By Nicole Tucker, ATAP Marketing Committee Member
Now that the holiday season is behind us, where we hopefully had some time to recharge and reset for the new possibilities ahead in 2023, it is a great time to refocus on what’s important for the next 365 days, professionally and personally. As a member of the Marketing Committee of ATAP, I had an opportunity to have a virtual sit down with Christy Spilka, the new board president of ATAP to discuss what’s on her mind and what’s in store for the members of ATAP in the coming year. I was not only pleasantly surprised, but genuinely excited for all the amazing things on the horizon.
I wanted to share a bit of what’s to come for ATAP and I encourage everybody to join the members only meeting on January 10th to get the full vision for ATAP 2023 and beyond. While I let the suspense build for a little longer, I wanted to introduce Christy Spilka for those who may not have had an opportunity to get to know her before and share her perspective on the future of talent acquisition and ATAP.
Thanks again for meeting with me, Christy! For those who do not know you, would you share a little about yourself and how you got your start in Talent Acquisition?
Absolutely! I’ve been in talent acquisition for 20 years, starting on the agency side and then moving to corporate TA. I’m currently the VP, Global Head of TA at iCIMS, the talent cloud company that empowers more than 4,000 organizations worldwide to attract, engage, hire and advance their winning workforce. My passion and expertise are in building TA departments that serve as a competitive differentiator. As a lean six sigma green belt, I enjoy architecting efficient and effective recruiting processes supported by innovative and highly-skilled teams. I’m also an avid supporter of the advancement of the talent acquisition profession and you’ll find me speaking at various events or writing about TA on an ongoing basis. This is also where my work with ATAP comes in and I’m excited to join an incredible board and member base that feels the same way I do about this profession!
I fell into recruiting like many others in our profession. In college, I kicked off my career by working in a tech search firm. It was challenging to find new business and recruit talent for those openings, while learning about tech at the same time. I found that I loved the challenge. I enjoyed meeting with people from all different companies and learning about what they do, why they love it, what their challenges are, what they want in their next role, etc. I joke sometimes that recruiters are great at a party because we can talk with anyone about what they do, and we probably know something about it! I find it interesting to learn about all of the different functions in an organization, how they work together, and how they contribute to business goals.
That’s a great point! The ability to talk to anybody about themselves is a very important life skill, in and outside of the world of talent acquisition. As the global VP of talent acquisition at iCIMS, what do you predict to be the biggest future challenge most talent leaders will face in the upcoming years?
Over the last few years, we’ve seen so much change at an accelerated pace. We’ve been leading through the ebbs and flows of the labor market, evolving business needs, digital transformations, economic uncertainties, new ways of working, changing talent expectations, skills and talent shortages and more. We had the slow down when the pandemic hit and then the unexpected hiring uptick at a time many were short staffed, followed by the great reshuffle and now we’re seeing a downturn in several industries.
We’ve collectively been innovating through the Great Resignation, Great Reshuffle and now what we are calling the Great Reset in 2023. In the next few years, we will have to be prepared for anything and that’s probably one of the biggest challenges. As we reset on all aspects of the world of work, we will need scenario-based plans ready to execute at a moment’s notice so that we are prepared for hiring surges, downturns, staff augmentation needs, etc. This also requires planning for how we will optimize our technology and processes for efficiency and effectiveness to quickly meet changing hiring demands.
Keeping a pulse on what’s happening will absolutely be critical for workforce planning in the next year & beyond. As a leader, what has been the best piece of advice you received from a mentor or previous leader?
Get out there and network. By building my network, I’ve been able to learn so much from others and share my own experience or make other introductions in return. Getting out of my own bubble and expanding my horizons has been very fulfilling and I’ve met many wonderful people along the way.
Being the start of a new year lends itself to new possibilities. I would love to hear what’s in store for ATAP in the upcoming year.
I’m looking forward to the many new additions we have planned for our members in 2023!
In our mission to advance talent acquisition, it’s important that we provide valuable networking opportunities, professional development and ongoing access to thought leadership, among other things. ATAP has had solid growth and many accomplishments over the years, including Global TA Day. This event brings together thousands of TA professionals globally every year to learn from one another (every September). We’re now at a point in our journey where we are ready for the next phase. We have several successful Global TA Day events under our belt, a good-sized membership base, an engaged board, supportive sponsors, and a new online discussion forum for our members called Circle.
My goal as Board President is to help us cross over to that next step of growth and engagement. I won’t go into all of the details for 2023 as we will be announcing these in our first annual member meeting on January 10th, but I’m happy to give a sneak peek.
A few months ago, we created a professional development committee. This group has been hard at work to build a professional development calendar for the full year. It includes regular practitioner led members only webinars, live discussion forums, member generated content, a book/podcast club and so much more. As a board, we also just launched Circle Up, Pay it Forward, which is a new program to help TA Professionals whose jobs have been recently impacted. Among other benefits, it includes a complimentary 1-year ATAP membership. Any questions about this program can be directed to contact@atapglobal.org.
That is amazing! Also, what a great way to give back to our community, especially those who have been impacted recently. Anything else you’d like to share with the ATAP Community?
Overall, this is a great time to join ATAP and an exciting time to get involved. I would encourage people to check out our website at www.atapglobal.org, join if not already a member, and navigate to the volunteer area of the website to sign up for a committee or task force. There are many ways to get involved, all with varying levels of time commitment, and all with limitless opportunities to connect with other TA Professionals and help us all advance talent acquisition, together.
Please join our ATAP Members only meeting on January 10th. You can register here. Members can also request the Zoom link directly by emailing contact@ataglobal.org.
To become a member, please visit www.atapglobal.org. Corporate memberships are available for teams of 10+ people. Email contact@atapglobal.org for more information.
If interested in learning more about committee opportunities, please visit the volunteer page of the website or reach out to contact@atapglobal.org.
Bios:
Christy Spilka is the VP, global head of talent acquisition at iCIMS, the talent cloud company that accelerates transformation for a community of more than 4,000 customers, including 40% of the Fortune 100. Christy is responsible for leading the global talent acquisition strategy and team, ensuring that iCIMS has the right people on the right teams to achieve business success. With 20 years of experience, Christy is a passionate and avid supporter of providing top-notch talent experiences. Her expertise is in building talent acquisition teams that serve as a competitive differentiator. She believes that talent fuels organizational growth and the way that we attract, engage, hire, and advance top talent determines growth potential.
Learn more about the ATAP Board here.
With over 14 years of experience in the recruitment industry, Nicole is a passionate Talent Acquisition Leader who is focused on building award winning culture, growing diverse & inclusive teams, and elevating both employee and candidate engagement. Currently, as the Sr. Customer Strategist, Nicole works to provide iCIMS clients with industry insights through our Insights+ offerings as well as partnering with our Customer Experience organization on strategic programs and projects. Previously, she was the manager of the Talent Acquisition team at iCIMS, the world’s leading Talent Cloud, where she was responsible for leading the team of recruiters and sourcers who bring in the talented team members driving the success of our global company. NJ native, former Scarlet Knight (Go RU!) and mom to two rambunctious boys, Magnus & Thor!
