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How Smart Companies Are Reinventing Recruitment · The Science of Leading

• 0:00
  Hey everyone-welcome back to The Science of Leading.
• 0:02
  I'm Claire Monroe, and as always...
• 0:04
  I'm here with the one and only Edwin Carrington.
• 0:07
  Edwin, how's it going today?
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  Doing well,
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  Claire.
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  Always good to dig into these conversations.
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  And today's?
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  I think it's one a lot of people need to hear.
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  Might ruffle a few feathers.
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  Ha-yeah,
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  no kidding.
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  So, we're getting into why, like,
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  old-school hiring just...
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  doesn't really work anymore.
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  And honestly?
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  I feel like a ton of companies are still kinda stuck in the past.
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  Like-I
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  remember this job I applied for early in my career.
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  I was so excited, right?
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  Did all my homework, felt like I really nailed it.
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  But I never even got
• 0:37
  a call back.
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  And later I found out their system just,
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  like, filtered me out...
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  all because I didn't use the "right" keyword on my résumé.It was super
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  discouraging.
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  And it made me wonder-how many great people are getting totally overlooked?
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  That's
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  a textbook example, Claire.
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  And it happens way more than people realize.
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  This whole "filter by keywords,
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  go with your gut" approach-it feels familiar,
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  sure.
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  But it's...
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  broken.
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  CVs and applications?
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  They only tell you what someone's done-not how they'll actually perform
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  or mesh with your team.
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  And gut instinct?
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  Honestly, that's usually just another name for bias.
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  We've talked about
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  this before-but a bad hire?
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  It's not just the salary.
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  It's lost time, frustrated teams,
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  missed opportunities.
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  In today's talent market?
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  That's a price most companies just can't afford anymore.
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  Right-and I think
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  a lot of leaders still don't see those hidden costs.
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  Like, it's not just about filling a chair.
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  If you hire the wrong person?
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  You're actually slowing your team down.
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  And I mean-we've seen this in
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  other episodes, especially when we talked about founders making that first
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  hire.
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  One person can completely shift the vibe...
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  or the momentum.
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  So, I've gotta ask-why are so many companies still clinging
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  to this old way of doing things?
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  Because change is uncomfortable.
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  Even when the current system's broken,
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  it's familiar.
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  And sometimes leaders just...
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  don't realize there's a better way.
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  But the game's changed.
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  Candidates have more options.
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  The best ones?
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  They're not waiting around for some clunky,
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  impersonal process.
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  If you're still relying on gut feel and résumé scans?
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  You're not just missing out-you're falling behind.
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  Yeah...
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  and it's kinda wild, right?
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  Like-we live in a world with so much data
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  and tech.
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  And yet...
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  we're still letting "vibes" decide who we hire?
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  Okay-but let's shift gears.
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  If
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  companies want to do better-and they can-what should they focus on?
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  It's
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  not all bad news, right?
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  Not at all.
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  Actually-one of the biggest levers
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  companies have?
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  It's their employer brand.
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  And I don't just mean a slick careers page.
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  I'm
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  talking real stories.
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  Real values.
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  Real culture.
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  I worked with this tech startup once-they were struggling,
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  barely getting applicants.
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  Then they started sharing behind-the-scenes
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  stories from employees-like, day-in-the-life stuff.
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  Within weeks?
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  They had people reaching out who weren't even job hunting.
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  They just...
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  connected with the story.
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  That's so cool.
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  I think a lot of companies hear
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  "brand" and immediately think...
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  logo.
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  Or maybe the product.
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  But it's so much more than that.
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  It's the whole vibe you give off.
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  And I love that idea-sharing real employee
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  stories?
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  Way more authentic than just slapping "Great Place to Work!" on
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  a billboard.
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  Exactly.
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  Candidates today are sharp-they can smell generic
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  messaging a mile away.
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  What really works is showing your values in action.
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  If
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  you're remote-first, talk about how you make flexibility work.
