny 22:01 Real-time client feedback, roadmap iteration, and bridging data and humans 23:05 Wrap up with Katee and Robin from the HR Executive studio Guest Information Caitlin Carragee – Head of Strategy, CoAdvantage | PrimePay Website: https://coadvantage.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/caitlincarragee Mark Zimmerman – Chief Information Officer, CoAdvantage Website: https://coadvantage.com/leadership/mark-zimmerman LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markzimmerman Hosts Katee Van Horn – Co-host, Inclusive AF Podcast – https://www.linkedin.com/in/katee-van-horn/ Robin Schooling – Co-host, Inclusive AF Podcast – LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/robinschooling
Transcribe →Why Great Hiring Still Beats Great Strategy with Daniel Chait CEO Greenhouse Software
Nov 2600:26:09Tap to summarizeThis series was recorded live at HR Tech 2025 inside the HR Executive studios on the expo floor in partnership with the WRKdefined Podcast Network. Make sure you’re subscribed to the full series and visit HRExecutive.com for the news, analysis, and insights shaping the future of work. Hiring has never been louder, faster, or more chaotic. Daniel Chait breaks down why great hiring still comes down to disciplined systems, data, and the courage to say no to feature-chasing. This is a real look at how Greenhouse thinks about customers, product, and what “great at hiring” actually means in 2025. In this episode we speak with Daniel Chait, CEO of Greenhouse about founder lessons, product vision, hiring discipline, fraud in the talent market, and why recruiting teams need better data to earn real credibility with the business. Key Takeaway Great strategy dies fast if you cannot hire the talent to execute it Listening to customers without a clear product vision creates a bloated, incoherent platform New Greenhouse Analytics puts real hiring metrics in the hands of recruiters and leaders Most TA teams still cannot answer basic questions on attrition, time to fill, or funnel health Fraud, AI generated resumes, and deepfakes are reshaping how employers vet candidates Real Talent focuses on signal, identity, and reducing noise in overwhelming pipelines High volume and professional hiring are converging on similar experiences and expectations Being right is not enough in legal or business fights if the time and cost kill the company Chapters 00:00 Why great hiring beats any strategy on paper 02:00 Daniel’s path from programmer to founder 03:40 Discovering hiring as an engineering problem 05:27 Ambitious, collaborative customers as the ideal partners 06:55 Balancing customer asks with a clear product vision 09:40 How Greenhouse stays out of the “feature soup” trap 11:42 New Greenhouse Analytics and what it unlocks 13:31 Why most companies still lack basic recruiting data 15:19 Data as the language that earns TA a real seat at the table 17:39 Launching “Real Talent” to combat fraud and misrepresentation 19:16 AI resumes, spam pipelines, and candidate frustration 21:01 Helping real candidates stand out in noisy markets 21:46 My Greenhouse, job alerts, and the “dream job” signal 23:18 Convergence of frontline and salaried hiring experiences 24:34 One system to support all types of hiring 26:33 Where automation stops and human touch still matters 28:41 A painful early lawsuit and the cost of being “right” 31:24 How that lesson now shapes partnership and customer decisions 33:35 Final thoughts and where to learn more about Greenhouse Guest Info Daniel Chait, Co-founder & CEO, Greenhouse Website: https://www.greenhouse.com Host Christy Honeycutt, Host Inside the C-Suite Podcast LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/christyhoneycutt Connect with WRKdefined Site: http://www.wrkdefined.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrkdefined LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrkdefined Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WRKdefined Twitter: https://twitter.com/WRKdefined Substack: https://wrkdefined.substack.com/
Transcribe →AI Only Works When the Data Does with Rebecca Carr and Dan Beck, SmartRecruiters
