I sat down with veteran recruiter Rachel Kargas about navigating the toughest white-collar job market in decades. With 25+ years in talent acquisition and a recent pivot into the benefits space, Rachel shares candid takes on ageism, AI, and why recruiting isn’t a young person’s game anymore. Packed with hard truths, market insights, and practical advice for recruiters looking to survive — and thrive — in a changing industry.
Rachel shares:
• Her advice for recruiters in 2025
• The importance of storytelling
• How recruiters can think about pivoting and developing their skills
• And her take on the market - spoiler alert: It's the worst she's seen.
But it's not all doom and gloom. We also touch on the importance of community building and how Rachel grew a following on LinkedIn to more than 47,000 followers through her people-first approach to building the talent machine.
Follow Rachel here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rachelkargas/
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Huge shoutout to our sponsor, Wellfound - where startups and job seekers connect. Rrom pre-seed to post-IPO, Wellfound is the all-in-one platform to
find, connect & hire your team. Get instant access to a talent pool of 10M+ startup-minded job seekers in seconds.
Try it today: https://wellfound.com/
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Building the Talent Machine is a new show about the world of recruiting, featuring real stories from real people at real companies.
We’re on a mission to uplift and upskill the recruiting industry.
Sponsorship Inquiries: brandon@buildingthetalentmachine.com
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