Offer Accepted

Hiring is one of the biggest responsibilities founders face in the early stages, and closing the right candidates can make or break your company’s trajectory. Harriet Walker , Head of Talent at SuperSeed VC , joins Shannon to share her Five Cs of Closing framework: Clarity, Credibility, Connection, Continuity, and Commitment. She highlights why closing is a discipline that begins from the first ca...

Candidate fraud isn’t just a recruiting problem. It’s a company-wide risk, too. Ari Garcia , Global Recruiting Operations Lead at Quora , joins Shannon to break down how hiring teams can partner with security, leadership, and with tools like Ashby to address fraud without compromising the candidate experience. With nearly six years at Quora, Ari brings a systems-focused lens to solving cross-funct...

Hiring plans rarely survive first contact with reality. So how do you lead when half your headcount is unplanned? Tommy Hansen , Head of Recruiting at Juniper Square , joins Shannon to share how his small team hired over 300 people in a year—despite 40–60% of those roles being unplanned. He explains how redefining “planned” vs. “unplanned” headcount changed how recruiting partnered with the busine...

What shifts when recruiting leaders show up as business leaders first? Adam Ward , Founding Partner at Growth by Design Talent , joins Shannon to explore how recruiting teams can evolve from service providers to trusted advisors. With a background leading talent at Facebook, Qualcomm, and Pinterest through massive growth, Adam shows what stakeholder engagement looks like when done well. He outline...

Hiring the right people can feel like a guessing game if your process isn’t structured. Heather Doshay , Partner & Head of Talent at SignalFire , joins Shannon to explore the impact of structured interviews on hiring outcomes. She explains how unstructured interviews often lead to bias and why creating a consistent, repeatable process is essential for building high-performing teams. Heather ou...

Ashby’s $50M Series D marks a shift in how the company is thinking about product, customers, and the future of recruiting. In this episode, CEO Benji Encz returns to share what led to Ashby’s latest milestone. He and Shannon talk about the strategic timing of the fundraise, the growing role of AI in recruiting, and how to balance tech with a human touch. They also unpack why quality of hire matter...

How does internal mobility impact employee experience? Dr. Kalifa Oliver , Global Director in Employee Experience (EX) Analytics Strategy at Ford , joins Shannon to discuss how internal mobility influences not just hiring efficiency but long-term culture building. With a background in neuropsychology and people experience at Ford, Dr. Kalifa brings valuable insights into the intersection of talent...

The belief that great candidates don’t apply online still runs deep, but it’s outdated. Jim Miller , VP of People and Talent at Ashby and former recruiting leader at Google and FullStory, sits down with Shannon to unpack what really makes a high-performing hiring strategy today. From his early days building sourcing teams to overseeing millions of inbound applications, Jim shares how experimentati...

The reason your best candidates aren’t getting hired is because your team isn’t aligned. Maria Fernanda , Senior Technical Recruiter, with past experience at Twilio and Brunel, joins Shannon to talk about the hidden costs of misalignment between recruiters and hiring managers. With experience leading global teams and building internal tools, Maria breaks down how trust and clarity change hiring ou...

Building talent programs that actually work requires co-creating with the business. Blair Bennett , SVP of Global Talent Acquisition at PepsiCo , joins Shannon to share how her team approaches large-scale recruiting strategy with intention and collaboration.  She walks through the process of building a global interview framework, explains why involving stakeholders early creates better outcomes, a...

What if your hiring process worked better because it trusted people more? Mike Joyner , Founding Partner at Growth by Design Talent , sits down with Shannon on the first episode of Offer Accepted Live to discuss what recruiting looks like in an AI-powered, resource-tight environment. With experience building teams at Apple, Facebook, and Pinterest, Mike brings a real-world view on how talent teams...

What if your recruiting framework actually helped you close more offers? Bryan Power , Chief People Officer at Nextdoor , joins Shannon to unpack the practical strategy behind their AAA approach to recruiting. With over 20 years of experience leading teams at companies like Yahoo and Block, Bryan brings a clear, structured lens to the chaos of hiring. He outlines the AAA framework on how attractio...

