WeCruitr Podcast

In this LinkedIn Live, we will cover how artificial intelligence poses a threat to your job security. Hint: it's not in the way you think. I will advise you on what you must do right now to hold onto your job.

Welcome back for part two of "The Shady Things You Felt Happening In The Job Search Are True." If you thought the job search was rigged against you, here's why you're not wrong...

Your fears are justified; it's not just you! These things are happening everyday throughout the job search process. Companies: — Lowball workers — Have ageism biases on both ends of the spectrum — Don't necessarily give the role to the best, most qualified person for the job — It's who you know, not what you know — Ghost candidates — Post fake jobs — Use fake positive reviews to attract candidates

David Paffenholz is the CEO and founder of Y Combinator-backed startup Juicebox (YC S22) (PeopleGPT). PeopleGPT is an AI-powered people search engine that is disrupting the recruiting space. It enables recruiters and hiring managers to find qualified talent without the need for traditional Boolean search queries. The tool also empowers job seekers by giving them the opportunity to search for hiring managers, which is critical for getting in front of the right people. In this LinkedIn Live, David and I will discuss his impressive background, as he graduated Harvard University in only THREE years. We'll talk about his inspiration behind founding his startup, how the platform works for recruiters and job seekers and his vision for the future of AI in recruitment.

My mission is to help you find a new job! In doing so, in this LinkedIn Live, we will cover the following:

Referrals move to the front of the hiring line, as the glowing endorsements enwrap job candidates in a halo effect. Data shows that the likelihood of a referral scoring a job interview is 50%, compared to non-referrals who have a 3% chance. Over 60% of candidates are hired after being referred, and the chances surge to 91% if the endorsement comes from a director-level professional. In this LinkedIn Live, I welcome Lauren Smith, Forbes 30 Under 30 alum and cofounder and CEO of Refer, a platform that enables companies to incentivize and leverage their networks, and individuals to get rewarded for referring their network. Lauren and I will discuss what inspired her to found her startup, how the platform works and why referrals are incredibly powerful signals in providing validations on someone's capabilities and character.

Annette Stewart is currently a Senior Director at RBC, and has worked at major financial firms, such as HSBC, Credit Suisse, Barclays and Goldman Sachs. Albana Theka, MBA is a Data and Analytics Leader in the New York healthcare system. Annette and Albana are huge proponents of mentorship and play integral roles in the Financial Women's Association, a vibrant community of dynamic professionals and proactive institutions focused on development and empowerment to advance leadership growth and accelerate the success of all women in finance through education, mentorship, scholarships, networking and alliances across the financial community. In this LinkedIn Live, we will discuss the importance of having mentors, sponsors and truth tellers in your careers to help guide you and offer meaningful feedback. We will share tips on how to strategically leverage your network to advance your careers.

In this episode of Let's Go Live with Jack Kelly, I welcome Tom Nguyen, cofounder and CEO of Café, a workplace engagement hub. Tom is a Forbes 30 Under 30 alum, and has been backed by Y Combinator, the leading startup accelerator for entrepreneurs, which has invested in the likes of Airbnb, Dropbox, Stripe, Reddit, Instacart, Coinbase and other well-known startups. We will talk about the "loneliness epidemic" that happened as a result of the pandemic. With employee engagement levels dropping amid layoffs, Tom will discuss why fostering connection and workplace belongingness is pertinent to job satisfaction, productivity, collaboration and purpose.

In today's job market, amid an economic downturn, companies have the upper hand. In this LinkedIn Live, I will discuss how employers are wielding the power over their workforce, which is evident in the wave of layoff announcements, high executive compensation packages, strict return-to-office policies, lack of executive accountability and the interviewing process.

The start of this year has ushered in a new and unpleasant job market trend. Throughout mid-2022 to 2023, major companies announced widespread layoffs, eliminating thousands of roles all at once. The workforce is now experiencing a shift from large-scale layoffs to a more gradual and ongoing process. Under the cloud of looming layoffs, employees will confront a work environment that almost feels like the psychological torture of waterboarding—the century-old practice in which water is poured on the face of a prisoner, slowly driving them mad as they experience feelings of drowning and uncertainty as to when it will end.

