Rehumanizing Recruiting
About this Episode
In this episode, Mike Peditto, Director of Talent at Teal, discusses how recruiters can rehumanize the hiring process by focusing on candidate-first practices like sharing interview questions upfront and providing personalized rejections. Drawing from his experience in both recruiting and job seeking, Mike explains how transparency fosters trust, improves efficiency, and creates a smoother experience for both candidates and hiring teams.
We explore how his team integrates practices like paid work trials, gestures of goodwill for non-selected candidates, and structured interview scorecards to balance efficiency with empathy. Mike’s insights offer practical strategies to empower candidates, strengthen hiring team alignment, and improve morale in today’s resource-strapped recruiting landscape.
Topics
This Episode's Guest
Mike Peditto
Director of Talent @ Teal
Mike Peditto is the Director of Talent at Teal, where he focuses on building transparent and human-centered hiring processes that align with Teal’s mission of empowering people in their careers. With over a decade of recruiting experience, Mike combines his expertise with his passion for bridging the gap between job seekers and recruiters through innovative strategies and social media advocacy.
Takeaway 1
Share Interview Questions in Advance 🔍
Mike's approach to transparency starts with providing candidates with interview questions upfront. This approach not only reduces anxiety but also builds trust, allowing candidates to engage in more meaningful conversations.
Why It Matters:
Recruitment isn’t a “gotcha” process — it’s a collaborative effort to identify the best fit. By creating an environment where candidates feel prepared, organizations can foster a smoother and more productive hiring experience.
Quick Tips:
- Send interview questions in advance for predictable stages of the hiring process: Start with recruiter screens and values interviews, where the questions remain consistent, and extend the practice to other stages when possible. This transparency sets clear expectations and reduces stress.
- Educate hiring managers on the value of transparency: When introducing this practice, define its intention: It’s about empowering candidates, not giving them an unfair advantage. Emphasize that prepared candidates reflect real-world performance.
- Iterate and refine your questions: Review your interview process regularly to ensure the questions are effective in predicting success for each role. Adjust and improve based on hiring outcomes and feedback.
Takeaway 2
Rehumanize Recruiting with Paid Work Trials 🤝
Candidates aren’t just resumes, they’re people. Mike discussed how maintaining a personal touch, even in resource-strapped environments, can improve satisfaction and strengthen employer branding.
Why It Matters:
By prioritizing human connections, recruiters can create a process that candidates remember positively — whether or not they’re hired. This focus on relationships contributes to long-term recruitment success.
Quick Tips:
- Integrate paid work trials as part of your hiring process: Mike shared that Teal uses paid work trials to provide candidates with realistic challenges while offering insights into their capabilities. These trials allow companies to evaluate candidates in real-world conditions and give candidates a positive, transparent experience with the organization.
- Reintroduce humanity into recruiting touchpoints: Avoid ghosting and generic rejections by offering thoughtful communication that acknowledges candidates' effort. Personalized follow-ups and gestures of goodwill, like free access to tools or resources (e.g., Teal Plus), show that you value candidates as individuals, even if they’re not selected.
- Create meaningful candidate experiences through transparency: Practices like sharing interview questions upfront and setting clear expectations help candidates feel prepared and respected, building trust and reducing the anxiety often associated with hiring processes.
Takeaway 3
Make Recruiting a Team Sport 🏆
Mike highlighted the importance of aligning with hiring managers and leadership to create an efficient, transparent hiring process. This collaboration ensures everyone benefits, from the candidates to the internal team.
Why It Matters:
Recruiting doesn’t happen in isolation. Strong partnerships with hiring teams lead to better decision-making and a smoother experience for candidates.
Quick Tips:
- Align on expectations early: Use kickoff meetings to discuss role requirements, define success metrics, and create structured interview scorecards. Ensure everyone is on the same page before engaging candidates.
- Secure leadership buy-in for key practices: For example, if sharing interview questions upfront is a goal, work with leaders to model this transparency and communicate its value to hiring managers.
- Support hiring managers through structured processes: Empower managers with templates for interview questions and clear workflows. Provide training on how to dig deeper into responses while respecting the candidate’s preparation.
What Hiring Excellence Means to Mike
For Mike, hiring excellence is about creating a seamless process where all parties — candidates, recruiters, and hiring managers — feel supported. “Excellence is when everyone involved thinks it was easier than it was,” he shared. By focusing on the behind-the-scenes work to make things smooth, recruiters can deliver outstanding outcomes.
Mike's Recruiting Hot Take
The hiring process isn’t broken. Instead, the challenges come from external factors like limited resources and increased job seeker stress. Mike advocates for addressing these external pressures with creativity and empathy to navigate today’s complex hiring landscape.
Timestamps
(00:00) Introduction
(05:46) Common challenges in talent acquisition
(10:20) The importance of humanizing recruiting
(14:02) Why transparency in the hiring process matters
(18:30) Balancing efficiency and human touch in recruiting
(22:15) The pros and cons of sending interview questions in advance
(27:48) Implementing paid work trials for better candidate fit
(31:55) How to handle pushback from hiring managers
(36:20) Building strong candidate relationships for long-term success
(40:15) Why the hiring process is misunderstood
(44:50) Advice on achieving hiring excellence
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