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Mike Joyner

Mike Joyner

Building world-class talent organizations for high-growth companies

San Francisco Bay Area
Raleigh, North Carolina
Joined October 2025

Network

5K connections
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Venture Capital & Startup Investors
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VC & Startup Talent Partners
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Pinterest Alumni & Employees
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People Operations Leaders & Coaches
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Tech & Business Operations Leaders
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Talent Acquisition & Strategy Professionals
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Talent Consult

Summary

Mike Joyner is a seasoned talent and people operations leader with extensive experience scaling high-growth technology companies through critical phases, including IPOs. He has a proven track record in building and optimizing recruiting operations from the ground up at major tech giants like Apple, Facebook, and Pinterest, managing teams and systems through periods of rapid expansion and significant organizational change. gbdtalent+3
As a co-founder of Growth by Design Talent (GBDT), Mike transitioned his operational expertise into an advisory role, helping numerous companies design thoughtful talent strategies, enhance recruiting processes, and conduct executive searches. His work at GBDT emphasized building foundational elements for scaling, data-driven insights, and community engagement through various publications and training programs, showcasing his commitment to advancing the talent acquisition field. gbdtalent+5
Mike is an advocate for thoughtful and values-driven talent practices, emphasizing the importance of a strong recruiting team, clear organizational values, and equitable hiring. His approach combines operational excellence with a human-centric perspective, aiming to create pathways for diverse candidates and foster inclusive talent markets, as evidenced by his initiatives at Pinterest and contributions to articles on diversity recruiting and career development. medium+2

Work

Education

Writing

Why You Should Invest in Creating Career Ladders

January 1, 2024

An article co-authored with Adam Ward and Jill Macri, emphasizing the importance and benefits of structured career ladders for talent development and retention within organizations.

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Where headcount management goes wrong, and what to do about it

September 1, 2020

An article published on Medium about best practices and pitfalls in managing headcount.

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Diversity Recruiting Trends β€” Insights and Recommendations

September 1, 2020

An article published on Medium discussing diversity recruiting trends, insights, and recommendations.

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Four Takeaways from our Virtual Recruiting Operations Academy

June 1, 2020

An article published on Medium sharing insights from a virtual recruiting operations academy.

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Your Guide to a Successful Recruiting Operations Sprint

April 1, 2020

An article published on Medium providing guidance on conducting a successful recruiting operations sprint.

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What Recruiting Teams have Learned 3 Weeks into the COVID-19 Pandemic: 3 Insights & 5 Emerging…

March 1, 2020

An article published on Medium discussing insights and emerging trends for recruiting teams during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Recruiting Leadership Guide β€” Navigating through Uncertain Times

March 1, 2020

An article published on Medium offering a guide for recruiting leadership during uncertain times.

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Advice for crushing work from home

March 1, 2020

An article published on Medium providing advice for effective remote work.

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5 Ways Recruiting Teams are Adjusting to Coronavirus (COVID-19)

March 1, 2020

An article published on Medium detailing how recruiting teams adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic.

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The journey begins with Growth by Design Talent

December 1, 2019

An article reflecting on the founding of Growth by Design Talent, drawing connections between his diverse career experiences at PwC, Nortel, Apple, Facebook, and Pinterest, and the motivation behind creating GBDT.

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Hobbies

An avid soccer player. gbdtalent

Enjoys coffee. gbdtalent

Enjoys drawing in his sketchbook. gbdtalent