Starting with a conversation

Recruiting great people starts with getting to know people for who they are. Behind the resumes, job descriptions, and company profiles, there’s real people and real teams, and the challenge for recruiters is getting to the heart of that. 

That’s why we start with conversations. Conversations that highlight unique perspectives on personal stories, career paths, and finding success in your role. We’ve compiled some of our favorite podcast clips to curate career advice to help you on your journey. 

Seize opportunities and embrace the unexpected

You never know where life is gonna take you. La Binet, Sr. Manager of Technical Recruiting and DEI at Color, shares how her completely unexpected career path has taken her on an amazing journey that her younger self never would have seen coming. La’s advice is to always be open to possibilities – this lets you experience more, learn more, and make more connections with good people.

Filip Haltmayer, a software engineer at Zilliz, also gives advice about being open to new opportunities – but from a different perspective. Filip talks about how you can learn to wear different hats within your current role. His example is focused on engineers, but I think this idea can be applied to many types of careers. 

For example, recruiting is a job that often overlaps with marketing, communications, or even sales. If there’s specific aspects of your job that you’re drawn to, explore it! Learn more about it, ask people about it, and develop your skills in it. It’s important to take the time to really find what you’re interested in, and one way to start is by exploring within your current role.

Be your authentic self

There’s a lot of buzz about being authentic at work. It benefits personal happiness, workplace culture, business success, and there’s research to back it up. But what does being authentic in the workplace actually look like? 

Dubi Ben-Shoham, Head of Talent Acquisition at Socotra, shares his unique story of what being yourself is all about. His team really embraces individuality – and it's the first time in his career that he’s able to show up and be himself. 

For Janelle Cordtz, being true to herself also shaped a defining moment in her career. Janelle is a Regional Manager at Skin Spirit, and following her adventurous spirit led her to join the team. Her career advice to her younger self is about holding onto her personality and turning it into a strength. 

Allowing your personality to shine in your work makes it more meaningful and enjoyable. Expressing your own individuality also encourages others to be more of themselves too, building an overall culture of inclusivity. And when it comes to connecting with candidates, getting personal and showing who you are makes a huge difference. Job seekers always want to know about the team culture and how their personality will fit in. 

Being a great teammate – what matters most?

Good recruiting usually starts with figuring out the candidate persona. This is a mix of different things like technical skills, soft skills, past experience, and culture fit. The idea is to get alignment and focus your search and interview process. 

So we asked talent leaders from three different companies for their take on what makes a great teammate.

Let’s start with George Baxterholder, Director of Talent at SkinSpirit. George says, “The best teammate at SkinSpirit is someone that is moving in the same direction, is rowing the boat the same way, a colleague that is collaborative and really wants to have the whole team around them succeed.” 

We also chatted with Gabrial Fett, Director of Talent Acquisition at Zilliz. He emphasizes the importance of being able to thrive in a rapidly changing environment. His advice is to “be an expert in your craft and share your knowledge with the team, but also leverage that knowledge to prioritize and focus on the North star of the company goals. We're here to learn and, and share our knowledge.”  

Lastly Jason Yi, Head of Talent Acquisition at Choco, shares their acronym for Choco’s company values. TOFU stands for teamwork, ownership, focus, and understanding. It’s a framework that’s central to how they approach building products and teams. 

What’s the common theme in all these conversations? Communication and collaboration. No matter what type of work you’re doing or what it’s for, good teamwork and people skills are always a top requirement.

Set up job seekers for success

Good recruiters support their candidates and give them the resources to succeed. One of the most frustrating yet common experiences that candidates face is when the job description doesn’t line up with their interview experience. 

To set up candidates for success, let them know early on what to expect at each stage of the process and how to prepare. One way to do this is by communicating what types of skills and personality traits you’re looking for. 

For example Christy Simpson, a Recruiter at Motus, shares her advice for candidates who want to stand out in the interview process. Her talent strategy is centered around Motus’ values of being curious, brave, and exceptional. That’s why one of her go-to interview questions is: what's something you've taught yourself recently? 

Another example is from Sarah Ruth Boyer, Talent Lead at Thyme Care, who says the job description is the candidate’s ticket to understanding what to expect during their interviews. Sarah says she’s always looking for practical examples of how candidates navigate different experiences and challenges.

When candidates see these clips, they can go into interviews with more confidence. Having easy access to advice about what types of interview questions they can expect or what a good response looks like lets candidates be more informed and intentional when prepping. This helps to reduce time-to-hire and improves candidate experience. 

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A final note

The heart of a company is always its people and that’s what recruiting teams are all about. You have the opportunity to really make a positive impact on people’s careers and the growth of your team. 

I think these empowering words by Dom Scafidi from Lyft is the perfect note to end on.