Steff Paletta

Steff Paletta

Sr. Director, Head of Recruiting, Alvarez & Marsal

Steff Paletta did not begin her career with recruiting in mind. In fact, recruiting found her at a moment of professional transition and turned into a career that has now spanned decades.

Originally from West Texas, Steff started her career in financial services, working in investor relations and marketing at a small boutique hedge fund. When the fund began to struggle and ultimately shut down, Steff found herself exploring what might come next. New to the Northeast and navigating an unfamiliar job market, she met with a recruiting firm in Connecticut simply to see what opportunities were available.

During one of those conversations, the owner of the firm overheard Steff speaking with a recruiter and saw something she recognized immediately. She asked Steff if she had ever considered recruiting as a career.

Steff had not. But the idea stuck.

She enjoyed talking with people, building relationships, and learning their stories. What began as an unexpected suggestion quickly turned into a leap of faith. Steff joined the agency and entered the recruiting industry, where she would spend the next eight years building her foundation.

Learning the Business From the Ground Up

Agency recruiting shaped Steff’s understanding of the profession. The pace was fast, the expectations were high, and success required persistence, adaptability, and grit. The experience taught her how to manage multiple searches, build trust quickly, and operate with urgency, skills that would later translate seamlessly into corporate recruiting leadership.

After nearly a decade on the agency side, Steff transitioned into in house roles, bringing with her a strong appreciation for hustle and accountability. Over time, her career evolved alongside her life in the Northeast, where she has now lived for nearly twenty years.

Today, Steff is a senior recruiting leader at Alvarez & Marsal, where she has spent almost six years helping to build and scale a growing business from within a much larger global firm.

Building a Startup Inside a Global Organization

At Alvarez & Marsal, Steff operates within what she describes as a “startup within a startup.” Her group is small, with just two recruiters supporting a rapidly expanding practice, while the broader firm employs more than 12,000 people globally.

What energizes Steff most about her work is the opportunity to build something meaningful from the ground up. She sits closely with the business, learning how teams operate day to day, understanding their challenges, and helping them grow through thoughtful, intentional hiring.

That proximity has made her not only a stronger recruiter, but a better business partner.

No two days are the same. Every hire carries impact. And every conversation deepens her understanding of how talent decisions shape outcomes across the organization.

How Recruiting Is Changing

Having entered recruiting before today’s technology boom, Steff has witnessed firsthand how dramatically the landscape has evolved.

Sourcing methods, tools, and platforms have continued to advance, and AI is now at the center of many conversations across the industry. While Steff sees tremendous opportunity in these innovations, she also believes the future of recruiting depends on balance.

Technology can help recruiters move faster, work smarter, and eliminate administrative burden. But it cannot replace the human element.

For Steff, recruiting has always been about connection. Judgment. Empathy. Understanding motivation. No tool, no matter how advanced, can fully replicate those qualities.

As firms navigate how to responsibly integrate AI into their processes, Steff believes the most successful teams will be those that pair efficiency with humanity, leveraging technology without losing the heart of the work.

Steff’s Advice for 2026

As the industry looks ahead, Steff’s guidance is clear and grounded in experience.

Focus relentlessly on relationships

Whether working with candidates or internal stakeholders, recruiting should always be relationship centric. Trust, follow up, and consistency matter more than ever.

Prioritize the experience

A thoughtful, kind, and transparent process leaves a lasting impression, regardless of outcome. Both candidates and hiring teams deserve a high touch experience.

Keep recruiting human

No matter the role or seniority, everyone deserves respect and care throughout the process. In a world that often feels rushed and transactional, kindness is a differentiator.

As Steff puts it, the world can always use more grace. And recruiting, at its best, is one of the places where that grace can be felt most clearly.