Modern Recruiting, Built for the AI Era
Fractional Consulting for TA Leaders | Tech Stack & AI Readiness | Living Employer Brand & EVP Ecosystems | Recruiter Enablement
Who We Are
Proactive Talent is a boutique consulting practice built to help Talent Acquisition teams modernize how they hire in the AI era.
Founded by Matt Staney, known in the industry as a “Game Changer,” Proactive Talent is built on years of real conversations with Talent Acquisition leaders running teams of one to enterprise functions. Every week, we sit down with TA leaders across industries, and we bring those insights directly into our consulting work.
Since 2015, we’ve helped forward-thinking companies rethink outdated hiring models. Today, we work directly and personally with a small number of clients at a time, focused on three things: modernizing your recruiting tech stack and AI readiness, building a living employer brand and EVP ecosystem powered by AI, and enabling your recruiters to actually adopt the tools you invest in.
We also advise HR tech companies on product and go-to-market strategy, bringing the practitioner’s view of what TA leaders actually need.
What We Do
Tech Stack & AI Readiness
Right-size your recruiting stack and get AI working in the flow of work, not just another tab.
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Design and orchestrate a recruiting process around a lean core ATS/CRM with the right AI layered in, so every step feels connected instead of duct-taped together.
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I audit your current stack, cut the redundant “zombie” tools, and guide selection and implementation of AI-native platforms that actually get adopted.
Living EVP & Employer Brand Ecosystem
A brand and EVP that update continuously with AI, not once a year.
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Research, Design, and Keep It Alive
I help you define an EVP rooted in what’s actually true today, then set up the AI-assisted systems to keep it current as your business, talent market, and workforce change — instead of a deck that goes stale in six months.
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Audit, Strategy, and Segmentation
I run a comprehensive audit of your current employer brand, then build a strategy segmented for the audiences that actually matter to you — field vs. HQ, technical vs. non-technical, growth vs. stability — so the story lands with the right candidates.
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I set up the templates, workflows, and AI tools your team needs to keep employer brand content fresh on your own — job descriptions, career site copy, and social proof that update themselves instead of going stale between agency retainers.
Recruiter Enablement & AI Adoption
Get your recruiters and hiring teams fluent in the AI tools you’ve already bought.
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Hands-on training so AI actually gets used, not ignored.
I run live, practical sessions with your recruiters and hiring managers on the specific AI tools in your stack — sourcing copilots, interview intelligence, scheduling agents — so adoption sticks instead of stalling after the kickoff call.
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Guardrails that let your team move fast, safely.
I help you set clear AI policies (what’s allowed, what data stays out of prompts, who approves new tools) and design controlled pilots before you standardize — so you get the upside of AI without the fraud, bias, or data-quality risk.
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A practitioner’s view for HR tech builders.
For HR tech companies, I advise on product and go-to-market strategy — grounded in what I hear directly from 2,000+ TA leaders in the HIGHER community about what they’ll actually buy and use.
Modernize Your Hiring with a Direct, Hands-On TA Consulting Partner
At Proactive Talent, you work directly with a hands-on consulting partner — no account managers, no junior bench. We bring the pulse of thousands of ongoing conversations with TA leaders into every engagement, so you get insight that’s current, not recycled.
How We’re Different
Flexible. Experienced. Direct.
A Direct, Fractional Engagement Model
We work with you directly on a project, hourly, or retainer basis — whatever fits the scope of what you need to accomplish. This approach provides:
Flexibility: No long-term contracts required. Scale the engagement up or down as your priorities shift.
Direct Access: You work with an experienced practitioner directly — no account layers, no hand-offs, no junior bench.
Speed: Priorities changed? No problem. We adapt scope quickly to match your business needs.
Deep Industry Expertise and Proven Success
Founded by industry veteran Matt Staney, Proactive Talent brings deep, practitioner-level experience in Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding, built from over 10 years working with some of the world’s most successful brands. We bring:
Extensive Industry Knowledge: With experience across almost every major industry, we’re a sought-after thought leader in Talent Acquisition.
Track Record of Success: In business for nearly a decade, with a proven track record of results across organizations of every size.
Strategic Insight: Leveraging best practices and innovative techniques to drive measurable outcomes.
We’ve worked with some GREAT CLIENTS.
Siemens Energy ~
Uber Technologies, Inc. ~
Discord ~
Calendly ~
Procore Technologies, Inc. ~
Opendoor Labs ~
Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. ~
Boston Consulting Group ~
Cone Health ~
Motel 6 ~
Veeva Systems, Inc. ~
LegalZoom ~
FreshBooks ~
UT Health East Texas ~
3DFortify, Inc.
Siemens Energy ~ Uber Technologies, Inc. ~ Discord ~ Calendly ~ Procore Technologies, Inc. ~ Opendoor Labs ~ Bio-Rad Laboratories, Inc. ~ Boston Consulting Group ~ Cone Health ~ Motel 6 ~ Veeva Systems, Inc. ~ LegalZoom ~ FreshBooks ~ UT Health East Texas ~ 3DFortify, Inc.
ACCROSS MULTIPLE INDUSTRIES.
Tackle some pretty BIG OPPORTUNITIES!
Here’s What They Say.
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“Proactive Talent has been an amazing asset to us at GoDaddy. Assisting in building our Employment Brand strategy. Matt's passionate, eager, and scrappy personality makes him all the more enjoyable to engage with."
Lamar Daniels, Head of Employment Brand, GoDaddy
