Devyn Mikell [00:00:03]:

Hey, this is Devyn Mikell with the Higher Quality podcast. Super excited to be interviewing you. So could you introduce yourself, your role in the company that you work at?

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Lori Mix [00:00:13]:

I'm Lori Mix. I'm the senior vice president of talent acquisition at IBEX.

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Devyn Mikell [00:00:17]:

What is top of mind for you as a talent leader at your organization?

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Lori Mix [00:00:22]:

The recruiting landscape has really changed over the last few years, and my key priority, top of mind currently, is to balance the personal touch and efficiency of technology to create the best candidate and employee experience that drives the best results.

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Devyn Mikell [00:00:39]:

What is something you wish you knew about leading talent that you didn't know when you first started?

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Lori Mix [00:00:44]:

I wish I knew that leading talent was as rewarding as what it is. I would have entered this space much earlier in my career, but really just generally, leading people in this area has just really been so rewarding for me.

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Devyn Mikell [00:01:02]:

What's something unique about you as a talent leader at your organization that makes you a perfect fit for that job?

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Lori Mix [00:01:09]:

I'm a service leader, and I really get a lot of joy out of helping others. Being able to have a career here at Ibex and to help people literally change their lives and put food on their table every day for their family, it's so inspiring to me. It makes me want to come to work every day and do better and to lead this group of recruiters who are just literally changing lives every day. Most rewarding thing I could ever do.

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Devyn Mikell [00:01:37]:

We made it to the last question, and this one's a fun one. What is the worst question you've ever been asked in an interview?

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Lori Mix [00:01:46]:

The worst question I've ever been asked in an interview is how do you handle stress? And that instantly put unnecessary stress on me. And I felt like I really couldn't provide accurate answers. So I never like to ask that question because I really like to have a conversation with a candidate to get to know them and really matchmake them to the right role and set them up for success.

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Devyn Mikell [00:02:16]:

What's up, everyone? I'm Devyn Mikell, host of the Higher Quality podcast, joined today by Lori Mix, who you just heard on the pre interview. She is here now live for a higher quality conversation. Lori, thanks so much for joining me.

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Lori Mix [00:02:30]:

Hi, Devyn. Thanks for having me.

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Devyn Mikell [00:02:32]:

Absolutely. So, Lori, you're the senior vice president of talent acquisition at IBex, and I am actually going to kick it to you to do a better job than I could at introducing who you are, what you do, and who is Ibex for the world that doesn't know.

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Lori Mix [00:02:45]:

Great. So Ibex is a BPO. We deliver innovative business process outsourcing from seven countries, 33 sites with over 31,000 employees equipped with industry leading technology. And I lead a team of talent acquisition professionals. We have five directors in each of our regions supported by managers and recruiters and admins, and we handle all of the hiring from the frontline team to executives.

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Devyn Mikell [00:03:21]:

Awesome. So, Lori, first question is just to get a lay of the land in your world, what is the makeup of your organization look like from the talent acquisition perspective, I assume you sit at the top, but what is kind of the general makeup look like for you?

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Lori Mix [00:03:37]:

Yeah. So we have five different regions and a leader over each region who has makeup of a sourcing and selection team in each of those regions.

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Devyn Mikell [00:03:48]:

Got you. So you kind of break it out by country or area that they're located in. Each of those have recruiters underneath them as well?

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Lori Mix [00:03:56]:

Yes. So we have directors over each region and they have managers and then recruiters, then admin in each of those regions. We support all hiring across the globe. So we're hiring from executives to our frontline leaders. All recruiting falls under each one of those sections.

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Devyn Mikell [00:04:21]:

Got you. That's super cool. I don't know. You might be the first person that I've come across that has a head over every country that's a different tier, different level, which is really cool. So I'm curious, what is the things that we move into? We just started 2024, but it feels like time's flying. I mean, we're already in January, but as you planned with your team and thought about this year, maybe we're thinking about it last year, but as we're looking at 2024, what are the things that are super top of mind for your team as it relates to your talent acquisition function?

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Lori Mix [00:04:54]:

Yeah. So right now we're really trying to look at the employee experience and the candidate experience. And as technology is improving, the landscape has really changed across recruiting over the last couple of years, and the goal is to become more efficient and leverage technology. So just trying to create that great experience and marry the human touch with the recruiters and their ability to really connect with the candidates and make that experience really good, as well as provide them a realistic overview, because it's important for the candidates to know what they're getting into. Matchmaking is the utmost important to make sure that we're setting them up for success. So that's really what I'm trying to look forward to in 2024.