Nov 2600:21:00Tap to summarizeThis series was recorded live at HR Tech 2025 inside the HR Executive studios on the expo floor in partnership with the WRKdefined Podcast Network. Make sure you’re subscribed to the full series and visit HRExecutive.com for the news, analysis, and insights shaping the future of work. AI gets loud, fast, and overpromised. This conversation cuts through the noise. When the entire talent lifecycle sits on fragmented systems, AI becomes guesswork. When the data is unified, you unlock precision, prediction, and real outcomes. Rebecca and Dan lay out why SmartRecruiters and SAP SuccessFactors fit together, what Winston can actually do in the flow of work, and how the TA ecosystem changes when recruiting, HR, learning, contingent labor, and analytics all live on one plane. In this episode we speak with Rebecca Carr and Dan Beck about AI trust, cross-lifecycle data, workforce planning, agentic systems, shared incentives, and the future of TA inside the world’s largest enterprise HR suite. Key Takeaways AI is only as good as the data foundation it sits on Recruiting data alone can’t deliver lifecycle intelligence Unifying HR, learning, finance, and contingent labor unlocks new predictions Winston works because it stays in the flow of work and builds trust slowly Shared incentives between TA and TM matter more than ownership Agentic AI needs clean inputs, not shortcuts Workforce planning becomes work planning when analytics are unified Chapters 00:15 Why SAP chose SmartRecruiters 00:32 Autonomy, agents, and better data 01:04 Live from HR Tech 2025 01:22 Rebecca’s background 01:54 Dan’s background 02:36 Innovation and why the partnership made sense 03:03 What brought the companies together 03:57 Why SmartRecruiters was the pick 04:21 AI’s power with end-to-end data 04:49 What the acquisition unlocks 05:11 Product and cultural alignment 05:55 Customer-obsessed DNA 06:05 Why lifecycle visibility changes everything 06:46 Shared incentives across TA and TM 07:16 Early integration conversations 07:31 Workforce planning meets recruiting 08:13 Data loops inside SAP’s platform 08:26 Building an AI-first data plane 08:58 How better data drives autonomous agents 09:15 Finance, HR, and contingent labor convergence 10:30 The extended workforce lens 11:07 Non-employee analytics and certification 12:07 Winston’s role inside SuccessFactors 12:46 Why Winston boosts engagement and data quality 13:59 How SAP plans to anchor TA around this roadmap 14:35 AI literacy and readiness across teams 15:01 Why “just automate it” doesn’t build trust 16:06 Winston’s one-job-at-a-time model 17:02 How trust becomes experimentation 17:27 Designing rollout journeys with customers 18:17 Real-world enterprise AI adoption 18:53 Why Winston accelerates AI maturity Guest Info Rebecca Carr, CEO SmartRecruiters LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rebeccajcarr/ Dan Beck, General Manager and Chief Produc Officer, SmartRecruiters LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-beck/ Host Bob Holver, Elevate Your AiQ Podcast LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/bobpulver Connect with WRKdefined Site: http://www.wrkdefined.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrkdefined LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrkdefined Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WRKdefined Twitter: https://twitter.com/WRKdefined Substack: https://wrkdefined.substack.com/
Transcribe →How VONQ Uses AI Agents To Fix Candidate Volume
Nov 2600:17:06Tap to summarizeThis series was recorded live at HR Tech 2025 inside the HR Executive studios on the expo floor in partnership with the WRKdefined Podcast Network. Make sure you’re subscribed to the full series and visit HRExecutive.com for the news, analysis, and insights shaping the future of work. We sit down with VONQ CEO Ritu Mohanka at HR Tech to unpack what really changed at the top of the funnel. Recruiters are drowning in volume and starving for relevance, so VONQ is leaning into programmatic job distribution, embedded marketplaces, and AI screening agents that send 20 signal-rich candidates instead of 200 random applies. We walk through their global channel model, new fraud and AI-usage detection, and why building in public on LinkedIn is part of their transparency and trust story. In this episode we talk about AI agents, recruitment advertising, fraud detection, candidate volume, and LinkedIn as the new front door for talent tech. Ritu traces the journey from Kenexa and Glint to leading VONQ, then breaks down how a platform that touches 5,000 channels can quietly sit inside your ATS and