Medtronic: ‘If we expect candidates to be excited about joining us, we need to give them an experience that feels exciting’

Medtronic is an American-headquartered $32.3 billion-revenue medical technology giant.

It may not be a household name, but the company has a huge direct impact on the lives of millions every year.

In fact, Medtronic’s medical technologies help 73 million patients worldwide with over 70 conditions, ranging from cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, to medical implants.

“Purpose isn’t a tagline here – it’s embedded in everything we do,” Mark Smith, VP of Global Talent Acquisition at Medtronic, tells UNLEASH in an exclusive interview.

My job, and my team’s job, is to bring in the people who will create life-changing technologies, who will drive innovations that extend and improve lives,” he adds.

“That’s a responsibility that we don’t take lightly”, but it is a challenge.

As Medtronic is less well known – Medtronic estimates that four in 100 people know who the brand is – “we miss out on the talent that passes us by”. “I want us to avoid this,” Smith tells UNLEASH.

What’s the solution? Smith will be sharing Medtronic’s innovative approaches at UNLEASH America 2025. The UNLEASH Editorial team got a sneak peek ahead of the Las Vegas show.

‘Standard isn’t enough’ when Medtronic recruits

Smith is less than 18 months into the Global VP of Talent Acquisition role at Medtronic, and he sees now as a pivotal moment of change from doing classic recruitment.

“Standard isn’t enough”; “we need to rethink how we attract and engage talent”.

The key to this is leaders.

“One of the biggest misconceptions in recruiting is that people leave companies for compensation,” Smith tells UNLEASH.

“The reality is that 75% of employees leave because of their leader – that Gallup stat has been consistent for decades – and yet most recruitment marketing efforts still focus on the company brand, rather than leadership”.

“If leadership is the biggest driver of job changes, then why aren’t we putting leaders front and center in how we attract talent?” asks Smith.

So, Smith and Medtronic want to “give candidates real insight into the leaders they’ll be working for”, that could be through podcasts, short-form video or other methods.

The aim is to bring the same level of personalization that people get from consumer brands like Spotify and Netflix and bring that to the candidate experience.

“Medtronic isn’t a brand you see on billboards” – “that’s intentional, we put our money into R&D, into innovation, into life-saving technology”. In the 2024 financial year, Medtronic invested $2.7 billion in R&D.

However, “that doesn’t mean we can’t be visible to the right people”.

The mission is “to engage the best talent by making leadership more accessible, authentic, and relatable”, adds Smith.

If we can move the needle from four out of 100 people in the general public knowing us to five or six, that’s a massive win” – “those are people who may come here, stay here, and change lives”.

How HR tech helps create fun candidate experiences

Technology is, of course, essential to Medtronic’s being able to personalize recruitment and candidate experiences at scale.

One tool that Medtronic currently leverages is Paradox. “With them, we’re enhancing the conversation between candidates and Medtronic”, and really generating value for recruiters.

For Smith, best-in-class technology solutions are those that “really entice the candidate” by being fun and offering consumer grade experiences.

He adds: “Think about how consumers interact with brands like Spotify, Netflix or banking apps – those experiences are intuitive, tailored and built around the user. We need to take inspiration from that”.

It’s crucial “to be creative in meeting candidates where they’re at” – it’s essential to not treat an early careers candidate the same way you would an executive CFO candidate, for example.

At the end of the day, “we spend a lot of time at work”, so “why not make the hiring journey feel like something people actually enjoy rather than just endure?”

“If we expect candidates to be excited about joining us, we need to give them an experience that feels exciting”.

However, this isn’t about gimmicks, this is about reflecting Medtronic as a brand – “that’s why leaders need to step forward”. They need to be “more visible, more accessible, and more human in how they engage with talent”.

Medtronic on future talent buying priorities

AI is a big part of how Medtronic is rethinking recruiting.

The med tech giant is thinking carefully about how to use AI  to make “talent acquisition smarter, more strategic and truly transformative”.

However, for Smith, “there are other critical areas where we need to evolve” with the help of tech.

Career sites are the bread and butter of talent acquisition – but currently, most of them are “just rearranging the furniture”, where’s the innovation?

Smith wants to see “inventiveness” from vendors in this space – landing pages need to “tell a story, showcase a leader in that space, highlight real patient impact, and bring the technology to life”.

Candidates should feel like they’re stepping into something bigger than a job – they’re joining a mission,” adds Smith.

As part of this mission-focused work, Smith wants to explore “recruitment marketing that speaks directly to our patients”. “We already work with patient advocates to share their experiences with our devices and therapies, could we take that one step further?”

Currently, a third of Medtronic employees have a direct connection to Medtronic products, and that “fuels something special”.

“Imagine walking into work everyday knowing that the people you hire might one day develop the device that helps your own family or friends – that’s the level of purpose we work with.”

Mark Smith and UNLEASH America

UNLEASH America 2025 is not Smith’s first rodeo at an UNLEASH show.

“I’ve learned so much at UNLEASH events”; “it’s an opportunity to riff with innovation”, as well as “network and connect with new and old faces”.

Smith is excited to be part of that ideation and learning process for others by doing his own session at this year’s show.

It’s not too late to join us in Las Vegas for UNLEASH America 2025 – you can buy a pass here.