About this episode
Chapters / Timestamps00:00 – Intro / RecFest Kick-off00:30 – Guest #1 – Tijal Rives (Amazon)00:40 The power of speaking your truth & dealing with trolls01:45 Career path – from recruiting ? product at Amazon02:45 Curiosity as a superpower (“the red-button” story)03:40 Inside Amazon’s hiring process & the Bar Raiser05:50 Making the move from recruiting to product07:10 Curiosity & motivation in candidate conversations08:55 “How AI Can Change Recruiters’ Lives” – conference preview10:30 Good / Bad / Ugly of AI tools for recruiters12:45 Candidates using AI – benefits vs pitfalls14:30 High-touch recruiting & AI limits15:30 Hot takes: AI in recruiting | Hot dog = not a sandwich 17:10 Advice for job seekers – burnout plans & mindset18:20 Open-to-Work banner debate (Helpful!)19:25 Motherhood & work-life harmony 20:05 – Head of TA @ Aubrey Cirillo (Custom Ink)20:10 From banking ? sales ? TA leadership21:40 Sales skills = recruiting superpower22:25 Mentorship & self-storytelling23:00 Aligning hiring with business goals (role clarity)24:05 Small team challenges & cross-functional recruiting25:10 Shadowing employees to improve storytelling26:10 Sourcing stack – LinkedIn, Gem & AI tips27:30 Balancing open jobs vs intentional hiring28:40 Using AI without losing the human touch29:30 Scaling hiring through ambassador programs30:50 Building trust with hiring managers (proactive 1:1s)31:45 Equity & accountability in hiring33:00 Protecting time & energy as a recruiter34:20 Hot takes: Open-to-Work, Sourcing vs Closing, AI Interviews, and Hot Dogs 35:10 – Guest #3 –Sr. Technical Recruiter @ Heather Colvin (Smart Data)35:15 Full-circle moment & intro36:05 Recruiting as a career of creativity (no ceiling )37:20 Bridging the trust gap with hiring managers38:10 Using ChatGPT to close knowledge gaps (trust then verify)39:00 Lean tech stack & HireEZ vs LinkedIn bias39:40 Algorithm bias and why you need multiple tools40:10 The 72-hour pipeline rule 41:00 Transparency with multi-firm searches41:45 Favorite tools & learning from candidates42:10 AI interviews = “No” without feedback loop42:30 Hot takes lightning round & passion project “The Other 99 Athletes”43:20 – Guest #4 – Mike Piditto (Author, Content Creator)43:25 Career pivot from TA leader ? creator & author44:10 Balancing authenticity vs relevance45:20 Handling trolls & mental health boundaries46:30 “Yes, You’re Being Judged” – book story & purpose47:15 Behind the book: real emails, rejections & reflection48:10 Why candidate experience starts at the top49:15 Favorite tech & why “built-by-recruiters” matters
