The Hiring Confessional

Most job seekers think sending more applications is the answer. Hiring experts say otherwise. In this episode of The Hiring Confessional , Michael Hayes sits down with Grand Canyon University students Kaitlyn Anderson and McKenna Martin to discuss what today's graduates are experiencing in the job market—and what employers actually want. From networking and internships to LinkedIn, AI, commun...

From British Army to 150 Employees: The Leadership Rules That Built Air2O What does it take to build a high-performance manufacturing company? In this episode of The Hiring Confessional, Michael Hayes sits down with Tom Sullivan, Co-Founder and COO of Air2O, to discuss leadership, hiring, manufacturing growth, company culture, and the lessons he brought from the British Army into business. Tom sha...

🎙️ In this episode of The Hiring Confessional, Michael Hayes sits down with media entrepreneur, broadcaster, and podcast pioneer Dave Pratt. Dave shares why he left traditional radio before its decline, how he built Star Worldwide Networks, and what employers should really look for when hiring talent. The conversation covers networking, company culture, podcasting, AI, personal branding, leadershi...

In this episode of The Hiring Confessional, Expert Recruiter Michael Hayes sits down with Alan Saquella — Professor, Director of Investigations, Consultant, and deception detection expert with more than 30 years of experience in investigations, workplace security, fraud prevention, and interviewing techniques. Together, they discuss: • How investigators detect deception • Body language and behavio...

Why You’re NOT Getting Hired (From a Recruiter Who Sees Everything) If you're applying for jobs and not getting callbacks, you're probably making these mistakes. In this episode of The Hiring Confessional, recruiting expert Michael Hayes sits down with recruiter Michael Bassett to break down what actually happens behind the scenes in hiring—from resumes and interviews to AI, and why cand...

What if your job was to walk into situations most people can’t even imagine? In this episode of Hiring Confessional, Michael Hayes, recruiting expert and founder of Momentum Hiring Solutions, sat down with Leanne Lesaffre, owner of T.A.C.T. (Trauma and Casualty Team), to talk about a side of work—and life—that rarely gets discussed. From handling extreme environments to working with people on thei...

Why do companies still make bad hires — even after multiple interviews, background checks, and long hiring processes? In this episode of The Hiring Confessional, Michael Hayes sits down with Russ Law, co-founder and CEO of Verensics, to unpack what most employers, recruiters, and hiring managers still get wrong when it comes to hiring, interviewing, and employee risk. Russ explains why resumes, re...

In this candid and practical episode, Michael Hayes sits down with Seann Richardson of Ascentria Search Partners, a national executive search firm specializing in accounting, finance, and C-suite placements. Together, they unpack what’s really happening in today’s hiring market — from AI-written resumes to the subtle interview mistakes that quietly cost candidates the job. 🤖 AI & Hiring They...

Today I’m sitting down with Linda Williams — a longtime Phoenix news anchor who spent decades telling the stories behind Arizona’s businesses and workforce. Now we’re flipping the mic to talk about what really goes on behind the scenes when it comes to hiring, leadership, and the people side of business.