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  If you promote
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  from within, highlight that growth path.
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  And don't sleep on social media-it's
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  not just for marketing anymore.
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  It's a magnet for talent.
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  When you humanize
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  your brand, you don't just attract applicants.
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  You attract the right ones.
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  Yeah-and
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  I guess that's where referrals come in,
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  too, right?
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  Like, if your team loves working there,
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  they're gonna talk about it.
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  But if you're just another bland company?
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  No one's gonna hype you up.
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  So,
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  for any leaders listening-what's one thing they can do,
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  like, this week to build a better employer brand?
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  Start simple.
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  Post a
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  real story from someone on your team-why they joined,
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  what they love, or even something they struggled with.
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  That kind of honesty?
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  It draws people in.
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  And if you're not sure what your brand is?
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  Ask your
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  employees.
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  They'll tell you what makes your company special.
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  That's your message.
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  I love that.
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  And,
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  like, it's kinda freeing to realize-you don't need some massive budget.
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  Actually...
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  that reminds me of something I've been meaning to ask.
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  Edwin,
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  how can smaller companies actually pull this off...
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  if they don't have a full HR department or,
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  you know, tons of tools?
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  That's a great question,
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  Claire.
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  You don't need a giant team to hire smart.
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  It starts with intention.
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  Even
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  budget-friendly tools-like lightweight applicant tracking systems-can
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  help keep things organized and reduce bias.
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  And assessments?
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  There are scalable ones out there.
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  OAD's personality surveys,
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  for example-super accessible.
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  Even small companies can use them to go
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  beyond just the résumé...
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  and really understand who's going to thrive in the role.
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  So,
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  it's really about being thoughtful,
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  right?
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  Like-not just posting the job and hoping for the best.
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  But sitting
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  down and thinking: what does success in this role actually look like?
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  And
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  then using tools that help you match people to that.
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  We've talked about
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  how assessments can reveal things you'd never see on a résumé...But what
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  about, like, culture-fit interviews?
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  How do those work in real life?
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  Culture-fit interviews are all about digging
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  deeper.
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  Instead of the usual "Where do you see yourself?" stuff...
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  you ask questions that reveal values,
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  adaptability, work style.
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  Like-"Tell me about a time you had to adapt
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  to big change at work.
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  What did you do?"Or-"What kind of team setup brings out your best?"These
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  give you a window into how someone's really going to show up.
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  And when
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  you pair that with assessment data?
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  You're not just guessing.
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  You're making smarter, fairer choices.
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  That's so helpful.
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  And honestly,
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  I love that it's not about checking boxes-it's about building a team
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  that, like...
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  actually works.
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  But here's my last question: once you've got all this
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  set up, how do you make sure it keeps getting better?
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  Like-how do you avoid
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  falling back into old habits?
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  Great question.
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  Hiring should be a living
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  process.
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  Track what's working-look at time-to-fill,
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  quality of hire, retention.
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  Talk to your hiring managers.
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  Get feedback from new team members.
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  And adjust as you go.
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  The best companies?
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  They treat hiring as a learning loop.
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  They know even small tweaks-done
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  consistently-can lead to major improvements over time.
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  That's so true.
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  And
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  it makes hiring feel less like a chore...
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  and more like a way to shape your future.
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  Which,
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  honestly, is kinda exciting.
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  Edwin-thank you,
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  as always, for your wisdom.
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  And thanks to you for listening to The Science
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  of Leading.
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  We'll be back soon with more on building better teams and smarter
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  hiring.
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  Edwin-always a pleasure.
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  Likewise,
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  Claire.
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  And hey-if you're curious about how tools like OAD can help you
• 7:40
  streamline hiring and really improve team fit...You test it for free at
• 7:45
  o-a-d-dot-a-i.
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  It's a simple step that can make a big difference.
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  Take care,
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  everyone.
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  And remember-the science of leading?
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  It's always evolving.
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  See
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  you next time.