For decades, the goal of corporate workers was to rise through the ranks of their organizations. They'd want to quickly shed their individual contributor roles and take up management opportunities. This was perceived as the traditional way to climb the corporate ladder of success. However, times have changed. A recent survey revealed that fewer people are wanting to become managers, as support for managers is plummeting. According to research, middle managers are the most exhausted employees at any level of an organization. In this LinkedIn Live, I will be speaking to Lia Garvin, ex-Google, Microsoft, Apple, bestselling author, TEDx speaker and a Top LinkedIn Voice, to discuss why this is. We will delve into why there is so much animosity toward managers, what makes a good/bad supervisor and how they could be better set up for success.

In this episode, I will be joined by Tuck Hauptfuhrer, founder and CEO of EarnBetter. EarnBetter is a promising new startup, backed by Andreessen Horowitz and Abstract Ventures, that focuses on helping job seekers land their dream jobs. The platform is a free AI job search assistant that can write resumes, draft cover letters and find job matches in minutes. We'll learn what inspired him to found this startup and the journey to funding. Tuck will also discuss why you should be leveraging this fast-growing technology in your job search, and walk us through how it works.

One of the biggest complaints about human resources and employers is the cold and impersonal manner in which they lay off workers. How a company communicates and facilitates job cuts is essential for demonstrating empathy and providing immediate support to employees during a difficult and emotional time, as well as maintaining trust with its remaining staff and anyone looking to join the organization in the future. In this LinkedIn Live, Valerie Vadala, an experienced global talent acquisition leader who served in executive roles at Wells Fargo, Shutterstock, Invesco, OppenheimerFunds, Credit Suisse and Lehman Brothers, will be giving her take on this insensitive layoff trend. We'll be discussing the viral Cloudflare firing video and how companies could conduct themselves better during these layoffs!

Instead of shotgunning your resume out to employers, in this LinkedIn Live, I offer a more strategic approach to your job search, as spraying and praying will almost always backfire. You must have a daily system in place to be successful in your search.

With the best of intentions, people have been doling out really bad interview and career advice for years. Family and friends mean well, but they tend to offer career counseling without having an actual clue about the specific circumstances and nuances of the recipient's unique situation. In this LinkedIn Live, I will give examples of misguided career advice and explain why you should not follow it.

The majority of millionaires are self-made, and they have accumulated their wealth through a combination of hard work, education and investing. The sectors that produce America's wealthiest people include finance and investments. Despite the recent economic challenges, the U.S. economy has been growing steadily for years, creating new jobs and opportunities for people to earn more. The stock market was on a bull run for several years, which helped millionaires increase their wealth. A surge in entrepreneurship, including building tech startups, helped mint new millionaires. More people are getting college degrees, which is leading to higher-paying jobs and more opportunities for wealth accumulation.

Americans are becoming increasingly unhappy at work. BambooHR's recent report benchmarking employee happiness revealed that job satisfaction has declined at a rate 10 times faster than in the previous three years. Separately, Gallup's State of the Global Workplace 2023 Report found that most of the world's employees are quiet quitting, exhibiting record-high stress levels, and more than half of employees are actively or passively job-seeking. The convergence of financial turbulence, outdated management expectations and a lack of flexibility at work all contribute to declining employee satisfaction. The pandemic gave way to a reimagining of new possibilities for workers. As companies wrestle to adapt, it spotlights larger fundamental issues that have been present all along.

The New Year is a time for fresh starts and new beginnings. It's the perfect opportunity to take stock of your career and make some bold moves to reach your full potential. Reaching for ambitious career growth often requires calculated risk taking. While risky endeavors may flame out, they build invaluable resilience, while carrying career- changing rewards, if harnessed diligently. If you're looking to make it big in 2024, consider taking one or more of these audacious risks...

