Molly Blank

There is no such thing as feedback. There is only an offer for perspective. A view from a different vantage. It is not fact, but it is truth. It's a representation of someone's experience reflected back to you. If you are providing perspective (feedback) to someone, it's important to remember that it is YOUR truth, not THE truth. Offer it freely, without expectation. It should come from a place of care and kindness. Prepare yourself appropriately through exercises that soften you. Don't prepare for battle, prepare for peace (if only your own). If you are receiving perspective (feedback) from someone, it's important to remember the courage it takes to express oneself openly and honestly to someone else. Welcome it with equal openness and consideration, but don't feel obligated to accept everything being offered. Take what serves the growth you need and give thanks - leave whatever doesn't serve, it may not be yours to carry. Whether you are giving or receiving perspective, timing and tone matter as much if not more than content. If you are not ready to effectively give or receive perspective, exercise the maturity of saying as much, but don't run from it. Commit together to another time to connect and discuss, even if it's 5 minutes from the original moment after a brief pause or meditation. Perspective is simply responsible and loving human-to-human communication. It needn't be more complicated than an opportunity to come together and connect; to seek a greater understanding together. Reclaim it through humility and practice.

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There’s a lot of noise right now about AI agents replacing humans, but agents are coming for our tasks, not our jobs. I recently hosted a group of People and Culture leaders to navigate the Future of Work, and our consensus was clear. While we are leaning into AI at SUSE to reduce workloads and simplify processes, the human factor remains our greatest differentiator. As technology handles the heavy lifting, we must prioritize how we connect, challenge, and care for one another. AI will never replace emotional intelligence or the necessity of a productive feedback loop. At SUSE, we believe that providing our people with the choice to grow and the trust to fail productively is what transforms a collection of individuals into a high-performing community. Strategies fail because of a lack of alignment, rather than a lack of planning. Defining our purpose and striving to improve the world in which we live and work in is and should remain the focus. Read more about why the future of tech is still human-first at my blog here: https://lnkd.in/dzMTBjw8

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AI is transforming talent acquisition, but impact at scale is what truly matters. At Microsoft, we’ve been piloting LinkedIn Hiring Assistant in some of our TA teams and we’re seeing measurable results—accelerating how we connect with exceptional talent, learning from recruiter insights, and freeing up time for what counts most: human connection. This is practical AI driving real business outcomes and reinforcing our commitment to a people-first hiring experience.

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“Fusion helps us catch errors before hitting the warehouse.” Teams at WMCHealth, Bilt, WHOOP, sweetgreen, Docusign, and Expel share what actually changes when the dbt Fusion engine is part of their workflow. Common themes across roles: 🧠 Catching issues earlier, before they become broken pipelines 🔍 Seeing column-level impact instead of guessing ⚡ Faster feedback while developing in VS Code ✅ CI checks that surface real problems, not noise As Sankalp Vatsh from Sweetgreen puts it: “We move ahead without really understanding the impact of changes. Fusion will help us avoid that.” This is what building with fewer surprises looks like.

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One of the things I love most about working alongside Erin Mulligan Helgren is her belief that AI should make work more human, not less. She has brought an incredible vision to life for the future workplace that is grounded in creating environments that help people thrive, collaborate, and do their best work. Proud to see her perspective featured here! Great read: https://lnkd.in/e63n7bmq #FutureOfWork #AI #Leadership #OfficeSpace

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**. Talent Acquisition - Today vs Future** When considering the evolution of talent acquisition automation, the comparison between today and the future reveals intriguing insights: 🔹 Today: Utilizing tools like Manatal and Paradox.ai streamlines processes, automating resume screening and interview scheduling. Platforms such as myInterview leverage AI for video assessments, enabling more authentic interactions with candidates. Result? Expedited recruitment processes and increased focus on personal connections. 🔹 In 2035: Envisioning AI taking the lead in recruitment, accurately predicting candidate success and cultural alignment. Immersive VR/AR assessments could revolutionize interviews, enhancing engagement and reducing biases. Recruiters will transition into strategic partners, leveraging real-time data to cultivate diverse, high-performing teams globally. For me, automation signifies the liberation of time to nurture meaningful relationships and shape the future of work. How do you foresee your role evolving alongside automation? #TalentAcquisition #FutureOfWork #RecruitmentInnovations #AIinHR

