Tanya Runholt
iRecruit.co
“I can learn so much from people just by asking the right questions.”
Tanya Runholt has been named to the Talent 100, Class of 2026, the annual award recognizing up to 100 leaders in each category of talent acquisition. Honorees are nominated by peers or found by committees that look for excellent work wherever it happens, then chosen for the depth of their craft and their impact on hiring. This is Tanya's story.
Some talent leaders map out a career in recruiting from the start. Tanya Runholt, Managing Partner at iRecruit.co, found hers by following her curiosity wherever it led, and the profession turned out to fit her perfectly.
Her original ambitions pointed in an entirely different direction. Music was her passion, and she studied music production and engineering with the goal of building a career in the industry. While many professionals enter talent acquisition with a clear plan, Tanya arrived without one. "It was by accident. It wasn't, 'Hey, I'm going to pursue talent acquisition because I'm passionate about it.'"
After several years pursuing music, she began looking for a path that offered greater long-term stability and predictability. Her professional network delivered the opening: an opportunity to join a staffing firm as a recruiter, despite having no previous recruiting experience. Armed with a background in sales, operations, and customer-facing roles, she quickly realized that recruiting brought together many of the things she already loved, from building relationships to asking questions and learning about people.
"I like talking with people. I like asking questions and learning about people."
That single opportunity launched a career that would carry her from agency recruiting into corporate talent acquisition leadership and, eventually, entrepreneurship.
Building a Career Through Curiosity and Connection
Tanya began her recruiting career at a boutique staffing firm, where she unexpectedly found her niche in construction recruiting. The industry had never been part of her plan, yet she quickly discovered a strong connection with the work and the people inside it.
"The construction industry is very much a people industry."
Her authentic, relationship-driven approach aligned naturally with a field built on trust, collaboration, and strong personal connections. After two years in agency recruiting, she moved in-house with construction consultancy and project management firm Currie & Brown, advancing into a Senior Recruiter position while helping scale teams and support projects across the United States and Canada.
Seeking new challenges and greater leadership opportunities, she later joined Linesight, where she rapidly progressed into management. During her tenure she played a key role in building and developing the recruiting team, helping grow the function from just a few recruiters into a larger, high-performing talent acquisition organization.
"I never thought I would be a manager or a leader, but I embraced it."
One of the most rewarding aspects of leadership, she says, was helping others grow and watching team members achieve success in their own careers. Those experiences pointed toward her next step. Having always wanted to build and run her own business, Tanya partnered with industry professionals in her network to launch iRecruit, where she combines the best elements of agency recruiting, talent consulting, and business leadership.
Solving Complex Hiring Challenges
What energizes Tanya most today is helping organizations solve difficult hiring problems. Whether a company is struggling to scale, facing talent shortages, or simply unsure how to structure its hiring strategy, she enjoys stepping in with fresh perspective and practical solutions.
"If you've not worked in talent acquisition and you're trying to grow and scale a company, it can be overwhelming."
Drawing on years of recruiting experience, she helps organizations navigate those challenges while minimizing costly hiring mistakes and building stronger talent strategies.
She remains equally passionate about the candidate side of the work. One of her favorite aspects of the profession is the chance to learn from the professionals she interviews every day. Project managers, cost managers, construction executives, and technical specialists each bring unique experiences and expertise, and by asking thoughtful questions and listening carefully, Tanya continually expands her own understanding of industries, projects, and leadership challenges.
"I can learn so much from people just by asking the right questions."
A Global Perspective on Talent
Throughout her career, Tanya has worked with professionals from around the world, including candidates and hiring managers across North America, South America, Europe, and the Middle East. Those experiences have reinforced one of her core beliefs: while cultures, communication styles, and business practices may differ, people are fundamentally connected by shared goals and experiences.
"It's fascinating to understand different cultural nuances and communication styles."
The chance to engage with people from diverse backgrounds continues to fuel her curiosity and her passion for recruiting. For Tanya, every conversation is an opportunity to learn something new, gain a different perspective, or deepen her understanding of the world.
Leading Through Relationships
As recruiting continues to evolve, Tanya remains focused on the human side of talent acquisition. Technology, automation, and AI may keep transforming how organizations source and engage talent, but relationships remain at the heart of successful hiring.
Whether she is helping organizations solve complex workforce challenges, supporting candidates through career transitions, or building her own business, she approaches every interaction with curiosity, authenticity, and a genuine desire to help others succeed. Her journey from music production student to recruiting entrepreneur demonstrates the power of embracing unexpected opportunities and building a career around relationships, continuous learning, and service to others.
The Talent 100 exists to celebrate the people shaping the future of how the world hires, and few embody that better than Tanya. We are honored to welcome Tanya Runholt to the Talent 100, Class of 2026, and grateful for the experience, perspective, and craft they bring to this community. Congratulations, Tanya. Welcome to the Talent 100.
About the Talent 100
The Talent 100 is an annual list spotlighting the leaders who push HR and talent acquisition forward, organized by Noon AI. Honorees are selected through peer nominations and independent selection committees. Selection is entirely merit-based, with no fees or pay-to-play requirements.