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Recruiting is No Joke

Recruiting is No Joke

Joel Lalgee 126 episodes Nov 10, 2026

Recruiting is No Joke is a podcast hosted by Joel Lalgee that offers candid, unfiltered conversations about the recruiting and talent acquisition industry. Each episode explores current hiring trends, lessons from recruiting leaders, and the realities of talent acquisition from both recruiter and job seeker perspectives. Joel draws on a decade of recruiting experience to share practical insights and entertaining commentary. The show is aimed at recruiters, HR professionals, and anyone interested in how hiring actually works.

Episodes

Episode 129: Humans Do Human Things: Building an AI-Native Talent Team Without Losing the Human Touch
Episode 129: Humans Do Human Things: Building an AI-Native Talent Team Without Losing the Human Touch Nov 10, 2026 28:31 Episode Summary Joel sits down with Katie Krupar, a San Diego-based talent leader with 18 years in recruiting who now leads talent at Asset Watch, a manufacturing company offering software and hardware as a service. Katie talks about her path from staffing to in-house roles, nearly nine years scaling GoFundMe through the pandemic boom and the layoffs that followed, and her philosophy for adopting
The Human Edge: Why Recruiters Who Build Systems Will Win the AI Era
The Human Edge: Why Recruiters Who Build Systems Will Win the AI Era Nov 3, 2026 32:16 Episode Summary In this season-opening episode of Recruiting Is No Joke, Joel welcomes Alex Marr, Director of Recruiting at Phil, a healthcare company that streamlines prior authorizations and ships medications directly to patients. With nearly 15 years in recruiting, Alex moved from high-volume technical agency work to in-house leadership, with a stint as a consultant to pre-seed through Series
Don’t Act Like a Robot: Recruiting in the Age of AI Noise
Don’t Act Like a Robot: Recruiting in the Age of AI Noise Oct 27, 2026 33:29 Summary In this episode of Recruiting Is No Joke, Joel talks with Duarte Rodrigo Mendonca, Director of Talent Acquisition Operations at PayPal. Duarte got into recruiting by accident, after a salesperson with a non-compete turned out to be a headhunter. He moved from agency work (cleared network engineers, then nurse recruiters) to corporate TA in healthcare and ecommerce. He now co-leads PayPal’
From 30 to 130 Employees Without VC Money: Here’s How It Was Done with Tristan Mackrory
From 30 to 130 Employees Without VC Money: Here’s How It Was Done with Tristan Mackrory Dec 10, 2025 33:46 Growing from 30 employees to over 130 in under two years is remarkable — doing it without any investors is even more uncommon. In this episode of Recruiting Is No Joke, Joel sits down with Tristan Mackrory, VP of People & Talent at Almeida, to explore one of the most impactful scaling stories in tech. Tristan shares how a warning from veteran teachers pushed him into recruiting, how he rose quick
The Challenges of AI and Spam Candidates in Recruitment with Erin McCann
The Challenges of AI and Spam Candidates in Recruitment with Erin McCann Dec 3, 2025 41:16 Think about how wild this is. Starting out as a wedding planner and ending up as an HR executive responsible for 450 people. Most people work their way into HR through recruiting. Almost nobody begins in sales or customer success and rises to lead talent. A career pivot like that isn’t just unusual. It is rare, bold, and seriously inspiring. In this episode of Recruiting Is No Joke, Joel sits dow
Why Human-First Recruiting Still Wins (Even in an AI World) with Nicole Hirsch
Why Human-First Recruiting Still Wins (Even in an AI World) with Nicole Hirsch Nov 26, 2025 46:03 Have you ever wondered what separates recruiters who stay sharp in chaos from those who fold under pressure? Or why, even in a world full of AI tools and automation, the human touch still wins? In this episode of Recruiting Is No Joke, Joel sits down with recruiting veteran Nicole Hirsch, who brings nearly two decades of agency and in-house experience across shifting markets—from the 2008 financi
Reinvent Yourself or Get Left Behind: The Future of Recruiting with Jeremy Lyons
Reinvent Yourself or Get Left Behind: The Future of Recruiting with Jeremy Lyons Nov 19, 2025 39:32 In this episode of Recruiting Is No Joke, Joel Lalgee sits down with Jeremy Lyons, co-founder of Rec Ops Collective and one of the most influential voices in the Rec Ops world. Together they unpack the nuances of recruiting operations (rec ops), the impact of AI and automation, and the importance of demonstrating business value in talent acquisition. Jeremy shares how his unconventional path into
Inside the Black Hole: What Really Happens After You Apply with Julia Levy
Inside the Black Hole: What Really Happens After You Apply with Julia Levy Nov 12, 2025 44:17 Did you know that recruiting has drastically evolved since the mid-1990s? In this episode of Recruiting Is No Joke, Joel sits down with talent acquisition leader Julia Levy to explore how recruiting has evolved and what still matters most. With more than two decades inside Fortune 500 companies, leading global TA operations and navigating major ATS implementations, Julia has seen every phase of th
How to Build Credibility with Hiring Managers Before You Even Speak with Caroline Kiesler and Kearstin McGinnis
How to Build Credibility with Hiring Managers Before You Even Speak with Caroline Kiesler and Kearstin McGinnis Nov 5, 2025 29:12 In this live episode of Recruiting is No Joke, recorded at RecFest 2025 inside the Purple Acorn Tent, Joel Lalgee sits down with two powerhouse recruiting leaders, Caroline Kiesler, Director of HR at Workwear Outfitters, and Kearstin McGinnis, Recruitment Leader at TekSynap, to explore what it really takes to stay relevant in today’s rapidly evolving talent landscape. Caroline shares her inspirin
Why Your 401(k) Might Be the Best Recruiting Tool You’re Not Using
Why Your 401(k) Might Be the Best Recruiting Tool You’re Not Using Oct 30, 2025 36:37 In this special live episode of Recruiting is No Joke, recorded at RecFest 2025 in Nashville, Joel Lalgee brings you raw, unfiltered conversations from the front lines. We go beyond the hype to tackle the real challenges and opportunities facing recruiters and HR leaders today. Joel chats with Nate Taylor from Basic Capital and Casey Timorason from Service Professionals, who reveal how a reimagin
Episode 119: The Rinse Cycle of Work: Are You About to Be Left Behind? with Cassandra Rose
Episode 119: The Rinse Cycle of Work: Are You About to Be Left Behind? with Cassandra Rose Oct 22, 2025 46:11 The world of work is spinning fast. The gold rush of 2021 is over, money’s tighter than ever, and everyone’s trying to figure out what’s next. Are we adapting or just hanging on? In this episode of Recruiting Is No Joke, Joel Lalgee sits down with Cassandra Rose, a powerhouse HR leader and Fractional Chief People Officer with one of the most unexpected career paths you’ll hear, from inner-city mi
Episode 118: The Secret Sauce Behind High-Volume Hiring That Actually Works with Preston Sharpston
Episode 118: The Secret Sauce Behind High-Volume Hiring That Actually Works with Preston Sharpston Oct 15, 2025 35:40 What does it really take to recruit, hire, and support more than 800 employees across 16+ restaurant locations with just one person running HR? Sounds impossible, right? In the fast-paced world of high-volume hiring, speed, structure, and community aren’t just nice to have; they’re everything. In this episode of Recruiting Is No Joke, host Joel Lalgee sits down with Preston Sharpston, the one-man

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