Drive Thru HR

This week Jess Von Bank joined Robin and Michael to talk about her new book, Mother of Disruption: Reshaping the Human Contract in the Age of AI, the maternal lens she wrote it through, and why the employees companies label as AI resisters are more often people who’ve sat through too many transformations that changed nothing. The conversation also covers a feminist wheat farmer from North Dakota, a working title that didn’t survive editing, and the case for measuring the quality of people’s working lives as closely as the capabilities of the tech. You can find the book here and through independent booksellers. The audiobook is due in early December, and Jess writes regularly on both LinkedIn and Substack.

In this episode of Drive Thru HR, hosts Robin Schooling and Michael VanDervort welcome Shennee Rutt, executive resume writer and founder of Laurel Virtual Solutions to talk about what it takes to stand out in today's job market. Shennee describes a wave of layoffs pushing seasoned executives with 25 to 30 years of experience back into a job search, - often without having needed a resume in decades (so what to do?). The conversation takes on the question of whether the resume is dead (it isn't) and the role of AI on both sides of hiring as we discuss why AI-generated resumes come across as generic and lacking personality. We wrap up with practical LinkedIn advice, including why your profile shouldn't be a copy of your resume. Oh... and we make the case for why the cover letter may be your best marketing tool right now!

Jackye Clayton - recruiter turned editor turned builder, co-host of But First Coffee and Inclusive AF, and, as it turns out, a dog trainer - joins Robin and Michael for the first show back from hiatus.  In this wide-ranging convo, we discuss where DEIB stands today including how companies are silently renaming the work while still doing it. Jackye walks us through Who Do I Work For, the career intelligence tool she built to auto-align candidates with organizations that match their values instead of auto-applying them into a mess, plus a workshop she's kicking off on building agents to handle TA intake.   And her closing advice sticks the landing: we're going judgment blind, and judgment is the one thing that can't be automated.

In this episode of Drive Thru HR, Michael VanDervort and Robin Schooling chat with Steven Sokoler, founder of Journey to discuss the critical importance of mental health in the workplace. We explore the evolution of Employee Assistance Programs (EAPs) from reactive to proactive approaches, emphasizing the need for early intervention and support. Steven shares insights on how Journey utilizes data and technology to enhance employee engagement and improve mental health outcomes, and the conversation highlights the essential role of managers in fostering a supportive environment as well as the business case for prioritizing mental health initiatives.

What does ethnography have to do with your AI rollout? More than you'd think. Tracey Lovejoy, founder of Catalyst Constellations and a leadership development consultant with roots in anthropology, joins Michael VanDervort on Drive Thru HR for a wide-ranging conversation on change, the rare people who actually drive it, and why your biggest AI implementation risk isn't the technology but rather the humans you forgot to bring along. *** Tracey Lovejoy is the founder of Catalyst Constellations, a leadership development consultancy that specializes in the human side of transformation. With a background in anthropology and years of research in high tech, Tracey has spent her career studying the rare people who can't stop themselves from making positive change, and building programs that help organizations identify, develop, and leverage them. She is the author of Move Fast, Break Shit, Burn Out: The Catalyst Guide to Working Well. Resources and References Mentioned: • Move Fast, Break Shit, Burn Out by Tracey Lovejoy and Shannon Lucas • EOS (Entrepreneurial Operating System) by Gino Wickman • The Leader-Shift Playbook by Phil Wilson (LRI Consulting Services) • The Approachability Playbook by Phil Wilson • McKinsey research on the 10-20-70 framework • Walmart's company-wide AI training initiative