Leading TA for One of the World’s Biggest Brands with Astad Dhunjisha of AT&T

Astad Dhunjisha, Vice President of Human Resources at AT&T, oversees talent acquisition and frontline learning for this Fortune 40 company that hires over 25,000 people a year. Prior to this role, he was Global SVP of TA and HR at Experian and led various global HR functions at Bayer and Monsanto. Having moved to the US in 2009 with just two bags, his unique journey shapes how he thinks about hiring, inclusion, and what people need to do their best work.We discuss the massive scale of bringing outside talent into a major telecommunications brand. We also dive into the exhausting contradictions of walking the leadership line, the importance of suspending the 35-second first impression during an interview, and why the future of AI in hiring should focus on building human capability rather than just rushing into a cost-efficiency game.Key Takeaways:00:00 Introduction.01:22 Astad’s background and his path from Mumbai to leading major talent operations.03:01 Celebrating 150 years of connectivity and the legacy of the first phone call.06:17 Managing end-to-end talent delivery for an organization with 120,000 employees.23:09 The mission-critical pressure of talent acquisition and its similarities to a corporate sales team.32:18 Leading on the line: Navigating the exhaustion and balancing the multiple priorities required of leaders.39:10 Why uncovering a candidate's story and understanding their choices is more predictive than relying on their résumé.45:37 The danger of the 35-second first impression and learning to suspend initial judgment in interviews.50:18 Viewing AI as an opportunity to build human capability rather than just a tool to reduce hiring costs.56:43 Advice for younger professionals on embracing the journey, handling setbacks, and avoiding the trap of solely chasing titles.Resources Mentioned:Astad Dhunjishahttps://www.linkedin.com/in/astad-dhunjishaAT&T | LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/att/AT&T | Websitehttps://www.att.com/Experian | LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/experian/Experian | Websitehttps://www.experianplc.com/Bayer | LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/bayer/Bayer | Websitehttps://www.bayer.com/Monsanto | LinkedInhttps://www.linkedin.com/company/monsanto/Monsanto | Websitehttps://www.bayer.com/en/Thank you for listening to “Hire Learning with Oz Rashid.” Don’t forget to leave us a review and subscribe so you don’t miss out on future episodes. Connect with our host, Oz Rashid, on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ozrashid.  To learn more about MSH, visit https://www.talentmsh.com.#TalentAcquisition #HiringStrategy #EnterpriseHiring