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Devyn Mikell [00:06:06]:

Got you. So I guess you could boil it down to, like, efficiency is top of mind and you want to make sure that people know what they're not getting into, but you want to make sure that they know what it's like before they're actually in it.

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Lori Mix [00:06:20]:

Essentially, yeah. The candidates have a lot of choices these days. There's a lot more jobs out there than there are qualified candidates. We're competing to make sure that we're able to not only hire people, but retain people. So making sure that we're putting them through the right assessments. I mean, we could roll out a battery of assessments where it takes a really long time to hire, but we really want to make sure that we're efficient in the process, so we're able to evaluate that talent and really be able to provide them that great experience and that they want to come and work with us and stay with us.

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Devyn Mikell [00:07:02]:

Yeah, for sure. I know that you're, I'm sure, very in tune with all the moves that AI is making in the space for you and your team. What's the general temperature around it? Is it something that you guys are looking forward to or a little bit hesitant or fearful might not be. That's like a strong version of the word, but you get what I'm saying. Is it something like, oh, we're going all in, or is like, I'm not sure yet. I want to see how this kind of plays out over time.

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Lori Mix [00:07:29]:

So we are going all in. I will tell you that there are certain areas that AI has been around for quite some time, and we've been using it with chat bots. And we have a chat bot. We have a little mascot. Her name is Dottie. She's pretty cool. She's kind of sassy and helps our candidates navigate through the initial stages of the website and getting to the right areas. So we've been using AI for quite some time.

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Lori Mix [00:08:06]:

That's not new. Evaluating people. That's where I think some of the controversy comes in, with making sure that we're abiding by the laws and that we're not being biased. And I think that's where the human element comes in. Not only are we putting it all up front doesn't seem to be really successful because you see a large drop off rate. Sometimes 60% of candidates will drop off if they never get a chance to talk to somebody. So they want to be able to understand what they're getting into. So really just adjusting to that balance has been key for us.

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Lori Mix [00:08:52]:

So we're all in, especially with writing new job descriptions and market intel, all of that. The AI feature is great because it just really speeds up and it actually gives my recruiting team, more ammunition to go out there and really support the candidates and make sure that they're making the right decision.

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Devyn Mikell [00:09:14]:

Right? Yeah, for sure. Qualify. We're all about efficiency, but also when we think about AI in our product, it's assistive, not directive or prescriptive. Right. We're not trying to make decisions for recruiters. It's more about, hey, how can we get them to what they want to do fast? Right. So it sounds like that's kind of the same framing as you guys have, is just trying to be prepared for the new world and being ahead of the game, because like you said earlier, you have a lot of competition that's fighting for the same talent. So that all makes total sense.

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Devyn Mikell [00:09:51]:

I do want to switch gears a little bit. What I usually do is dive into the journey, and I think you have a more unique one than I usually see in the best of ways. But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe there's in betweens that I don't know about. But when I look at your LinkedIn, you were in insurance sales for quite a while, I think it was about twelve years, and then jumped to talent acquisition. So I wanted to unpack that shift and kind of where it all started, where this began, where talent became a thing for you, because I think everyone's journeys is different. Most people I will say that I talk to somehow come from staffing. That's the first place that seems to be the spot to start.

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Devyn Mikell [00:10:29]:

But what's your beginning to now, as you see it?

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Lori Mix [00:10:33]:

So I started out in insurance sales and I was pretty successful. I was always winning awards and just catapulting myself up to the top and was always challenged, but I never really felt fulfilled. And I was talking, actually, one of my clients was the owner of the BPO and I had an opportunity to join because they were acquiring insurance and an insurance vertical and mortgage vertical. So just really developing those relationships with the stakeholders. And when I decided to take the leap, I had a good opportunity that I could jump in and support, and if it didn't work out, I could always go back. But I just really felt comfortable in that role and just developing those relationships with the stakeholders and then looking for candidates and it was just really natural. I didn't even feel like it was worth. I just continued to be promoted into like a manager, senior manager, director, AVP, and they were sending me on launches across the globe and I was developing partnerships with different university leaders and community partners and politicians, government workers.

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Lori Mix [00:12:03]:

And here I am in all these other countries just doing it. And it always felt very natural and never felt like work. And I was with that company for quite some time. And then when I learned about Ibex, it was a smaller BPO. But their story was so intriguing to me because they were really focused on people and wanted to be disruptors in the industry, focusing on growth and development of their employees. So from day one when I came to Ibex, I just really saw a difference. The executives really cared. They were leaned in.

