Isaac Schild

Isaac Schild

Founder & CEO - Scion Staffing

For Isaac Schild, talent acquisition has always been about more than filling jobs.

It is about entrepreneurship, technology, and creating better ways to connect people with opportunity.

Long before founding Scion Staffing, Isaac was already building businesses. His entrepreneurial journey began at just 11 years old through Junior Achievement, where he discovered an early passion for creating organizations and solving problems.

After college, however, his career initially took a different direction.

Isaac worked in television production, producing children's programming for companies including Jim Henson and Disney. During breaks between productions, he helped friends who owned HR consulting and staffing firms grow their businesses.

Those experiences introduced him to recruiting and workforce solutions.

The more he learned, the more he realized the industry combined everything he enjoyed most—business strategy, entrepreneurship, technology, and helping organizations grow.

That realization eventually led him to his first executive recruiting leadership role with a Brooklyn nonprofit that operated a staffing company to generate funding for community programs.

Although he initially turned down the opportunity, the organization continued pursuing him for nearly a year before he agreed to lead the business.

After serving in that role while attending law school, Isaac graduated and founded Scion Staffing, eventually expanding into executive search, nonprofit recruitment, and technology-driven hiring solutions.

Today, Scion has grown into a nationally recognized recruiting firm while also launching complementary ventures, including Foundation List, a career platform serving nonprofit organizations, educational institutions, and foundations, as well as newer AI-focused technology initiatives.

Building Companies Through People

When reflecting on the people who have shaped his journey, Isaac points first to the leaders within his own organization.

He believes Scion's continued growth has been driven by people who have invested years into building the company's mission and culture.

Among those he credits most are Alyssa Dumiak and Kim Bartel, who have helped build Scion's executive search practice into a highly respected division.

He also highlights Joshua Steele, whose leadership across operations and technology has become a driving force behind the company's continued innovation.

Additional recognition goes to Lynn Friedrichs and Susie Krueger, whose long-term leadership and commitment have helped sustain the organization's growth year after year.

"They've poured their heart into this company," Isaac says.

Outside of work, Isaac says none of his journey would have been possible without the support of his wife.

More broadly, he believes every interaction presents an opportunity to learn.

Whether working with a new employee or a longtime executive, Isaac approaches leadership with curiosity and a commitment to continuous improvement.

Bringing Technology Into Recruiting

Isaac entered recruiting with a background in technology long before HR became a technology-driven profession.

Earlier in his career, he worked on digital media projects, coded websites, and saw firsthand how quickly technology transformed other industries.

Recruiting, however, lagged behind.

"For a long time, HR and recruiting were the departments furthest behind in technology," he says.

That gap became one of the biggest opportunities he saw.

Over the past decade, Isaac has watched talent acquisition evolve rapidly—from newspaper classifieds and fax machines to job boards, LinkedIn, AI-powered sourcing, and intelligent matching platforms.

While many of those innovations first came from external technology providers, he believes organizations are now embracing digital transformation more aggressively than ever before.

Preparing for the Future of Hiring

Looking ahead, Isaac believes recruiting is entering another major shift.

Rather than focusing solely on resumes or job postings, he sees the future centered around skills, personalization, and intelligent matching.

AI has dramatically accelerated learning and productivity, but Isaac believes organizations must ensure their teams develop the skills needed to use these tools effectively.

"The future is really about making sure people have the right skills," he says.

He also believes hiring technology will increasingly move beyond keyword searches toward understanding individual preferences, career goals, and organizational fit.

Instead of candidates endlessly searching through thousands of openings, Isaac envisions systems that intelligently connect people with organizations where there is genuine mutual interest.

At the same time, he recognizes today's job market presents significant challenges—particularly for students and early-career professionals navigating an increasingly competitive environment.

He believes stronger internship programs, better career pathways, and more effective bridges between education and employment will become increasingly important over the next decade.

Advice for Talent Leaders Heading into 2026

Isaac encourages recruiting leaders to embrace technology while keeping people at the center of every decision.

AI should be viewed as an accelerator rather than a replacement for human judgment.

Organizations that invest in developing new skills, remain adaptable, and continue learning will be best positioned to navigate the rapidly changing hiring landscape.

For Isaac, innovation has always been rooted in the same principle that guided him as an entrepreneur years ago: stay curious, keep learning, and never stop building better ways to connect people with opportunity.

That mindset continues to shape both his companies and his vision for the future of talent acquisition.