still change the shape of your funnel. Key Takeaways Recruiters don’t want 200 applicants anymore. They want 20 high intent candidates who already passed knockout questions and early screening. VONQ evolved from an ad agency into a global recruitment platform that distributes jobs across thousands of channels with programmatic controls focused on outcomes like cost per hire, speed, and quality. In North America VONQ acts as infrastructure. Everything runs through ATS and HCM marketplaces so recruiters never leave the system where they create jobs. Embedded multiposting, LinkedIn CPA Plus, and AI screening agents deliver shortlists instead of noise, and all the agents are already built and deployed before launch. VONQ now surfaces “signals” of AI or fraud inside the candidate dossier so recruiters know when automation helped versus when it crossed a line. Building in public on LinkedIn is part of the trust play in a noisy AI market. The real bet is recruiter enablement. Less admin, cleaner workflows, faster paths to shortlists. The industry is shifting from volume to relevance, and VONQ’s platform and agent strategy is aligned to that pivot. This series was recorded live at HR Tech 2025 inside the HR Executive studios on the expo floor in partnership with the WRKdefined Podcast Network. Make sure you’re subscribed to the full series and visit HRExecutive.com for the news, analysis, and insights shaping the future of work. Chapters 0:00 Cold open – “The newest pain point is volume. We don’t want that much volume.” 1:00 Welcome back to WorkTech at HR Tech and live-audience setup 1:40 Ritu’s background – Connexa, Glint, LinkedIn, and finding “home” again in HR tech 3:04 What’s different on the floor – AI agents everywhere, screening at the top of the funnel, and the rise of fraud detection 4:04 Old-school assessments vs AI-driven screening and ranking 5:42 VONQ’s evolution – from recruitment ad agency to global recruitment advertising platform 6:39 Platform over point solutions – 5,000 channels and programmatic distribution 7:52 Global go-to-market – direct in Europe, channel and marketplace model in North America 8:51 Embedded in ATS and HCM – why recruiters should never have to leave where they create jobs 10:15 CPA Plus with LinkedIn – cost-per-application-plus, not just eyeballs and clicks 10:54 From 200 applies to 20 shortlists – high intent, knockout questions, and six-minute voice interviews 12:20 Detecting AI usage and fraud – “signals not flags” for cover letters, chats, and voice screenings 13:58 The ecosystem view – platforms selling AI while also protecting against AI abuse 14:47 Finding VONQ on LinkedIn and why building in public matters Guest Info Ritu Mohanka, CEO at VONQ Website: https://www.vonq.com Host George LaRocque, WorkTech Podcast
Transcribe →The Band-Aid Problem Holding HR Tech Back with Talentless Co-hosts Desiree Goldey and Ashley King
Nov 2600:36:44Tap to summarizeThis series was recorded live at HR Tech 2025 inside the HR Executive studios on the expo floor in partnership with the WRKdefined Podcast Network. Make sure you’re subscribed to the full series and visit HRExecutive.com for the news, analysis, and insights shaping the future of work. Hiring teams are burnt out, candidates are overwhelmed, and tech is changing faster than anyone can keep up. Desiree Goldey and Ashley King break down what recruiters are actually dealing with right now, why the work feels heavier, and where the talent function needs to evolve next. No polish. No filters. Just two recruiters telling the truth. In this episode we speak with Desiree Goldey, Co-Host, Talentless, and Ashley King, Co-Host, Talentless, about recruiter burnout, broken expectations, messy hiring pipelines, candidate fatigue, and the gap between HR tech promises and real recruiter workflows. Key Takeaways Recruiters are carrying emotional labor no one talks about Hiring velocity hides broken processes Candidates are overwhelmed by noisy pipelines Most teams are under-skilled in real candidate communication Tech doesn’t fix chaos if leaders don’t change behavior Burnout is coming from expectations, not workload Honest feedback loops are missing across TA Chapters 00:00 Why recruiting feels heavier 01:10 The emotional load of TA 02:04 Candidate chaos in 2025 03:22 Broken communication loops 04:40 When tech makes it worse 06:15 Burnout signals recruiters ignore 07:30 What leaders still don’t get 08:55 Where the function needs to go Host Desiree Goldey, Co-Host, Talentless Podcast Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/desireegoldey/ Ashley King, Co-Host, Talentless Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ashleykingdei/ Connect with WRKdefined Site: http://www.wrkdefined.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrkdefined LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrkdefined Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WRKdefined Twitter: https://twitter.com/WRKdefined Substack: https://wrkdefined.substack.com/