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Lori Mix [00:12:41]:

The impact of every decision that they made was always just what's going to be employee first. So they even take their top 10% of their employees on these all inclusive getaway weekends every year and just really want their people to felt cared for. And that's what has motivated me and driven me over the past five years that I've been at Ibex and how I lead and how I teach my people to lead and just put your people first and again come to work every day, but it really doesn't ever feel like work.

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Devyn Mikell [00:13:19]:

That's awesome. That's the dream, right? Okay, so I have a couple of questions. I always have a couple based off the journey. You obviously are good at this. I think that's one thing to not take lightly. Anyone can jump into talent and honestly, people can probably feel like it's fun and inviting, but not everyone's good at it, and you clearly are. What do you think has made you stand out?

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Lori Mix [00:13:44]:

I think authenticity. I'm very transparent and I never want to put somebody in a situation that they're uncomfortable or not a good fit for or take on hiring roles that are just too far out of reach for us. I don't mind punching above our weight when it comes to that. And that's how I've been successful is I'll take those risks, but just really surrounding myself with leaders and with people who are like minded in the sense that they just want to win and they'll go that extra mile and dig a little deeper to do that. I think that's been the biggest success.

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Devyn Mikell [00:14:40]:

That's awesome. I talk a lot about on my channels and with other leaders showing up, getting a seat at the table. I think that's a big challenge for talent leaders everywhere. I see a transformation happening. Slowly but surely that talent is becoming more and more and more important for an organization to really invest in, not only obviously dollars, but the thought of putting it at the forefront. It is the gatekeeper of the organization. If you don't get good talent, you don't have a good company. So when I talk about getting a seat at the table.

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Devyn Mikell [00:15:16]:

It's honestly a challenge. Right. Because for so long, recruiters were, I'll call it order takers. Like, they were just like, hey, I need a job. You go find candidate. It was just binary, but now it's more of a partnership, and at least that's the goal, is like more of a partnership within the organization. So how have you been able to do that? How do you not earn a seat at the table, but how do you showcase your team in a way that gets you more attention and more investment from your company?

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Lori Mix [00:15:44]:

Yeah, you got to deliver. That's it. You have to earn your seat at the table by building credibility, and you do that by delivering. And it's not just filling roles. It's making sure that you're stepping up when you're talking to your stakeholders and your hiring managers to really understand what they're looking for and not just taking the answers that they're giving. Because everybody's so busy today, and most people in their roles are wearing multiple hats, and they don't have the time. They just know what their gap is, and you really have to take the time and listen and understand what's the gap that they're looking to fill, and then go out and help find that person and make sure that it's the right fit. When you're recruiting for high volume, again, the customers are coming in our BPO space.

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Lori Mix [00:16:43]:

They come because they need a solution, and I really need to dig in along with my team to understand what is it that you're trying to solve for. And a lot of times, they don't even know what their problem is because it's so many different things. So being an expert in my field, I know that I can go out and deliver exactly what you need once I know what the problem is. But a lot of times, it's just really trying to understand and find out what that problem is.

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Devyn Mikell [00:17:21]:

Got it. So, in, like, a non bpo setting, sounds like you'd almost say, hey, the best thing you can do is get super clear with the hiring manager on what they're looking for first.

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Lori Mix [00:17:30]:

Exactly.

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Devyn Mikell [00:17:33]:

Got it. That makes sense. That's one I don't hear. I mean, you hear it, but that's not everyone's answer. So, again, I applaud you because you have a different, I think, a different approach, and it's likely working. Cool. Let's shift gears real quick. This is a more high level question, but what is something that you wish you knew about leading talent before you became a leader?

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Lori Mix [00:17:57]:

I really wish I would have known that it was as fun as what it is. I really wish that they don't really talk about recruiting in school, in college, or it's kind of an art and a craft, and I really didn't even know it was an option. I would have gotten into this business a lot sooner in my career, for sure, but I just really didn't know it would be this rewarding. And really, that's the truth. I just wish I knew more about.

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Devyn Mikell [00:18:34]:

It sooner, for sure. When you find yourself, like, and maybe you don't, but if you do, when you find yourself, quote unquote, banging your head against the wall or a little bit frustrated with how things are, what is it typically that you're trying to fix that seems unmovable.

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Lori Mix [00:18:57]:

I think it's some of the process that background checks and a lot of those are not automated today, like some of the court systems and things like that. It takes a long time to get pre employment documentation, such as education documentation and referrals, and you're waiting on people, and that is just such a long time. And sometimes it can take weeks in some of these smaller areas that have smaller courts and stuff, and it's all manual. So if I had a magic wand, I would automate it all so that we could get it instant because it's such a drain on the recruiters, and they spent so much time to find the right person, and through no fault of their own, they lose a candidate because they have all these requirements and they just can't get it quickly.

