Elaine Daniels on Owning Her Value and Building Better Teams with Purpose

What happens when an engineer trades blueprints for building talent?

I recently had the opportunity to speak with Elaine Daniels , whose journey from project coordinator on major infrastructure builds to talent strategist and entrepreneur was anything but linear.

During our conversation, we explored why storytelling became her most effective hiring tool, why internal teams often struggle with time-to-fill, and how she transitioned into building a sourcing-focused agency rooted in deep industry understanding.

You can watch our full discussion here:

Here are some of the key topics we discussed:

• How Elaine’s career shifted from engineering and construction project management to working in recruitment and launching her own firm.
• The difficulties of applying a logical, engineering mindset in the unpredictable world of recruitment and HR.
• How storytelling became Elaine’s go-to strategy for interviewing and connecting with candidates.
• Factors that influence whether to use an external staffing agency, and how to determine the value of those partnerships.
• What motivated Elaine to start her own business, especially after a major company merger.
• The everyday struggles internal teams face with applicant tracking systems and resume databases.
• The complexities around “candidate ownership” and what criteria teams use to define it.
• Elaine’s insights about learning to manage herself after becoming an entrepreneur.
• Elaine's transition to a sourcing partner business model, and how this helps internal teams tackle time-to-fill challenges.

For more insights from Elaine, be sure to watch the full video above.

Talent Titans is sponsored by Ascen , an employer of record that helps staffing and recruitment agencies hire employees compliantly throughout the U.S. and Canada. Ascen’s all-in-one, white-label platform handles onboarding, timesheets, payroll, benefits, insurance, invoicing, and funding, allowing you to grow quickly in the U.S. and Canada without worrying about back office and paperwork. Visit ascen.com to learn more.