Agenda at a Glance
Pre-Conference Workshops
Monday, February 3, 2025
9:00 a.m.–5:30 p.m. PT
Pre-Conference & General Conference On-Site Registration
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. PT Workshop AMastering Employer Brand Storytelling: Crafting Narratives That Attract Talent (Read More) This workshop offers an invaluable opportunity to learn how to craft authentic and compelling narratives that resonate with top talent. Through practical exercises, you’ll discover how to transform your company’s unique values and culture into stories that attract, engage, and retain the right people. Whether you're a seasoned recruiter or new to employer branding, this workshop will empower you to elevate your brand’s voice. Session 1 (30 mins): Introduction to Employer Brand Storytelling - Overview of storytelling’s role in employer branding. - How to find and develop stories that resonate with potential employees. - Group Exercise: Identify key moments and stories that define your company’s values. Session 2 (30 mins): Storytelling Structures - Explore different narrative frameworks (e.g., growth, belonging). - Breakout Exercise: Draft brand stories using different structures and present to the group for feedback. Session 3 (30 mins): Activating Your Story Across Platforms - Storytelling through various media (video, social, internal communications). - Create a content calendar to align storytelling with hiring objectives. Closing (30 mins): Q&A and Next Steps - Reflections, feedback, and actionable strategies for incorporating storytelling into your brand strategy. Why Attend? Attending this workshop will equip you with the storytelling techniques needed to build a distinctive employer brand. You'll leave with actionable strategies, ready-to-use frameworks, and a clear understanding of how to connect with talent in a way that sets your company apart. Don’t miss out on learning how to turn your brand’s culture into a powerful narrative that drives recruitment success.  | 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. PT Workshop BThe Ultimate Outcomes: Positive and Fair Candidate Experience (Read More) Measuring recruiting activities and their outcomes is important for TA leaders and their teams. How many candidates are visiting our careers site and how many are applying? What are the differences between hourly and professional candidates and how does that impact recruiting processes and resources? While long-time recruiting and hiring metrics like Time to Fill, Time to Hire, and many others may still be recruiting canon, ultimately, business leaders want to know whether we are hitting our hiring goals to grow and sustain our business. That’s the ultimate outcome. But what can we do about the 90% who aren’t offered the job? It’s all about delivering positive and fair candidate experiences throughout the candidate journey for all job types across multiple demographics, which isn’t easy to do. Don’t miss this insightful and interactive TA Week workshop with Kevin Grossman, ERE Media VP of Research. Kevin will share the latest CandE Benchmark Research, break down what the highest rated employers are doing to improve their candidate experience, and conduct small group exercises to develop personalized recruiting strategies and tactics for key demographic groups. Key takeaways will include:
 | 10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. PT Workshop CHow to Leverage AI for Employer Branding (Part I)  |
12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. PT
Pre-Conference Workshop Attendee Lunch
1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. PT Workshop DConscious Inclusion in Hiring Practices (Read More) Your facilitator, Brooks E. Scott, the Chief Culture Curator of Merging Path Coaching, is a professionally certified Executive Coach and Interpersonal Communications expert specializing in management and leadership training, all with a focused lens of diversity and inclusion. He delivers conversational-style workshops designed to provide an open space to explore identity themes and topics.
Conscious Inclusion in Hiring Practices is a 120-minute training and discussion to provide leaders with a new perspective on creating inclusion in their hiring process. From the creation of the job descriptions, to our interview questions, to the evaluation of individuals in our hiring process; this course will serve to cover four objectives:
Join us for an active discussion as we move through this program together as a team. All participants are strongly encouraged to come prepared to set their work aside so we can powerfully engage with each other.
 | 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. PT Workshop EBeyond the Surface: Diving into Deep Web Sourcing and Automation for Talent Discovery  | 1:00 p.m.–3:00 p.m. PT Workshop FHow to Leverage AI for Employer Branding (Part II) |
4:30 p.m.–5:30 p.m. PT
Welcoming Fiesta + Exhibit Area Preview (Read More)
Join us for this welcoming fiesta San Diego style! Exhibit areas will open for attendees to explore.
