Adam Gellert, founder of Linkus Group and the talent marketplace Hipo (previously HiredHippo), joins us to share insights from his two decades in the recruiting space. With a mission to build the greatest marketplace of pre-vetted diverse, high-potential candidates, Adam is reshaping the job application process with a focus on candidate experience. His expertise spans from helping startups hire their first employee to supporting companies scaling to 250+ people.
In this eye-opening conversation, Adam reveals why speed is the biggest hiring mistake companies make, explaining how rushing to fill positions without proper planning leads to poor outcomes. He challenges conventional hiring wisdom, arguing that recruiting is about getting "the best possible person, in the fastest amount of time, for the lowest cost" - and that companies don't need to compromise on any of these factors when they plan properly. Adam discusses how unconscious biases prevent organizations from recognizing great talent, and explains why the future of recruiting will be less about sourcing and more about consulting on fit and retention.
Adam shares compelling insights about surprising hires that defied conventional expectations, including candidates who started at $70K salaries and eventually commanded $500K. This episode challenges listeners to reconsider their hiring processes, recognize the limitations of what "looks good on paper," and embrace a more nuanced approach to identifying high-potential talent that can transform organizations.

Resources Mentioned

• Adam's Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamgellert
• Linkus Group: https://www.linkusgroup.com - Recruiting agency for hard-to-fill roles
• Hipo: https://hirehipo.com - Talent marketplace for high-potential candidates

Show Resources

• CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
• Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
• Connect with the Hosts:
  • Andrew "Woody" Wood: linkedin.com/in/andrew-douglas-wood
  • Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan

In this provocative episode of 'Looks Good on Paper,' hosts Woody and Anita explore the demise of the traditional job advertisement with Christine Spagnuolo, founder of The Sorelle Group and a veteran headhunter with 18 years of experience. Christine boldly declares job ads a "waste of time" and "outdated, broken system," explaining why she hasn't posted one in over a decade.

Christine dismantles the "post and pray" approach, revealing how it creates fatigue for both employers and candidates, especially in today's world where AI generates both job descriptions and applications. She argues that truly exceptional talent isn't browsing job boards - they must be directly pursued. The conversation delves into why internal recruitment teams struggle compared to agency headhunters, and makes a compelling case for commission-based incentives in corporate recruiting.

The discussion exposes hidden biases in hiring processes, with Christine sharing memorable career stories - including placing identical twins without interviews and seeing her first-ever placement climb to department head at Ferrero Rocher. The episode concludes with Christine's forward-thinking perspective that relationships and personal endorsements are already replacing CVs in progressive industries, particularly in tech startups where her recommendations alone secure interviews without traditional resumes.

Resources Mentioned

• Christine Spagnuolo: linkedin.com/in/christinespagnuolo - Senior recruitment consultant with 10+ years experience helping companies focus on skills and potential rather than traditional CVs.
• The Sorelle Group: thesorellegroup.com - Boutique recruitment consultancy specializing in relationship-based talent sourcing across North America, the Caribbean, and Hong Kong.

Show Resources

• CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
• Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
• Connect with the Hosts:
  • Andrew "Woody" Wood: linkedin.com/in/andrew-douglas-wood
  • Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan

We sit down with Martin Hauck, a fractional HR consultant at the Purple Umbrella and the founder of the People People Group, a community of 5,000+ HR, recruitment, and operations professionals across North America. Martin brings his extensive experience in reimagining recruitment processes and building supportive HR communities.

In this episode, we explore why traditional hiring practices often fail and how companies can make meaningful improvements to their recruitment strategies. Martin shares insights on why companies keep making the same hiring mistakes even when they clearly aren't working, and how inherited bad habits perpetuate throughout organizations.

We discuss the critical importance of auditing and modernizing hiring approaches, the hidden biases that even progressive companies unknowingly harbor, and the revolutionary concept of treating candidates as customers. Martin highlights the Virgin Media case study, where poor candidate experience cost the company millions annually, and shares practical strategies for creating more thoughtful, structured, and candidate-centered recruitment processes that pay dividends in the long term.

Resources Mentioned

• Virgin Media Case Study: How poor candidate experience cost Virgin Media £4.4 million ($5.4 million) annually and the steps they took to turn it around.

Connect with Martin Hauck

• LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/martinhauck
• Podcast: From A People Perspective - Martin's podcast about fascinating professionals in HR and recruitment
• Community: The People People Group - A 5,000+ member community for HR, recruitment, and operations professionals
• Company: Purple Umbrella - A fractional HR and recruitment consultancy

Show Resources

• CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
• Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
• Connect with the Hosts:
  • Andrew "Woody" Wood: linkedin.com/in/andrew-douglas-wood
  • Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan