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A strong EVP is the cornerstone of hiring success and retention.In this episode, Cara Brennan Allamano, Co-founder of PeopleTech Partners, shares how to craft an EVP that not only attracts the right talent but also aligns your team around a shared vision. She shares a data-driven approach—asking employees why they joined, why they stay, and what keeps them motivated—to build an EVP that reflects your true strengths. You’ll also learn why stakeholder alignment is critical and how to make sure you maintain it beyond initial creation.Listen to learn how to turn your EVP into a practical tool that helps hiring managers, recruiters, and leaders build authentic, consistent connections with candidates.Key Takeaways: Build with intention: Start by asking employees why they joined, why they stay, and what keeps them motivated. This three-question approach creates a foundation for an EVP that reflects your company’s strengths and values.Keep it practical: Your EVP should guide decision-making, help hiring teams communicate consistently, and ensure alignment across the organization.Evolve as you grow: Check in with your EVP at regular intervals or during key milestones. This ensures it continues to reflect your company’s priorities and resonates with employees and candidates alike.Align early and often: Stakeholder alignment isn’t a one-time exercise. Your EVP should be deeply connected to your business strategy, with buy-in from leadership, recruiters, and hiring managers. A misaligned EVP leads to misaligned hires—and, ultimately, higher attrition.Evolve with data: Your EVP isn’t static. Revisit it at least twice a year and at key company milestones. Use data-driven discovery—listen to candidates, survey top performers, and track what actually keeps people engaged—to keep your EVP relevant and effective.Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction(01:16) Defining an EVP and its role in hiring success(03:39) Who owns the EVP and its connection to business strategy(05:35) Steps to build an authentic EVP internally(07:56) Key questions for EVP discovery: Why employees join and stay(13:21) Structuring an EVP for internal and external use(19:47) Stakeholder alignment and testing your EVP(24:52) Improving time to hire and offer acceptance rates(31:11) Hot take: Trusting recruiters to drive decision-making

Every touchpoint with a candidate, even a rejection, is an opportunity to foster engagement and connection.In this conversation with Shannon, Selcan Sengul, Senior Director of Talent & People Operations at Taxfix, shares how her team revamped their approach to candidate communication. She talks about human-centered recruiting, from personalized rejection templates to aligning with DEI goals. You’ll also learn about the role of transparency, consistency, and feedback loops in creating a memorable candidate experience that reflects a company’s values.Key Takeaways: Turn rejection into a thoughtful experience: Every "no" is an opportunity to leave a lasting impression. Craft templates that offer actionable feedback, direct candidates to valuable resources, and infuse a personal touch to show you care about their journey—even when it doesn't lead to your team.Streamline without sacrificing empathy: Automation is your ally for repetitive tasks like scheduling and rejections. But don’t let efficiency dull your humanity. Smart tools paired with compassionate messaging ensure candidates feel respected at every step.Set the stage for success from day one: A solid kickoff is the backbone of a great hiring process. Align with your team on clear job descriptions, panel roles, and process expectations to keep everyone marching toward the same goal. The result? A smoother, more rewarding hiring journey for all.Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction(02:05) Defining candidate experience and its impact on trust(05:16) Kickoffs and job descriptions as foundational steps(08:22) Leveraging templates to enhance candidate experience(12:07) Implementing rejection templates to improve efficiency(15:06) Balancing automation and personalization in messaging(20:23) Measuring success: NPS scores and brand perception(24:52) Achieving hiring excellence through alignment and fairness(30:07) Viewing the job search as a marketing exercise

