Bringing the honest side of HR to your audience.
Not theory. Not buzzwords. The real talk your audience has been waiting for.
Merete Fields brings 15+ years of real HR and talent acquisition experience to every stage. She has recruited thousands of people, built hiring systems from scratch, and spent more than a decade helping professionals navigate the very human side of work.
She does not deliver theory. She delivers truth — the kind that makes people lean in, take notes, and actually change something when they leave the room.
Trusted by leading organizations and platforms
NYU Steinhardt · Career Contessa Podcast · All Things Career Show
LinkedIn for Nonprofits · SUNY · UC ACN Advocacy Group
Signature talks.
Every talk can be customized for your specific event, audience, and time format. These are starting points. Reach out to discuss what your audience needs most.
The Truth About Hiring
Best for: HR conferences, People and Culture teams, nonprofit leadership
What is actually happening inside the hiring process — and what organizations need to change to attract and keep great people. A candid look at where hiring goes wrong and what it costs when it does. Built on 15+ years of real recruiting experience across mission-driven organizations.
Your audience leaves with: A clear-eyed understanding of where their hiring process is breaking down and three specific things to fix immediately.
Career Advocacy — What Nobody Tells You
Best for: Career centers, workforce development programs, professional associations, employee resource groups
The unwritten rules of career advancement that most professionals learn too late or never at all. How to advocate for yourself at work, negotiate your salary with confidence, and stop waiting for someone to recognize what you have already earned.
Your audience leaves with: A mindset shift and a practical toolkit for advocating for themselves at every stage of their career.
Both Sides of the Table
Best for: General professional audiences, entrepreneurship events, college and university career programming
What the hiring process looks like from both sides — and what that dual perspective means for how you show up as a candidate, an employee, and a leader. A conversation about the gap between what organizations say they want and what actually gets people hired, promoted, and retained.
Your audience leaves with: A new way of reading the room in every professional interaction — interviews, negotiations, performance reviews, and beyond.
Your People Strategy Is Your Business Strategy
Best for: Small business conferences, solopreneur and entrepreneur events, chamber of commerce, startup ecosystems
For business owners and entrepreneurs who are ready to build a team but have no idea where to start. What it actually takes to hire well, onboard intentionally, and build a culture from day one — before the problems that come from doing it wrong.
Your audience leaves with: A practical framework for making their first hire a foundation, not a gamble.
Who this is for.
HR and People Conferences
Organizations looking for a speaker who can deliver insider perspective on hiring, retention, workforce development, and people strategy without the corporate filter.
Nonprofit and Mission-Driven Organizations
Teams who want a speaker who understands the specific pressures of doing more with less, building culture intentionally, and developing people in resource-constrained environments.
Career Centers and Workforce Development Programs
Universities, community colleges, and workforce development organizations preparing students and professionals for the real side of job searching, interviewing, and career advancement.
Corporate L&D and Employee Resource Groups
Companies investing in their people through workshops, leadership development, and career programming for employees at every level.
Let's talk about your event.
Fill out the form below and you will hear back within 3 to 5 business days. The more detail you include about your event and audience, the better Merete can assess fit and respond with relevant information.
Your audience deserves straight talk.
Not another panel about best practices. Not a keynote full of theory. A real conversation from someone who has been in the rooms, made the calls, and knows what actually changes things.