Transcribe →AI Interviews, Tenzo AI, and the New Recruiting Department with Jeremy Roberts
Nov 2600:26:27Tap to summarizeThis series was recorded live at HR Tech 2025 inside the HR Executive studios on the expo floor in partnership with the WRKdefined Podcast Network. Make sure you’re subscribed to the full series and visit HRExecutive.com for the news, analysis, and insights shaping the future of work. Large enterprises are dragging legacy systems, legal risk, and AI anxiety into every talent conversation, while the next wave of tools is already capable of automating massive chunks of recruiting. In this HR Tech Live conversation, WorkTech host George LaRocque sits down with Jeremy Roberts from Tenzo AI to unpack what happens when AI interviewing is done right, why most teams are still evaluating yesterday’s tech, and how this changes the shape of recruiting departments going forward. In this episode we speak with Jeremy Roberts, Founding Customer Success Lead at Tenzo AI, about evaluating AI interview platforms, rebuilding workflows around skills and signals instead of résumés, how to get past the “cool demo” to real compliance and transparency, and why he chose Tenzo after vetting the entire AI interview landscape. Key Takeaways Most large companies are stalled by legal risk and legacy systems while AI is already capable of automating much of early-stage recruiting AI interviewing shifts evaluation from incomplete résumés to structured skills evidence and every spoken word in context The real disruption isn’t the tech, it’s the requirement to tear down and rebuild talent workflows from scratch Vendors that win will be the ones who can explain every decision to legal, compliance, and AI governance councils High-volume use cases are just the starting point; AI interviewing is already good enough for knowledge workers and senior roles Tenzo’s focus on debiasing, transparency, and explainability was the differentiator in Jeremy’s market-wide evaluation Founding customer success roles sit at the center of product, sales, and customers, shaping the roadmap in real time Chapters 00:00 AI, legacy systems, and what could be automated 01:02 Live at HR Tech and intro to Jeremy 02:05 Jeremy’s path from recruiter to AI startup 05:14 Vetting the AI interview market 07:26 How AI interviewing changes workflows 10:45 Why Tenzo stood out 13:37 Compliance, explainability, and safer evaluation 16:12 Where Tenzo sits in the TA stack 18:21 Data, CRM potential, and personalization 21:02 Jeremy’s role as founding customer success lead 23:24 Culture, humility, and building the right way 24:23 Wrap up and HR Tech Pitchfest shout Guest Info Jeremy Roberts, Founding Customer Success Lead, Tenzo AI LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jeremyroberts/ Host George LaRocque, Founder and Principal Analyst, WorkTech and host of The Work Tech Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/georgelarocque/ Connect with WRKdefined Site: http://www.wrkdefined.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrkdefined LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrkdefined Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WRKdefined Twitter: https://twitter.com/WRKdefined Substack: https://wrkdefined.substack.com/
Transcribe →Why data, AI transformation, and workforce strategy are becoming the new HR power stack with Cole Napper of Lightcast