How do you balance data-driven recruiting with a deeply human approach to hiring?José Benitez Cong, CPO at Humane, shares his perspective on balancing the art and science of recruiting, showcasing how the right mix of data, AI, and personal connection can transform hiring into a long-term strategic advantage.In this conversation with Shannon, José discusses moving beyond transactional recruiting to build trust with candidates and teams. He also explores the critical distinction between quality of hire—an early assessment of a candidate’s potential—and impact of hire, which validates long-term contributions. You’ll learn how companies can measure and optimize both metrics to build teams that drive lasting value.Key Takeaways: Rethink the hiring lifecycle: Success isn’t just about hiring the best candidate—it’s about supporting their entire journey, from onboarding to offboarding, to maximize their impact.Leverage AI to enhance, not replace: Tools like GPTs can supercharge efficiency by automating repetitive tasks. It frees up recruiters to focus on building meaningful connections with candidates and hiring managers.Prioritize human connection: Recruiting is not a numbers game. Building trust and understanding candidates’ potential ensures stronger cultural fit and long-term success for both the company and the hire.Connect quality of hire with impact of hire: Quality of hire is just the starting line, but the real win is in the impact they make over time. To connect the two, keep the feedback flowing, measure what matters, and invest in helping your hires grow. It’s about setting them up for success so they can make a real difference, not just for now, but for the long haul.Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction(02:37) Transitioning from transactional to strategic recruiting(04:57) Redefining the hiring lifecycle: Onboarding to offboarding(09:18) The importance of re-recruiting and retaining top talent(14:38) Leveraging AI to streamline hiring processes(16:51) Building trust with candidates through personalized experiences(22:04) The balance of human connection and data in recruiting(26:29) The future of recruiting in the AI era(33:22) Achieving hiring excellence through strategy and empathy

How can transparency in hiring transform your talent acquisition strategy and build trust across your organization?Leah Knobler, VP of People at Help Scout, joins host Shannon Ogborn to share how her team reimagined recruiting through hiring summaries. It’s an approach that breaks down how decisions are made, celebrates wins, and uncovers areas for growth.Leah discusses how intentional practices have strengthened team collaboration, sped up hiring timelines, and reinforced Help Scout’s remote-first values. She also shares the case for compensating candidates, gathering feedback, and reflecting on both successes and challenges to continuously improve the hiring process.Key Takeaways: Transparency creates better outcomes: Sharing hiring summaries within your organization helps teams understand the "how" and "why" behind decisions. It builds trust and shows the effort recruiters put into finding the right fit.Learning from missed opportunities strengthens your process: When offers are declined, capturing feedback and analyzing the reasons opens the door to improvements. Regularly collecting candidate feedback gives insight into their experience and provides a foundation for refining your hiring approach.Paying candidates for their time shows respect: If you're asking candidates to do significant work during the hiring process, compensating them sends a clear message: their time and effort are valued.Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction(03:04) Challenges faced by recruiters in a shifting hiring market(06:44) Implementing hiring summaries and their structure(08:49) The benefits of hiring summaries for remote and in-office teams(11:54) Using data to identify bottlenecks in hiring timelines(12:54) Streamlining engineering hiring processes with tools (14:05) Automating hiring summaries with Ashby dashboards(15:21) Expanding recruiter roles during intentional hiring slowdowns(21:46) Collecting candidate feedback to refine recruiting practices(22:36) Advice on achieving hiring excellence(25:37) The importance of compensating candidates for their time

How can recruiters keep up in an AI-driven hiring world where technical interviews face challenges like cheating using ChatGPT?Aline Lerner, Founder & CEO of interviewing.io, and Michael Mroczka, Software Engineer and Dedicated Coaching Interviewer, explore the evolving world of recruiting and the surprising implications of AI tools like ChatGPT on technical hiring.In this conversation with Shannon, Aline and Michael share insights from their groundbreaking study on cheating in interviews, the systemic flaws that encourage it, and why rethinking your interview questions is critical to safeguarding hiring integrity. They also share actionable strategies to create fair, efficient processes that work for both candidates and hiring managers.Key Takeaways: Adapt interview processes: With tools like ChatGPT making it easier for candidates to cheat, traditional technical interview questions are becoming less effective. Shifting to customized, real-world problems gives you a more accurate assessment of skills and also reduces the ability of a candidate to misuse AI.Prioritize fairness and transparency: Candidates often feel disenchanted by outdated or unfair processes. Thoughtful, well-designed interview questions not only improve hiring outcomes but also help build trust and create a better candidate experience.Custom questions drive better hiring decisions: Verbatim questions from resources like LeetCode are more susceptible to AI-assisted cheating. Instead, tailor your questions to be rooted in actual work challenges so you get stronger signals about the candidate’s capabilities.Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction(01:03) Overview of interviewing.io(03:12) Challenges in talent acquisition(04:26) AI in interviews and its implications for technical hiring(07:10) How technical interviews have become an arms race of memorization(10:13) Designing a study to test the effectiveness of ChatGPT in technical interviews(12:07) Verbatim vs. modified vs. custom questions(16:27) The tools making cheating easier (19:29) Rethinking interview questions to reduce AI vulnerability(23:58) Real-world questions for candidates and hiring teams(28:06) How often teams should refresh their questions and make them scalable(32:01) Engaging interviewers with custom questions(33:31) Incentivizing interviewers and making hiring collaborative(39:00) Balancing fairness, empathy, and efficiency in modern recruiting(42:36) Advice on achieving hiring excellence