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I have been following SmartRecruiters closely the last few months, I think they're about to close a gap that's causing real strain in HR workflows. TA has one view, Learning has another and the business has a third. None of them talk to each other in real time, even when we've done our best to connect them 💪 AI is ripping it all up and making us start again. Which honestly, I think is the change we need. They've just released this series, worth a quick watch if this is on your mind too 👇 https://lnkd.in/e5Ci-w2t #TalentAcquisition #HRTech #AIRecruitment

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Rhonda Morris is one of those inspiring leaders who can distill the most complex challenges—from massive organizational change to the rise of AI—into simple, powerful truths that are rooted in humanity and authenticity. As a longtime friend (and fan!) of Rhonda’s, I was delighted to sit down with her to discuss what it means to be an “agile CHRO” during this transformative time. https://lnkd.in/gaVB4bqz Here are a few takeaways from our conversation:  🌟 Lead From the Heart ❤️: Prioritizing empathy and support builds profound loyalty and confidence. This is the foundation that keeps your teams resilient through change. While technology evolves, the value of human connections in the workplace is irreplaceable.  🌟 Embrace 'User Zero': Don't wait for all the answers on AI. Start testing and learning now, because the HR function is an essential engine for enterprise-wide transformation in the age of AI. 🌟 Test for Understanding: When communicating massive change, a single message may not be enough. Be honest and vulnerable about what you don't know, and ensure your message is landing with clarity. It’s about building trust in the face of uncertainty. Thank you for sharing your invaluable insights, Rhonda!

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People have asked why I'm leading our AI committee and pilot efforts at MHC. My answer is simple: this is a change management effort and that's something HR is uniquely positioned to lead and I know how to deliver. I don't have to be the most technical person in the room. I just have to be the one who trusts the people around me, stays curious, and isn't afraid to figure it out. 💡 That confidence? It didn't come easy. And frankly, for a lot of women, it still doesn't. 💪 I recently came across a post that stopped me in my tracks. It connected the dots between women in AI and something I've felt my whole career: we are often conditioned to wait for permission, to perfect before we proceed, to shrink instead of taking up the space we've earned. We ask the same question in different forms throughout our careers — am I ready? am I enough? — while the world tells us to keep waiting. Here's what I've learned as a Chief People Officer watching organizations navigate big change: ➡️ 1. 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝗳𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝘂𝗶𝗹𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗰𝗲𝗿𝘁𝗮𝗶𝗻𝘁𝘆. You don't need to know everything about AI to lean into it. You need to take the first step and trust that you'll learn along the way. Every woman I admire in this space got there by doing, not waiting. ➡️ 2. 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗲 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗻'𝘁 𝗮 𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗲-𝘁𝗼-𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆'𝗿𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗰 𝗮𝗱𝘃𝗮𝗻𝘁𝗮𝗴𝗲. The speed of AI demands thoughtful decision-making. That only happens when you have a room full of people who think differently, challenge assumptions, and bring experiences that others don't. If we leave women out of these conversations, we will get this wrong. ➡️ 3. 𝗣𝗮𝘆 𝗶𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱. 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 𝗱𝗮𝘆. There is a generation of young women watching how we show up. The ones who mentor us, second our ideas in meetings, believe in us before we believe in ourselves — they shape everything. Be that person for someone else. 🙌 I'm not leading our AI journey because I have all the answers. I'm leading it because I believe in the people around me, and because change doesn't wait for perfect. It waits for willing. And to every woman standing at the edge of something new, the technology will change. Your confidence in yourself is what gets you across. ✨ #WomenInAI #WomenInTech #Leadership #ChangeManagement #ChiefPeopleOfficer #AIStrategy

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NVC with Executives Let’s be real, working with execs can be intimidating, even when you know your sh*t. Earlier in my career, I bounced between two extremes: 🧽 Over-polishing every word until the message got lost 💥 Saying everything on my mind with zero filter Spoiler: neither approach really worked. Now? I’ll take direct over passive any day. But even direct feedback can flop if it comes off like blame. That’s where I use Nonviolent Communication (NVC) to create more effective communication that leaves me feeling less gross. In this carousel: 💡 3 tips to help you speak up without sparking defensiveness 📬 A real-life example you’ve definitely faced 🧩 The exact approach I use when things get tense at the top 👉 Swipe through to see how to do it differently,with less drama and more direction.

