There has never been a crazier time to be a recruiter. After weathering the ongoing uncertainty of the last 18 months, talent acquisition teams are now in the midst of the so-called “great resignation,” backfilling roles as a year’s worth of natural career moves come all at once.
That mass career movement also includes plenty of recruiters themselves, who have moved to new organizations to take their next career step. As they settle into their new roles, we checked in with four talent acquisition professionals to get their unique insight on what stands out about a company, both as an experienced recruiter and as a recent candidate themselves.
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Background: Prior to taking the reins of talent teams at digital pharmacy startup Medly, Akram led recruiting efforts for Freshly, a meal kit subscription company that was acquired by Nestle for almost a billion dollars last year.
As a talent acquisition professional, you’ve probably seen every move in the book. What part of your new company’s interviewing and hiring processes stood out to you?
What really stood out to me was the authenticity I found in every individual I met with and how unified the leadership team is. Throughout my conversations, people were raw with their thoughts and challenges ahead, which was great to hear. There is an egoless, collaborative approach to solving the challenges here. Having spent about a decade in high-growth startups, I know that oftentimes organizations sell the end goal and vision harder than the challenging path to success. What came across most to me was the fact that everyone here was on the same page: easy healthcare for everyone.
“Diversifying our approach to scaling our business is a direct reflection of building an organization that is the leading disruptor in the health and wellness space.”
What do you personally look for in a potential employer?
Flexibility. It’s key to any organization’s success given the constant “new norms” and unpredictability. Flexibility is key, whether it’s in terms of a company’s work environment, scalability or competitive landscape.
What are your team’s goals over the next 12 months, and how do you differentiate yourself from competitors in the hiring space?
The number one goal for my team is to partner with the business and help it scale by introducing the right talent at the right times. Diversifying our approach to scaling our business is a direct reflection of building an organization that is the leading disruptor in the health and wellness space.
Background: Risley comes to cloud communications provider Vonage having led recruiting efforts at everything from IT companies to railroads.
What part of your new company’s interviewing and hiring processes stood out to you?
The clarity of role and the timeliness of the hiring process. The recruiter was in contact with me every step of the way and ensured I knew where I stood in the process. The process was transparent, included the right people and didn't go into unnecessary or extra steps. This is refreshing because so many times roles are posted and the hiring organization isn’t really sure what they’re looking for. This can result in wasted time for everyone involved, or the process can get dragged out for very long periods of time with little or no communication.
“We are communicating with the candidates and keeping them informed of where they are in the process and, overall, treating them the way that we would want to be treated.”
What do you personally look for in a potential employer?
A company that values their employees and offers growth and mentorship opportunities. I was really interested in Vonage because it was a tech company, fit well with my background and is growing. I also look for an employer that takes care of their employees through a strong benefits package with a good work-life balance.
What are your team’s goals over the next 12 months, and how do you differentiate yourself from competitors in the hiring space?
There is a shortage of tech talent in the marketplace, so many companies are competing for the same talent. At Vonage, the talent acquisition team focuses first on filling open roles through internal transfers and promotions and, secondly, on leveraging employee referrals. For these candidates — or anyone who is sourced or applies via our company careers page — the team prides itself on offering a best-in-class candidate experience. As a talent acquisition function, we want to ensure we are communicating with the candidates and keeping them informed of where they are in the process and, overall, treating them the way that we would want to be treated as a candidate if we were applying for a role with the company. The talent acquisition partners ensure our values are modeled throughout the candidate experience.
Background: After working for real estate tech platform Common, Martuscelli has hit the ground running at intensely popular New York-based digital sports media brand Barstool Sports.
What part of your new company’s interviewing and hiring processes stood out to you?
Every company I have worked for has always had interview scorecards to make notes about a candidate’s relevant skills and traits. However, at Barstool Sports, I also have to understand how familiar the person is with our content, depending on the role. For example, it’s not overly critical for some back-office support roles to be completely in tune with the latest episode of a podcast. But someone who is applying for a role where they will work directly with our talent needs to be very familiar with the show the role is assigned to. It can be a delicate balance too — the person should be familiar and excited but not so much that they are distracted from their day-to-day responsibilities.
“We are always looking at our total rewards for gaining a competitive edge.”
What do you personally look for in a potential employer?
I look at things like benefits, perks, being excited to go to work and having the opportunity to grow professionally and personally. I want to bring my experience to the table, but I also want to know I will be challenged on something new.
What are your team’s goals over the next 12 months, and how do you differentiate yourself from competitors in the hiring space?
I am the first dedicated recruiter at Barstool Sports, so over the next 12 months, I will be focused on optimizing and automating parts of our ATS, integrating different tools, creating and delivering interviewer training resources and continuing to fill all our open roles. We are always looking at our total rewards for gaining a competitive edge. I have been pleased with all the available perks, benefits and financial planning and wellness options. Our flexible PTO, competitive paid holiday schedule and stellar benefits have really stood out to me. I am always proud and excited to be able to tell people about the perks and benefits here.
Background: Before landing at healthtech company Babylon Health, Polk recruited for a number of tech companies throughout the Austin area, including technical recruiting for Signify and ConSol Partners.
What part of your new company’s interviewing and hiring processes stood out to you?
Something that has stood out to me in Babylon Health’s hiring process is how important culture fit is to our teams. We not only want to make sure the role is a good fit but that our organization is the right fit for the candidate. This is one of the first organizations I've worked for that has put an emphasis on assuring everyone in the hiring process has a well-rounded view of our mission and how that impacts our culture.
“I look for a company that is solving challenging problems to make a positive impact on the world with their mission.”
What do you personally look for in a potential employer?
I look for a company that is solving challenging problems to make a positive impact on the world with its mission. It is amazing to see an organization where everyone has the same goal with that mission, while still having a diversity of thought and skills.
What are your team’s goals over the next 12 months, and how do you differentiate yourself from competitors in the hiring space?
Our goal is to continue to build an amazing product to put affordable and accessible healthcare in the hands of everyone everywhere while expanding all of our teams globally to have the best talent in place to do that. We are continuing to hire in all of our locations while building our brand in our newer locations as well.
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