Day 1 — General Conference
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
8:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. PT
On-Site Registration + Exhibit Areas Open
9:00 a.m.–9:35 a.m. PT
Opening Keynote
Finding Your Gravity: Balancing Purpose, Passion, and Play in Talent Acquisition
9:40 a.m.–10:20 a.m. PT
The Power of Positive Psychology in Employer Brand and Recruitment Marketing Messaging
SRSCWelcome to the RECRUIT Stage at TA Week SD 2025! Your host Dwane Lay, CXO of GBS Worldwide will kick things off in the Sunset Ballroom.  | Talent SourcingWelcome to the SOURCE Stage at TA Week SD 2025!  | EBrandConWelcome! Your dynamic emcees Maren Hogan and Chris Long will host speakers on the BRAND Stage!   |
10:40 a.m.–11:20 a.m. PT Recruiting on a Shoestring Budget  | 10:40 a.m.–11:20 a.m. PT Leading to Success: Getting More Out of Your Sourcing Team | 10:40 a.m.–11:20 a.m. PT How to Avoid the Top 10 Employer Branding Mistakes (Read More) "Smooth seas don’t make good sailors.” In order to innovate, we need to take calculated risks, fail quickly, learn from mistakes and get right back up again. Many of us are self-taught, and are often the sole SME at our company. And unlike other professionals like dentists and financial advisors, we don’t get a specialized degree or license to practice employer branding.
Yet none of us are alone. We are a community of professionals who generously share our experiences and lessons learned—including those lessons that we’ve learned the hard way!
In this session, you’ll learn how to spot 10 common mistakes in employer branding, so that you can avoid them and take an alternative, more successful path. You’ll walk away from this session with more confidence so that you continue to take calculated risks as you innovate and sail your way to employer brand glory! Ahoy!
Key Takeaways:
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11:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. PT Session Details Coming Soon!
| 11:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. PT Session Details Coming Soon! (Read More) Session details coming soon!  | 11:30 a.m.–12:00 p.m. PT What 1 Million Job Candidates Are Really Telling Us (Read More) Candidates have complex interactions with career sites during their application journey. In this session, you'll gain insights into the process based on 1 million candidate data points--from jobseekers' initial interest through the pre-apply, job search, and application stages. Find out what is important to jobseekers during these stages, including how satisfied they are with their ability to access required information and how easy it is to search for, find and apply for the roles they want. The findings revealed here will explain how to successfully drive candidate conversions and accelerate hiring by focusing on the underlying non-linear journeys that prospective jobseekers take when interacting with career sites and the application process. In this session, attendees will:
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12:00 p.m.–1:00 p.m. PT
Networking Lunch and Explore the Exhibit Areas
1:10 p.m.–1:50 p.m. PT Humanizing the World of Talent Acquisition  | 1:10 p.m.–1:50 p.m. PT Leveraging Talent Sourcing Tools: ChatGPT and Google Bard  | 1:10 p.m.–1:50 p.m. PT Pitfalls to Avoid During Internal Employer Brand Activation  |
2:00 p.m.–2:40 p.m. PT From Recognition to Fulfillment: Employee Engagement & Retention Strategies (Read More) Talent teams have always cared about retention but prioritizing employee engagement programs that can boost talent retention are increasingly more important for the success of TA. In this session, Orlando will cover three key areas:
 | 2:00 p.m.–2:40 p.m. PT Targeted Sourcing in the AI Age (Read More) While AI is not coming for all of our jobs, those TA professionals that learn how to truly leverage AI will set themselves apart in how they attract, engage, and convert passive talent into candidates. Join Aaron as he shares insights on how AI is transforming talent acquisition - from streamlining processes to uncovering hidden gems in the candidate pool. Prepare to discover how the fusion of human intuition and artificial intelligence is creating a new breed of sourcing superheroes.  | 2:00 p.m.–2:40 p.m. PT Energize Your Career: Eaton's EVP Launch Story  |
2:50 p.m.–3:20 p.m. PT Session Details Coming Soon! (Read More) Session details coming soon!  | 2:50 p.m.–3:20 p.m. PT Session Details Coming Soon!