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At Tellent, our People team doesn't "just" handle HR; we are the internal super-users of our own products. We collaborate closely with Product, Engineering, and GTM to show exactly how we use our tools - from Recruitee to Tellent HR and Tellent Grow. My favorite feature? Journeys 💜. I recently spoke with our Account Management team about our internal workflows. They were surprised by the diversity in use cases, and it's true, we use Journeys across the entire employee lifecycle. Let’s break down the impact for us: - Pre-onboarding → data flows straight into Tellent HR. No Google Forms, no manual re-entry, and 100% accuracy for contracts. - Onboarding → multi-stakeholder checklists so the manager, IT, and office management all know what to prepare. Nothing falls through the cracks. - Annual Compliance → we stay compliant by doing an automated personal data check every year. - Sick leave → automated reminders for strict regulatory deadlines. (Missing a UWV deadline is a mistake you only make once! 🙃) - Offboarding → a seamless "exit" workflow for revoking access and collecting kit. The result? 150+ Journeys completed in less than a year and a 100% pre-onboarding completion rate. It’s our favorite timesaver, but more importantly, it’s our safety net 💜 I wrote a blog about how we use Journeys in detail → https://hubs.ly/Q044PRvd0

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🔍 Why Searching Directly on Job Boards Finds Better Candidates Than Using Aggregated API Searches In today’s fast-paced recruiting landscape, automation is essential—but not all automation delivers the same value. If your recruiting team is relying on aggregated API searches provided by job boards, you might be leaving high-quality candidates on the table. Here’s why searching directly within a job board’s native platform yields more relevant candidates than consolidated or API-based searches. 🧠 1. Native Search Algorithms Are Smarter (and Evolving Faster) Each job board (like Dice, Monster, CareerBuilder, or Indeed) invests heavily in fine-tuning its internal search engine. These platforms continuously optimize results using proprietary algorithms that factor in: Search behavior patterns - Resume freshness and engagement metrics - Keyword-context matching - Real-time profile activity When using a job board’s own UI, you benefit from all of this. But when accessing resumes via an API, you get a watered-down, generalized dataset—often lacking these contextual layers. 🔍 2. APIs Are Limited by Design While APIs are convenient, they’re built for interoperability, not discovery. APIs usually provide only a subset of candidate data due to privacy and performance constraints. Resume parsing and keyword matching are simplified—meaning relevance scores and rank ordering are often lost. Real-time results can lag or get cached, showing outdated or less-engaged candidates. In contrast, direct search taps into the most current and complete candidate pool—with richer filtering and sorting options. 🎯 3. Better Boolean, Filters, and Relevance Controls When your recruiters use the job board interface directly, they can: Customize Boolean strings with more precision - Use advanced filters (by skills, titles, locations, work authorization, etc.) - Dynamically adjust queries based on instant feedback from results APIs may expose some filters—but rarely all. That missing granularity leads to broader, less useful results. 💬 4. You Miss Platform-Specific “Signals” Certain platforms reward interaction: - Viewed profiles bubble to the top - Recent activity signals higher intent Premium filters help surface passive but highly qualified candidates These nuanced cues rarely get exposed through an API—and they make all the difference in fast-paced recruiting. ✅ The Bottom Line If your recruiting workflow relies solely on aggregated search APIs, you’re likely getting quantity over quality. For strategic roles or urgent openings, direct platform search consistently delivers more targeted, up-to-date, and actionable results.

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TA at the Table: Aligning Talent Strategy with Business Strategy This time of year, many companies are deep in Annual Operating Planning defining priorities, investments, and what success looks like for the year ahead. Too often, Talent Acquisition is brought in after those plans are set. The headcount is already fixed, timelines are compressed, and the focus becomes “how fast can we hire?” But the real value of TA happens when we’re involved early, as part of the strategic conversation with CFOs, CEOs, and business leaders. In my past roles, I’ve partnered directly with executive teams during AOP to: **Map out what growth actually looks like; by region, function, and critical skill area. **Align workforce planning with revenue goals and product roadmaps. **Build hiring scenarios that model cost, timing, and talent availability. That kind of alignment transforms TA from a reactive function into a strategic enabler of the business plan. It also helps leaders make smarter decisions, because talent availability, market data, and hiring velocity all impact what’s realistic to achieve. When TA has a seat at the table, workforce planning becomes a competitive advantage.

