Tech for tech: Investing 'heavily' in tech boosts recruitment at Thales

Senior recruiter Dale McLean discusses hiring success at global tech firm

Tech for tech: Investing 'heavily' in tech boosts recruitment at Thales

Dale McLean, a seasoned HR leader with over two decades of experience in talent acquisition, has built a career on connecting the right people to the right opportunities.

As director of talent acquisition for North America at Thales, he has been instrumental in driving recruitment strategies that align with Thales' innovative and global business model.

His passion for talent acquisition is evident in the way he speaks about his career journey, the use of tech to find valuable employees, and the importance of connections in hiring.

Passionate about hiring

When asked why he chose a career in HR, McLean credits a family friend who was a recruiter and owned his own agency.

"I used to listen to him talk; he was so passionate about what he did. I showed some interest in it, and he gave me the opportunity and hired me — and I haven't looked back," he says. "I'm proud to say that I love what I do, and I wish the same for my kids, that they come across something that they love in their careers."

McLean says he enjoys the strategic and problem-solving aspects of talent acquisition.

"I love connecting good people to opportunities. I like the chase of 'We have a need. Where are we going to find somebody who's going to be the fit? What's the skill set, the competencies?' I like piecing that all together.”

And after 20 years of recruitment, it really hasn't gotten old, he says.

“I find it very satisfying when you have a new hire who's happy in their, potentially, life-changing role… as well as being on the business side and seeing the impact they're going to make."

Transitioning to talent acquisition at Thales

While McLean began his career on the agency side, he later transitioned to corporate roles, working for companies such as CIBC, for five years, and Foresters Financial for more than two, before joining Thales in the summer of 2019.

The company specializes in advanced technologies for the defence, civil aviation, digital identity and security sectors, with more than 1,300 employees in Canada and 81,000 worldwide.

The move to Thales was driven by the challenge and opportunity to work with a high-tech, innovative company, he says.

"I also, through my network, knew people at Thales and knew what they did. And when the recruiter came to me about the opportunity, I jumped at it because I knew ‘This is not going to be easy: It's a high-tech, innovative company [and an] opportunity to learn.’”

In his five-plus years at the company, McLean says he’s learned a lot, and continues to do so every day.

“The complexity of our business, [being] global, the innovation we do, the technology, the people, the types of hiring we do, I enjoy that. I get up every day, and it's great to learn — keeps you on your toes too."

Technology and talent acquisition

In an industry where technology is rapidly evolving, McLean recognizes its importance in recruitment.

"Hiring high-tech [workers], it has its challenges — I mean, they're high in demand right now. But leveraging technology from our end, I think we invest heavily… we have the latest, greatest tools as recruiters available to us,” he says.

“It helps us stay connected. It helps us identify talent; it helps us connect with that talent."

Whether it’s through emails or SMS messaging, having the right tool is a great way to connect with candidates “in the quickest possible time,” says McLean.

He highlights the role of AI and CRM systems in building a pipeline of talent for Thales, to keep people engaged for when the right opportunity is available.

"We actually have a leveraged CRM. We have our Workday technology that we use, which is our applicant tracking system, which kind of bolts onto… Phenom… a great AI-driven CRM, so it’s helping us, really, in the early stages… [in] connecting, identifying talent, bringing top talent that we've had in the past back to our recruiters at their fingertips, ready to connect."

Building next generation of talent

A strong advocate for early career talent, McLean has helped shape Thales' internship and new graduate programs. And being a large, global organization is attractive to a lot of people.

"We have a track record of [giving] employees… career opportunities, getting promotions, moving laterally from one business line to another, which is growing their experience; we have people moving from one country to another. It's tangible."

Thales has strong partnerships with local schools to find skilled talent, and the company’s internship program has been a key tool in recruiting and retaining young professionals, he says.

"Through the different cycles, we hire interns. We're fortunate enough to convert some of those interns to our new grads. So, we've had people come back, one, two, maybe three terms, and then [we’re] able to convert them into a full-time position after they graduate."

McLean also emphasizes the importance of onboarding and professional development for the new hires.

"We've really been focusing on growing our new grad program. So, we've hired, I think, in North America, over 80 people last year. It’s been growing. Our CEO for the Americas would like to see that continued growth because we've had success with it,” he says.

“We're onboarding them properly, and they're making an impact on the business right away. So, they're contributing… within very short amounts of time.”

And while the new grads may come from different areas and are spread out at Thales, McLean says they work hard to build relationships.

“We give them tasks and projects to work on together, collaborations… a systems engineer working on a project with a software engineer — and they’re sharing best practices or experiences.”

Balancing local and global interests

As part of a multinational company, McLean works closely with teams worldwide to ensure alignment while meeting local hiring needs.

"We have multiple lines of business, and we do have our headquarters in France. But… going back to technology, it's very easy to collaborate with people. I communicate with some of my partners in France, Australia, in the UK, on a regular basis. So, it's very, very fluid that way."

Thales' approach to global talent acquisition ensures consistency while allowing for local adaptations.

"Our TA team globally is under a head of global TA so we are one team. We do collaborate, we do meet regularly, we do share best practices from a technology and recruitment perspective… we’re all on the same page.”

But McLean is not one to neglect his roots.

“I like to share and educate them on the great things of being Canadian, the famous Canadians that we have. I don’t know if that comes with the territory, but I always do make a point of [conveying] what’s going on in Canada."

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