Compete for Talent by Focusing on What You Can Control featuring Nicole Elder

Compete for Talent by Focusing on What You Can Control featuring Nicole Elder

Hiring doesn’t improve by doing more.It improves by doing the right things — better.When you can’t compete on compensation, every part of your hiring process matters more. Speed, structure, and transparency aren’t nice-to-haves — they’re how you compete.In this episode, Josh Tolan (CEO of Spark Hire) sits down with Nicole Elder, Director of Human Resources at East Bay Innovations, to break down how her team improved hiring outcomes by focusing on what they could control.From restructuring the process to rethinking outdated rules, Nicole shares how small, intentional changes created faster hiring, better candidate alignment, and stronger long-term retention. They discuss: • Why speed matters more when you can’t win on pay • How “day in the life” videos help candidates self-select • Where hiring processes slow down — and how to fix it • Why outdated rules can eliminate great candidates • How training hiring managers improves decision-making • Why hiring for teachability leads to better long-term outcomes • How to design hiring from the candidate’s perspective You don’t need a bigger budget to improve hiring. You need a better process. Key Takeaways [13:26] You Can’t Always Win on Pay — But You Can Win on Speed [14:58] Show Candidates the Job Before They Say Yes [15:50] The Real Bottleneck in Hiring [18:02] Rethinking Outdated Hiring Rules [20:10] Train Hiring Managers to Make Better Decisions [29:48] Hire for Teachability, Not Just Experience [32:00] Why Shadowing Improves Hiring Decisions [33:38] Hiring Is About Decision Confidence [36:05] Every Step of Hiring Is a First Impression [38:58] Design Hiring from the Candidate’s Perspective About the Guest Nicole Elder, Director of Human Resources at East Bay Innovations LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nicole-elder-85745790 Website: https://www.eastbayinnovations.org/ About the Host Josh Tolan, CEO at Spark Hire LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshtolan/ Website: https://www.sparkhire.com ▶️ How to watch View on Spark Hire: https://www.sparkhire.com/resources/the-speed-to-hire-show Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/sparkhire 🎧 How to listen Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4QLyvYTonifHDRgVbPSRnc Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-speed-to-hire-show/id1670670940 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/aa447396-0015-4880-a6bd-efa484f11f8a/the-speed-to-hire-show Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9kYTIzYzZhNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw

Scale + Soul: How to Grow While Preserving Your Culture featuring Erin McAuley and Julie Spence

Scaling a company doesn’t just test your systems.It tests your culture.As organizations grow, especially through acquisition, it becomes harder to maintain what made them successful in the first place. Processes change. Teams expand. New leaders join. And without intention, culture can drift.In this episode, Josh Tolan (CEO of Spark Hire) sits down with Erin McAuley (Chief People Officer at Springline Advisory) and Julie Spence (Head of Talent Acquisition at Springline Advisory) to discuss what it really takes to scale a company while preserving its culture.They share how Springline Advisory has grown from under 200 employees to nearly 1,000 across multiple firms while staying intentional about hiring, integration, and the employee experience.They discuss:• What “Scale + Soul” means in practice• How to evaluate culture during acquisitions• Why hiring plays a critical role in preserving culture• How to balance standardization with flexibility across teams• Why proactive recruiting is essential in competitive talent markets• How to maintain the human touch in hiring as you scale• Where AI and automation fit — and where they don’tGrowth doesn’t have to come at the expense of culture.But it does require clarity, structure, and intentional decision-making at every step.Key Takeaways[07:55] What “Scale with Soul” Actually Means[10:05] How Culture Is Evaluated Before an Acquisition[12:55] Hiring for Culture Across Multiple Firms[16:05] Why Slowing Down Leads to Better Hiring Outcomes[18:40] Building a Recruiting Strategy for Each Firm[20:25] Balancing Standardization with Flexibility in Hiring[29:05] Managing Complex Hiring Stakeholders Across Teams[33:50] How Talent Advisors Support Better Hiring Decisions[34:10] How the Hiring Market Is Changing (AI, Skills, Expectations)[41:10] Why Proactive Recruiting and Pipelining Matter[48:05] Balancing Automation with Human Connection in Hiring[55:30] How to Scale Without Losing Your CultureAbout the guestsErin McAuley, Chief People OfficerLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emcauley4change/Julie Spence, Head of Talent AcquisitionLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliespencesf/About the hostJosh Tolan, CEO at Spark HireLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshtolan/Website: https://www.sparkhire.com▶️ How to watchView on Spark Hire: https://www.sparkhire.com/resources/the-speed-to-hire-showSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/sparkhire🎧 How to listenSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4QLyvYTonifHDRgVbPSRncApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-speed-to-hire-show/id1670670940Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/aa447396-0015-4880-a6bd-efa484f11f8a/the-speed-to-hire-showGoogle Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9kYTIzYzZhNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw

