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The HR Community Podcast

The HR Community Podcast

Written by: Shane O'Neill
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Subscibe here: https://www.youtube.com/@civitastalent_HRrecruitment

Civitas Talent is excited to bring you a series of podcasts dedicated to the HR community. This is a space where you can learn best-practice solutions from HR community leaders, with host Shane O'Neill.

Whether you’re a CEO, HR executive or operating across the wider HR sector - this podcast is for you!

© 2026 The HR Community Podcast
Careers Economics Management Management & Leadership Personal Success
Episodes
  • Inside A Chief Talent Officer’s Playbook with Derek Del Simone Abano Healthcare Group
    Feb 2 2026

    Hiring in shortage markets can’t be an admin exercise. We sit with Derek Del Simone, Chief Talent Officer at Abano Healthcare Group, to map out how Talent becomes a true growth engine—separate from HR yet tightly partnered—and why a single clinical hire can change a practice’s P&L. Derek shares the journey from an ill-fitting ATS to an AI-enabled stack that removes drudge work, sources international clinicians at scale, and frees recruiters to build real relationships. We get practical on what to automate, what to measure, and how to tell a financial story that wins buy-in from CEOs, COOs, and operations leaders.

    You’ll hear why job boards are fading, how to train AI rather than “set and forget,” and what it takes to keep candidates engaged through visas, accreditation, and relocation. We also dive into internal mobility and retention as core parts of the market, not afterthoughts. Derek outlines the operating rhythm that prevents burnout—clear metrics, flexible hours for global outreach, and AI handling after-hours FAQs—so teams can sustain high performance without losing their edge. Along the way, we explore the case for giving Talent its own seat at the table, how award submissions can build brand credibility, and the governance of an AI Council to keep tools aligned with strategy.

    If you lead People, Talent, or operations in healthcare or any hard-to-hire sector, this conversation gives you a blueprint to move from reactive hiring to proactive, ROI-driven growth. Subscribe for more candid playbooks from leaders who are building the next generation of TA, leave a review to share what resonated, and pass this along to someone who needs a smarter approach to hiring.

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    33 mins
  • Evolution of TA: Reactive → Strategic, with Kyle Hurley, Head of TA, Medhealth Group
    Dec 8 2025

    Talent teams aren’t just filling roles anymore; they’re steering growth. We sit with Kyle Hurley, Senior Manager for Talent Acquisition at MedHealth, to explore how a 25‑brand portfolio builds a unified hiring engine without losing each brand’s edge. Kyle’s journey from coding classes and agency desks to enterprise TA leadership unlocks a playbook for moving beyond requisitions to true talent intelligence—where data, empathy, and clear operating rhythms translate into hiring quality, speed, and trust.

    Kyle shares how his team returned to “brilliant basics,” then layered in the right tools to lift both experience and output. That foundation now shows up in real numbers: a 99% NPS from new starters and a 31% hiring increase year over year. We dig into where AI makes the biggest difference today—AI‑assisted video analysis, predictive analytics for attrition and mobility, and conversational agents that cut friction across the funnel—while unpacking why governance and bias monitoring must sit inside the TA function. Tech should accelerate judgment, not replace it.

    We also get tactical about multi‑brand strategy in scarce‑talent markets like allied health. Kyle explains how to centralize ways of working while keeping local employer brands vibrant, how to swap leaky “talent pools” for continuous mapping and referrals, and how to balance BAU delivery with multi‑year “big rocks” that shift capability. Looking ahead, he sees a blended TA team—analysts, sourcers, brand pros, recruiters—augmented by AI and aligned to skills‑based hiring, internal pathways, and measurable impact on the business. Agencies still play a role for confidential searches, off‑market mapping, and areas in‑house teams can’t touch.

    Curious how to future‑proof your hiring without losing the human edge? Press play, then tell us your boldest TA bet for the next 12 months. If you enjoyed the conversation, subscribe, leave a review, and share it with a TA leader who should be part of it.

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    35 mins
  • How AI Is Changing Learning and Why Soft Skills Matter More Than Ever, with Peter Kokkinos, VP at Udemy
    Oct 19 2025

    The way we learn at work is finally catching up to the way we actually work. Shane O’Neill sits down with Udemy APAC VP and MD Peter Kokkinos to unpack how AI is transforming learning from a one-size-fits-all catalog into personalized, in-the-flow support that meets people at the exact moment of need. From the early days of laser discs to today’s AI-powered role plays, Peter shares what’s changed, what still doesn’t work, and why soft skills like critical thinking, communication, and leadership now matter more than ever.

    We dive into AI fluency as a new baseline capability—less about mastering a specific tool, more about using the tools you have to improve real workflows. Peter explains how demand for AI skills has surged across functions like HR, finance, operations, and marketing, and why organizations that frame learning around outcomes (productivity, mobility, retention) see stronger engagement. We also get practical about culture: how leadership intent shows up in budgets and time, how to personalize learning paths based on current skills and role transitions, and how to deliver learning inside the tools employees already use, reducing friction and increasing adoption.

    Measurement gets a much-needed reset. Instead of counting hours, we focus on skills confidence proven in simulations, visible behavior change, and usage of approved AI tools that ties to performance. You’ll hear candid takes on common pitfalls—copy-paste AI undermining learning—and concrete ideas to future proof your HR function with contextual practice, embedded guidance, and smarter metrics. If you’re ready to move past generic courses and build a learning culture that actually moves the needle, this conversation will give you the language, the levers, and the next steps.

    Enjoy the episode, then subscribe, share with a colleague, and leave a review to help more HR leaders find these conversations. Got a question or a story about AI in your learning strategy? Drop us a comment—we’d love to hear it.

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    35 mins
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