Nov 2600:15:56Tap to summarizePeople analytics hit its peak in 2022. Then the bottom dropped out. Roles disappeared. Teams shrank. And everyone started asking the same question: did people analytics miss its moment? Cole Napper doesn’t think so. He argues the opposite. The field isn’t dying. It’s shifting. The future is AI transformation, workforce modeling, and organizational change at scale. And the people who’ve lived inside the analytics trenches are the only ones with the skill stack to actually pull it off. Data. Tech. AI. Change. It’s all converging, and the HR teams who ignore it are about to get left behind. In this episode we talk about people analytics, AI, workforce transformation, storytelling with data, fraud in talent acquisition, geopolitics, and why the industry is about to rename itself. Cole breaks down what’s happening, what’s coming next, and why the “weather report” days of HR data are officially over. What We Cover The rise and dip of people analytics roles Why AI, agents, and automation are shifting the playing field Storytelling vs AI-generated insights Fraud across TA, payroll, and analytics The future of workforce planning How data companies like Lightcast power the HR ecosystem Why “AI” as a label is about to get boring What HR leaders actually want: predictions, not dashboards Key Takeaways People analytics hit a high watermark in 2022, then declined AI transformation and workforce transformation are the real next wave People analytics talent already has the four skills the future requires: data, tech, AI, and change management Storytelling still separates good analysts from bad ones Fraud has spiked in talent acquisition and bleeds into analytics now AI terms will fade as the tech becomes baseline Workforce planning is hotter now than at any point since 2008 Leaders don’t want data weather reports. They want “do I need an umbrella?” answers Lightcast’s data powers nearly 100 HR tech vendors Chapters 0:00 The High Watermark and Decline of People Analytics 2:00 Who is Cole? IO Psych, Data, and Directionally Correct 4:50 The Real Skills HR Needs: Data, Tech, AI, Change 6:00 Storytelling vs AI-Generated Insights 7:30 Fraud in TA, Analytics, and Payroll 9:20 Workforce Trends and Seeing Around Corners 10:30 Why “AI” Will Become Boring 11:30 The Weather Report Problem in HR Data 12:20 Lightcast’s Ecosystem and Workforce Planning Surge 13:30 What We’ll Be Talking About Next Year Guest Cole Naper. VP Research, Innovation, & Talent Insights at Lightcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/colenapper Host of the Directionally Correct Podcast Host: William Tincup, Co-founder, WRKdefined LinkedIn: https:// linkedin.com/in/tincup
Transcribe →When AI Breaks Your Data: Visier’s Take on the Real Talent Analytics Problem with VP of Product Ike Bennion
Nov 2600:17:08Tap to summarizeThis series was recorded live at HR Tech 2025 inside the HR Executive studios on the expo floor in partnership with the WRKdefined Podcast Network. Make sure you’re subscribed to the full series and visit HRExecutive.com for the news, analysis, and insights shaping the future of work. AI promises magic, but data is still the fuel and most teams are running on fumes. Ike Benion breaks down why TA keeps hitting walls, why fragmented stacks kill insight, and how agentic AI is about to raise both the stakes and the expectations for recruiters. This one is for anyone drowning in tools, noise, and hype. In this episode we speak with Ike Bennion, VP of Product at Visier about data integrity, people analytics, predictive modeling, agentic AI, TA workflow fragmentation, and how organizations can build smarter, cleaner systems. Key Takeaways Data is the fuel for AI and most TA teams are feeding engines garbage Fragmented stacks and weak data collection crush predictive analytics People analytics teams hold the keys to real hiring insight More data reduces false positives and sharpens talent signals Agentic AI raises expectations but exposes messy foundations Most teams regret not collecting critical fields six months earlier Contextualization matters more than prompts for high impact AI work LLMs accelerate research but can’t fix broken processes AI washing is everywhere and buyers need sharper questions You can’t skip the hard part of making data work together Chapters 00:00 Why companies still don’t understand the data problem 01:00 What Ike is building at Visier 01:20 Helping managers make better decisions 01:49 How TA and people analytics should partner 02:30 Unlocking predictive hiring with cleaner data 03:03 What company-level data can reveal about candidates 03:38 Why more data scrapes out false positives 04:09 The chaos of 10+ tools in TA stacks 04:46 What data teams wish TA understood 05:14 Why data construction