In this Talent Grind Live session, Alex Mann and I dove deep into the current state of recruiting, the impact of AI, and how professionals can position themselves for success in this evolving landscape.

We started by acknowledging the challenging economic environment. As Alex put it, channeling Gerald Ford: "The state of the union is not good." This sentiment reflects what many recruiters are experiencing - a frozen job market with companies cutting back to the bone and overloading their existing employees rather than bringing on new talent.

What's particularly interesting is that while there appears to be some uptick in recruiting activity, it's not necessarily translating to new recruiter hires. Instead, companies are demanding more from their existing talent acquisition teams:

"In the last week I've done multiple digit calls with recruiters and I have heard less about hiring recruiters and more that we need tools to help us because the demand is so high... recruiters have been told 'do more with less, and we're gonna give you the AI tools to try and figure out how to make that happen.'"

The Economy and Recruiting: "The State of the Union Is Not Good"

🎙️ From 50 to 800: Hard Truths and Smarter Hiring in Hypergrowth

Guest: Dixie Vargas | Host: Michael Doran, Founder of TeamSourced & Talent Grind

Welcome to Meet My Network — the show where top recruiting minds share raw insights, real growth stories, and unfiltered lessons from the field.

In this episode, Dixie Vargas shares what it really takes to scale a company from 50 to 800 employees, what most people get wrong about hypergrowth hiring, and how to stay strategic and sane during explosive company expansion.

📈 Whether you’re a recruiter, talent leader, startup founder, or ops pro — this one’s packed with must-know takeaways to survive and thrive in scaling environments.

⏱️ Timestamps

00:00 – Intro: Meet Dixie Vargas

02:04 – The early days: Scrappy beginnings in recruiting

06:30 – Scaling from 50 to 800: What changed and what broke

11:55 – Hiring under pressure: Lessons from startup chaos

15:40 – Building trust with hiring managers

20:18 – The mental side of recruiting in hypergrowth

24:10 – Redefining recruiter value: Business partner vs. order taker

29:15 – Navigating burnout and building sustainable teams

32:42 – Technology, AI & what’s next for TA

36:00 – Final advice: Recruiting is human work

👀 What You’ll Learn:

- How to scale recruiting systems without burning out

- Why talent leaders must influence beyond headcount

- What it takes to keep quality high when speed is everything

- How AI and empathy can coexist in modern recruiting

🔔 Subscribe to stay updated on future episodes!

👍 Like, comment, and share if this resonated with you.

📌 Follow Michael Doran

LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/michaeldoran

📌 Learn more about Talent Grind

Website:Talent Grind Substack

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In the latest episode of the Meet My Network podcast, I had the privilege of diving deep with Mark Leon, a seasoned professional who has transformed the way we think about recruiting and talent marketing. Mark's journey is a testament to the power of human connection and strategic thinking in the world of talent acquisition.The Unexpected Path to RecruitingMark's story begins like many in our profession - not as a carefully planned career, but as a serendipitous discovery. Starting as a resident advisor in college, he was introduced to the world of human resources through a mentor who saw potential in him. What started as uncertainty quickly became a passionate pursuit of understanding people and their potential.Pioneering Recruitment MarketingOne of the most fascinating aspects of Mark's career is how he became a pioneer in recruitment marketing before it was even a defined role. At Aon Consulting, he pitched and implemented the concept of creative talent sourcing and community building - a revolutionary approach at the time.His work at Warner Media is particularly impressive. In just three months, he expanded their talent community from 27 to 17,800 people. But for Mark, it was never just about numbers. He discovered something far more profound - the human stories behind each potential candidate.Beyond Numbers: The Human ElementMark shared a powerful moment from his Warner Media project where he connected with aspiring professionals from around the world. One story that particularly struck me was about a young transgender woman in game development who feared breaking into the industry. These conversations revealed that recruitment is about so much more than filling roles - it's about understanding individual journeys and potential.Embracing Change and TechnologyWhen it comes to AI and technological changes, Mark offers a refreshingly balanced perspective. Drawing from a quote by Robert Zemeckis, he believes in continuous adaptation: "Film, like anything else, is about continuous change. You adopt it. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. You don't lose your traditional values."For Mark, AI is a tool - valuable for developing templates, job descriptions, and optimizing processes. But the core of recruiting remains deeply human: building relationships, understanding nuanced communication, and seeing potential beyond the obvious.Key Takeaways* Recruiting is an art of human connection* Be curious and open to unexpected opportunities* Technology should enhance, not replace, human interaction* Look for the stories and potential behind every candidateA Message to RecruitersMark's journey is a powerful reminder that our profession is about more than filling roles. It's about understanding human potential, creating opportunities, and sometimes, changing lives.As we navigate an increasingly technological world, let's remember the core of what makes recruiting powerful - our ability to see, understand, and champion human potential.Listen to the full podcast episode to hear Mark's complete insights and inspiring journey. And as always, keep embracing the human side of recruiting.Subscribe to Talent Grind for more insights from recruiting leaders who are changing the game.

Hi, I’m Michael, a recruiting exec based in the SF Bay area, who specializes in startup recruiting and HRTech building. I previously built recruiting functions at Oyster, Bolt, and Dropbox. Now I am co founder at TeamSourced, where we offer a free platform along with our recruiting service business.On this substack, I share frameworks, case studies, stories, and links from inside the recruiting and future of work worldsTalent Grind is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriberGet full access to Talent Grind at talentgrind.substack.com/subscribe (https://talentgrind.substack.com/subscribe?utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=CTA_4)