What does it take to be an award winning Talent Professional? Kaylee Langbridge, Talent Acquisition Partner at Hello Fresh recently took out the gong for Corporate Talent Professional of the Year at the 2023 Internal Talent Awards (ITAs). We sat down with her to get a better idea of what goes into her success.
First and foremost, congratulations on your ITAs win! How are you feeling?
In short – so incredibly lucky. This is my first ever role working in recruitment as a Talent Acquisition Partner, and I’ve had the most surreal journey so far. To be in a room at the ITA’s with this industry’s best and brightest and be, even for a moment, considered as one of the best for 2023 – is genuinely one of the proudest moments of my career so far. It is the closest I’ve ever felt to Beyoncé at the Grammy’s, so I’m definitely taking it all in.
Being a great talent professional is fine mix of Science + Artistry. How do you find the balance between the two?
For me the balance or the middle ground between science and artistry is curiosity. There is a never-ending stream of TA professionals who are so willing to share their best practices and their knowledge to help you do what you do best. Research, chat, reach out, make connections, invest in your own learning, and be a full-time curious individual. Read that TA blog, listen to that recruitment podcast, it will help you understand what kind of recruiter you are, and maybe more importantly what kind of recruiter you are not. That curiosity should also expand into as many areas of Talent Acquisition as possible. I am so curious as to what makes a candidate say yes to joining a company, and what makes them say no. Focus on which parts of your role you can control and be curious enough to expand on your own unique artistry as a talent professional.
How have you made a difference in the Talent Team at Hello Fresh?
This may be a question for the TA Team I’m in! But for me I’ve always believed in not wasting my time trying to be the best but instead focusing on being the only. The science of my own talent journey has also been to ‘fill the gaps’. What is missing from my team that I can do, that no one else currently can? How can I add unique value here? Currently, I am the only Talent Acquisition Partner at HelloFresh that was internally mobilised through two other teams over 3 years. I use my own journey to hopefully inspire those in the business who are looking to do the same. I’m also the only Talent Acquisition Partner on my team who can create and edit video content to build on our EVP and expand our reach. Hopefully, I have made a difference with my passion. It is probably the worst kept secret in my team that I am obsessed with what I do every day, I love working in talent more than anything, and having that passion on your team is actually quite hard to get away from.
What advice do you have for talent professionals looking to take their game to the next level
Find out what it is that makes you the only. Every single talent professional has something that makes them totally unique to themselves. Maybe you’re great with data and your team is missing someone able to retroactively dive deep on your current hiring process to improve it – maybe you’re a great storyteller and your team should be sharing more about what you do online to really entice passive candidates to your company. Look for the gaps and work every day to be the only one who can fill them. You’ll find some amazing learning along the way.
Take a look at the full list of 2023 ITAs winners here.
Want to hear more about Kaylee’s journey? Join us at ATC2023 at Luna Park Sydney on 22nd & 23rd November to hear her presentation The Power In Passion: Becoming an award-winning talent professional in 18 months.
Feature image: Kaylee (right) accepting her award with TCS Insight’s Simon Townsend and TaPod’s Lauren Sharp.