Recruiting Isn’t a Support Function, It’s an Operational One featuring Sabrina Sanchez

Recruiting isn’t just about filling roles.It’s about driving outcomes.But too often, recruiting is treated like a support function — taking orders, moving candidates through a process, and reacting to urgency instead of shaping it.In this episode, Josh Tolan (CEO of Spark Hire) sits down with Sabrina Sanchez (Head of Talent Acquisition) to talk about what changes when recruiting is treated as an operational function — one that owns outcomes, influences decisions, and creates clarity before a search even begins.They discuss:• Why rushing hiring often leads to worse outcomes• How intake conversations should challenge assumptions — not just gather requirements• Why lack of clarity is one of the biggest drivers of hiring inefficiency• How great recruiters shift from order takers to strategic partners• Where AI can create capacity — and where it can’t replace human judgment• Why recruiting problems often start outside of recruitingHiring outcomes improve when recruiting operates with ownership, structure, and clarity — not just speed. Key Takeaways [03:08] Recruiting Isn’t About Filling Seats [05:12] Why Slowing Down Leads to Better Hiring Decisions [06:18] Urgent Hiring Often Signals a Bigger Problem [09:02] Why Most Hiring Starts Without Enough Clarity [10:11] Start with the Day-to-Day Before Requirements [13:50] Intake Meetings Should Challenge, Not Just Capture [16:36] Why AI Can’t Replace Good Recruiting [20:52] How AI Creates Capacity for Recruiters [30:18] Most Hiring Problems Start Outside Recruiting [34:22] How Recruiters Earn a Seat at the TableAbout the guestSabrina Sanchez, Head of Talent AcquisitionLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sabrina-sanchez-talentacquisition/About the hostJosh Tolan, CEO at Spark HireLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshtolan/Website: https://www.sparkhire.com

