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© 2026 Edan Haddock - Total Talent 🇦🇺
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Raw, unfiltered insights from inside the world of Talent Acquisition and Talent Management. No guests. No sponsors. No agenda. Just real talk from an in-house talent leader on what’s working, what’s broken, and what’s next. Each week, Edan Haddock shares honest reflections from the front line of talent — straight from the tools, for the people who live it every day.
19Â Episodes
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1The End of CoEs and the Rise of Total Talent In this episode, Edan Haddock takes on one of HR’s most established models… the Centre of Excellence. As technology accelerates and AI begins to take on more of the work traditionally owned by HR, Edan explores what this means for the structure of People functions. From the slow decline of HR Operations, to the identity crisis facing People Partnering, and the quiet disappearance of standalone OD… nothing is off limits. The big question: if those p...
In this episode, Edan Haddock dives into one of the most heated debates in modern work: return-to-office, hybrid, and working from home. Rather than taking sides in the location debate, Edan argues that the entire conversation is missing the real issue. The problem isn’t where people work. It’s how we measure work. Edan explores why he has always believed in Work/Life Integration rather than Work/Life Balance, why rigid return-to-office mandates risk pushing organisations backwards, and why m...
In this episode, Edan Haddock explores a difficult but necessary conversation for HR and Talent teams: bias inside our own profession. HR spends a lot of time helping leaders understand bias in hiring, promotion and performance decisions. But the deeper question is rarely asked. What bias exists inside HR itself? Edan explores the different types of bias that appear in Talent Acquisition and People teams, including affinity bias, confirmation bias and the subtle ways “culture fit” can influen...
In this episode, Edan challenges one of the biggest assumptions in Talent Acquisition: that more automation means less humanity. After years of digitising applications, scorecards and reference checks to survive scale, AI is now removing the manual admin that justified those systems in the first place. If the work disappears, what’s left for recruiters? Using reference checks as the anchor, Edan explores whether AI could actually bring back conversation, judgement and network-driven hiring - ...
In this episode, Edan pulls apart the engagement survey playbook and asks a tough question: is it driving performance, or just collecting complaints? As engagement increasingly moves into Talent functions, Edan explains why this shift matters and why Talent teams are uniquely positioned to turn engagement from a reactive survey into a predictive, strategic lever. He dives into the structural flaws of traditional models - fragmented action plans, unclear impact, weak data integration - and cha...
In this episode, Edan Haddock shares his perspective on the growing culture of audits, rankings, and public critique within the Talent industry. He explores how this trend can create fear, discourage experimentation, and push organisations toward safe, bland approaches rather than authentic ones. Edan argues that there is no universal best practice in Talent, only what is real and true for your organisation. He encourages leaders to listen to their people and candidates, embrace experimentati...
In this episode of the Total Talent Podcast, host Edan Haddock dives into the future of Talent in Australia and why our HR industry is leading the global transformation. From the electric energy of ATC at Fed Square to the reflective strategic depth of Ashton Media’s HR Retreat at Cape Schanck, Edan explores how homegrown events are shaping a new era in workforce design. He takes listeners behind the scenes of augmented Talent teams where Humans and AI agents (including his digital colle...
AI-generated résumés. Voice-cloned interviews. Dark-web fraud rings plotting to infiltrate your payroll. Sounds like a cyber-thriller, right? This episode of Edan Haddock – Total Talent rips the mask off the panic narrative and calls out the fearmongering. Candidate fraud isn’t new, and organisations with strong hiring fundamentals already shut most of it down without breaking a sweat. Edan argues that obsessing over AI-assisted deception distracts Talent teams from the real mission: leading ...
Edan Haddock dives deep into the messy reality of boundaries in modern Talent work. From 24/7 LinkedIn messages to global-time-zone burnout, he calls out the culture of constant availability - and offers raw, practical ways to protect your energy, your creativity, and your career. A sharp, honest, rock-and-roll reminder that doing meaningful work starts with respecting your own limits. Join the Edan Haddock - Total Talent community (formerly Rubberband)
In this episode of Edan Haddock – Total Talent, Edan Haddock takes Talent teams behind the curtain on how to research, design, and select a Talent Tech Stack that actually works. Forget the glossy vendor pitches and consultant playbooks — Edan lays down practical, no-nonsense tips that cut through the noise. He unpacks why every stack should start with the HRIS, how to test platforms through a total talent lens, and why teams should be cautious of “open API” promises and modular upsell traps....
