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Stop Scrambling—Start Hiring Strategically · The Science of Leading

• 0:00
  Hey everyone-welcome back to The Science of Leading.
• 0:02
  I'm Claire Monroe, and as always,
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  I've got the one and only Edwin Carrington here with me.
• 0:07
  Edwin, how's it going?
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  Doing well,
• 0:09
  Claire.
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  Really glad to be here.
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  This is a topic I've been looking forward to-rethinking
• 0:14
  recruitment.
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  It's one of those areas where... just a little strategy can go a very long
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  way.
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  Yeah, totally.
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  And honestly, this comes up all the time-especially for people who are,
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  like, kinda new to HR or just suddenly thrown into hiring.
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  I mean... I remember
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  my first HR job-ugh, this is kind of embarrassing-I was so focused on
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  just, you know, filling the role fast,
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  I didn't even stop to think about,
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  like, the bigger picture.
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  We had this sales opening,
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  and I basically just grabbed the first person who seemed... "good enough."You're
• 0:47
  not the only one, Claire.
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  That's the classic trap-reactive hiring.
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  A role opens up,
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  pressure kicks in, and suddenly it's all about speed.
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  But here's what
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  happens: you end up with the wrong fit.
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  And the real cost?
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  It doesn't show up right away.
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  It sneaks in.
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  Friction on the team, people leaving sooner,
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  lost momentum.
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  It's like a slow leak-you don't see it at first,
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  but it drains you over timeExactly!
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  That hire I made?
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  Oh man... it led to months of tension.
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  The team never really clicked,
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  and we eventually had to start all over.
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  It was... a whole thing.
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  Big lesson learned.
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  So Edwin-how do you not end up in that kind of reactive
• 1:32
  scramble?
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  Like, what does it actually look like to do this strategically?
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  It starts
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  with treating recruitment like... any other key business function.
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  You wouldn't
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  launch a product without a roadmap,
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  right?
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  Same with hiring.
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  You need clear goals,
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  some forecasting around talent needs,
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  and a process that-ideally-supports long-term growth.
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  That means planning
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  ahead instead of just reacting when something breaks.
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  So it's like... putting
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  a system in place before a resume even shows up?
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  Exactly.
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  It's a shift in mindset-from "filling a seat" to building a pipeline.
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  And
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  as we touched on in our episode about simplifying the hiring process-data
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  is a huge part of this.
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  Track what's working.
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  Look at where your best candidates are coming from.
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  And even more important-how
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  they perform once they're in the role.
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  That's how you build something that
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  actually... scales.
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  I love that.
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  And honestly?
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  It's kinda reassuring to know you can actually get ahead of the chaos.
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  Okay-so
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  let's get practical.
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  What does building that kind of pipeline actually look like?
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  It starts
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  with building a talent pool.
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  If you're only reaching out when a job's open...
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  you're already behind.
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  The best companies?
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  They're always nurturing relationships-with past candidates,
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  passive ones, even people who aren't actively looking but might be a
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  great fit down the road.
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  So it's not just like... hoarding a bunch of resumes,
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  right?
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  It's about actual connection-keeping people warm so you're not starting
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  from scratch every time.
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  Exactly.
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  And tools like modern applicant tracking systems or talent CRMs help
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  with that-tagging, sorting, staying in touch.
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  But tech's just the start.
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  What
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  really matters is the story you're telling as an employer.
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  That's where
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  employer branding comes in.
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  Employer branding is,
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  like... one of those buzzwords that actually matters,
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  though.
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  When it's done right, it's magic.
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  I always think of Spotify-they're
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  so good at showing what it's really like to work there.
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  Their careers page
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  has team stories, actual photos-it just feels real.
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  Like, you get the vibe, not just the perks.
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  Great example.
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  A strong employer brand isn't about slick copy or big promises-it's about
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  authenticity.
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  People want to see what you stand for-your values,
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  your culture.
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  And when that comes through clearly,
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  you end up attracting candidates who are already aligned before they
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  even apply.