| 2:50 p.m.–3:20 p.m. PT Transforming the Modern Day Candidate Journey: Balancing AI and Automation with Human-Centered Engagement (Read More) In today’s digital age, it's easy to get swept up in the latest trends of automation and AI. But the real magic of recruitment still lies in connecting with people on a human level. This session will push you to rethink the conventional approach and offer a fresh take on crafting a candidate experience that truly stands out. We’ll dive into how to thoughtfully incorporate AI without losing the personal touch. This talk will blend technology with behavioral insights to design a candidate journey that’s as memorable as it is effective. What You Will Learn:
Why Attend? If you're ready to shake up traditional recruitment tactics, this talk is for you. We’ll cut through the noise of AI trends and uncover the true secret to a standout candidate experience. By combining psychology, tech, and storytelling, you'll learn how to craft a recruitment strategy that not only attracts top talent but also leaves a lasting impact. Expect to walk away with fresh perspectives, actionable takeaways, and renewed inspiration to elevate your employer brand and candidate experience to new heights online. |
3:30 p.m.–4:15 p.m. PT
Afternoon Networking Break in the Exhibit Areas
4:15 p.m.–4:55 p.m. PT
Showcase Showdown (Read More)
In this fast-paced "Sponsor Showcase Showdown" speakers will have 7 minutes to showcase what each amazing exhibitor has to offer. Get ready for a showdown on the main stage!
Featured presenters include:
"The ROI Calculator for Recruitment Marketing" - Maury Hanigan, CEO, SparcStart
4:55 p.m.–5:30 p.m. PT
Rethinking Recruitment: Bold Strategies to Break, Rebuild, and Future-Proof Talent Acquisition (Read More)
Traditional recruitment methods aren’t working—and maybe never did. It’s time to stop playing by the old rules and rethink everything. In this session, we’ll disrupt the status quo with bold, future-proof strategies designed to transform your talent acquisition approach. You’ll learn how to embrace diverse recruitment models, tear down outdated hiring processes, and expand Talent Acquisition’s role to drive greater impact. No matter your role in TA, this session will equip you with practical tools to solidify your role as a strategic business partner that your business can't live without.
5:30 p.m.–6:30 p.m. PT
Networking Party in the Exhibit Areas
Day 2 — General Conference
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
9:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m. PT
Coffee + Explore the Exhibit Areas
9:25 a.m.–10:05 a.m. PT
Opening Keynote
The Four Elements and Their Future (Read More)
The Four Elements and Their Future is tailored specifically for recruiters and talent acquisition professionals seeking to excel in an AI-driven world. In this talk, Brian Fink will explore how embracing curiosity, empathy, tenacity, and mischievousness can transform your recruitment strategies and outcomes.
- Curiosity will guide you through the evolving landscape of AI technologies, inspiring continuous learning and adaptation.
- Empathy emphasizes the irreplaceable human element in recruitment, ensuring that even the most advanced technologies enhance rather than replace personal connections.
- Tenacity teaches resilience in facing the rapid changes and challenges of modern recruitment.
- Mischievousness encourages innovative, out-of-the-box thinking that leads to effective and unexpected solutions in recruitment practices.
Together, these four elements not only prepare you to handle the disruptions AI brings but also to leverage these advancements to your advantage. Whether you’re looking to deepen your understanding of AI in recruitment, enhance your team's capabilities, or lead your organization through transformative changes, this keynote will provide valuable insights and actionable strategies.
SRSC | Talent Sourcing | EBrandCon |
10:15 a.m.–10:55 a.m. PT Revolutionizing Talent Engagement: A BECU Case Study  | 10:15 a.m.–10:55 a.m. PT It's Sourcing Magic! Revealing the Secrets to Finding Talent   | 10:15 a.m.–10:55 a.m. PT The New Employer Brand Blueprint: Unifying DEI, Talent Attraction, and Workforce Engagement (Read More) In this session, Charlotte Marshall—one of the world’s leading employer brand experts and co-author of the industry-shaping Give & Get Employer Branding—will introduce the New Employer Brand Blueprint. Drawing from her experience building employer brands at seven Fortune 500 companies, Charlotte will reveal how she was finally able to unlock the full value of employer brand at Intuitive by unifying Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), talent attraction, and workforce engagement into one activation. Guided by the Give & Get philosophy, this session will show you how to activate a highly strategic employer brand that deeply resonates with both current employees and potential candidates—and galvanizes employees to protect and champion company culture, especially during periods of high growth. Key takeaways include:
With deep expertise and a transformative approach, Charlotte will provide the new roadmap for activating a powerful employer brand that goes far beyond talent attraction—fueling engagement and creating lasting cultural impact.
