It’s 2017. Significant change in our world is underway. We are all feeling and experiencing it. Driven by a combination of globalization, technology innovation, political realignment, and vast expanding consumer markets, we are entering a period a rapid shifts and increased uncertainty. In particular, the full force of technology is resulting in consequential reinvention of everyday things. It’s changing for example how we shop, bank, travel, socialize, consume information, play, and how we make a living. Digitization and automation is changing the role of humans in society, both eliminating entire categories of work and creating completely new opportunities. We’re entering a fourth industrial revolution where robots that seemingly think, and build things also fix themselves when they break. Students entering high school today will face a marketplace of jobs with many that don’t even exist today. Already we’re not developing enough of the talent that is needed for opportunities that are emerging at a moment’s notice. For example, suddenly we need millions of data analysts and cybersecurity professionals triggered by needs that didn’t exist just a few years ago. We can expect more of this. Then with firms desperate for talent and dangling better pay and other incentives, employees are job-hopping, causing further job market chaos. Under these circumstances, high performance recruitment and retention is a complex challenge and it’s projected to get much more difficult in the years ahead. The right people make great organizations. Without stability and the right talent in the workforce, robots and artificial intelligence notwithstanding, organizations will struggle. Entire industries and perhaps economies will teeter on the edge. This is why the topic of hiring great talent is important. This book is an exploration and guide on recruiting talent in the 21st century. While it has a focus on technology talent, most of the concepts are applicable across industries. It provides the authors perspective on contemporary tools and techniques that can serve all types of organizations. It includes a deep dive on the important and evolving role of social media both from the recruiter and the applicant perspective. The author interviews many business leaders and shares their wisdom throughout the book. It’s written in clear and simple English for recruiters and those seeking a job, a welcome approach when so many technical guides lose their readers with complex and difficult to implement ideas. However, this book is more than just a how-to guide. It is also her personal journey. It tells the story of why and how Michelle Furyaka got into the business of recruitment. It explores her struggles and challenges along the way. We all learn from and can empathize with her experiences. Her writing style makes for an enlightening and refreshing read. Michelle approached me months ago to discuss her idea for a book. She understood that I could offer my perspective as an employer and technology leader in the heart of Silicon Valley. Think about this for a moment. If you want to understand the complexities of the recruitment market today, how about the challenges of hiring technical talent in the most vibrant technology market in the world? My team and I confront these challenges on the front-line every day. That’s why we had a series of great conversations. The dynamics of the Silicon Valley marketplace provided a context for the broader challenges being experienced across different US markets, for example: high demand for specialized skills; new skills emerging every few months; insufficient availability of the right people; and organizations rapidly changing. In summary, Michelle Furyaka has written a necessary book. She approaches the very real challenge of identifying, recruiting, and placing the right talent for organizational success. She does this in the context of significant 21st century challenges and with the full knowledge that the rules of the game are changing fast. I’m confident that the reader will enjoy reading this book and will attain immediately usable tools and techniques to help in their recruitment strategy. It’s a whole new world out there. Good luck. Dr. Jonathan Reichental December 2016.

Michelle Perchuk had a successful career working with talent acquisition and development organizations of Fortune 500 companies before deciding to start her own recruiting company. Having received validation from industry leaders through interviews, combining with her personal experience, she decided to be part of the solution and improve the recruiting industry through coaching. MTV Coaching was born, a career & business progression company which works with professionals across all industries to help them fulfill their career aspirations. Over the last decade she has been personally responsible for placing over 3K individuals into amazing career opportunities. She has built high performance teams and impacted talent acquisition and development of the most innovative companies in the world. Having survived 8 mergers and acquisitions, navigating through economic downturns and building a business from ground up, she brings a valuable facet to her coaching. Michelle, always leads by example and believes that being a career coach is the ultimate test of effective leadership. Her approach is very simple, she fervently believes that if we want to accomplish anything we need an original plan, a plan that is designed with purpose and executed on a daily basis. A plan which is composed of action steps, strategies to overcome setbacks and a mechanism to keep one accountable. She is an embodiment of coach as leader and often takes off her coaching hat to inspire people and to give tips and shortcuts they will never forget.