Building a Skills-First Workforce at Enterprise Scale with Astad Dhunjisha of AT&T
Fri Feb 06 2026
Building talent at enterprise scale requires more than efficient hiring — it demands a long-term commitment to capability, culture and growth. On this episode, host Ryan Dull is joined by Astad Dhunjisha, Vice President Human Resources - Talent Acquisition and Learning & Development at AT&T. They dive into Astad’s career journey, how AT&T hires and develops tens of thousands of employees each year, and why shifting from process-driven recruiting to talent-driven TA is essential for building a future-ready workforce. The episode also explores how skills-based hiring, internal mobility and emerging AI capabilities are reshaping how large organizations think about talent.
Key Takeaways:
00:00 Introduction.
02:35 Astad shares how his broad HR background shapes his long-term focus on talent acquisition.
05:47 AT&T’s brand recognition streamlines candidate engagement across roles.
10:07 A leadership vision balances internal expertise with external perspectives.
12:19 A shift in TA to proactive talent hunting and future-facing employer-brand positioning.
15:10 Middle managers often grow internally through mobility and upskilling.
18:39 Skills-based hiring emerges as a key priority.
21:13 A university class dedicated to TA reflects its growing importance.
24:43 A strong eye for talent remains critical, despite AI-driven résumés.
Resources Mentioned:
Astad Dhunjisha
https://www.linkedin.com/in/astad-dhunjisha
AT&T | LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/company/att/
AT&T | Website
https://www.att.com/
University of Texas at Dallas
https://www.utdallas.edu
This episode is brought to you by Sagemark HR.
Sagemark HR can help you:
✔ Improve your talent practices and make better, more informed people decisions.
After 20+ years of experience leading Recruiting and Talent Acquisition across a wide variety of industries, I've seen enough hires (over 100,000 to date) to know that hiring decisions truly can make or break an organization.
✔ Identify opportunities to not only improve your talent practices, but also delivering tangible business results.
We understand every organization is different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all magic solution. So we listen first and identify the gaps and sticking points in your current process before ever recommending a solution.
✔ Bridge the gap from “traditional” to modern recruiting, without the painful learning curve.
We believe recruiting, talent, and HR technology is a deep well of untapped business potential, and our mission is to help you identify and implement those hiring tools in a way that works for you.
If you’re interested in learning more, you can reach me at:
www.sagemarkhr.com
✉ ryan.dull@sagemarkhr.com
#Talent #Recruiters #HRTech
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Building talent at enterprise scale requires more than efficient hiring — it demands a long-term commitment to capability, culture and growth. On this episode, host Ryan Dull is joined by Astad Dhunjisha, Vice President Human Resources - Talent Acquisition and Learning & Development at AT&T. They dive into Astad’s career journey, how AT&T hires and develops tens of thousands of employees each year, and why shifting from process-driven recruiting to talent-driven TA is essential for building a future-ready workforce. The episode also explores how skills-based hiring, internal mobility and emerging AI capabilities are reshaping how large organizations think about talent. Key Takeaways: 00:00 Introduction. 02:35 Astad shares how his broad HR background shapes his long-term focus on talent acquisition. 05:47 AT&T’s brand recognition streamlines candidate engagement across roles. 10:07 A leadership vision balances internal expertise with external perspectives. 12:19 A shift in TA to proactive talent hunting and future-facing employer-brand positioning. 15:10 Middle managers often grow internally through mobility and upskilling. 18:39 Skills-based hiring emerges as a key priority. 21:13 A university class dedicated to TA reflects its growing importance. 24:43 A strong eye for talent remains critical, despite AI-driven résumés. Resources Mentioned: Astad Dhunjisha https://www.linkedin.com/in/astad-dhunjisha AT&T | LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/company/att/ AT&T | Website https://www.att.com/ University of Texas at Dallas https://www.utdallas.edu This episode is brought to you by Sagemark HR. Sagemark HR can help you: ✔ Improve your talent practices and make better, more informed people decisions. After 20+ years of experience leading Recruiting and Talent Acquisition across a wide variety of industries, I've seen enough hires (over 100,000 to date) to know that hiring decisions truly can make or break an organization. ✔ Identify opportunities to not only improve your talent practices, but also delivering tangible business results. We understand every organization is different, and there’s no one-size-fits-all magic solution. So we listen first and identify the gaps and sticking points in your current process before ever recommending a solution. ✔ Bridge the gap from “traditional” to modern recruiting, without the painful learning curve. We believe recruiting, talent, and HR technology is a deep well of untapped business potential, and our mission is to help you identify and implement those hiring tools in a way that works for you. If you’re interested in learning more, you can reach me at: www.sagemarkhr.com ✉ ryan.dull@sagemarkhr.com #Talent #Recruiters #HRTech