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With over three decades of recruitment experience, I have founded and led several…
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Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ reposted thisStephen O'Donnell ⚡ reposted thisJob Board & Talent Tech Founders & CEOs: Exit Readiness TAtech’s biannual Virtual Leadership Summit will be held on Tuesday, April 14 at 11am ET, 8am PT, 3pm GMT, 4pm CET. The topic? “Exit Readiness for TA Solution Providers” Normally, the Virtual Leadership Summit is open only to TAtech Network members. For this inaugural show, however, job boards and talent tech companies worldwide are welcome to attend. We’d like everyone to sample the thought leadership and caliber of speakers at TAtech events. Exit Readiness for TA Solution Providers You will, of course, find more than a few people opining about exit readiness online. Mark Ullah, for example, has written, “The smartest owners treat exit readiness as a growth strategy, not just an exit strategy.” Jordan Roberts goes even further. Here’s what she had to say: “When you launched your business, exiting was likely the furthest thing from your mind. You were focused on getting through those early years—building your customer base, hiring talent, staying financially afloat. However, while the exit may seem like a distant event, making exit readiness central to your business strategy offers benefits at every stage, not just when you’re looking to sell or transition leadership.” My panel of expert guests will build on those views and offer their own insights. They include: • Andreea Wade, sold Opening.io to iCIMS and is now a General Partner with Delta Partners VC • Georgios Markakis, Managing Partner Venero Capital Advisors • Mark Simpson, Founded & sold 3 companies and is now Managing Partner 23X • Sarah White, Sold Aspect 43 to Jumpstart HR and is now Principal Sarah White Strategic Advisory If you run a job board or talent tech company, do not miss this important discussion, whether you’re thinking about an exit right now or not. It will position you for success both at the bottom line and in your exit outcome whenever it happens. Register at https://lnkd.in/eMJqbBXJ And, also register to attend TAtech North America (May 6-8 in Charleston, South Carolina) so you can take advantage of the in-person Leadership Summit that kicks-off that conference. Visit TAtech.org/Events to get your ticket today.
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Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ shared thisEntirely plausible, as it the rate of change, which could be very slowly, then all at once! HR and TA functions must now be having strategy meetings to keep track of their pipeline of roles moving from one category to another, or for roles being stripped down to their constituent tasks, then redistributed to one of these three categories.Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ shared thisIn September last year I shared a simple idea. That the future enterprise workforce will be 40% FTE, 40% Contingent Workers, and 20% AI Agents. The data since then has only accelerated it. 55,000+ tech layoffs in Q1 2026. One in five explicitly linked to AI. I still believe the future is a blended workforce. Humans and AI working together is still where the magic happens. But we are in the AI Wild West right now. We have updated the blog and added some of my predictions for the next 12 months: 1️⃣ At least 5 more FTSE 100 and S&P 500 companies will make AI-related workforce cuts of 20% or more. 2️⃣ The “Chief AI Orchestration Officer” will emerge as a Fortune 500 role. Not a Chief AI Officer picking models. Someone who owns the blend of humans, agents, and specialists. 3️⃣ Enterprise freelance spend will jump 30%+. Companies are cutting FTEs then re-hiring the same skills on demand. Become a freelancer if you are worried about layoffs. 4️⃣ An AI agent governance failure will cause a major enterprise incident before year-end. Only 1 in 5 companies has mature agent governance. Then we will start seeing more regulation kick in. 5️⃣ By March 2027, 40/40/20 will be the default planning model for digital projects. Not because it’s a theory. Because your competitor will deliver the same outcome at 40-60% less using a blended workforce. Full blog in the comments. #AI #Hiring #AISkills
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Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ reposted thisStephen O'Donnell ⚡ reposted thisTAtech is extremely pleased to welcome Appcast back as a Gold Sponsor at TAtech North America, coming up on May 6-8 in Charleston. Appcast.io: Quality Candidates, Faster Hires. Our programmatic tech, industry-leading data, and world-class team deliver performance you can prove. Employers who partner with Appcast see up to a 50% reduction in cost-per-hire. Finally, recruitment marketing done right. To learn more about TAtech North America, visit TAtech.org/Events
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Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ reposted thisStephen O'Donnell ⚡ reposted thisTAtech North America: A Conference for ATS Companies Why go to HR conferences where ATS companies are pigeon-holed as Public Enemy #1. Why spend the big bucks on an HR Tech conference that treats TA solution providers as second class citizens? Why not go to a conference that costs a heckova’ lot less AND focuses entirely on accelerating the growth and profitability of all TA solution providers, including ATS companies? What conference is that? TAtech North America. It's the largest conference in the North American market devoted exclusively to every kind of TA solution provider, from ATS companies, end-to-end recruiting platforms, and AI-powered solutions for sourcing, candidate communications and management, interviewing and assessment to niche job boards, recruitment advertising publishers, aggregators and programmatic networks, recruitment marketing companies, data collection and analysis