How to Make Hiring More Human...Even with Limited Time featuring Juliette Dupré

Hiring doesn’t succeed or fail based on effort alone.It comes down to how well people work together.Hiring managers are balancing competing priorities.Recruiters are managing process and expectations.Candidates are navigating uncertainty.And the outcome is shaped by how aligned those groups are throughout the process.In this episode, Josh Tolan (CEO of Spark Hire) sits down with Juliette Dupré, Chief People Officer & Interim COO at OtherSide Entertainment, to talk about what it actually takes to run an effective hiring process on a lean team.They discuss:• Why hiring managers often underestimate the time and commitment hiring requires• How alignment at the start of a search impacts everything that follows• Why every candidate interaction contributes to your reputation as an employer• How small teams can create more human hiring experiences without additional resources• Practical ways to improve rejection communication and candidate transparency• Where to focus when you want to improve your hiring processHiring is a team effort.And the teams that operate with clarity, alignment, and intention create better outcomes for everyone involved.NotesJuliette Dupré is the Chief People Officer & Interim COO at OtherSide Entertainment, a video game development studio.With a background spanning operations, legal, recruiting, and HR leadership, Juliette has built and led hiring functions in lean, high-growth environments across gaming, esports, and digital entertainment.At OtherSide, she leads both people and business operations, working closely with hiring managers to design structured, transparent hiring processes that balance efficiency with empathy.Juliette is known for her human-centered approach to recruiting — from sharing resources with rejected candidates to putting real names behind job postings — and for challenging teams to rethink how hiring should actually work in practice.Key Takeaways[14:52] Most Hiring Managers Don’t Realize What Hiring Requires[16:38] Why Every Candidate Experience Matters[29:32] When Hiring Managers Change the Role Mid-Search[37:05] The Bar for Candidate Experience Is Shockingly Low[41:42] How to Write Better Rejection Emails[46:18] Why Putting Names on Job Descriptions Matters[53:08] Where to Start Fixing Your Hiring ProcessAbout the guestJuliette Dupré, Chief People Officer & Interim COO at OtherSide EntertainmentLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/juliettedupreWebsite: https://www.otherside-e.com/About the hostJosh Tolan, CEO at Spark HireLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshtolan/Website: https://www.sparkhire.com▶️ How to watchView on Spark Hire: https://www.sparkhire.com/resources/the-speed-to-hire-showSubscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/sparkhire🎧 How to listenSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4QLyvYTonifHDRgVbPSRncApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-speed-to-hire-show/id1670670940Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/aa447396-0015-4880-a6bd-efa484f11f8a/the-speed-to-hire-showGoogle Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9kYTIzYzZhNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw

Recruiters Care. Hiring is Complicated featuring Beth Wolfe

Hiring didn’t become more challenging because recruiters stopped caring. The environment changed. Remote work expanded reach. Application friction dropped. AI made resume tailoring effortless. Applicant volume increased. But recruiter capacity didn’t automatically expand with it. In this episode, Josh Tolan (CEO of Spark Hire) sits down with Beth Wolfe, Senior Director of Recruiting at Daxko, to unpack what’s actually happening behind the scenes in modern hiring. They discuss: • Why application volume has surged • How “Easy Apply” and AI reshaped applicant pools • Why recruiters can’t realistically review every resume • How misaligned hiring metrics create internal friction • Why timing plays a larger role in hiring than most candidates realize• How structure and tools can create capacity for more human hiring Hiring is complicated. The inputs have evolved. Your hiring process has to evolve with them. Notes Beth Wolfe has over 17 years of experience in recruiting and currently serves as Senior Director of Recruiting at Daxko. Over her 11 years with the company, she has helped scale the organization from approximately 150 employees to nearly 800, building and evolving the talent acquisition function along the way. At Daxko, Beth leads a lean recruiting team responsible for hiring across engineering, product, marketing, sales, and customer-facing roles. She brings a pragmatic, human-centered perspective to modern hiring challenges — balancing structure, technology, and empathy in a high-volume environment. Key Takeaways [04:50] Hiring Changed Because the Math Changed [09:05] The Resume Volume Reality Recruiters Face [19:15] Why Hiring Metrics Are Misaligned [21:29] Why Timing Plays a Huge Role in Hiring Decisions [34:38] Create Capacity to Reinvest in Relationships [36:57] The Human Side of Recruiting: Why Recruiters Care About the guest Beth Wolfe, Sr. Director of Recruiting at Daxko LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bethwolfe1 Website: https://daxko.com About the hostJosh Tolan, CEO at Spark Hire LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshtolan/ Website: https://www.sparkhire.com ▶️ How to watch View on Spark Hire: https://www.sparkhire.com/resources/the-speed-to-hire-show Subscribe to our YouTube Channel: https://youtube.com/sparkhire 🎧 How to listen Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4QLyvYTonifHDRgVbPSRnc Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-speed-to-hire-show/id1670670940 Amazon Music: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/aa447396-0015-4880-a6bd-efa484f11f8a/the-speed-to-hire-show Google Podcasts: https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9hbmNob3IuZm0vcy9kYTIzYzZhNC9wb2RjYXN0L3Jzcw