AI is rewriting resumes. Candidates are deepfaking interviews. Job postings go live—and within hours? Thousands of applications flood in. So how does anyone actually hire the right person anymore?

In this episode of Recruiting is No Joke, Joel Lalgee sits down with someone who’s not just talking about the chaos—she’s living it. Meet Erin Turnmeyer, VP of People Operations at Civis Analytics, juggling HR, recruiting, and payroll all on her own. One-person team. Zero fluff.

How do you spot a fake candidate in a world of perfectly polished LinkedIn profiles and AI-generated cover letters? How do you cut through the noise and find people who really bring it?

Erin brings the receipts—from her days recruiting in counterterrorism to leading hiring at high-growth tech startups. She shares what it takes to transition from government to tech, what AI is really doing to the hiring process, and how to keep the human element front and center.

If you’re a recruiter drowning in resumes, a job seeker wondering how to stand out, or just curious about the future of work—this episode is your roadmap. Because hiring in 2025? It’s a battlefield. But Erin Turnmeyer knows how to navigate it—and she’s not holding back..

In this episode:

• [00:03] Introduction and episode milestone
• [01:37] Guest intro: Erin Turnmeyer and her role at Sybase Analytics
• [02:24] Erin’s recruitment journey from federal government to tech
• [03:56] The surge in applications and rise of fake/AI-generated resumes
• [05:23] Four groups of fraudulent applicants and how they bypass systems
• [07:56] 990 applicants, 50 real contenders
• [08:38] What “qualified” actually means in tech hiring today
• [10:15] AI during interviews: how it’s detected and why it matters
• [12:46] How tech companies are thinking about AI—and what candidates need to know
• [13:21] Erin’s favorite AI tools and why human connection still wins
• [14:08] AI, job security, and why strategic thinkers stay valuable
• [15:54] Corporate reorgs, impact measurement, and job self-awareness
• [17:37] AI freeing HR pros from paperwork—and unlocking real impact
• [18:40] The irreplaceable value of strategic recruiting conversations
• [19:36] Advice for government employees moving into private sector
• [22:44] Why government workers struggle with bragging on resumes
• [23:45] Private sector myths: lazy, slow, and overly bureaucratic?
• [24:18] Counterterrorism vs. corporate: pace, pressure, and autonomy
• [25:22] Is tech still worth it? Erin’s take on risk, learning, and growth
• [27:30] The rise of trades and rethinking what “meaningful work” means
• [28:43] Remote work, mentorship gaps, and early-career development
• [33:13] Networking, discomfort, and finding your voice online
• [35:08] Closing thoughts and where to connect with Erin

About Our Guest

Erin Turnmeyer is the VP of People Operations at Sybase Analytics. With roots in federal recruitment for the...

When you’re applying to jobs in 2025, the world feels a little upside down. AI is everywhere. Remote work is under debate. And recruiters? They’re being asked to do more with less—again. So, how do we make sense of it all?

In this episode of Recruiting is No Joke, Joel Lalgee sits down with Logan Marsh, Head of Talent Acquisition at Calendly, to unpack the realities of hiring in a rapidly evolving landscape. With nearly two decades of experience spanning tech giants like Amazon and Microsoft, Logan brings a no-BS perspective on what’s changing—and what’s just noise.

From switching from enterprise to scrappy startup mode, to leading TA in a “remote-first-but-not-remote-only” org, Logan shares how he’s rethinking systems, data, and candidate experience at scale. He also gets real about job searching after a layoff, why AI won’t replace recruiters any time soon, and how curiosity (not panic) is your best weapon in today’s job market.

Whether you’re a hiring leader, job seeker, or just trying to keep your head above water in a sea of tools and headlines, this episode cuts through the fluff and gets to what matters most: real strategy, real people, and real talk.