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Devyn Mikell [00:19:59]:

Yeah, for sure. I feel like, especially because this happens for you guys, right after all the evaluation, it's like, okay, now we're moving into, we want you. We just need to make sure that you're hireable. Got you. Yeah. That's painful, for sure. It sounds like you have a lot of tactical level thought, which is, candidly a little surprising. Like, you're strategic, but you also know a lot of the tactical level things that are happening.

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Devyn Mikell [00:20:25]:

So I guess my question is, do you carry a recload yourself?

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Lori Mix [00:20:31]:

I don't, but I work tirelessly to make sure that I know what each of my team's recload looks like, and I try to really dive in to understand their problems. You can't be strategic if you don't know what's going on at the tactical level. So that would be my advice to every leader, is to lean in and really understand what's happening at the very ground level so that you can really make sure that the solutions you're putting in place are actually helping and supporting as opposed to not working.

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Devyn Mikell [00:21:13]:

Yeah, for sure. What are some of the kind of things you keep at the North Star for your team? Like, hey, we're. If we have a metric, I asked this on LinkedIn the other day. I was like, if you had to pick a metric, what are you picking? What are you going about with to say, and there's probably more than one. That's okay, but what are the ones that tell you your recruiting function is relatively successful?

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Lori Mix [00:21:37]:

Easy. CMPs. Our candidate mps. Yeah.

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Devyn Mikell [00:21:44]:

Why that one?

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Lori Mix [00:21:46]:

Because if we roll it out post hire once they've started. So it's all encompassing. If your time to fill was good, if all your other KPIs are there, your candidate net promoter score is going to be good. So just making sure that the onboarding was flawless and all of those things and the communication is there, you're going to see positive CMPS score.

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Devyn Mikell [00:22:17]:

That's fair. Do you ever run into the issue of, like, if they don't get the job? Well, one, do they get the opportunity to give that same feedback? If they don't get.

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Lori Mix [00:22:27]:

Yeah.

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Devyn Mikell [00:22:28]:

So if they don't get it, do they respond?

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Lori Mix [00:22:32]:

They do, because I think in a candidate's mind they don't want to burn any bridges. And if they respond, then they're going to give that opportunity and they're out there looking. They want that communication. And a lot of times you hear the feedback that recruiters don't respond to people. So if they're getting feedback, they're going to open it. And chances that we make it very simple so that they click on it and.

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Devyn Mikell [00:23:04]:

Nice.

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Lori Mix [00:23:04]:

You respond?

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Devyn Mikell [00:23:05]:

Yeah. No, 100%. I've seen it with my own two eyes. There's issues on both ends and ghosting is a thing on the candidate end, but it also is definitely a thing on the recruiter end. And I get it on both ends because on the recruiter side, there is a lot of candidates out there that we're trying to communicate with. So it can happen. A candidate ends, they probably got another job. So it makes sense.

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Devyn Mikell [00:23:32]:

But I definitely think anytime that teams can touch base with the candidate quickly, you're going to win. It's just candidates want to be heard from. So I love that the next question is really diving into you and your journey a bit more. Maybe it's something you have long left in the past, but it's talking about mistakes. What is something that you have seen done in recruiting that you maybe tried and you're like, hey, I want to try this. And it's an experiment and it didn't work or anything similar. What are some of the mistakes that you've made and learned from in the past that helped you grow and doesn't have to be catastrophic, but what's something that's helped you grow in your journey?

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Lori Mix [00:24:20]:

I think sometimes as a recruiting leader, when you want to make sure you're making everybody happy and just not doing all your due diligence and underestimating throughput, that happened to me once. It was years ago. Launching in a new country underestimated the throughput of the hiring for the new geo. Didn't have enough staff in order to make the ramp and deliver. Had to fly people in from another geo and go there myself. We worked tirelessly, had completely blew our budget on marketing. And I think so many times recruiters will do this, they'll say yes because they want to please and want to take on that additional business, but really just doing your due diligence and making sure that you're set up for success and all the costs are there is super important.

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Devyn Mikell [00:25:23]:

That makes sense. On the flip side, now you get to tell the good stuff. So what do you call a talent triumph for you throughout your journey?