On Monday, both Spotify and Twilio announced plans to slash headcount at their respective companies. Cutting jobs around the holiday season is widely perceived as cold, brutal and lacking basic compassion. Workers are left jobless and without a steady paycheck. Instead of looking forward to some time to relax and enjoy being with their family and friends, the downsized employees must now scramble to write a résumé and seek new employment in a challenging environment for white-collar professionals. For some, it may mean fewer presents under the Christmas tree or opting out of holiday travel to visit family because it is no longer financially viable. In this LinkedIn Live, I will share with you what to do if you find yourself in this predicament this holiday season and how you can get a job quickly in the new year.

As the new year approaches, you ought to begin cultivating and growing your skill stack to stay ahead of the competition and be ready to take your career to the next level in 2024. Adding these top skills will be invaluable to your career and essential to navigating the workplace. Tune in to find out what they are!

If you are in the interview process, you will need to be prepared for a long slog. There will be times when a company strings you along, neglects to offer feedback and ghosts you. It may be cold comfort, but you are not the only one going through this, as it has become commonplace in today's labor market. In this LinkedIn Live, I share how you can mentally bounce back from the suckerpunch that is job interview rejection.

Presenteeism is referred to as the act of being physically at work, but not really there mentally. Although they show up physically, the employee is unable to fully perform their duties—due to illness, injury or other conditions—and are more likely to make mistakes. Resenteeism describes the act of staying in an unsatisfying job. A worker in those circumstances begins to actively resent their current workplace and often doesn't do a great job of hiding it. In this LinkedIn Live, I discuss how both trends are born out of the feeling of job insecurity and what to do if you fall in either category.

The "Zero F's Given" mindset refers to not caring about unimportant opinions, judgments or expectations from others. It's about focusing your mental and emotional energy on what truly matters to you and not wasting it on things that don't align with your priorities or values. In this LinkedIn Live, I will discuss how adopting this mindset can help in your career and life.

Fundamentally, luck arises when preparation meets opportunity. In this LinkedIn Live, Ruth Sternberg and I discuss how adopting this mindset can help in your career and life.

This is a season where it's socially acceptable to coast. Most people enjoy the holiday slowdown and pay scant attention to their jobs and careers. They put themselves on autopilot and glide through the end of the year. People who have achieved great success in their lives and careers look at the holiday season very differently. They recognize that there is still so much yet to accomplish. For them, there is enough time to take proactive steps to improve themselves and enhance their careers and lives.

You may think that a hiring manager just wants you to tout your work experience and education and list off your current responsibilities. However, to be successful in the job interview, you must bring so much more to the table. In this LinkedIn Live, we will get inside of the minds of hiring managers and I will divulge what they really want to hear from you in the interview process.

On both sides of the hiring equation, the inherent construct of the interview process lends itself to questionable actions. People tend to embellish things to either get a job or entice someone to accept a role. The more desperate a person is, the more they'll stretch the truth. Each party feels pressured to present themselves in the best possible light—even if it requires them to tell little white lies or omit certain facts during job interviews. In this LinkedIn Live, I will discuss how recruiters, hiring managers, HR and candidates play with the truth.

If you are considering a job switch or moving up the corporate ladder, start by thinking about your short and long-term career goals and what you want to achieve in the remaining months of 2023 and into the new year. In this LinkedIn Live, I will give you the tools to achieve those career goals, as we head into 2024.

The rise in incivility and bad behavior in the workplace has increased so dramatically. The #1 reason people leave their jobs is due to toxic workplace culture. More often than not, workplace bullies tend to be supervisors or managers. In this LinkedIn Live, I help identify the red flags that you are in an abusive work environment. I share what to do if you experience unrelenting acts of aggression, intimidation, humiliation or exclusion.

Gen-Z feels substantial anxiety and stress about jobs, long-term financial stability and major life steps, such as buying a home and starting a family. The current economy and job market are primary sources of uncertainty for this generation. For Gen-Z and parents of Gen-Zs, here's what you need to know...

