Andy Martin, Chief Technology Officer of MJH Life Sciences®, spent a decade in machine learning and AI product roles at Amazon's Audible before taking on healthcare's hardest data problem. He built an internal AI accelerator that turns marketers, HR associates, and ops teams into working software builders.Andy also breaks down the interview question he trusts to reveal real thinking under pressure, and explains why AI's advances in protein binding and drug discovery could turn some of the hardest cancers to treat into something researchers finally believe is solvable.KEY TAKEAWAYS00:00 A career spanning classrooms in the Bronx to Amazon's machine learning teams sets up an unlikely CTO path.06:54 There's a sharp line between using AI to replace thinking and using it to sharpen it.19:38 An internal AI accelerator turns marketers and HR associates into working software builders.26:59 Advances in AI-driven protein binding are opening drug discovery to diseases once considered untreatable.32:37 Public portfolios may be replacing the résumé as the strongest hiring signal.35:53 The best interview questions carry real stakes, not safe, rehearsed answers.37:12 One small habit, checking every link in a résumé, reveals more than it seems.Thank you for listening to "Hire Learning with Oz Rashid." Don’t forget to leave us a review and subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes.Connect with our host, Oz Rashid, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ozrashid.To learn more about MSH, visit https://www.talentmsh.com.RESOURCES MENTIONEDMJH Life Sciences® website:https://www.mjhlifesciences.com“High Output Management” by Andrew S. Grove, referenced by Andy as the management book he keeps returning to for how leaders understand systems and bottlenecks:https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/72467/high-output-management-by-andrew-s-groveVercel, the deployment platform Andy credits with letting non-engineers at MJH ship real, working software:https://vercel.com#AIinHR #TalentAcquisition #HiringStrategy
Jessica Kalinowski, Head of Reliability and Security of Beacon Biosignals, joins us to unpack how she took an engineering org from one or two releases a month to 130, all without a single AI adoption mandate. Her path runs through McKesson and connectRN, where she most recently served as Vice President of DevOps and Corporate IT.Jessica also makes the case that most hiring processes have grown bloated rather than accurate, and shares why she leads every team with a psychology degree instead of a computer science one.KEY TAKEAWAYS00:00 A hiring philosophy built on trusting skill first, and managing what comes after.02:13 A surprise career pivot revealed right before the interview begins.05:16 One online certification course was the entire path into technology.13:03 Release frequency climbs from twice a month to 130 times, almost by accident.21:48 A governance lesson borrowed directly from the early cloud migration years.26:55 A blunt opinion on why eight rounds of interviews backfires.45:45 The single instruction worth giving a 20-year-old just starting out.Thank you for listening to "Hire Learning with Oz Rashid." Don't forget to leave us a review and subscribe so you don't miss out on future episodes.Connect with our host, Oz Rashid, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ozrashid.To learn more about MSH, visit https://www.talentmsh.com.RESOURCES MENTIONEDBeacon Biosignals, the AI-powered EEG platform Jessica now leads reliability and security for:https://beacon.bioWHOOP, the wearable device Oz references while asking about Jessica's sleep tracking:https://www.whoop.comDisruptive Innovators, the podcast Jessica cites as a source of stories on leading organizational change:https://www.disruptiveinnovatorspodcast.com“The Phoenix Project” by Gene Kim, Kevin Behr, and George Spafford, the narrative-style DevOps book Jessica and Oz discuss without naming on record:https://itrevolution.com/book/the-phoenix-project/#HiringStrategy #TalentAcquisition #AIinHR
Curt Kwak, Chief Information Officer and Chief Information Security Officer at the Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, spent most of his career protecting patient data and hospital systems before making an unusual jump: trading healthcare's private sector, including nearly a decade at Cambia Health Solutions and Proliance Surgeons, for a state regulator's desk.Curt talks candidly about leading IT and security for a state insurance regulator, why AI literacy is now a priority for his agency, and the hiring philosophy he trusts most: look past the résumé and find the human connection first.KEY TAKEAWAYS00:00 A blunt filter for deciding how you feel about AI, before listening to anyone else's opinion.04:32 Why leaving healthcare's private sector for a state government role wasn't actually a hard decision.08:18 The level of due diligence in government work came as a genuine surprise.15:49 A three-decade mentorship that started with a question that had nothing to do with business.25:07 The one rule for anyone still on the fence about using AI at work.31:08 A hiring philosophy that values connection over qualifications, résumés, and a polished interview story.44:06 An unexpected personal project that Copilot helped analyze, with genuinely useful results.Thank you for listening to "Hire Learning with Oz Rashid." Don't forget to