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  And that speeds everything up,
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  right?'Cause you're not trying to convince them-they're already kind
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  of... sold.
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  Exactly.
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  And while we're on it-don't underestimate referrals.
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  I
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  worked with a tech startup once-they were really struggling with quality
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  applicants.
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  We revamped their referral program-kept it simple,
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  made it visible, tied it to meaningful incentives.
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  And within just a few
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  months?
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  Applications got better.
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  Morale improved.
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  People felt like they were co-building the team.
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  That's
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  so cool.
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  Referrals are one of those things that sound kinda "meh" until
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  you actually invest in them-and then it's like,
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  wow.
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  You're not just filling jobs-you're building a community.
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  Exactly.
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  And
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  when you mix that with a strong talent pool,
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  real employer branding, and a smart referral program?
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  You've got the foundation
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  for sustainable hiring-not just stopgaps.
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  Okay,
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  so now you've got the pipeline,
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  you've got the brand...But what about actually finding the right
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  people-especially
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  for those super tricky roles?
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  Let's dig into sourcing and selection.
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  Sourcing
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  today is all about meeting candidates where they are.
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  That means niche
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  job boards for specialized roles.
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  LinkedIn for corporate.
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  And for creative
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  or early-career talent?
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  Social media.
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  If you're posting everything in the same place-you're not
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  just limiting reach, you're attracting the wrong people.
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  Yeah-and I feel
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  like a lot of companies still treat social like it's this... afterthought.
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  But
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  your candidates are on Instagram.
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  TikTok.
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  Even Discord, honestly.
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  It's about connection-not just visibility.
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  Even
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  a casual job post can take off... if it feels real.
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  Exactly.
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  And for hard-to-fill
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  roles, you have to go deeper-industry groups,
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  communities, associations... wherever those folks spend their time.
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  But
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  visibility alone won't cut it.
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  You've got to speak their language,
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  know their world, show them you get it.
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  Okay-so you find them.
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  Now how do you evaluate them fairly?
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  Skills-based hiring gets tossed around
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  a lot, but like... what is that, really?
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  At its core,
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  it's about what someone can do-not just where they've been.
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  Resumes give
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  you some of the story, but rarely the whole thing.
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  Structured interviews
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  and behavioral assessments help you measure what matters-like how they
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  problem-solve, how they adapt, how they work with others.
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  And it opens
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  doors for candidates from all kinds of backgrounds.
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  What makes a structured
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  interview actually... fair, though?
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  Like,
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  I've seen it turn into just a checklist.
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  And bias still creeps in.
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  Good question.
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  A fair structured interview is
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  consistent-same questions, same rubric,
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  every time.
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  But also: train your interviewers.
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  Get hiring managers involved
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  early.
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  Use data to challenge assumptions.
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  Like we talked about in our episode
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  on behavioral fit-assessments can reveal strengths you'd never catch in
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  a resume or even a live interview.
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  Have you seen any big fails when it
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  comes to traditional interviews?
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  Oh,
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  absolutely.
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  Biggest one?
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  Trusting your gut.
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  It's easy to get swept up by someone who interviews
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  well but just doesn't fit the role-or the team.
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  That's where structure
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  and data help.
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  They let you look beyond the surface-to what really drives
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  performance and retention.
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  That's so helpful.
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  Honestly,
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  I feel like we could do a whole episode just on interview fails.
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  But for
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  now-I think that's a good place to hit pause.
• 7:32
  Edwin, as always-thank you for the wisdom.
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  Thank you,
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  Claire.
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  Always a pleasure.
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  And to everyone listening-just remember,
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  recruitment's not about checking boxes.
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  It's about building a team that
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  actually works.
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  We'll be back soon with more on smarter hiring and team-building.
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  And
• 7:48
  hey-if you want to see some of this in action,
• 7:50
  head over to o-a-d-dot-a-i.
• 7:50
  You test the tools for free and see how they
• 7:54
  can make hiring way easier and way more effective.
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  Alright,
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  Edwin-Take care, Claire.
• 7:58
  Bye everyone!