In this episode of Edan Haddock – Total Talent, Edan takes a sledgehammer to one of the most toxic myths in Talent Acquisition: that leaders in 2025 must “do more with less.” Instead, he flips the script — showing how the future of TA is about working smarter, not harder. Edan dives deep into the productivity revolution, exploring how AI agents, smarter HRIS platforms, and integrated talent ecosystems are rewriting the playbook. He unpacks why “strategy-only” leaders are at risk as data autom...
Skills-based hiring was once the rebel of recruitment. It tore down degree snobbery, broke open new talent pools, and promised a fairer future of work. But in Workforce 5.0, it’s already obsolete. In this episode of Edan Haddock – Total Talent, Edan rips into the myth of skills-based hiring, explains why static skills frameworks don’t survive in a world of AI and fluid roles, and lays out his theory: the future belongs to adaptability, fluid role design, and tech that amplifies human cr...
In this episode of Edan Haddock – Total Talent, Edan dives deep into a simple but powerful framework for building a Talent Acquisition and People Experience strategy: Partner → Inform → Transform. Drawing on a recent Movember Strategy Day as a live case study, Edan shows how his team built trust (Partner), used insights and storytelling (Inform), and created bold, practical change (Transform)—all in just one day. Expect post-its, moustache props, bold ideas, and a roadmap any TA/People team c...
In this episode of Edan Haddock – Total Talent, Edan dives deep into the hot topic of blind resumes and blind job applications. Sparked by two recent experiences—one colleague curious after reading about blind resumes, and a leading survey that framed them as “best practice”—Edan unpacks both sides of the debate. He explores the promise of blind applications in reducing bias, but also the pitfalls: loss of context, dehumanisation, inefficiency, and the risk of making candidates feel like numb...
Host Edan Haddock unpacks how Talent Acquisition teams can step into the driver’s seat of succession planning. Edan breaks succession planning into two sides of the coin: The Person – using the 6-Box Talent Grid to assess performance and potential, and identify who’s ready now and who’s still developing.The Role – using the Role Criticality vs Vacancy Risk matrix to understand which positions pose the biggest business risk if left unfilled.Listeners will walk away with a practical blueprint t...
In this episode of Edan Haddock – Total Talent, Edan unpacks the results of a recent LinkedIn poll on Agentic AI in recruitment interviewing – and the Talent Acquisition community is split. While some teams are already using or testing AI tools, nearly half said “No Way.” Edan explores why this divide exists, the real benefits AI can deliver for candidates – from flexibility and accessibility to fairness and inclusion – and shares how Movember is using its friendly AI agent “Joel” to give can...
In this episode of Edan Haddock - Total Talent, host Edan Haddock breaks down Favikon’s Top 20 HR Influencers in Australia for 2025. Discover the leaders shaping the future of work — from employer branding specialists and global HR executives to disruptors and community builders. Edan unpacks Favikon’s ranking methodology, spotlights each influencer’s role and impact, and explores big themes like the rise of employer brand, authenticity in leadership, mental health advocacy, and the powe...
In this episode of Edan Haddock – Total Talent, Edan unpacks why Talent Acquisition leaders must stay on the tools to remain credible and effective. From proving your craft early and avoiding the trap of ivory tower leadership, to navigating the AI revolution, key hiring trends, and linking succession planning with external recruitment—this conversation goes deep into what makes modern TA leadership work. Edan also highlights the critical importance of candidate experience, reminding leaders ...
In this debut episode, Edan Haddock unpacks why he handed the Rubberband podcast back to the community and why unbiased, self-managed groups are so vital in HR and Talent. He introduces Edan Haddock - Total Talent—a raw, no-sponsors, no-guests podcast sharing unfiltered insights from inside the world of in-house talent. Expect straight talk on what’s really happening in recruitment and talent management, and why the industry needs more authentic voices from real leaders. Join the Edan Haddoc...
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Hope you enjoy this one - Edan x