Hiring a new recruiting leader is a unique process for any company, in that the person currently making their way through your candidate experience will soon be in charge of sculpting and enhancing that same candidate experience. To take the leap and accept an offer, a prospective TA leader needs to see an opportunity to grow their own career — but they also need to be wowed by the company culture, their potential colleagues and the mission they’ve all united behind.
To help talent acquisition professionals shape their own recruitment and onboarding experiences, we spoke to recently hired talent acquisition leaders at eight leading tech companies across the U.S. to learn what they were looking for during their recent job search, how their new employers stood out from the pack and what they’re planning for the year ahead.
Having spent much of her career working on recruiting and DEI efforts at organizations like Boeing, Deloitte, the Department of Defense, Tesla and, most recently, Uber, Lundie now manages global recruiting programs for Twitter. Her new position involves building new recruiting platforms and programs for the social media giant, which announced last year that it would allow remote work to continue beyond the pandemic.
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As a talent acquisition professional, you’ve probably seen every move in the book. What part of your company’s interviewing and hiring processes stood out to you?
The paired interviewing format stood out to me. Twitter has a virtual interview process, a call with the recruiting team, a call with the hiring manager and a final virtual panel-style interview. When I first saw my interview panel I was a bit alarmed at the number of interviewers and was concerned about being grilled in a two-to-one scenario, but my experience was wonderful. Each interview felt like a conversation and getting to know each person and their personal Twitter story. There was diversity in the reasons why the interviewers loved their jobs, and that really sold me on the company. I also greatly appreciated that the panel was diverse and global and that I was able to get different perspectives.
“I believe our companywide stance on distributed work is really compelling for candidates that want to work in tech but not necessarily relocate.”
What are your team’s goals over the next 12 months, and how do you differentiate yourself from competitors in the hiring space?
I was hired to build our first global recruiting programs team here at Twitter. This team is tasked with elevating our current roster of recruiting programs — like our 12-week internship — in addition to creating new programs to drive Twitter’s overall hiring goals. We plan to launch several recruiting programs over the next year that will span early-career talent to senior-level talent globally. We are looking to solve problems, fill gaps and meet candidates exactly where they are. I believe our companywide stance on distributed work is really compelling for candidates that want to work in tech but not necessarily relocate. Being able to hire in more places across the U.S. and globally puts us in a great space competitively.
Stacey Olive, VP of Talent Acquisition and Employer Branding at Medidata Solutions
Olive has spent more than a decade leading human resources and talent acquisition teams for media companies like Time Inc. and the New York Times but recently made the leap into life sciences at Medidata Solutions. The company’s SaaS technology helps researchers conduct clinical trials, with functionality for everything from randomization and trial supply management to business analytics.
What part of your company’s interviewing and hiring processes stood out to you?
One thing that stood out to me as I interviewed was that the chief technology officer, chief commercial officer and chief financial officer took the time to meet with me — they invested the time. To me, this was a sign that the role would have the ability to impact the business. Talent acquisition teams help the organization grow and when the organization grows, the business can grow and achieve its goals.
“Medidata is at the forefront of the growing and evolving industry of life sciences — we’ve been redefining what’s possible in clinical trials.”
What are your team’s goals over the next 12 months, and how do you differentiate yourself from competitors in the hiring space?
Put most simply, our team goal over the next 12 months is to launch an employer brand campaign that will get the message of our mission and impact in front of the right people. Medidata is at the forefront of the growing and evolving industry of life sciences — we’ve been redefining what’s possible in clinical trials.
Corbin Adams, Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition at Redfin
During a 13-year career, Adams has honed his craft across a wide variety of industries, including research data, oil and gas, marketing services and IT infrastructure. Now, he’s bringing his skills to bear for real estate disruptor Redfin, which builds a suite of software tools for home buyers, sellers and agents alike.
What part of your company’s interviewing and hiring processes stood out to you?
As a recent hire myself, Redfin’s interview process stood out to me because of the planning and forethought they put into every meeting I had throughout my interview cycle. It was clear that the team was in alignment with one another in what experience and qualities they were looking for in a candidate, and that they had prepared who would address which topics and issues in advance — which is critical for a positive candidate experience. Each person had thoughtful questions and provided valuable insight into what it is like to work at Redfin and the challenges and opportunities I’d face in this role.
“It was clear that the team was in alignment with one another in what experience and qualities they were looking for in a candidate.”
What are your team’s goals over the next 12 months?
My top priorities in my role are to continue growing the recruiting team throughout the year to support our tech team’s hiring needs, streamline our processes and systems to allow us to be more efficient in scaling the business and incorporate diversity, equity and inclusion into every step of the process.
Lindsay Simpson, Head of Talent Acquisition at Starry
With five years at Boston healthtech stalwart PatientPing under her belt, Simpson made the leap last month to internet provider Starry. The company has ditched complicated plans, bundles and the poor service that seems to come with them, and instead beams connectivity wirelessly to users’ home devices.
What part of your company’s interviewing and hiring processes stood out to you?
As a candidate, I found everyone to be so welcoming, genuinely curious and down to earth. Starry's culture and mission were represented throughout, and each conversation got me more excited and hopeful to be part of it.
“We design an interview process that provides candidates with visibility into our culture, the meaningful and interesting work we offer and opportunities for growth and impact.”
What are your team’s goals over the next 12 months, and how do you differentiate yourself from competitors in the hiring space?
Our team’s goals are to delight our candidates and support Starry’s rapid growth in order to provide fast, reliable and affordable internet access to all. We design an interview process that provides candidates with visibility into our culture, the meaningful and interesting work we offer and opportunities for growth and impact.