solutions and TA consultancies. The conference will be held on May 6-8, 2026 in Charleston, SC. If you’re looking to accelerate your company’s growth, this is the conference you must not miss. Designed for CEOs, senior executives and rising stars, it will immerse you in business-building content and connect you with both your current marketplace partners and those that would make a great new addition. TAtech North America is a jam-packed day-and-a-half, featuring: · A conference Kick-off Leadership Summit exploring TA business growth strategies; · Keynote presentations delivered by TA business leaders and influencers; · Thought-provoking presentations followed by audience discussions; · A Product Palooza featuring new TA products coming to market; · Peer-led Moderated Discussions of trending industry issues; AND the TAtech Deal Center, a venue created expressly for B2B partnering discussions that’s included in the price of your ticket! So, act now to give your company the competitive advantage it deserves. Avoid the tunnel vision and outlandish expense of other conferences and attend TAtech North America! Register TODAY at https://lnkd.in/e8Tw543X
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Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ shared thisUnless you've been, you'd find it difficult to appreciate the diversity of technologies present at our TAtech conferences. https://lnkd.in/eaB4MPFj You'll know that no recruitment platform is an island, and that as clients demand data travels in multiple directions via their ATS to job boards, programmatic platforms, assessment tools, video suites, employer branding tools, onboarding, scheduling, referrals etc etc, the interconnectivity of any provider is absolutely paramount. Integrations and partnerships lead to more confirmed sales than any dedicated sales team, and this is particularly the lifeblood of smaller companies and start-ups. So are you able to establish these partnerships at typical TA conferences, with a huge room full of thousands of recruiters? Absolutely not! If you had 4 cats in a room, and drop in a mouse, all the cats will focus on is the mouse. At TAtech events, all the cool cats can focus on each other, without distraction, and get a handle on those partnerships, as well as discussing the technology landscape, hiring landscape, and th challenges they are facing together. Hell, you even get competitors look each other straight in the eye, and having a drink. To see for yourself, you need to join us in Charleston on May 6-8 for TAtech North America. PS. Be sure to sign up as a TAtech Member, to ensure you get the best discounted member tickets too! https://lnkd.in/eYTDGumG
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Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ shared thisTAtech North America: Calling All TA Startups & New Job Boards – Get Your Startup Package. Click here to set up a call: https://lnkd.in/eRa48GB2 Why spend the big bucks on an HR Tech conference where TA solution providers are treated like second class citizens? Why go to an HR Tech conference where the big HR tech vendors will suck all of the oxygen out of the room with investors and analysts? Why not go to a conference that offers a STARTUP PACKAGE, which will spotlight your company AND save you a ton of money. What conference is that? TAtech North America. It's the largest conference in the North American market devoted exclusively to every kind of TA solution provider, from end-to-end recruiting platforms, CRMs, and AI-powered solutions for sourcing, candidate communications and management, interviewing and assessment to niche job boards, recruitment advertising publishers, aggregators and programmatic networks, recruitment marketing companies, data collection and analysis solutions and TA consultancies. No less important, it delivers value to both startups and mature enterprises in the TA industry. The conference will be held on May 6-8, 2026 in Charleston, SC. If you’re looking to jumpstart your company’s growth, revenue and profits, this is the conference you must not miss. Designed for CEOs, senior executives and rising stars, it will immerse you in business-building content and connect you with some of the most innovative prospective partners in the TA solutions industry. TAtech North America is a jam-packed day-and-a-half, featuring: • A conference Kick-off Leadership Summit exploring TA business growth strategies; • Keynote presentations delivered by TA business leaders and influencers; • Thought-provoking presentations followed by audience discussions; • A Product Palooza featuring new TA products coming to market; • Peer-led Moderated Discussions of trending industry issues; AND the TAtech Deal Center, a venue created expressly for B2B partnering discussions that’s included in the price of your ticket! So, act now to give your company the competitive advantage it deserves. And, save the big bucks at the same time! There is a limited number of STARTUP PACKAGES available at the conference, so contact TAtech right away to see if your company qualifies.Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ shared thisTAtech North America: Calling All TA Startups & New Job Boards – Get Your Startup Package Why spend the big bucks on an HR Tech conference where TA solution providers are treated like second class citizens? Why go to an HR Tech conference where the big HR tech vendors will suck all of the oxygen out of the room with investors and analysts? Why not go to a conference that offers a STARTUP PACKAGE, which will spotlight your company AND save you a ton of money. What conference is that? TAtech North America. It's the largest conference in the North American market devoted exclusively to every kind of TA solution provider, from end-to-end recruiting platforms, CRMs, and AI-powered solutions for sourcing, candidate communications and management, interviewing and assessment to niche job boards, recruitment advertising publishers, aggregators and programmatic networks, recruitment