In this episode of Talking TA, Denise Chaffin sits down with Michael Goldberg, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition Operations at U.S. Renal Care, for a candid and deeply practical conversation about the future of recruiting. Michael shares his career journey from frontline recruiting into TA operations and explains why operations, metrics, and project management are becoming mission-critical for modern TA teams.

Together, Denise and Michael explore why sourcing is not disappearing, but evolving, how AI should support recruiters instead of replacing them, and why decision-making is the biggest gap in hiring today. They discuss recruiter accountability, candidate experience, retention responsibility, and the importance of truly understanding the business you recruit for.

The conversation also tackles the reality of today’s conferences, the loss of real community learning, and what TA professionals must focus on to stay relevant heading into 2026. This episode is a grounded, experience-driven look at what actually works in talent acquisition when technology, people, and leadership align.

Key Episode Segments:

• TA operations is no longer optional, it’s essential for scale and consistency

• AI should remove admin work, not human connection or accountability

• Recruiters share responsibility for retention through better hiring decisions

• Understanding the business is a required skill, not a nice-to-have

• Real recruiting success comes from service, curiosity, and communication