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The Unsung Heroes: Why Internal Recruiters Are the True Strategic Architects Elevating the perception and strategic role of in-house Talent Acquisition professionals, particularly in Tech, Product, and Design, positioning them as essential business partners rather than just hiring managers. "In the relentless pursuit of talent, we often outsource, automate, and externalize. But who truly holds the institutional knowledge, the cultural nuances, and the long-term vision for building world-class Tech, Product, and Design teams? It's our internal recruiters. These are the unsung heroes who navigate complex organizational structures, champion our values, and build relationships that external agencies simply can't replicate. They're not just filling seats; they're safeguarding our culture, identifying future leaders, and influencing product roadmaps through strategic hiring. My conviction is that for the top 0.5% of talent, a sophisticated, highly engaged in-house TA team is the ultimate differentiator. It signals stability, expertise, and a genuine investment in people. We need to empower, upskill, and celebrate these professionals as the true strategic architects of our talent ecosystem. Their impact extends far beyond the offer letter. How are you elevating the strategic influence and capabilities of your internal TA teams? #TalentAcquisition #InHouseRecruiting #StrategicHR #TechRecruitment #ProductDesign #EmployerBrand #Leadership #FutureOfWork"

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High-performing RevOps teams don’t just manage systems. They create alignment. As Rosalyn Santa Elena and Jamie Miller shared, the real difference comes down to three things: clear communication, transparent goals, and a roadmap everyone can see. When the whole org understands what RevOps is solving for (and why) it changes how teams work together. This one’s a must-watch for anyone building trust and accountability across GTM: https://lnkd.in/eUwYz9Sm

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If your employees don’t trust leadership, more communication won’t fix it. When trust erodes, increasing message volume often makes things worse. Trust is built through clarity, consistency, transparency, and visible follow-through, not through more email. Leaders have to close the gap between what we say and what employees experience. That means fewer mixed signals, clearer priorities, and disciplined execution over time. I share some reflections on how to build and rebuild trust in my latest Forbes Human Resources Council article: https://bit.ly/3N8AH0n #CHRO #Leadership #EmployeeExperience #WorkplaceCommunication

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🚀 As someone leading People & Culture in a HiTech SaaS product company going through rapid growth, there’s one question I get asked at almost every HR Tech conference: 👉 “How are you leveraging AI—especially Gen AI and Agentic AI—in your HR strategy?” Over time, I’ve realized the real question is not about if we should use AI in HR, but how to do it meaningfully—to scale culture, enable leaders, and build human-first systems during hyper-growth. That’s what led me to put together this whitepaper cum blog: 🎯 “AI-Powered HR for Hyper-Growth: Speed, Scale, and Soul” It includes: ✅ Real & easy-to-adopt use cases ✅ Examples from our HR journey ✅ Data, quotes, and strategies you can apply ✅ Insights on how to make AI augment, not replace, your people function Whether you're in a scaling startup or rethinking enterprise HR—this is for you. Would love to hear your thoughts—what’s the first AI use case you’d try in your HR function? #HRTech #PeopleStrategy #GenAI #AgenticAI #Hypergrowth #SaaS #FutureOfWork #CHROLeadership #DigitalHR #HumanFirstHR #AIinHR #CultureAtScale #GCC #HRTech

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Okay, this week's episode of Hiring Happy Hour genuinely gave me a moment. 🥹 I sat down with Andrew Porter, talent leader, transformation expert, and one of the most thoughtful humans I've met in the TA world. What started as a conversation about partnerships turned into a full-on soul mirror. 😅 We went deep on something I think we all know matters but rarely talk about with this level of honesty: the power of partnerships. Not the buzzword version. The REAL version. Internal relationships with finance, legal, and procurement. Vendor ecosystems that actually talk to each other. And the art of holding space for a difficult conversation without reaching for the contract. 💬 And then he reminded me that a "squiggly career" isn't a mistake. It's actually the whole point. If you're in TA, leading a team through change, or just trying to build something real with the people around you, this one is for you. 💚 🔗 Full episode links in the comments! #HiringHappyHour #TalentAcquisition #PowerOfPartnership #HiringStrategies

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