The Talent Trade
Business & Economics Podcasts
The Talent Trade is all about finding the right person, for the right opportunity, at the right time. But how exactly do you do that the "right" way? Executive Search Partner and Top Biller Stephanie Maas shares more than 25 years of experience about what it takes to be a top recruiter in today's "talent trade" market, using ThinkingAhead’s four-prong system focused on recruiting, business development, planning, and managing your mindset. It’s real, honest information about how to build your desk, perfect your niche, and stand out among the crowd in your search career. Southwestern/Great American, Inc., dba Southwestern Family of Companies, for itself and its related entities and their assigns, reserves and retains all rights to their copyrighted materials and trademarks contained in this podcast.
Location:
United States
Description:
The Talent Trade is all about finding the right person, for the right opportunity, at the right time. But how exactly do you do that the "right" way? Executive Search Partner and Top Biller Stephanie Maas shares more than 25 years of experience about what it takes to be a top recruiter in today's "talent trade" market, using ThinkingAhead’s four-prong system focused on recruiting, business development, planning, and managing your mindset. It’s real, honest information about how to build your desk, perfect your niche, and stand out among the crowd in your search career. Southwestern/Great American, Inc., dba Southwestern Family of Companies, for itself and its related entities and their assigns, reserves and retains all rights to their copyrighted materials and trademarks contained in this podcast.
Language:
English
Website:
https://TheTalentTrade.com
Email:
info@thetalenttrade.com
Episodes
Talent Trade Tidbit - The Feel Goods
1/22/2026
Yes, filling a search is about satisfying a client and getting paid. But sometimes, filling a search can still hit you straight in the feels...
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:02:17
Talent Trade Tidbit - Thinking About Search?
1/15/2026
Considering a career in search? Here are a few key things to keep in mind...
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:01:18
Talent Trade Tidbit - Be Safe and Make Good Choices
1/8/2026
"Aunt Mimi" serves up some advice that, as it turns out, is as applicable for the marketplace as it is for the rest of your life...
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:02:44
Qualify The Qualifying
1/1/2026
Piggybacking off of Episodes 37 and 38, Stephanie digs into how much you should be investing in terms of time and effort into certain searches, how to make that determination, how to find out if a client is as committed to you as you are to them, and why ThinkingAhead is a bit like a luxury car.
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:14:14
Wishing You the Merriest, from The Talent Trade
12/25/2025
Stephanie shares what's keeping her spirits merry and bright at this most magical time of the year, and her sincere wishes for all of our listeners.
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:02:01
Talent Trade Tidbit - Working Hard, or Hardly Working?
12/18/2025
Stephanie has a hot take on a generational observation that, quite frankly, has left her a bit befuddled.
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:01:56
Talent Trade Tidbit - The Elevator Pitch
12/11/2025
Expanding on a topic mentioned in Episode 37, Stephanie reveals the template for her quick, but effective, elevator pitch to prospective clients, which you can customize for your own use.
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:02:32
Easy As ABC
12/4/2025
Stephanie breaks down the 3 different quality levels of searches, and the components that make up what defines each of those levels, as well as which criteria are "must-haves" and which are "wish I hads".
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:12:34
Happy Thanksgiving from The Talent Trade!
11/27/2025
Talent Trade host Stephanie Maas breaks down the Thanksgiving lesson that listeners can carry with them EVERY day, plus her favorite Thanksgiving traditions, and the #1 thing she is a total dork about.
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:04:24
Talent Trade Tidbit - R&R: Not An Option
11/20/2025
Even as we head into the holiday season, Stephanie wants you to know that a little rest and relaxation isn't an option....because it's MANDATORY.
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:02:09
Talent Trade Tidbit - #1 Problem in Banking
11/13/2025
If you work in banking, you know the elephant in the room. It's not risk. It's not compliance. It's not a flat economy. It's not the regulators. So what IS it? And is there a solution?
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:02:36
Intention and Sophistication
11/6/2025
Learn how the pros at ThinkingAhead execute next-level business development, including the 3 stages of client development, the 3 simple questions that unlock relationship building, when the "blind squirrel" approach actually has it's place, and the tricks to staying on the radar until the time is right.
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:22:39
Talent Trade Tidbit - Suggestions for Panel Interviews
10/30/2025
Panel interviews, or back-to-back interviews can be daunting. But it's not you versus them.....it's you versus yourself, your experience, and your own preparation. Learn how to get organized for the big day, why to say "yes" to that drink, and what to do if nature calls.
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:03:57
Talent Trade Tidbit - Mindset: Fixed or Growth?
10/23/2025
Perhaps you've only ever heard that a growth mindset is good, and a fixed mindset is bad. That's not always the case. Learn when IS the right time to put those blinders on, and when to cast them aside.
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:02:57
Talent Trade Tidbit - Don't Communicate, Overcommunicate
10/16/2025
It doesn't matter whether you're a candidate or a client, if you don't communicate with your recruiter, you're missing out on talent and opportunities. Just listen to a few of the hairy situations that a lack of communication has landed Stephanie in...
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:04:00
Talent Trade Tidbit - Big Name Vs. The Market
10/9/2025
So you've worked for a big company, and you want to namedrop in an interview. Does that really give you a leg up? .....Kinda. But it's not THE most important thing...
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:02:32
Quitting with Class: Resignation Prep
10/2/2025
Josh Karamol, Executive Recruiter and Partner with the Commercial Banking & Finance team at ThinkingAhead, walks Stephanie through the delicate and often emotional process of tendering your resignation, how to not burn bridges, leave your now-former employer in a good place, and stay focused on the job ahead, rather than the one you're leaving behind.
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:13:48
Talent Trade Tidbit - "Tell Me About Yourself"
9/25/2025
Groan. Eye roll. Heavy sigh. Aren't we all sick of this question? All the same, there IS a right way, and a wrong way to answer it...
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:03:13
Talent Trade Tidbit - Mass Recruiting Tools
9/18/2025
Sure, nobody wants to feel like just another cog in the machine. Like just another brick in the wall. But sometimes, in the right situations, you've just got to plug in, and let go...
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:02:30
Talent Trade Tidbit - When Coffee Means More...
9/11/2025
Am I making a good first impression? Am I answering the questions right? Do I look presentable? Is this a date? No. But it MIGHT be a job interview...
Discover what sets ThinkingAhead apart, hear stories from recruiters, and browse opportunities by clicking here.
Duration:00:02:43