Marshall Korn, Director of Recruiting at Truepill
After stints at a recruiting firm and Fox Entertainment’s video-on-demand service, Tubi, Korn recently took the leap into healthtech at San Francisco-based Truepill. The Y Combinator alum built an API-driven digital prescription tool for pharmacies and recently rolled out its own telehealth services.
What part of your company’s interviewing and hiring processes stood out to you?
The personalization was outstanding. After my final interview, I received texts from multiple members of the team not only encouraging me to join but pointing out key points in the interview process where they felt the match was exceptional. The number one most important area I look for when interviewing candidates and assessing companies is people, and the team, which I now manage, was very transparent, hard-working and persistent. Above all else, they were great people with exuberant personalities looking for direction.
Coming into Truepill’s interview, I had little knowledge beyond what I’ve read on the digital healthcare experience. The business growth, core pillars of the company and underlying technology that powers Truepill’s infrastructure were all fascinating to me. Coupled with the mission to make healthcare accessible to all, I knew I couldn’t pass up this opportunity.
“Our goal is to double in company size over the next 12 months.”
What are your team’s goals over the next 12 months?
Our goal is to double in company size over the next 12 months. Truepill has seen amazing growth — even in my short four months — and will continue to expand rapidly in tech, G&A and pharmacy operations roles. We’re also looking to enhance the candidate experience, and our goal is to ensure timely and honest feedback to every single candidate we interact with — we want every candidate to come out of the interview experience as excited about Truepill as every current employee. Finally, as a rapidly growing company it is our goal to bring on a diverse and inclusive workforce to expand upon the amazing culture and values instilled at Truepill’s core.
Chris Bodensieck, Director of Talent Acquisition at HqO
Having managed talent acquisition teams at DraftKings (another Boston tech stalwart), Bodensieck recently moved into a director’s role at HqO, a commercial real estate platform that recently earned a spot on Built In’s 21 Boston Companies to Watch in 2021 report. The company also raised $60 million in funding last month.
What part of your company’s interviewing and hiring processes stood out to you?
Our commitment to both organic and inorganic growth played a big factor in my decision to join HqO. I knew the company doubled in size during the pandemic, and we will double again as part of a $60 million Series C raise. Our executive team has a big appetite to expand and I saw an opportunity to immerse myself in a unique culture that anchored our “let’s go” values into our interview and selection process. We have DNA from Google, Facebook, HubSpot, CarGurus, Wayfair, DraftKings, Chewy, TripAdvisor, Hopper, Toast, Rapid7, LogMeIn, Spotify and other tech companies in the area. More than half of the people at HqO have been hired by way of an employee referral. We’re building something special, with dedicated employees that are selfless and company- and customer-first.
“The hiring goals for HqO are very aggressive but we have the thought leaders and a recruitment strategy to get there.”
What are your team’s goals over the next 12 months, and how do you differentiate yourself from competitors in the hiring space?
We’re hiring across all departments in our Boston, New York, Toronto, London and Paris offices. The hiring goals for HqO are very aggressive but we have the thought leaders and a recruitment strategy to get there. Proptech is a hot sector and we have an extremely innovative product that has created a mainstream office experience. While other companies wait to make return-to-office decisions, we’ll be an office-first culture this summer. We’re putting two-dimensional relationships in the rearview mirror and are saying goodbye to the daily fatigue associated with Google Meet and Zoom.
Peter Moore, Head of People at LeaseLock
Over the years, Moore has worked at a handful of southern California’s most iconic tech-driven brands, including Hulu, Sony Electronics and, most recently, Dollar Shave Club. His current employer is real estate insurance tech company LeaseLock, which replaces a costly security deposit with a form of lease insurance and raised $52 million in funding earlier this year.
What part of your company’s interviewing and hiring processes stood out to you?
The responsiveness and commitment of the team were second to none. I value candidate experience, and to know that every one of the team members I spoke with committed to the scheduled time and were engaged were all positives for me. Recruiters and talent professionals should never forget the value of candidate experience and the fact that the candidates are evaluating you as much as we’re evaluating them.
“Offering an end-to-end ecosystem for our employees to manage their life and career at LeaseLock is very important to me.”
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 eager to improve existing programs, implement new platforms and brainstorm fresh systems for the team. Offering an end-to-end ecosystem for our employees to manage their life and career at LeaseLock is very important to me, so I am committed to keeping the startup atmosphere intact while developing structures for compliance, security and preparation.
Patrick Stearns, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition at Telnyx
Stearns has led talent acquisition teams across Chicago tech, including time at behavioral analytics company Mattersight through its 2018 acquisition by NICE Systems and a stint hiring engineers for marketing data and technology firm Epsilon. He recently started work at Telnyx, a cloud-based platform offering access to carrier-grade voice services via the internet.
What part of your company’s interviewing and hiring processes stood out to you?
I appreciated that there were no gimmicks. The interviewers knew what they were targeting in an internal partner and asked pointed questions, all while balancing professional and casual conversations. What really impressed me was the level of detail provided in the offer deck — a deep dive into Telnyx’s culture, products and what's expected from every new hire.
“Yeah, the equity and perks are great, but it’s exciting to work on technology that truly has a positive, global impact.”
What are your team’s goals over the next 12 months, and how do you differentiate yourself from competitors in the hiring space?
We’re uniquely positioned to change the communications industry. Yeah, the equity and perks are great, but it’s exciting to work on technology that truly has a positive, global impact. Oh and we’re hiring — a lot. Telnyx employed around 180 individuals when I started in February, and as of early May we’re past 210 and expecting to grow to north of 300 in the next nine to 12 months. My team’s focused on reducing candidate hiring speed — date of application to date of offer acceptance — without impacting the candidate experience or quality of hire.
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