Julia Days

Julia Days

Head of Global Talent Acquisition Process & Technology, Schneider Electric

Like many leaders in talent acquisition, Julia Days did not originally set out to build a career in recruiting.

Her journey into talent acquisition began through agency recruitment, inspired by a positive experience she personally had with a recruitment consultant early in her career.

“I had a good experience with a recruitment agent,” she explained, reflecting on how that interaction eventually led her into the profession herself.

Like many recruiting professionals of her generation, Julia describes her path into the industry as something that happened organically rather than intentionally.

At the time, agency recruitment became a natural entry point into the profession before she eventually transitioned into one of the earliest waves of in-house recruiting leadership roles.

That transition happened after she joined one of her own clients, moving from agency recruitment into corporate talent acquisition during what she describes as the “first generation” of in-house recruitment leadership.

It was a move that ultimately shaped the rest of her career.

Building a Career in First-Generation In-House Recruitment

For Julia, moving in-house provided something deeper than the fast-paced world of agency recruiting.

It created a stronger sense of belonging and connection to organizational impact.

While agency recruitment gave her foundational experience, she found herself drawn toward building long-term hiring strategies and creating sustainable talent functions within organizations.

Over time, she established herself as a respected talent acquisition leader, helping organizations navigate both the operational and strategic sides of recruiting.

Unlike many TA leaders who were mentored exclusively by recruitment professionals, Julia credits much of her development to senior HR executives who understood the business value of hiring.

One of the most influential leaders in her career was a chief people officer named Nicola, whose perspective fundamentally shaped how Julia thinks about recruitment’s role inside organizations.

“She said there are two things that really matter to managers,” Julia recalled. “That they have people in their team to do what’s asked of them, and that we pay them. One of those things we have to do by law. If we can’t do the other thing, where’s our value?”

That mindset stayed with her throughout her career.

For Julia, recruitment is not simply an HR process — it is one of the most critical business functions inside an organization.

Leadership Lessons Beyond Talent Acquisition

Another major influence in Julia’s career came from a female chief people officer named Sarah, who demonstrated what authentic leadership could look like in a corporate environment often dominated by traditional expectations.

“She was unashamedly female, unashamedly feminine, and unashamedly smart,” Julia explained.

Watching Sarah thrive without compromising her identity left a lasting impression on her own leadership philosophy.

It showed Julia that leadership did not require changing who you are in order to succeed.

Today, that perspective continues to influence how she leads teams and supports other professionals navigating their own careers.

Beyond individual mentors, Julia also credits her broader network of talent acquisition leaders as one of the most important support systems throughout her journey.

Rather than viewing them simply as professional connections, she describes them as genuine friends and trusted peers.

“We are selflessly supportive and cheerleaders of each other,” she shared. “No question is too stupid.”

That sense of community, collaboration, and shared learning has become increasingly important as the recruiting industry faces rapid technological transformation.

Navigating the Constant Evolution of AI in Recruiting

For Julia, the impact of AI on talent acquisition is impossible to ignore — but she believes the industry is still very early in understanding what the long-term implications will actually be.

“It’s shifting daily,” she explained. “I think it’s a constant shift. It’s not an evolution.”

In her view, talent acquisition has become one of the most technologically advanced support functions inside organizations, constantly adapting to new systems, products, and innovations.

However, she believes many TA leaders are being asked to make critical technology decisions without fully having the technical expertise or organizational readiness required to move at the pace AI demands.

“There’s a lot of noise,” she said candidly.

One of the biggest challenges she sees is the growing disconnect between the speed of AI innovation and the slower realities of enterprise procurement, security reviews, and organizational decision-making.

While candidates are rapidly adopting AI tools, many companies are still struggling to implement solutions internally due to layers of governance, compliance, and infrastructure limitations.

As a result, Julia believes many organizations are entering what she describes as an “AI arms race” without being fully equipped for it.

The “Pac-Man” Effect in HR Technology

Julia also sees major consolidation coming within the HR technology landscape.

She compared the current market to a giant game of Pac-Man, where larger enterprise software companies are gradually consuming smaller AI startups.

“The big guys are going to win,” she explained.

In her view, many promising AI-native startups may struggle to survive the lengthy procurement cycles required by large organizations, eventually leading to acquisitions by larger enterprise platforms.

While this consolidation may help scale AI capabilities, Julia believes it also introduces uncertainty.

Products can quickly change direction after acquisition, roadmaps may shift, and innovative technologies may eventually become absorbed into broader enterprise ecosystems.

That uncertainty creates significant risk for talent leaders making long-term technology investments today.

“We’re being asked to make decisions on what is in front of us,” she explained, “knowing the likelihood is that it will change.”

Advice for Talent Leaders Navigating AI

As organizations continue exploring AI adoption, Julia encourages talent leaders to remain disciplined and focused on the actual problems they are trying to solve.

“It’s very easy to be dazzled,” she said.

While many AI products appear impressive on the surface, she believes organizations must avoid implementing technology simply because it feels innovative.

Instead, leaders should remain anchored to clear problem statements and measurable business needs.

Without that clarity, even the most advanced proof-of-concept initiatives can fail to create meaningful value.

She also encourages TA leaders to think carefully about the vendors and products they choose to partner with, especially when working with smaller AI startups in a rapidly changing market.

Understanding the long-term stability, ownership structure, and potential acquisition risks behind a product has become increasingly important.

For Julia, successful AI adoption in talent acquisition will require both curiosity and caution.

The Future of Talent Acquisition

Throughout her career, Julia Days has remained deeply focused on the human side of recruiting while also embracing the need for innovation and evolution.

Her perspective reflects the balance many talent leaders are now trying to achieve: remaining open to new technologies while ensuring recruitment continues to serve people, organizations, and business outcomes effectively.

As AI continues reshaping the recruiting landscape, Julia believes the leaders who succeed will be the ones who stay grounded in business problems, prioritize meaningful outcomes over hype, and continue building strong communities of support around them.

In an industry evolving faster than ever before, those human connections may ultimately remain the most valuable asset of all.