Cara Hunter, principal consultant at livingHR, Inc., joins us to discuss how companies make intentional decisions about when to grow talent from within and when to hire externally. Cara shares practical guidance on mapping skills, understanding future capability needs, and aligning people's decisions with long-term strategy.

She also discusses how organizations can rethink entry-level roles, use AI and globalization as amplifiers for human work, and build transparent, data-informed talent practices that strengthen culture, engagement, and retention.

Key takeaways:

00:00 Introduction

02:19 Balancing internal development with external hiring to support future needs

03:33 Strengthening culture and retention through clear career paths and mobility

07:25 Guiding internal candidates who are not yet ready for advancement

10:57 Applying compensation structures and pay transparency to career decisions

16:08 Reimagining entry-level work as AI and globalization reshape early roles

18:25 Elevating retention strategies as entry-level hiring volumes decrease

23:18 Leveraging people data to influence executive decision-making and talent strategy

27:18 Treating every open role as a strategic opportunity rather than a replacement exercise

Resources mentioned:

Cara Hunter

https://www.linkedin.com/in/carahunter1/

livingHR, Inc. | LinkedIn

https://www.linkedin.com/company/livinghr/

livingHR, Inc. | Website

https://livinghr.com/

HiBob | Website

https://www.hibob.com/hris-bb-uk/?utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=emea_uki_en_search_conv_bing_brand_gen_on_m_d_bofu_other_exact_phrase_&utm_campaignid=579836525&utm_adgroupid=1275435135537102&utm_adid=&utm_matchtype=e&utm_device=c&utm_term=hibob&utm_content=79714800339642&utm_obj=mql_Conversion&utm_funnel=branding&msclkid=f0932be1489618876c9b42f74b571478

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