Published Aug 19, 2026 2 min read
Two Tallo-backed panels just made it to the public voting round for SXSW EDU 2027, and now we need your help getting them on stage.
Voting is open through Sunday, August 23. It takes about two minutes: create a free SXSW account, click the heart icon on each panel page, and you’re done.
Here’s what you’re voting for.
Panel 1: Nobody Knows Anything: Honest Guidance for Uncertain Careers
Nobody can predict what the job market will look like in five years, so how do we guide young people through it honestly?
Tallo CEO Allison Danielsen joins Yustina Saleh, Ph.D. (a pioneer of skills-based hiring and workforce innovator at the Burning Glass Institute), Cynthia Cates (a CTE academic administrator), and Jae Stokes, a young voice speaking from his own job search right now, to have that conversation without the usual talking points.
Panel 2: Make the Data Do It: Skills-First Hiring, Built In
Skills-first hiring only works when it’s built into the systems companies already run on, not just a philosophy on a careers page.
Tallo’s Mari Kent joins Layla O’Kane (Opportunity@Work), Matthew Walsh (Lightcast), and Elissa Salas (SkillUp Coalition) to show what it actually takes to spot degree screens, read skills-based signals, and redesign job postings to screen people in.
Why This Matters
Young people are navigating a job market that changes faster than the advice they’re given. These panels bring that reality to a national stage: honest guidance for an uncertain future, and hiring systems that recognize skills, whether or not there’s a degree attached. If that’s a conversation you want more of, your vote helps make it happen.
How to vote:
- Create a free SXSW account (or log in if you already have one) — you’ll be prompted when you click a panel link below
- Click a panel link above
- Click the heart in the top right corner
Share these with a friend or coworker too. Every vote counts before voting closes this Sunday.