Hiring Happy Hour

Strong hiring doesn’t happen in isolation; it happens through relationships. In this episode of Hiring Happy Hour, host Nicole Hammond sits down with talent leader and transformation expert Andrew Porter to explore the power of partnerships in hiring, leadership, and technology. Andrew shares why the most effective talent strategies are built on authentic human connection, including building trust across internal stakehold...

What does it actually mean to be AI-ready, and are you already doing it without knowing it? In this episode of Hiring Happy Hour, Nicole sits down with Kyle Lagunas, Founder of Kyle & Co., whose rare vantage point spanning practitioner, vendor, and analyst roles makes him one of the most grounded voices in talent today. Kyle unpacks the three dimensions of AI momentum and makes the case that getting AI-ready isn't abou...

What happens when you need to double your hiring output in the middle of a global pandemic while competing with every business on the block for the same talent? In this episode of Hiring Happy Hour, Nicole Hammond sits down with Adam Reynolds, Head of Talent at Fraser's Group, a leader who oversees hiring for a 40,000-employee multinational retail powerhouse supporting iconic brands. Adam shares how his team scaled from 12...

If recruiters only spend seconds reviewing resumes, why are we still telling candidates to play a game they can’t win? In this episode of Hiring Happy Hour, Nicole sits down with James Ellis, employer brand strategist, author, podcaster, and unapologetic truth-teller, to unpack what’s actually broken in hiring today…and what both candidates and companies can do differently. James challenges nearly every outdated assumption...

Can centralized hiring really scale without losing speed, quality, or trust? Or is it just another idea that sounds good on paper? In this episode of Hiring Happy Hour, Nicole sits down with Chris Bailey, Enterprise Solutions Architect at SmartRecruiters, to unpack what really works when scaling hiring in complex organizations. This conversation goes beyond theory into real-world decision-making, change management, and why...

What does it take to lead hiring through relentless change without losing the human thread that holds teams together? In this episode of Hiring Happy Hour, Nicole Hammond sits down with Kim Nicholas, GM of Talent Acquisition Systems & Payroll at The Warehouse Group, for a candid conversation about resilience, leadership, and high-volume hiring under pressure. Kim reflects on navigating COVID-era disruption, enterprise-...

What does it really take to build a talent team that earns trust, drives results, and plays the long game? In this episode of Hiring Happy Hour, Nicole Hammond sits down with Angie Goldman, Head of Talent at Greencross Pet Wellness Company, for a thoughtful and refreshingly honest conversation about leadership, team building, and specialty recruitment. Angie shares her unexpected path into a Head of Talent role, what it wa...

What happens when a recruiter refuses to let technology replace the human connection at the heart of hiring? In this episode of Hiring Happy Hour, Nicole Hammond sits down with Stormy Jones, HR Business Partner at Pyrotek, for a conversation centered on the human side of recruitment. Stormy shares how her transition from decentralized to centralized recruiting reshaped her career and strengthened her approach to hiring. Sh...

How do you transform an underperforming talent acquisition function into an award-winning engine of efficiency, candidate experience, and innovation, while navigating stakeholders, tech stack overhauls, and the rapid rise of AI? In this episode of Hiring Happy Hour, Nicole sits down with Derek Del Simone, Chief Talent Officer at Abano Healthcare and one of Australia’s top HR and TA leaders. Derek walks through the two-year...