leave us a review and subscribe so you don't miss out on future episodes.Connect with our host, Oz Rashid, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ozrashid.To learn more about MSH, visit https://www.talentmsh.com.RESOURCES MENTIONEDWashington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner, the agency where Curt leads IT and security, focused on consumer protection and insurance industry oversight:https://www.insurance.wa.govCHIME (College of Healthcare Information Management Executives), the organization where Curt has mentored the next generation of healthcare IT leaders for nearly a decade:https://chimecentral.org“Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” by Yuval Noah Harari, the book Curt says gave him a lasting new perspective:https://www.amazon.com/Sapiens-Humankind-Yuval-Noah-Harari/dp/0771038518The Odyssey (2026 film), the film Curt recently saw in IMAX and recommends:https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_OdysseyMicrosoft Copilot, the AI tool Curt used to analyze his personal collectibles portfolio:https://copilot.microsoft.comClaude, the AI model Oz says the company now uses throughout the organization:https://claude.comClaude Cowork (referred to in the recording as "Cloud Cowork"), the Anthropic tool Oz credits for his team's output over the last six months:https://claude.com/cowork#TalentAcquisition #AIinHR #WorkforceTrends
In this episode, we talk with Laura McLand, Vice President of Human Resources at Sun Holdings, the second-largest franchise organization in the country. Sun Holdings operates 13 brands, including Burger King, Popeyes, Arby's, IHOP, Applebee's, Golden Corral, and Taco Bueno, across more than 1,250 restaurants and retail locations in 32 states.Laura's team of three fields more than 8,000 applications a week and fills the average open role in two days. We talk about why she hires for passion over experience, why she asks every candidate what they want to be when they grow up, and how her own path, from a $5.00/hour, server job at Arby's to running HR for more than 30,000 employees, shapes the way she leads.KEY TAKEAWAYS00:00 Laura's first job as a server at Arby's, and how hospitality experience shapes her HR philosophy.07:22 The ‘chaos coordinator’ role, and why HR changes lives every day.13:40 The one question to ask in every interview. 21:13 The biggest red flag in an interview.22:22 The strangest interview story Laura has ever been part of.23:34 The hardest kind of role to fill, and how to push back on unrealistic expectations.27:06 How Laura uses AI in her personal life, and where Oz's own AI recommendation went wrong.29:21 The book that can change how you lead your team.33:32 The career advice Laura would give her 20-year-old self.Thank you for listening to "Hire Learning with Oz Rashid." Don’t forget to leave us a review and subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes.Connect with our host, Oz Rashid, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ozrashid.To learn more about MSH, visit https://www.talentmsh.com.RESOURCES MENTIONEDSun Holdings website:https://www.sunholdings.net“The Power of Moments” by Chip Heath and Dan Heath, referenced by Laura when discussing how she builds meaningful moments of recognition with her team:https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/The-Power-of-Moments/Chip-Heath/9781501147760#TalentAcquisition #HiringStrategy #EnterpriseHiring
In this episode, we talk with Philip Martoccia, Chief Operating Officer of Five-Star AudioVisual. Philip joined the company in May 2022 with zero experience in the audiovisual industry, and helped grow its revenue from $49 million to $115 million. Before audiovisual, his path ran through lifeguarding, a crisis hotline, a self-built tutoring company, and medical school.We talk about why teams can't scale on adrenaline alone, how Philip approaches hiring and firing decisions as a COO, and what his own career taught him about ego, patience, and building a culture that lasts.KEY TAKEAWAYS00:00 Philip Martoccia's unconventional path from lifeguard to COO of Five-Star AudioVisual.04:14 How Five-Star AudioVisual grew from one account to over 100 accounts across 19 states.15:58 The "you can't scale heroics" philosophy behind Five-Star's growth.20:25 Philip's take on trust, delegation, and micromanagement.26:21 Why Philip personally interviews every leadership hire, and the one question he always asks.29:23 The biggest red flag in an interview.30:18 The strangest interview experience of Philip's career.33:13 Why AI hasn't made its way into Five-Star's hiring process yet.37:18 The one lesson Philip would give his 20-year-old self.Thank you for listening to "Hire Learning with Oz Rashid." Don't forget to leave us a review and subscribe so you don't miss out on future episodes.Connect with our host, Oz Rashid, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ozrashid.To learn more about MSH, visit https://www.talentmsh.com.RESOURCES MENTIONEDFive-Star AudioVisual website:https://five-starav.com/“Built to Last” by James C. Collins and Jerry I. Porras (referenced by Philip):https://www.amazon.com/Built-Last-Successful-Visionary-Essentials/dp/0060516402“Meditations” by Marcus Aurelius (referenced by Philip):https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/297613/meditations-by-marcus-aurelius/#TalentAcquisition #HiringStrategy #EnterpriseHiring