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11:05 a.m.–11:35 a.m. PT Session Details Coming Soon!
| 11:05 a.m.–11:35 a.m. PT Beyond the Buzzwords: How Authenticity, Visibility, Credibility, and Connectivity Drive Recruitment Marketing Success   | 11:05 a.m.–11:35 a.m. PT Brands with Brandon: The Blueprint for Employer Branding Success (Read More) In this session, Brandon will unveil the blueprint for building a compelling employer brand that attracts, engages, and retains top talent. Takeaway actionable strategies and insights to design an authentic brand that resonates with candidates and strengthens your talent acquisition efforts.  |
11:45 a.m.–12:45 p.m. PT
Networking Lunch and Explore the Exhibit Areas
12:55 p.m.–1:35 p.m. PT Recruitment Advertising: 25 Million Worth of Lessons  | 12:55 p.m.–1:35 p.m. PT Sourcing and Engaging Underrepresented Talent  | 12:55 p.m.–1:35 p.m. PT Why Employer Branding is a Community Effort: A Corporate Case Study  |
1:45 p.m.–2:25 p.m. PT Strategies for Attracting and Hiring Early Career Talent  | 1:45 p.m.–2:25 p.m. PT Leveraging Open Sourcing Intelligence Tools (OSINT) | 1:45 p.m.–2:25 p.m. PT Emoting Brand through Your Career Site (Read More) Session details coming soon!  |
2:35 p.m.–3:10 p.m. PT Thought Leader Session  Interested in Speaking? Click here to submit a proposal | 2:35 p.m.–3:10 p.m. PT Thought Leader Session Interested in Speaking? Click here to submit a proposal | 2:35 p.m.–3:10 p.m. PT Bridging the Gap: Aligning Marketing and Talent Acquisition for an Authentic Employer Brand (Read More) In today's rapidly evolving landscape, decisions made at the highest levels often ripple through the entire organization, profoundly impacting organization culture and the employer brand. Too often, the disconnect between marketing, communications, and talent acquisition teams leads to fragmented messaging, diluted brand identity, and missed opportunities in talent attraction. In this session, we'll explore the vital relationship between corporate marketing, communications, and talent acquisition. We'll discuss how these departments can work together to craft a cohesive, transparent employer brand that resonates with both current employees and potential candidates. Drawing on recent case studies and industry insights, we'll provide practical strategies for building bridges between these teams, ensuring that your organization's employer brand is not just a reflection of corporate values, but a true embodiment of your culture and mission. Join us to learn how to turn cross-functional collaboration into a competitive advantage in the talent market.
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3:15 p.m.–3:45 p.m. PT
Afternoon Networking Break: Explore the Exhibit Areas
3:45 p.m.–4:25 p.m. PT
What You Do Makes a Difference: Here’s Why and How You Can Make an Impact with Employer Branding (Read More)
In this session, Monica will explore the vital role talent acquisition plays in a company's success, exploring key insights and practical strategies surrounding best practices in attracting talent. Attendees will gain a deeper understanding of the importance of employer branding. This presentation will feature actionable takeaways.
4:30 p.m.–5:20 p.m. PT
Closing Keynote Panel
Pulling it All Together: TA Week Takeaways
5:20 P.M.–5:30 p.m. PT
TA Week Giveaways
Post-Conference Workshops
Thursday, February 6, 2025
10:00 p.m.–12:00 p.m. PT
Workshop G
Live Sourcing Training: Source Talent in Real Time (Read More)
Learn advanced sourcing techniques to find the people you want, their contact information, and engagement fodder. This training is focused solely on searching for and engaging people using Booleans, multiple social media sites, online sourcing platforms and tools (i.e., LinkedIn and Facebook, association and conference sites, and even emojis). Yes, there will also be an appearance by time savers like ChatGPT and many of its relatives. No presentations, no slides, no exhaustive theory - just hands-on practice in training your brain to think like the wise sourcer that so badly wants to make their presence known. Bring your challenging roles and roadblocks...and be ready for sourcing success using new creative and engaging methods. You won't believe how many people you've been missing!
10:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. PT
Workshop H
How to Successfully Implement Strategies for Filling Hard-to-Fill Roles (Read More)
Have you ever had a job you consider hard to fill? The thing is, hard to fill doesn't always mean the same thing for everyone. Join fellow attendees to engage with industry veteran Carrie Corbin, as she shares the "how to" details with an expert who has navigated some of the harder to fill roles in our space (i.e. global STEM roles to niche skilled trade with some high-volume thrown in for fun!)