Can talent leaders establish themselves as essential players in headcount planning? Mario Espindola, Senior Director of Talent Operations at SignalFire, shares his insights with Shannon Ogborn on how talent acquisition can secure a seat at the decision-making table. They discuss how understanding business metrics and collaborating with finance can improve efficiency and drive better outcomes. To l...

What if hiring projects could actually improve the candidate experience? Hebba Youssef , CPO at Workweek and Creator of I Hate It Here , is known for her sharp takes on modern HR, and this conversation is no exception. With Shannon, she discusses how thoughtful, well-structured projects can lead to better hiring outcomes, more equitable processes, and clearer expectations for both candidates and h...

What should a newly-hired talent leader focus on in their first 100 days? Jeff Winter , VP of Talent Acquisition at Grammarly , has spent decades helping companies scale. As the first recruiter at Chime, he helped grow the team from 100 to 1,500 employees—experience that shaped his approach to stepping into leadership roles with impact. In this conversation with Shannon, Jeff shares how new TA lea...

What if you could hire faster and make better hiring decisions? Anna Hall , Lead GTM Recruiter at Ashby , has spent over a decade in talent acquisition, refining data-driven hiring strategies that help teams scale efficiently. At Ashby, she’s built a structured approach that enables hiring managers to make faster, more confident decisions—without sacrificing candidate experience. In this conversat...

How is AI reshaping recruiting, and where does the human element fit in? Jan Tegze , Director of Talent Acquisition and a multi-time published author, shares his insights on the evolving world of talent acquisition in the age of AI. With over 20 years of experience, Jan shares how AI tools boost recruiting efficiency while preserving the human touch essential for long-term success. In this convers...

A strong EVP is the cornerstone of hiring success and retention. In this episode, Cara Brennan Allamano , Co-founder of PeopleTech Partners , shares how to craft an EVP that not only attracts the right talent but also aligns your team around a shared vision. She shares a data-driven approach—asking employees why they joined, why they stay, and what keeps them motivated—to build an EVP that reflect...

Every touchpoint with a candidate, even a rejection, is an opportunity to foster engagement and connection. In this conversation with Shannon, Selcan Sengul , Senior Director of Talent & People Operations at Taxfix , shares how her team revamped their approach to candidate communication. She talks about human-centered recruiting, from personalized rejection templates to aligning with DEI goals...

How do you balance data-driven recruiting with a deeply human approach to hiring? José Benitez Cong , CPO at Humane , shares his perspective on balancing the art and science of recruiting, showcasing how the right mix of data, AI, and personal connection can transform hiring into a long-term strategic advantage. In this conversation with Shannon, José discusses moving beyond transactional recruiti...

How can transparency in hiring transform your talent acquisition strategy and build trust across your organization? Leah Knobler , VP of People at Help Scout , joins host Shannon Ogborn to share how her team reimagined recruiting through hiring summaries. It’s an approach that breaks down how decisions are made, celebrates wins, and uncovers areas for growth. Leah discusses how intentional practic...

How can recruiters keep up in an AI-driven hiring world where technical interviews face challenges like cheating using ChatGPT? Aline Lerner , Founder & CEO of interviewing.io , and Michael Mroczka , Software Engineer and Dedicated Coaching Interviewer, explore the evolving world of recruiting and the surprising implications of AI tools like ChatGPT on technical hiring. In this conversation wi...

How can recruiters make hiring feel seamless and human—especially when resources are stretched thin? Mike Peditto , Director of Talent at Teal , discusses rehumanizing recruiting by putting candidates first—even in a resource-strapped hiring landscape.  In this conversation with Shannon, Mike explains why providing interview questions upfront is a game-changer for candidate experience, creating tr...

How do you align hiring expectations in a competitive market?  Nate Wylie , Recruitment Leader formerly at Lyft , shares his insights on how to balance pursuing A+ candidates while maintaining practical recruiting strategies.  In his conversation with Shanon, Nate emphasizes the importance of screening candidates in rather than out . This means focusing on the value they bring instead of finding r...

How can you maintain hiring momentum when demand fluctuates? Becky McCullough, VP of Talent Acquisition and Mobility at HubSpot , shares her approach to building proactive talent pools that keep hiring agile and responsive. In her conversation with Shannon, Becky explains how creating “talent-ready” pools enables her team to reduce time-to-fill for high-demand roles, even when immediate openings a...