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Lori Mix [00:25:33]:

So my second year here at Ibex, it was just a banner year. We had improved recruiting, launched a new ats and just really had some efficiency, hitting 100% of our targets and our attrition numbers had gone down. And we have what's called the CEO award and I actually won it that year. So part of an elite group of like 13 people now this year, as of this year, there's 13 people that have won it. And just being part of that group just really made me feel special, successful and really valued. I think that was probably one of my best situations in recruiting.

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Devyn Mikell [00:26:24]:

Yeah, that's awesome. 13. And you guys are, correct me if I'm wrong, but you have over 10,000.

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Lori Mix [00:26:31]:

Employees, over 30,000 globally. 30,000.

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Devyn Mikell [00:26:33]:

Oh, wow. Yeah, I'm way over. So very elite status. Awesome. So when you think about your journey and how you see the lens of talent shifting, talk to the people that are in the early stages that think they want to be a leader. That's one step. You don't have to be, but think they want to be a leader. What is some of the advice that you would give them to help them move in that direction?

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Lori Mix [00:27:08]:

Yeah, I think you have to really make sure that you're developing those relationships with your stakeholders first and foremost. And you've got to really want to see people be successful and you have to use your data. You've got to be really data driven and combine all of those things and make sure that every day you approach that day with being better than you were yesterday.

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Devyn Mikell [00:27:37]:

That's awesome. So we're going to switch into this new segment of the show called the hot seat segment. At least that's what I'm calling it right now. This used to be a moment where I did a question of the week and the audience could participate, but I'm changing that. I'd like to get more questions answered in a short period of time. So I'm going to ask it faster, like a little hot seat. Like imagine a little ticker going and then you'll get your opportunity to answer and it'll be quick hitting and see what we get. So are you ready for me to ask these questions? Awesome.

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Devyn Mikell [00:28:10]:

So here we go. One person that has changed your life in talent acquisition.

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Lori Mix [00:28:15]:

My CPO today, Paul Inson. Super excited about looking at new technology innovative. Most bosses are like, save money, save money. And he's like, whatever you need, make sure that you guys are set up for success and just really been a champion of me.

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Devyn Mikell [00:28:37]:

Shout out to Paul. Most challenging role you've ever had to recruit.

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Lori Mix [00:28:44]:

Know it's either feast or famine with those and really just trying to get out there and attack that and make sure that you're finding the right quality person. And they're super expensive. When mortgage industry is hot, they can write their own paycheck. So it's very competitive.

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Devyn Mikell [00:29:03]:

Good to know. Where do you go to stay updated on the latest trends and changes in the TA landscape?

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Lori Mix [00:29:11]:

Just vendors. They usually have the inside scoop if they're in daily periodicals, LinkedIn groups, podcasts. Like this one. Like higher quality, definitely. And then just relationships, peers, face to face conversations.

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Devyn Mikell [00:29:31]:

Awesome. What's your go to interview question? If you could only pick one.

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Lori Mix [00:29:36]:

Can you walk me through your experience and how it relates to this position?

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Devyn Mikell [00:29:41]:

I love that question as my go to.

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Lori Mix [00:29:45]:

Yeah, it just gives them the opportunity to just showcase their relevant skills and really just give that opportunity to talk freely.

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Devyn Mikell [00:29:56]:

Awesome. And then last question. What's a common talent acquisition activity that needs to die?

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Lori Mix [00:30:04]:

Resume and experience hiring. We really need to push to skills based hiring and give people an opportunity. Over the past several years, emotional intelligence has become a factor. And does this person have the grit and the ability to come in and learn? And if they don't have the experience, you should still be able to hire them and bring them on to support your team. I really just. It's not on the resume. We're not even going to interview them. That's got to go give people a chance.

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Devyn Mikell [00:30:45]:

I agree. Well, Lori, you survived the hot seat. You did well, and I appreciate you so much for hopping on this podcast. I'd love for those who are listening that want to learn more about you or keep up with you, what would be the preference on how they could connect with you?

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Lori Mix [00:31:01]:

They can connect to me through LinkedIn. I'm on LinkedIn. And they could also go to our IVacs website and reach out to the recruiting team and meet with me through there.

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Devyn Mikell [00:31:16]:

Awesome. Well, Lori, thanks so much for joining me today. Again, I appreciate it so much, and we'll see you soon. And for everyone else that is listening, if you like what you've heard, there is going to be more and more of these. So please make sure you subscribe or like or whatever you do on your channel to make sure you stay up to date with this podcast at higher quality. So all that said, laurie, thank you and we'll see you soon.

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Lori Mix [00:31:41]:

Thanks, Devyn.

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