Balancing Strategy and Tactics: Melissa Thompson’s Career Crossroads

Chris Hoyt: All right, everybody. Welcome to the CXR Recruiting Community Podcast. I’m really excited about this one. In addition to the work we do on the podcast, we’ve got almost 500 episodes where we interview TA leaders to talk about what’s keeping them up at night, share what’s going on in the space, and bring those experiences and viewpoints through fun conversations.

This episode is a little different. Jerry, what’s different about this special edition?

Gerry Crispin: What’s different is this: this series really hearkens back to when we created the term Career Crossroads, put a big “X” in the middle, thinking about the decisions from both the employer side and the candidate side. Most of our history has focused on employer-side decision making. Now we’re exploring the decisions TA leaders have made throughout their careers, how those choices evolved over time.

Chris Hoyt: I love it. We’ve sat down with leaders at very different points in their career. Who are we listening to today?

Gerry Crispin: Melissa Thompson.

Chris Hoyt: OK.

Gerry Crispin: She’s been a member for some time, at different companies. She talks about how her decision-making evolved from the beginning to now where she leads TA at Ford. One thing that stuck with me: her view of career growth is like a jungle gym—not a ladder. I really love that.

Chris Hoyt: Yeah. We’ve known Melissa for years. I’m excited to share this interview.

Announcer: Welcome to the Recruiting Community Podcast, where talent acquisition leaders connect, learn, and grow together. Hosted by Chris Hoyt and Gerry Crispin, brought to you by CXR. We’re thrilled you’re here. To explore past episodes or find what’s coming next, go to cxr.works/podcast.

Gerry Crispin: I’m excited to be with Melissa Thompson, who currently leads Talent Acquisition at Ford. Melissa, thanks for joining.

Melissa Thompson: Thanks. Happy to be here.

Gerry Crispin: Let’s go back to those early years. At what point did you choose to be in talent acquisition? How did that happen?

Melissa Thompson: My MBA is in Human Resources. In one of my first organizational behavior classes, I realized this was the space I loved. Then I spent about ten years in HR and personnel roles. When I got to Dell, that was the moment the light bulb went off for me that this is the part I’m passionate about—talent acquisition.

At Dell, I was working with the middle markets division (Preferred Accounts). John Kenard, who led that division, challenged me to fill all the outside sales hires—roles that had never hit their numbers before. I convinced sales leaders to hire strong salespeople rather than people with technical backgrounds. We hit the targets. Next quarter, the top salesperson was a former shoe salesperson. That taught me early that when recruiting works well, the business works.

Gerry Crispin: That’s fascinating. I believe TA is the spearhead of many HR functions—if you do recruiting well, many downstream problems in HR get alleviated.

Melissa Thompson: Exactly. But there have been bumps. In 2001, during the e‑commerce bubble burst, I was asked to lay off my entire team while I was running University Relations at Dell. It was a bad experience, left a bad taste. I then moved to the Bay Area to work for Siebel. Was only there for about two years before getting laid off, then moved across the country to Bank of America. All of these were formative experiences.

I see career as a jungle gym, not a ladder. Sometimes you go up; sometimes you move sideways; sometimes you take a step back to prepare for the next big leap. It’s the experience that matters.

Gerry Crispin: You’ve also been willing to move geographically a lot. Many people are much less willing. How has mobility played into your decision making?

Melissa Thompson: Yes, I’ve lived in many places. I did stints in the Northeast, Northwest, Raleigh, etc. Mobility has broadened my exposure. Each move taught me something new.

Gerry Crispin: As you matured in your career, how did your decision-making evolve?

Melissa Thompson: There have been actual “aha” moments. One was during my time at Lenovo in Raleigh. They were using PeopleFluent as their ATS. I asked whether certain reports were possible; the answer was “no” each time. I decided to take a CIS admin class for PeopleFluent to understand what was really possible. That let me redesign the recruiting flow in the U.S., improve reporting, and then share that work with the China team—spent a week in China helping them adopt similar flows and reports.

That’s when I realized I’m a data hound; I want the ATS to tell me a story. I want metrics, dashboards, red/yellow/green signals—things I can act on.

Throughout my career, I’ve been strategic and tactical. I believe in understanding what’s happening on the ground so the strategy makes sense in action.

Gerry Crispin: What’s happening now? What’s your fantasy for the next phase of your career?

Melissa Thompson: Right now, I want to get Ford’s global TA COE aligned so that the experience is consistent across geographies—US, Europe, Mexico, etc. I want us to be “rocking” everywhere in three to five years. And then start thinking about what crazy new stuff we haven’t yet imagined.

Another thing I’ve always learned: your direct reports matter. You can’t be everywhere. If your leaders under you understand and carry forward your message, then you can extend impact.

Gerry Crispin: Love that. With all the uncertainty in the world—economy, AI, politics—what advice do you give to folks who are just coming up?

Melissa Thompson: Control the controllable. So much is outside your control. Focus on what you can impact. If you try to influence everything, you’ll burn out.

Also: stay flexible. Be open to possibility. Keep learning. Early in my career, I probably didn’t realize how much growth and development would come from sideways moves or tough times.

Gerry Crispin: If you were advising a person early in their career now, what would you tell them?

Melissa Thompson: Here’s what I’d say:

• View your career as multi‑dimensional. You’re more than your job title—your skills, passions, interests all matter.

• Don’t put off what you’re curious about—if something interests you, even if it doesn’t pay now, explore it.

• Build skills, but also build relationships and networks. Keep talking to people, exploring options.

• Be authentic—know what you value: flexibility, location, team, purpose. Don’t compromise core values just for a job.

• And don’t be afraid of sideways moves. Sometimes those provide the foundation for what comes next.

Gerry Crispin: That’s powerful.

Melissa, thank you so much for sharing your journey—every twist, every decision. It’s inspiring.

Melissa Thompson: Thank you, Gerry. It’s been fun to reflect.

Announcer: Thanks for listening to the Recruiting Community Podcast, where talent acquisition leaders connect, learn, and grow together. Be sure to visit cxr.works/podcast to explore past episodes, upcoming ones, and find out how to join the conversation.

If you’d like to be a guest, share insights, or learn about membership in the CXR community, visit www.cxr.works. We’ll see you next episode.