7 Must-See Sessions at Talent Connect 2023

While you probably think of LinkedIn’s annual summit for global talent leaders as Talent Connect (which is, after all, its name), I like to think of this gathering as Talent Content, given the enormous number of impactful insights, hard-earned success stories, and compelling pieces of thought leadership that will be shared over the course of two days.

Sure, there will be plenty of connections made in New York City on October 3 and 4, with senior leaders networking, trading contact info, and comparing challenges and possible solutions. But, as the editor of the Talent Blog, I know how many of the posts that we publish in October and the following months will be shaped by the content — ideas, stories, information, data — shared at Talent Connect.

And some of the best content will arise in the more than 38 breakout sessions spearheaded by experts and innovators from around the globe. This year’s breakout sessions will touch on all the pressing talent issues of the day — skills-first hiring, the five-generation workforce, DEI, internal mobility, career development, and AI/GAI. As well, some of this year’s sessions — we’re calling them Solution Room sessions — will combine presentations with small-group problem-solving. 

All the sessions will be rich conversation drivers, but here are seven that I’m particularly looking forward to: 

1. Systemic HR: A New Operating System, with Josh Bersin and Kathi Enderes 

Look at what’s on the HR department’s plate these days: skills gaps and talent shortages, soaring burnout, entrenched quiet quitting, conflicting demands for both return to office and work from home, and all that chat about generative AI. 

The HR function has never been more important. Or more under siege. And legacy strategies and operating models are not what’s needed to meet the myriad challenges.

Josh Bersin, founder of The Josh Bersin Company and a global thought leader on everything HR, and his research partner Kathi Enderes will unveil, for the first time anywhere, the results of a yearlong study of the HR function and share their findings about the successful strategies, practices, and operating systems of some of the world’s leading brands.

2. Working with Hiring Managers: How to Create a Culture of Recruiting Ownership (Solution Room), with John Vlastelica

Could your next superstar recruiter be . . . a hiring manager?

John Vlastelica, founder of Recruiting Toolbox and one of the top-rated Talent Connect speakers of all time, says that the key to recruiting success — consistently hiring better talent than the competition — is not necessarily bigger budgets or better comp. Instead, he argues, it may be highly engaged hiring managers.

John will share success stories, review the hiring manager maturity model, and detail a wealth of best practices in an interactive session with talent leaders who will also contribute ideas and experiences of their own. 

3. Making Skills-First Hiring Practices Genuinely Equitable (Solution Room), with Jason Jones, Hannah Awonuga, Anthony Garcia Jr., and Kara Yarnot

Skills-first hiring should help orgs increase the quality of hire, expand talent pools, and improve retention. On paper, at least, it should also reduce bias and drive equity in hiring.

But how do companies, as they embrace a skills-first approach, ensure that it doesn’t simply perpetuate the status quo? 

To find out, Talent Connect is bringing together a panel of leaders who know the issue deeply because of their work and their lived experiences. This conversation will feature Jason Jones, senior manager of partnerships at The Last Mile; Hannah Awonuga, group head of diversity, equity, and inclusion at Knight Frank; Anthony Garcia Jr., the CEO and cofounder of Purepost; and Kara Yarnot, vice president of consulting services at HireClix.

4. Power a Dynamic Workforce by Embracing AI, with Dr. Tomas Chamarro-Premuzic, Dr. Terri Horton, and Chris Louie 

How do your employees view AI? Anxiety Inducing? Alleviating Inconveniences? Or, just maybe, Aiding Improvement? 

In light of artificial intelligence, many organizations are rethinking everything they’ve believed about learning and career paths. 

A panel of Dr. Tomas Chamarro-Premuzic, professor of business psychology at Columbia and UCL (University College London) and chief innovation officer at Manpower Group; Dr. Terri Horton, work futurist and global advisor at FuturePath; and Chris Louie, head of the future of work and talent strategy at Thomson Reuters, talk about seizing the opportunities created by AI to help employees build impactful futures. 

5. Talent Acquisition’s Missing Metric: Unlocking the Power of ‘Quality of Hire,’ with Erin Scruggs and Ben Olson

Quality of hire: It’s the holy grail of recruiting metrics. And it’s the measure LinkedIn turned to when it needed to answer the question “Did we retain the best talent” after a recent workforce reduction and reorganization.

Erin Scruggs, VP and head of global talent acquisition at LinkedIn, and colleague Ben Olson, a director of talent acquisition at LinkedIn, will share a summary of the company’s case study of quality of hire.

After their presentation, Erin and Ben will host a panel discussion with other recruiting leaders on how quality of hire is shaping strategies across the talent world.

6. Your Bold New Approach to Retain and Engage a Thriving Multigenerational Workforce (Solution Room), with Sophie Wade, Valerie Vadala, and Nicky Vallely

The five generations in the workplace may not be packed together in the office but they’re definitely cheek-to-cheek on Zoom. And with all their varied expectations and workstyles, they’re a potential challenge for any company. 

But they’re also a potential strength, given their rich blend of perspectives, experiences, and expertise. 

The conference brings together a panel of experts and trailblazers — Sophie Wade, founder and workforce innovation specialist at the Flexcel Network; Nicky Vallely, talent attraction and engagement lead at Google DeepMind; and Valerie Vadala, global head of talent acquisition at Shutterstock — to discuss actionable ways to engage and retain a vibrant multigenerational workforce. 

7. Revolutionizing Talent Acquisition: AI Meets Inclusivity and Authenticity, with Roz Francuz-Harris 

Over the last year and a half, there has been a lot of backsliding on DEI commitments and other employee-centered programs and policies. 

But Roz Francuz-Harris, the VP of talent acquisition at Zillow, makes the case that artificial intelligence can help foster inclusivity and authenticity. 

Roz will dive into how AI can streamline recruiting, boost candidate engagement, and, significantly, uncover hidden-gem candidates.