How can recruiters make hiring feel seamless and human—especially when resources are stretched thin?Mike Peditto, Director of Talent at Teal, discusses rehumanizing recruiting by putting candidates first—even in a resource-strapped hiring landscape. In this conversation with Shannon, Mike explains why providing interview questions upfront is a game-changer for candidate experience, creating trust, transparency, and a smoother hiring process. He also shares practical ways to balance efficiency with empathy, showing how even small adjustments can elevate your hiring strategy and foster team morale.Key Takeaways: Empower candidates through transparency: Sharing interview questions upfront sets candidates up for success, reduces anxiety, and fosters a more genuine, productive conversation. It’s a simple step that builds trust and encourages top talent to engage fully.Rehumanize recruiting to elevate candidate experience: Candidates are people, not just resumes. Taking time to personalize interactions and maintain a human touch—even in a high-volume environment—improves candidate satisfaction and strengthens your employer brand.Make recruiting a team sport: Aligning with hiring managers and securing leadership buy-in for transparent practices, like sharing interview questions, creates a smoother, more efficient hiring process. When everyone is on board, the entire team benefits.Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction(05:46) Common challenges in talent acquisition (10:20) The importance of humanizing recruiting(14:02) Why transparency in the hiring process matters(18:30) Balancing efficiency and human touch in recruiting(22:15) The pros and cons of sending interview questions in advance(27:48) Implementing paid work trials for better candidate fit(31:55) How to handle pushback from hiring managers(36:20) Building strong candidate relationships for long-term success(40:15) Why the hiring process is misunderstood(44:50) Advice on achieving hiring excellence

How do you align hiring expectations in a competitive market? Nate Wylie, Recruitment Leader formerly at Lyft, shares his insights on how to balance pursuing A+ candidates while maintaining practical recruiting strategies. In his conversation with Shanon, Nate emphasizes the importance of screening candidates in rather than out. This means focusing on the value they bring instead of finding reasons to reject them. Nate also touches on the unrealistic expectations many founders have for candidates and offers practical advice for building a successful recruiting process that reflects the realities of today’s market.Key Takeaways: Align hiring expectations with market reality: Not every hire is going to be 100% perfect. Help leadership understand the reality of the talent market and have an open mind rather than holding out for the perfect hire.Screen for potential, not perfection: Focus on a candidate’s potential and contributions instead of reasons to reject them. This mindset helps avoid delays and makes everything more enjoyable and efficient.Tailor your recruitment processes: Hiring isn’t one size fits all. Customize your hiring process based on specific industry needs, market conditions, and the role's requirements to ensure a better candidate fit.Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction(03:05) Common recruitment pain points in startups(05:16) Aligning founders’ expectations with market realities(08:11) Screening in vs. screening out(10:30) What is screening in?(14:46) The importance of forecasting in recruiting(20:44) Managing founder expectations and candidate budgets(25:12) The value of screening in candidates(30:09) Defining hiring excellence