In this episode:

• [00:01:09] Logan’s background and why he left big tech for a smaller, scrappier mission
• [00:04:30] Calendly’s growth journey and the challenge of doing more with less
• [00:06:49] Owning the full recruiting lifecycle—from headcount planning to tooling
• [00:08:26] Enterprise vs. startup: what changes and what stays the same
• [00:09:49] The dual reality of layoffs and innovation in today’s job market
• [00:11:48] Logan’s job search tips: real networking > recycled TikTok scripts
• [00:14:10] How Logan landed the Calendly role (hint: not through his network!)
• [00:17:41] Remote work: time zones, productivity myths, and flexible futures
• [00:21:47] Remote-first vs. work-from-home: what’s the difference, really?
• [00:25:01] Creating culture with intention in distributed teams
• [00:28:57] AI in recruiting: co-pilot, not replacement
• [00:31:39] What hiring teams are really looking for in AI-savvy candidates
• [00:34:57] Interviewing for curiosity, adaptability, and ownership
• [00:37:29] Why transcription tools are a total game-changer in hiring
• [00:40:48] Logan’s favorite AI tools (and how he actually uses them)
• [00:44:42] Advice for new grads: tech’s not dead, but it is evolving
• [00:46:13] Emerging industries to watch: healthtech, defense, climate

About Logan Marsh

Logan Marsh is the Head of Talent Acquisition at Calendly, where he leads global hiring strategy at one of the most widely used scheduling tools in the world. With nearly 17 years in TA, Logan’s experience spans leadership roles at Amazon, Microsoft, and Okta. Passionate about operational excellence and human-first hiring, he brings both enterprise wisdom and startup scrappiness to every team he leads.

Logan Marsh Social Media

• LinkedIn

Let’s be honest: recruiting is rarely simple—and in high-turnover, high-volume environments, it’s downright relentless. But what if we stopped overcomplicating it and focused on what really matters: clear expectations, streamlined systems, and actually respecting people’s time?

In this episode of Recruiting is No Joke, Joel Lalgee sits down with Matt Lowney, Managing Director of Talent Acquisition at CoreCivic, a corrections and reentry services company hiring 8,000+ people a year. From healthcare to corrections, Matt brings decades of experience managing large-scale, multi-site recruiting operations and shares his playbook for making high-volume hiring not only work—but work better.

With humor, Matt digs into what’s broken in hiring today—from inflated job titles and unclear expectations to the overhyped promise of “culture.” He’s brutally honest about what candidates really want (spoiler: it’s not ping-pong tables) and why it’s time to separate why someone joins from why they stay.

This isn’t your typical TA chat. You’ll hear how Matt’s team is testing AI workflows, spending $400k/month on omnichannel ads, and applying ruthless focus to improving “time to paycheck”—all while navigating human realities like burnout, motivation, and candidate experience at scale.

So whether you're deep in the hiring trenches or leading strategy from the top, this episode is packed with real-world insight to sharpen your recruitment edge.

This episode was brought to you by Interactive EQ. A one of a kind talent assessment platform that measures how people will handle real life situations. Check out what they do and let them know Joel sent you.

In this episode:

• [00:00] Introduction
• [00:51] Meet the guest: Matt Lowy
• [02:16] Matt's background and CoreCivic's hiring process
• [03:18] Sponsorship break: Interactive EQ
• [04:06] Challenges and strategies in recruitment
• [07:55] The evolution of recruitment and work culture
• [19:30] The role of AI in recruitment
• [21:13] Automation in recruitment
• [21:55] Inbound applications workflow
• [22:50] The role of recruiters in the future
• [23:45] Human interaction in recruitment
• [26:22] Challenges in recruitment
• [28:45] Candidate experience and feedback
• [32:22] Workplace culture and retention
• [38:11] Advice for job seekers
• [42:16] Conclusion and farewell

About Matt Lowney

Matt Lowney is Managing Director of Talent Acquisition at CoreCivic, where he oversees recruitment and HR operations for one of the largest correctional services organizations in the U.S. With more than 20 years of experience in healthcare and corrections hiring, Matt is known for scaling TA infrastructure, driving process improvements, and pushing past industry clichés to build real, people-first strategies that work—no fluff, no filler.

Matt Lowney Social Media