Harry Zapata
Harry Zapata
Talent Director - IQPC
For many talent leaders, recruiting is a career they discover along the way. For Harry Zapata, it evolved naturally from a passion for helping people and creating meaningful opportunities.
Today, Harry serves in a global talent leadership role, but his journey began far from the corporate recruiting world. While attending college in Las Vegas, he worked nights as a bartender in casino bars, spending hours speaking with people from all walks of life. Those conversations helped shape his understanding of human connection—something that would later become the foundation of his recruiting philosophy.
After graduation, Harry entered a sales role where he quickly discovered a talent for building high-performing teams. When he was promoted into management, he inherited a struggling team with low retention rates. By focusing on hiring the right people, developing talent, and creating a supportive environment, he helped transform the team’s performance. Leadership took notice, and soon he was helping improve hiring practices across the broader organization.
“That’s when it became more than just a job,” Harry recalls. “It became a passion to serve others. We help people find opportunities that can completely change the trajectory of their lives.”
That passion has remained central throughout his career. Harry spent a decade helping build recruiting strategies for a software company before returning to an organization that had played a pivotal role early in his professional development. Having first worked there more than a decade earlier, he maintained strong relationships with the leadership team and eventually returned in a global talent leadership capacity.
Using Technology to Create More Human Conversations
While many talent leaders discuss AI primarily through the lens of efficiency, Harry sees its greatest value in something surprisingly human.
“The biggest benefit has been getting time back,” he explains. “The administrative work that once consumed so much of our day can now be automated, allowing us to focus on what really matters—having meaningful conversations with people.”
By implementing automation, note-taking tools, and AI-assisted workflows, Harry has helped create space for recruiters to engage more deeply with candidates. Instead of rushing from one task to another, recruiters can spend more time understanding people, their goals, and what truly motivates them.
For Harry, technology should enhance relationships, not replace them.
“Now we can really get into conversations with people,” he says. “Those conversations are becoming more engaging and more valuable because we’re not constantly worried about the administrative work waiting for us afterward.”
The Evolution of Talent Acquisition
Having worked in recruiting across multiple decades of technological change, Harry has witnessed the profession evolve dramatically.
He remembers a time when recruiters relied almost entirely on phone calls to connect with candidates. Email was rarely the first point of contact, and platforms like LinkedIn didn’t yet exist.
“Back then, if you got a résumé, you picked up the phone and called the person,” he says. “That was how relationships started.”
Today, candidates communicate through multiple channels, from text messaging to social media and professional networking platforms. Yet despite all the technological advancements, Harry believes the core of recruiting remains unchanged.
He often shares a quote from a fellow talent leader that resonates deeply with him:
“AI won’t replace recruiters. The recruiter who learns how to use AI will.”
For Harry, the future belongs to professionals who embrace innovation while maintaining the human elements that make recruiting effective.
Advice for Talent Leaders Heading into 2026
As talent acquisition continues to evolve, Harry encourages recruiters to avoid making decisions based solely on résumés or technology.
“If we could identify every great hire just by reading a résumé, we’d all be millionaires,” he says.
Instead, he advocates evaluating candidates holistically—considering their communication skills, curiosity, professionalism, mindset, and overall potential alongside their experience.
He also encourages talent professionals to remain lifelong learners.
Whether through webinars, conferences, peer conversations, vendor demonstrations, or industry communities, Harry believes recruiters should constantly seek new perspectives and ideas.
“There are so many ways to learn,” he says. “Lean forward. Stay curious. Keep learning.”
At the heart of his advice is a simple principle that has guided his career from the beginning: recruiting is ultimately about people.
Technology will continue to evolve, processes will continue to change, and new tools will emerge. But the ability to connect with others, understand their aspirations, and help them discover opportunities remains the foundation of great talent acquisition.
For Harry Zapata, that mission is what continues to make the work meaningful every day.
