Aurelien Drieu is Qonto's Head of Talent Acquisition. Over the past six years, he's helped scale the company from 200 to 1,700+ employees. In this conversation, he shares how his team uses AI to move faster without trading off on quality - from automating dashboards and building in-house agents that take on repetitive but high-leverage prep work (persona finalisation, interview grids, job descriptions, case studies) to note-taking, AI interviewing tests, and testing candidates' AI fluency during the interview process. The result: a 25% productivity gain between late 2025 and Q1 2026, and a clear point of view on why the next phase of recruiting won't be won by the most automated teams, but by those that pair automation with sharper human judgment. Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible!
SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2! https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviews
Thanks for listening!
EP 221: Why Generalists Win in a Fast-Changing Talent Market
09/06/2026 | 1h 11 mins.
What does it actually take to grow as a talent leader when the playbook keeps changing? Chelsea Kovak, Head of Global Talent Acquisition at TaskRabbit, shares how she thinks about AI, data, tooling, and the skills recruiters need to build in a market that’s moving faster than ever. Along the way, she reflects on her path from sales to talent acquisition, the value of being a connector, and why adaptability may be the most important skill in modern recruiting. Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible!
SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2! https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviews
Thanks for listening!
EP 220: Elephants, Lions & the Psychology of Talent Leadership
02/06/2026 | 53 mins.
Growing up between Canada and East Africa, Michael Kieran’s childhood was shaped by international communities, close encounters with elephants and lions, and experiences that challenged the way he saw the world. He brings that same perspective to building high-performing recruiting teams grounded in consistency, ambition, and continuous growth as a Fractional Talent Leader. In this conversation, he shares why the best TA organizations think differently about performance, AI, and what it really means to become world-class. Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn!
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible!
SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2! https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviews
Thanks for listening!
EP 219: Building Talent Programs at Hulu, Activision, and Take-Two
28/05/2026 | 45 mins.
Jessica Wheeler went from growing up in Vancouver, Washington to building talent programs at some of the biggest names in entertainment and gaming, including Hulu, Activision, and Take-Two Interactive. Now VP, Global Head of TA Strategy at Take-Two, she shares how scaling Hulu from 500 to 3,000 employees, leading through reputation challenges at Activision, and centralizing TA across 2K, Zynga, and Take-Two shaped her leadership style. Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Intro (00:00) Background (00:46) Career (06:52) Ta (29:22)
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible!
SecureVision: #1 Rated Embedded Recruitment Firm on G2! https://www.g2.com/products/securevision/reviews
Thanks for listening!
EP 218: Don't Hire
26/05/2026 | 47 mins.
Adam Spector’s path has never been conventional, from leaving DC for boarding school to pivoting from law school into tech and startups. Now Founder & CEO of Chore, he shares how building companies, learning from early startup failures, and obsessing over AI shaped his belief that founders should rethink hiring entirely. His message is simple: don’t hire unless you absolutely have to. Connect with host James Mackey on LinkedIn! Intro (00:00) Background (00:46) Career (13:08) TA (20:49)
Thank you to our sponsor, SecureVision, for making this show possible!
About The Breakthrough Hiring Show: Modern Recruiting, AI, and Talent Strategy
About The Breakthrough Hiring Show: Modern Recruiting, AI, and Talent Strategy
About The Breakthrough Hiring Show: Modern Recruiting, AI, and Talent Strategy
Welcome to The Breakthrough Hiring Show: Recruiting, AI, and Talent Strategy, a podcast for leaders building better hiring systems and stronger teams.Hosted by James Mackey, the show features conversations with founders, CEOs, talent leaders, and recruiting experts on how great companies hire, scale, and adapt as technology changes the talent landscape.Episodes cover talent acquisition strategy, recruiting operations, AI, automation, candidate experience, hiring analytics, and executive decision-making.You will learn how to build scalable hiring systems, use AI and recruiting technology effectively, improve the hiring process, and make talent acquisition a competitive advantage.Built for founders, executives, talent acquisition leaders, recruiters, and hiring teams.Thank you to our sponsors, SecureVision and June, for making this show possible.
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