How can you maintain hiring momentum when demand fluctuates?Becky McCullough, VP of Talent Acquisition and Mobility at HubSpot, shares her approach to building proactive talent pools that keep hiring agile and responsive.In her conversation with Shannon, Becky explains how creating “talent-ready” pools enables her team to reduce time-to-fill for high-demand roles, even when immediate openings aren’t available. She discusses the importance of strategic, data-informed planning and offers actionable advice for aligning recruiting efforts with business goals, all while staying true to HubSpot’s commitment to transparency and candidate experience.Key Takeaways: Build proactive talent pools to stay ready: A strong recruitment process means preparing for future needs before they arise. Having a pre-qualified pool of candidates helps you stay agile and reduces time-to-fill. Balance data with intuition: Data is essential, but don’t overlook the value of intuition. Becky emphasizes the importance of combining metrics with a recruiter’s experience to make well-rounded hiring decisions that align with long-term goals.Prioritize transparency with candidates: Candidates crave clarity, especially in uncertain markets. By being transparent about the process, timeline, and expectations, you build trust and create a positive candidate experience, even for those who may not be hired immediately.Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction(03:00) Challenges in today’s talent acquisition landscape(07:21) Shifting from reactive to proactive hiring (11:00) Building momentum in hiring, even in times of uncertainty(14:43) How to achieve candidate transparency (18:18) Getting hiring managers on board with a collaborative approach(22:05) The importance of thinking local while aligning with global goals(26:33) How continuous improvement drives hiring success(30:42) Nurturing candidates for faster placements(35:16) Becky’s take on hiring excellence (39:47) Shifting from attracting all talent to filtering for the right talent(44:20) Creating a streamlined, human-centered hiring process

Craft a hiring strategy that prioritizes fit over sheer talent.Henry Ward, CEO and Co-Founder of Carta, shares his unconventional approach to hiring that challenges traditional recruitment methods.In his conversation with Shannon, he explains how Carta narrows their talent search by focusing on specific skills and passions, ensuring a better fit for both the role and company culture. He also dives into the balance of hiring for strengths vs. avoiding weaknesses, and how transparency in recruitment helps candidates self-select, saving time and ensuring the right cultural fit.Key Takeaways: Align hiring with your company culture: Narrow your focus to candidates who fit both the skills and culture you need. This speeds up hiring and ensures a better long-term fit.Build an intentional hiring playbook: Define your company’s hiring principles early. It keeps everyone aligned as you grow and makes recruiting more consistent.Know when to hire for strength vs. avoiding weakness: Tailor your approach—hire for specific strengths in some roles and avoid weaknesses in others to bring in the right talent efficiently.Timestamps: (00:00) Introduction(02:23) Early hiring challenges at Carta(03:44) Hiring for specific skills(08:12) Why transparency in hiring helps candidates self-select(10:51) Principles vs. heuristics in Carta's hiring process(13:25) The importance of flexibility in hiring across different teams(16:05) Hiring for strength vs. avoiding weakness(18:07) The role of founders and CEOs in shaping early-stage hiring

How can recruiting enablement transform your talent acquisition strategy?Stephanie Baysinger, Recruiting + Enablement leader at Anthropic, joins host Shannon Ogborn to discuss how recruiting enablement is vital in creating efficient and impactful talent acquisition teams. Stephanie shares her insights on streamlining processes, fostering team growth, and maintaining the human touch in a tech-driven recruitment world. From discussing the importance of daily habits in achieving hiring excellence to balancing automation with personalization, you’ll get a fresh perspective on building teams that can thrive in today’s fast-changing landscape.Key Takeaways:Efficiency without losing the human touch: While automation improves processes, creating space for recruiters to build authentic, personalized connections is crucial to maintaining candidate satisfaction.Borrowing from sales and marketing: Techniques like pipeline management and customer personas can enhance recruiting efficiency and candidate experience.Training vs. enablement: Not everything needs formal training. True enablement empowers teams with the tools and systems they need to succeed and self-serve.Timestamps:(00:00) Introduction(01:28) Stephanie’s journey in recruiting enablement(03:46) What recruiting enablement looks like in practice(06:22) Streamlining processes and reducing friction for recruiters(08:54) Balancing automation and the human element (12:03) The importance of daily habits in driving hiring excellence(16:10) Borrowing ideas from sales and marketing (18:36) Distinguishing between training and enablement(21:22) Creating self-motivated, empowered recruiting teams(25:10) Building a champion team through enablement and support(28:05) The future of recruiting and the role of enablement