He joined RIT at the start of the 2010-2011 academic year. Hatala is the founder of the Social Capital Development firm Flowork International. His academic research focuses on social networking behaviors, social capital, human resource development, career development and the transition to the labor market. To date, Hatala has developed a number of innovative systems and assessment tools including; Social Networking Management System (includes network analysis and network monitoring system), Strategic Job Search Management System (includes a monitoring system for labor market re-entry) and a series of assessments including the BEST for adults and BEST for youth (Barriers to entrepreneurship success tools), as well as the SELF (Social Exploration Learning Form). His latest book is entitled "The Strategic Networker: A Learner's Guide to Effective Networking."