When hiring professionals review résumés, they put the onus on job hunters to defend why they were out of work. This is one of the many unfair things job seekers must contend with. Instead of being understanding, hiring managers often raise concerns. Some will take a pass on the applicant and not bother to interview and delve deeper into why the person was out of work. If you've been searching for weeks or months without any meaningful interviews, taking a bridge job can be a practical and responsible decision for anyone who has lost their job and needs to generate income.

In this LinkedIn Live, Top Recruiting Voice Kelli Hrivnak and I discuss how to find, work with and leverage recruiters to help find a new job. We also debunk commonly held hiring myths.

Joel Lalgee partners with recruitment teams across the globe to help them find their voice in a crowded marketplace using social media. Joel and I discuss the creative strategies he imparts on recruiters and how that branding advice can translate to job seekers. We talk about how AI is impacting recruitment and how job hunters can navigate their search.

In this LinkedIn Live, I ask Top Brand Strategy Voice Kevin D. Turner all about the new, cool and interesting LinkedIn features that help people find new jobs, network and stay informed.

When you face challenges and uncertainty, there are two paths to take: one is letting yourself get overwhelmed with what's going on in the world, and the other option is to build and cultivate a success mindset with grit, determination and passion. Unrealistic internal expectations, financial pressures, excessive commitments and seasonal affective disorder can cause anxiety and stress. If you want to progress in your career, you have to continually challenge yourself and push forward. I will provide you with actionable advice to help you change course.

A person can regularly engage in self-sabotage and not recognize the self-inflicted damage they are causing. When it comes to the job search, after continually interviewing with several companies and not receiving any offers, it may be time to take a step back and assess the situation. While most people find fault with the company for requiring too much from an applicant, it is also possible that the job hunter needs to take a good hard look at how they come across in the interview process. You can turn things around by self-reflecting, being honest with yourself, acknowledging your weak points, working to improve upon them and being open to feedback and constructive criticism.

Recruiters are a lot like talent agents. They are able to get your résumé to the right person's desk. The search professional will know the industry, company rankings, the hiring managers, interviewers and human resources professionals. They'll have a strong understanding of the corporate culture, what companies look for in an applicant, title structure and compensation levels. The recruiter can offer color to the people you are meeting with, obtain critical feedback and constructive criticisms and gently pressure the hiring managers to choose their client. A big key is that they'll be your advocate when it comes time to negotiate a compensation package. Since recruiters can play a vital role in securing a new job, I will share everything you need to know about working with one.

Workers are feeling exhausted and burned out. The lack of job security, concerns over finances, dealing with toxic co-workers and bosses, long working hours, disrupted remote and hybrid work routines and blurred work-life boundaries lead to stress and anxiety. This causes workers to feel exhausted, tired and worn out. It is crucial to be aware of the symptoms of exhaustion, so you can immediately address and rectify the situation before it leads to chronic, long-term issues. In this LinkedIn Live, we will talk warning signs and what you can do about it.

Since companies frequently ask the same interview questions, it puts the job hunter in an advantageous position. By anticipating and practicing answering these commonly asked questions, your preparedness and well-thought-out answers will help you shine in the interview. In this LinkedIn Live, I will share with you tips and strategies for answering the following interview questions: ✅ Tell me about yourself. ✅ Why are you interested in this position? ✅ Can you explain this gap in your resume? ✅ What is your greatest strength/weakness? ✅ Why should we hire you? ✅ Do you have any questions for me?

Senior workers are experiencing the juniorization of jobs, erosion of middle management, relocation of jobs to lower-cost locations and an unconscious bias in the hiring process. In this LinkedIn Live, I am joined by Manny Rivera, an accomplished CMO, who has worked at big companies like Salesforce, Aon, AstraZeneca, PepsiCo, Kodak and Coca-Cola, to discuss how older workers are facing ageism and being pushed out of the job market.

