Until recently, business or occupational psychologists have been rarities who mostly get hired as contracted consultants. But now, companies are beginning to see their undeniable value, and there’s a drive toward having an in-house business psychologist in all workplaces. Today we welcome Dr. Hamira Riaz, Executive Talent & Assessment Director. Dr. Hamira begins with how she switched from clinical psychology to HR before explaining why occupational psychologists should be an in-house norm for all businesses. We unpack the skills needed to be an expert in Dr. Hamira’s field, how the psychological contract between employees and businesses has changed through the years, the constant yo-yo of power between talent and employers, and why potential is an important subject to modern employees. We also learn about our shadow selves and how it affects our work, the role of resilience in breaking through shadows, how Dr. Hamira ensures that she gets the information she needs when speaking to business leaders, and AI’s role in the future of HR.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Dr. Hamira Riaz describes her career pivot from clinical psychology to HR.

• Why in-house occupational psychologists will become a staple in most businesses.

• The skills and knowledge required to be an expert business psychologist.

• How the psychological contract between employees and businesses has evolved.

• Exploring the perpetual seesaw of power between talent and employers.

• Why potential matters, and work motivations in a post-COVID society.

• The environments in which potential is expressed and realized.

• How our shadows affect our work, and how to assess and alleviate shadows in the office.

• The role of resilience in breaking through shadows, and how to recharge your resilience.

• What Dr. Hamira is listening for when speaking to business leaders about their needs.

• Why she's very interested in how someone spent their 20s when making her valuations.

• The future of HR with AI.

Quotes:

“That psychological contract between an employee and a company has fundamentally shifted. We want different things out of work than we ever did before. Our tolerance and threshold for what's okay in terms of the boundary between our personal life and professional life has shifted, and we're never going to go back.” — @HamiraRiaz [08:00]

“The Human Potential Movement has been around for decades, since the 60s. I've never known potential as a subject to be as much in the minds of HR professionals as it is now.” — @HamiraRiaz [10:16]

“We're all deserving of these opportunities at work, and we don't need to wait for a professional in the HR function to tell us that we are talent and tell us that we have potential.” — @HamiraRiaz [14:01]

“I love the gift of time. I don't think anybody loves you more than when you give them back some time.” — @HamiraRiaz [32:11]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Dr. Hamira Riaz

Dr. Hamira Riaz on LinkedIn

Dr. Hamira Riaz on X

Lloyds Banking Group

Volvo

Martyr!

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LHH Recruitment Solutions

Orlando shares insights from his many years of experience and how he is giving back to the career-searching community through his coaching. He outlines his advice on how to navigate the interview process, especially when you’re asked to do free labor as a candidate, and how to view things from both sides of the recruitment process. Orlando also tells us about his role at Mosaic, his approach to long-term talent development, how to implement a holistic talent strategy, and much more.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Some background on today’s guest, Orlando Haynes, and his impressive CV.

• How Orlando has given back to the career-searching community through his coaching.

• What to expect from a 60-minute clarity call with Orlando.

• The most common questions Orlando gets as a coach on his clarity calls.

• Advice on how to construct your resume based on your audience.

• Unpacking the interview process from the perspective of the interviewer and the candidate.

• Reflections on unusual, unreasonable, and unethical interview processes.

• What to do when you’re asked to do free labor as an interview candidate.

• Orlando’s role at Mosaic Company and his approach to long-term talent development.

• Balancing the need to have a position filled with investing in hires who need time to develop.

• Advocating for a holistic talent strategy and how companies need to showcase themselves.

• Orlando’s recruitment predictions for 2025.

Quotes:

“It's not that we assessed whether you're a good or bad candidate overall in that five or six seconds, but [it’s] that five [to] six seconds of review let us know to pick up the phone call to learn more.” — Orlando Haynes [09:21]

“The big thing for us [at Mosaic] is [the] relationship. It's more about the long-term relationship, but it's also the education piece, whether you're a good fit for the organization or not.” — Orlando Haynes [24:01]

“[It’s important] to showcase a day in the life, [for example] ‘what does the office look like?’ – People may not say it as much, but they consider those things. Job seekers consider the space and location where they want to work.” — Orlando Haynes [36:07]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Orlando Haynes on LinkedIn

Book a 60 Minute Coaching call with Orlando

Talk Talent to Me

LHH Recruitment Solutions

Explaining the resilience of modern talent acquisition pros is Brandon Jeffs, the Director of People and Talent at TLDR – one of the largest newsletters in the world with daily summaries of the most interesting stories in startups, tech, and programming. Brandon’s career is focused on empowering the employee-employer relationship, and he walks us through the best practices for cultivating lasting relationships in the talent ecosystem. We discover why he started The Revol•TA Podcast and what he’s learned from the guests on his show before unpacking the doggedness of modern recruiters, how recruiters can improve their job security, whether it’s better to be a generalist or specialist, and what it takes to be an exceptional talent acquisition specialist. We also learn more about TLDR, Brandon’s protocol for making really fast hires, and the role of AI in the future of talent and recruiting.

Key Points From This Episode:

• Brandon Jeffs explains what inspired him to start his show, The Revol•TA Podcast.

• The best practices for forging meaningful relationships in the talent ecosystem.

• What Brandon has learned from the guests who’ve appeared on his show.

• Why recruiters are willing to do gritty and often thankless work.

• Whether there’s a way for recruiters to be recession-proof in the likelihood of being laid off.

• An age-old debate: Generalists versus specialists.

• The characteristics of a great job offer

• His protocol for understanding a candidate’s motivations, and why this matters.

• Insight into the markings of a great recruiter.

• Where preparation meets opportunity and the importance of timing.

• The ins and outs of TLDR, with details on a particular serendipitous role fill.

• Understanding Brandon’s method for making really fast hires.

• How the future of talent acquisition is linked to the possibilities of large language models.

Quotes:

“The main driver for me is what can I give back to other people?” — Brandon Jeffs [04:50]

“The community is what brings us together. If you show up for other people, they will show up for you.” — Brandon Jeffs [11:52]

“If you have the fundamentals and the curiosity to learn new things, you can apply those to ways and roles that you may not think of.” — Brandon Jeffs [17:57]

“It’s really interesting to see how we position brand and prestige and pedigree in this larger game of capitalism.” — Brandon Jeffs [24:10]

“A great recruiter can fill roles on time but an exceptional one can create moments of serendipity.” — Brandon Jeffs [29:47]

Links Mentioned in Today’s Episode:

Brandon Jeffs on LinkedIn

The Revol•TA Podcast

TLDR

LHH Recruitment Solutions