Introducing TalentTalk DIGITAL

TalentTalk has been a regular Gem event that brought together Bay Area talent acquisition folks. We're nixing the geographical constraint and going DIGITAL.

Historically, TalentTalk has been an in-person event at Gem’s own office that’s brought together over 100 talent acquisition folks from across the San Francisco Bay Area. The idea was to create a physical space for recruiters to meet their peers; share anecdotes, data points, stories from the frontlines, and best practices; expand their networks; and strengthen their community over food and drinks. Those early TalentTalks included a 15-minute thought-leadership standup, in which guest speakers like Chinsin Sim, Recruiting Manager at Robinhood, and Aaron Smith, Technical Recruiting Sourcer at Plaid, shared tricks and best practices they’d picked up over the years. The feedback we got was consistent: attendees wanted more. They wanted talks that lasted longer than 15 minutes. They wanted fireside chats. They wanted even more opportunities to connect with their peers. At Gem, those desires resonated: we wanted more events, more knowledge-sharing, more meaningful connections. We wanted the talent acquisition community to feel familiar and familial. And as our world changed last month, it put us in an unexpected position to make these events happen more often—and without geographical constraints. So we bring you… TalentTalk DIGITAL.

A New Experience

Last week we hosted our first TalentTalk DIGITAL event, and we’re not just speaking for ourselves when we say it was a great time! Over one hundred talent acquisition professionals from around the world gathered to hear Gem’s co-founder and CEO, Steve Bartel, share his thoughts on the current and future states of recruiting as we navigate our new remote world. We then divided the audience into smaller breakout discussions for the remainder of the event. These smaller groups discussed topics like pivoting to remote interviews, handling candidate outreach in uncertain markets, and how their respective recruiting teams and companies are adjusting in response to the current climate. The format allowed sourcers, recruiters, and talent leaders to get to know colleagues both in and outside of their industries more intimately, and to do a deep-dive into the topics at the center of their day-to-day work.

Growing Our TalentTalk Community

Since last week, we’ve been poring over feedback—requests for day-long sessions, more guest speakers, and industry-specific breakout sessions. We’re lining up the technology and the resources to offer these things, and to keep growing this platform and this online community. Within a matter of weeks, our vision for the TalentTalk community has expanded into something we could not have imagined. What started out as a plan for quarterly happy hours a year ago has turned into plans for a global online community. TalentTalk DIGITAL is a place for you to arrive and connect with others in talent acquisition, share your own ideas and experiences and know you’ll be heard, and leverage this community to learn from one another. After all, we truly believe that you are each other’s most valuable resource.

What Can I Expect of TalentTalk Going Forward?

Well, for one, we’re steering clear of the webinar format. You can expect to see fireside chats, group panels, interactive breakout groups for deep-dive topics, and more. We’ll discuss topics that are at the forefront of your professional life, but also bring you content and opportunities to enhance your professional development and relationships. This includes events that accommodate both small and large groups; and we’ll occasionally segment events by specific roles, experiences, or industries. We hope that as you “walk away” from every event, you feel inspired, connected, and like you’ve got a new set of perspectives in your pocket that allow you to work more creatively and strategically.

But Wait, There’s Also a Slack Channel!

Maybe your calendar is too full to squeeze in an event, or you’re needing some quick advice from your peers? If so, then check out our TalentTalk Slack community. Request an invitation here.Check out the TalentTalk page to view upcoming events and sign up for notifications when new events are created. We plan to continue hosting TalentTalk DIGITAL to facilitate networking and development long after we’re all back in our offices again… though of course, we look forward to the day that we can hold a local event and see you all in person. For now, we look forward to seeing you through the screen!-----Join our upcoming TalentTalk event where we’ll focus on shifting your recruiting strategies during this climate. Caroline Stevenson, Head of People at Gem, will share how she’s shifting her team’s focus and getting ahead on D&I efforts during this time. Then we’ll break attendees into small discussion groups to talk about how they’re handling this time and address other topics that are top-of-mind. Thurs, April 30th, 12:00p - 1:00p PST