Heading into a job interview is an important and stressful event. Even if you are the best at what you do, you cannot waltz into an interview without being prepared. In this LinkedIn Live, I share tips and strategies on how you can stand out and win the job interview.

American families face a confluence of financial challenges, including high inflation, escalating costs and mortgage rates that make it nearly impossible for young families to purchase a home. To make matters worse, an abrupt job loss could lead to a financial doom spiral. In economics, a doom loop describes a situation in which one negative economic condition catalyzes another negative condition, creating a third negative condition or reinforcing the first, resulting in a downward spiral.

Losing one's job can be an extremely difficult and emotionally taxing experience for many people. It can impact nearly all aspects of life. A downsized person can go through the gamut of emotions—shock, disbelief, sadness and anger. For those lacking a financial safety net, the job loss can be traumatic for the impacted person and their family. In this LinkedIn Live, Wendy Turner-Williams, the former chief data and artificial intelligence officer at Tableau, breaks the taboo of talking about long-term unemployment. Although she had a C-suite title, she did not find herself with a golden parachute. Turner-Williams, the sole provider for her family, is taking things into her own hands by building a startup company called TheAssociation.AI.

If you are a job seeker who has been through the painstaking process of interviewing lately and are wondering why it is taking SOOOOOOOOOOOO long, we have got the answers for you!

Topic #1: It's prudent for businesses to continue the hiring and interview process during the holiday season. Job seekers can also take advantage of the fact that there will be less competition for employment during this time. Topic #2:The battle over return-to-office mandates has been waging for a while. As a sign of discontent and protest, some employees, like the trends of quiet quitting, acting their wage or Bare Minimum Mondays, have started “coffee badging.” This new workplace trend has emerged as a way for employees to meet their required in-office attendance policies, but avoid spending too much time there. Tune in to see how this can end badly for workers.

Americans are dealing with a multitude of difficulties: high inflation, rising costs of everything and mortgage rates that are at a level that make it nearly impossible for young people to purchase a home. In the current labor market, finding a new job is difficult, if you're a mid to senior-level professional. Additionally, the upcoming holiday season is notorious for a slowdown in hiring for this cohort. There's a white-collar "richcession." Families are maxing out their credit cards and digging into their retirement funds to afford household expenses and enjoy one-in-a-lifetime experiences. The nation remains divided over politics. In this LinkedIn Live, we will focus on actively countering your anxious thoughts by managing what is in your control.

Employers are often reluctant to fire workers. They need to offer severance packages and risk having the employee accuse the company of discrimination or prejudice for letting them go. It's among the worst, most uncomfortable tasks for a human resources professional or manager. Supervisors may want to avoid conflict with employees. Nudging them to leave of their own volition can be a way for companies to manage their workforce and reduce costs. In behavioral economics, a “nudge” is a gentle prompt that influences people's behavior. It refers to how HR and business leaders can use gentle cues to encourage employees to behave in a specific manner—like investing in their pension, exceeding deadlines, participating in feedback surveys or pushing a worker out the door.

Benjamin Mena is a Cyber Security and Data Science recruiter that works to find talent with a high level of expertise, specialization and security clearance in sectors like aerospace, defense and intelligence for government contracts. In this LinkedIn Live, Ben and I will explore the “cleared space.” He will share strategies on how candidates can stand out among their competition and how content creation can help position you as an authority in your field.

In this LinkedIn Live, Jennifer Widerberg, a financial services technical recruiter, shares strategies to help you become successful in your job search. She speaks to the importance of career design—building a talent stack, which is a collection of skills that complement each other rather than a specialization in one skill. This is especially critical when market conditions push you toward a career pivot. The talent stack approach serves both job seekers and those that choose to go the solopreneur route.

Dr. Kyle Elliott is a tech career and interview coach, and has become a trusted confidant to Silicon's Valley top talent. In this LinkedIn Live, Kyle and I discuss how to land a job in tech by identifying and owning what makes you "fabulous." We tackle how you can maintain your mental health throughout the job search and how to overcome self-limiting beliefs.