marketing companies, data collection and analysis solutions and TA consultancies. No less important, it delivers value to both startups and mature enterprises in the TA industry. The conference will be held on May 6-8, 2026 in Charleston, SC. If you’re looking to jumpstart your company’s growth, revenue and profits, this is the conference you must not miss. Designed for CEOs, senior executives and rising stars, it will immerse you in business-building content and connect you with some of the most innovative prospective partners in the TA solutions industry. TAtech North America is a jam-packed day-and-a-half, featuring: • A conference Kick-off Leadership Summit exploring TA business growth strategies; • Keynote presentations delivered by TA business leaders and influencers; • Thought-provoking presentations followed by audience discussions; • A Product Palooza featuring new TA products coming to market; • Peer-led Moderated Discussions of trending industry issues; AND the TAtech Deal Center, a venue created expressly for B2B partnering discussions that’s included in the price of your ticket! So, act now to give your company the competitive advantage it deserves. And, save the big bucks at the same time! There is a limited number of STARTUP PACKAGES available at the conference, so contact TAtech right away to see if your company qualifies. Click here to set up a call: https://lnkd.in/eRa48GB2
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Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ shared thisHad a fantastic day in Amsterdam yesterday, scoping the venue for our TAtech Europe conference in September, Lunch with Wiebe Mulder 🚀 (Jobmatix ) and an afternoon with Kim Lokenberg - de Bruyn and Gordon Lokenberg! What could be better? And of course I bought tulips and a Miffy.
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Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ reposted thisStephen O'Donnell ⚡ reposted thisTAtech North America: Calling All TA Startups Why spend the big bucks on an HR Tech conference where TA solution providers are treated like second class citizens? Why go to an HR Tech conference where the big HR tech vendors will suck all of the oxygen out of the room with investors and analysts? Why not go to a conference that costs a heckova’ lot less AND focuses entirely on accelerating the growth and profitability of TA solution providers? What conference is that? TAtech North America. It's the largest conference in the North American market devoted exclusively to every kind of TA solution provider, from end-to-end recruiting platforms, CRMs, and AI-powered solutions for sourcing, candidate communications and management, interviewing and assessment to niche job boards, recruitment advertising publishers, aggregators and programmatic networks, recruitment marketing companies, data collection and analysis solutions and TA consultancies. No less important, it delivers value to both startups and mature enterprises in the TA industry. The conference will be held on May 6-8, 2026 in Charleston, SC. If you’re looking to jumpstart your company’s growth, revenue and profits, this is the conference you must not miss. Designed for CEOs, senior executives and rising stars, it will immerse you in business-building content and connect you with some of the most innovative prospective partners in the TA solutions industry. TAtech North America is a jam-packed day-and-a-half, featuring: • A conference Kick-off Leadership Summit exploring TA business growth strategies; • Keynote presentations delivered by TA business leaders and influencers; • Thought-provoking presentations followed by audience discussions; • A Product Palooza featuring new TA products coming to market; • Peer-led Moderated Discussions of trending industry issues; AND the TAtech Deal Center, a venue created expressly for B2B partnering discussions that’s included in the price of your ticket! So, act now to give your company the competitive advantage it deserves. And, avoid the HR tunnel vision and outlandish expense of HR tech events at the same time! Register TODAY at https://lnkd.in/e8Tw543X Or, SAVE 50% on the cost of tickets by joining the TAtech Network at https://lnkd.in/eWv5y2Nr
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Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ shared thisTAtech Spring Honors Announced – Job Board & Talent Tech All Stars TAtech: The Network for Talent Technology Solutions is thrilled to announce the 2026 Spring Class of TAtech Honors. Each year, TAtech Honors celebrates forty men and women who are truly setting the agenda for innovation and understanding in talent technology. We recognize them because each, in their own way, is making a significant contribution to improving recruitment outcomes through the use of state-of-the-art technology. It is a unique accolade for several reasons: • First it is awarded by TAtech: The Network for Talent Technology Solutions, the only global community of AI-powered TA solutions, talent technology companies and job boards in the world. • Second, it focuses entirely on the accomplishments of those working in talent technology, not as a subset of HR tech, but as a vital and dynamic field in its own right. • And third, it celebrates every facet of talent technology, from job boards, aggregators and programmatic platforms to AI-powered solutions for every stage of the recruiting funnel, recruitment marketing agencies, data collection and analysis companies, end-to-end recruiting platforms, and ATS. TAtech Honorees are announced in four Classes of 10 individuals, with a new Class introduced each season of the year. In addition, Honorees receive their own personal Star on the TAtech Walk of Fame at its in-person conferences, TAtech North America (May 6-8, Charleston) and TAtech Europe (September 8-9 Amsterdam). Meet the Honorees in the 2026 Spring Class at https://lnkd.in/eCBCig7X And, join us in congratulating these extraordinary individuals. They are truly the All Stars of talent technology!