determines future insight 06:06 How AI accelerates recruiters but can’t erase history 06:25 The power of contextualizing AI for better decisions 06:42 Where agentic AI fits in recruiting 07:07 Do you say please and thank you to your AI 07:26 The environmental side of AI usage 07:37 Why fragmented stacks make AI risky 07:47 The rise of AI washing 08:07 Why bad data breaks every AI promise 08:57 The hype cycle and why we’re not in enlightenment 09:21 Why expectations have snapped back 09:43 Agents vs basic LLMs 10:37 Why organizations will feel the bubble pop 11:02 The promise and limits of predictive people analytics 12:12 Why analytic reasoning is now the top skill 12:34 What buyers should ask to avoid AI washing 13:03 The two biggest forms of AI washing 14:08 What future of work questions buyers should ask 14:30 Why we need to rethink work itself 15:02 How AI should transform processes 15:08 How to stay connected with Ike Guest Info Ike Benion, VP of Product, Visier Website: https://www.visier.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ikebennion/ Host Brandon Jeffs, Host of the Rebel TA Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandohires/ Connect with WRKdefined Site: http://www.wrkdefined.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrkdefined LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrkdefined Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WRKdefined Twitter: https://twitter.com/WRKdefined Substack: https://wrkdefined.substack.com/
Transcribe →The Compliance Shift HR Didn’t See Coming with Jocelyn King, CEO VirgilHR
Nov 2600:21:04Tap to summarizeThis series was recorded live at HR Tech 2025 inside the HR Executive studios on the expo floor in partnership with the WRKdefined Podcast Network. Make sure you’re subscribed to the full series and visit HRExecutive.com for the news, analysis, and insights shaping the future of work. HR leaders are staring at louder demands, faster change, and more legal landmines than ever. Jocelyn King breaks down how compliance is shifting from reactive to proactive and why most HR teams still feel behind. Real talk on tech, complexity, and what HR needs next. In this episode we talk about AI roadmaps, HRIS integrations, compliance automation, risk mitigation, and the tech skills HR can’t avoid anymore. Key Takeaways HR leaders lack clarity on AI strategy and need real frameworks Integrations flip compliance from reactive to proactive Locality coverage is a massive differentiator in labor law Embedded compliance in HRIS workflows reduces risk instantly Automation frees HR for people strategy instead of research Partnership channels will drive most future growth Credible data models beat open source in compliance every time Change management is the missing skill in most HR teams Chapters 00:00 Why HR struggles with AI roadmaps 00:20 The integrations that change compliance 00:37 HR’s invisible emotional labor 01:26 What Virgil HR actually does 02:45 Why compliance needs automation 03:34 The heart and team behind the company 04:34 How Virgil HR is scaling 04:47 Global expansion, AI roadmap, and integrations 05:41 How embedded compliance actually works 06:02 Direct vs indirect sales and partnerships 07:02 The new AI trained bot 08:07 Why locality law is a major differentiator 09:25 Automating critical pay and compliance tasks 10:11 HR’s real value and strategic shift 11:34 Jocelyn’s animal rescue work 13:12 Her deeper mission behind HR for HR 14:31 Why HR must be tech ready now 16:04 Building a real AI roadmap 17:08 How to pick the right tech on the HR Tech floor 18:44 Vetting, alignment, and involving CIO/CTO 20:10 Implementing tech with real change management 21:02 Jocelyn’s favorite thing to do in Vegas Guest Info Jocelyn King,CEO & Founder, VirgilHR Website: https://www.virgilhr.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jocelynking/ Host Christy Honeycutt, Host Inside the C-Suite Podcast LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christy-henika/ Connect with WRKdefined Site:http://www.wrkdefined.com TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@wrkdefined LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/wrkdefined Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WRKdefined Twitter: https://twitter.com/WRKdefined Substack: https://wrkdefined.substack.com/
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