Rachel Neuschaefer
Rachel Neuschaefer
Senior Manager, University and Early Careers Recruiting - MITRE
For Rachel Neuschaefer, a simple conversation with her older brother led her toward a career she never expected to love.
While attending Indiana University, Rachel wasn't sure what direction she wanted to pursue. Her brother suggested she look into Human Resources, describing it simply as "hiring and firing."
Curious, she attended a university career fair.
Watching recruiters engage with students and represent their organizations, she immediately knew that was where she wanted to be.
"I want to go travel to schools and market different companies," she remembers thinking.
Although it would take another decade before she found her niche in university recruiting, that moment sparked a career built around connecting with people.
For Rachel, recruiting has always been a natural fit.
She loves learning people's stories, building relationships, and helping others discover new opportunities.
Leaders Who Built Her Confidence
Looking back, Rachel credits several leaders for shaping both her career and her confidence.
The first was Carrie, the manager who hired her into her very first recruiting role.
With little experience beyond a few internships, Rachel joined as a contract recruiter earning $12 an hour. Carrie took a chance on her, mentoring her not only in recruiting but also in navigating the professional world.
She offered honest, straightforward guidance and helped Rachel build confidence early in her career.
Another influential leader was Michael, who helped Rachel rediscover her passion for recruiting after she had begun questioning her career path.
Working in the Salesforce ecosystem, she built an exceptional pipeline for highly specialized technical talent while Michael encouraged her to embrace her authentic personality.
After previously being told to "tone down" who she was, his leadership gave her the confidence to build her own recruiting style and personal brand.
Rachel also credits her leaders at Accenture for trusting her with opportunities that stretched her professionally.
Although she had managed teams before, she had never built an entire recruiting program from the ground up.
That experience prepared her for her current role, where she is leading the creation of an early careers and university recruiting program from scratch.
AI Is Changing the Way Recruiters Work
Rachel believes AI is becoming an essential part of modern recruiting.
As her organization evaluates new AI technologies to modernize university recruiting, she sees tremendous potential for tools that help recruiters engage larger talent pools, automate sourcing, and improve efficiency.
At the same time, she understands why many recruiters feel uncertain.
There is natural concern about whether AI could eventually replace parts of the profession.
Rachel sees the future differently.
Rather than replacing recruiters, she believes AI will change the nature of recruiting itself.
Recruiters who embrace new technology while continuing to deliver exceptional candidate experiences will be best positioned for the future.
The human connection remains at the center of great recruiting.
Advice for Talent Leaders Heading into 2026
Rachel encourages talent leaders to approach AI with curiosity rather than fear.
The recruiting profession is evolving quickly, and leaders who refuse to adapt risk falling behind.
At the same time, technology should complement—not replace—the qualities that make recruiters successful.
She also emphasizes the importance of building a strong professional network.
Throughout her career, mentors and peers have provided advice, perspective, and encouragement during moments of growth and change.
For Rachel, continuous learning has always been one of the greatest advantages a talent leader can have.
Every new technology, every conversation, and every opportunity to learn represents another way to better serve candidates and hiring teams.
By combining authentic relationship-building with a willingness to embrace innovation, Rachel Neuschaefer represents the kind of talent leader helping recruiting evolve while keeping people at the center of the process.
