An Interview with Tara Gallone, Global Vice President of Talent Acquisition and Development at Rocket Software
Tara is an experienced Global Vice President Talent Acquisition and Talent Management leader driving organizational success through strategic talent initiatives. Tara has worked for industry leading organizations throughout her career (Reebok, J. Jill, Auto Nation, and Perry Ellis). Tara is currently the VP of Talent Acquisition and Development at Rocket Software in Waltham, MA. With a passion for optimizing human capital, Tara, excels in developing and executing comprehensive talent acquisition and talent management strategies that attract, develop, and retain top-tier talent across diverse industries and geographies. Tara was kind enough to indulge us in a Q&A session.
Having been a successful Talent Acquisition leader in some of the most recognized Retail / Consumer Product organizations (Reebok, J. Jill, Perry Elis etc.), how have you approached your transition to a pure Technology organization and a new industry? What have been the most significant obstacles?
Transitioning from Retail/Consumer Products to a Technology organization was a significant shift, but it also came with unique advantages. I found that the fundamentals of talent acquisition remain consistent across industries. However, the key to a successful transition was understanding the specific needs and culture of the new industry. Here’s how I approached it:
- Research and Learning: I immersed myself in the technology industry, learning about its trends, terminologies, and the types of talent it demands. This helped me communicate effectively with leaders, hiring managers and candidates.
- Collaboration: I fostered collaboration with engineering leaders within the organization, seeking their insights and aligning our talent strategies with their vision.
- Customized Recruitment Strategies: I tailored our recruitment strategies to align with the tech industry, highlighting our company’s core values, innovation and growth mindset. This ensured we attracted candidates who were passionate about our core values, products and services.
- Team Building: I focused on building a strong team with industry knowledge and expertise to deliver an exceptional candidate and hiring manager experience. We continually strive for Recruiting process excellence.
The most significant obstacle in transitioning was understanding the nuances of the highly competitive tech market.
How have you been incorporating AI technology into Rocket’s TA process? Conversely, how have you continued to enhance a more personalized approach to the candidate experience?
Rocket is an innovative and transformational organization. We are exploring AI technology as part of our Talent Acquisition roadmap. We do use AI for Predictive Analytics to assist in identifying trends in our recruitment data, helping us make data-driven decisions. We are investing in exploring AI opportunities as we move into 2024.
What do you see as the biggest challenges in identifying top talent given the current uncertain market?
In the current uncertain market, identifying top talent poses several challenges:
- Increased Competition: The technology sector faces fierce competition for top talent. Many organizations are actively hiring, making it harder to attract the best candidates.
- Market Perception: To stay ahead of the talent gap, we are focusing on hiring Next Gen talent; We find that securing talent in the mainframe space can be quite challenging due to the ever changing/evolving technology trends.
Are you finding that potential candidates are less likely to engage in pursuing a new opportunity because of the market conditions?
In some cases, the uncertain market conditions may make potential candidates hesitant about making a job change. To address this, we highlight innovation, our core values and growth potential at Rocket Software. In addition, we maintain transparent communication with candidates, discussing how we are adapting to market conditions. We also provide flexibility through remote work and unlimited PTO, among many other health and wellness offerings.
In many cases, candidates go through the entire interview process having not met anyone in-person. How has this changed your approach to recruiting?
Conducting interviews virtually has been an approach at Rocket Software over the last few years. We utilize video interviews enabling candidates and interviewers to meet virtually. In addition, we Implement virtual onboarding processes to help new hires integrate smoothly into Rocket’s culture. We also ensure constant communication with candidates and new hires throughout the process, addressing concerns and providing a human touch despite the remote environment. Adapting to these changes has been crucial in maintaining an effective and efficient recruitment process in a virtual environment.
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