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1h
How about an AI truth translator in real time, that interpreted what either side were actually saying?
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Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ reacted on thisStephen O'Donnell ⚡ reacted on thisBig update from us. After months of development, we’ve finally cracked it. Our hiring enablement workspace can now: - Predict which candidates will accept an offer before you’ve spoken to them - Determine candidate sentiment based on perspiration on their fingertips when typing - Automatically reschedule hiring manager interviews based on their mood that day - Detect when a recruiter is about to send a cringe outreach message and abruptly log them out of LinkedIn - Benchmark your EVP against companies that will exist in 2 years - Fill roles before the req is approved (compliance still reviewing this one) We’ve also introduced a new feature where the platform joins your Kick-off Meeting for you, nods at the right moments, and asks one smart question at the end so everyone thinks you’re on top of things. Early feedback has been strong. One retail customer told us: “We’re not entirely sure what it’s doing, but it feels expensive and important.” Jokes aside, what we are actually seeing is this: Recruiters don’t need more tools. They need better enabled with talent research, talent attraction assets and operational recruiting materials, on-brand, in context and right-first time. That last part isn’t an April Fool.
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Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ reacted on thisBreaking news...Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ reacted on thisMandatory Lie Detector Tests for All Interviews from June The government has “confirmed” that from June, all job interviews will require mandatory lie detector tests for both candidates and interviewers. The move is part of a new “Transparency & Truthfulness in Hiring” bill designed to “restore honesty to the recruitment process”. Under the rules: - Candidates will be tested on CV accuracy, salary expectations, and whether they really are “thrilled by fast‑paced environments”. - Interviewers must undergo checks for “inflated job perks”, “creative interpretations of career progression”, and “accidental overpromising”. - Agencies will need certified “Polygraph Compliance Officers” on standby for every interview. Early pilots show a 40% spike in “nervous laughter” and a 300% rise in “I swear that was true at the time”. Officials say the rollout will be “swift and seamless”, though the guidance notes that polygraph machines “may occasionally beep for no reason” and should not be interpreted as a sign of guilt.
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Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ reacted on thisStephen O'Donnell ⚡ reacted on thisMandatory Lie Detector Tests for All Interviews from June The government has “confirmed” that from June, all job interviews will require mandatory lie detector tests for both candidates and interviewers. The move is part of a new “Transparency & Truthfulness in Hiring” bill designed to “restore honesty to the recruitment process”. Under the rules: - Candidates will be tested on CV accuracy, salary expectations, and whether they really are “thrilled by fast‑paced environments”. - Interviewers must undergo checks for “inflated job perks”, “creative interpretations of career progression”, and “accidental overpromising”. - Agencies will need certified “Polygraph Compliance Officers” on standby for every interview. Early pilots show a 40% spike in “nervous laughter” and a 300% rise in “I swear that was true at the time”. Officials say the rollout will be “swift and seamless”, though the guidance notes that polygraph machines “may occasionally beep for no reason” and should not be interpreted as a sign of guilt.
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Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ reacted on thisStephen O'Donnell ⚡ reacted on this🚨 Introducing RecFest Vision 👓 Because remembering names shouldn’t be the hardest part of networking. This summer, in partnership with Ray-Ban, we’re launching smart glasses that connect directly to LinkedIn — giving you real-time insight into exactly who you’re speaking to. So you can focus on the conversation… Not trying to work out who they are. Available at RecFest. £299. Networking, upgraded. #RecFest
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Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ liked thisStephen O'Donnell ⚡ liked thisThe best part of Transform is reconnecting with our friends! When I can see my literal twin John Baldino I know it will be a good day. George LaRocque is a true gem. I love Rhona Barnett-Pierce more than my luggage. I am so blessed Rhona qq for you - Are we short?
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Stephen O'Donnell ⚡ reacted on thisStephen O'Donnell ⚡ reacted on thisSteve White and I can’t quite believe it… 12 years of Calgary Communications. In that time, we’ve experienced more milestones than I can count. Some truly incredible, others that tested our resilience in ways we never expected. But through it all, one thing has remained constant: it’s been an extraordinary journey. A rollercoaster of brilliant clients, genius partners Ryan DunlopLewis ChristieJack Waldron Stephen O'Donnell ⚡Peter Corcoran Photography Ltd, award-winning work, big ideas, and plenty of moments where we’ve laughed until we cried. And perhaps most importantly, we’ve met some truly exceptional people along the way, many of whom we’re now lucky enough to call friends. To everyone who has been part of this journey THANK YOU. It’s been an absolute privilege, and we’re only just getting started. #CalgaryCommunications #Anniversary #Gratitude #BusinessJourney #EmployerBrand #PeopleFirst
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