The Curious Recruiter

22/07/2023

This week was an intense one at the Berlin HelloFresh HQ!

We had another glorious office-cooked Team Breakfast, a fun team building activity, our Talent, Mobility and Rewards All Hands and… we also hosted a very special TA event.

You may have heard all about it last week already, especially if you’re close to the Berlin TA Scene. At the risk of repeating the countless LinkedIn posts that have already been authored about it, I still wanted to share with you what an inspiring event it had been!

I was actually honored to be one of the “keynote speakers” amongst fellow speakers and panelists Soeren Winter, Hung Lee, Yasar Ahmad, [Tamara Rose Morales](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAbS6WcB2JXzoHYxE9-eWONrcawt_KbfRYE), [Viktoria Korzhova, PhD](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAAAnnd_oB_Qg1_nlu74tPkFTh8nXFoBCPars) and [Julie Ngoya Tshidibu](https://www.linkedin.com/in/ACoAABLoCjkBnVTW5YBagUd6qIIod66J5y-DCAc).

Our HelloFresh event space was packed and buzzing! The talks and panel were extremely insightful and focused on the future of TA, and on focus on building meaningful relationships and communities. And so was the networking portion of the event!

What I enjoyed the most this evening (apart from meeting Lotti) were the energizing conversations I had, and the many connections I made. It was a vibrant potluck of Berlin’s finest TA experts and it was so incredibly humbling to witness the power of networking in real-life.

Fun fact: we had to shoo people out when it was time to close up shop around past 11pm. After all, our events team was already preparing for another event the day after.

So all in all, I think it was an immense success.

😉 When’s the next one?

14/09/2021

And here I was, thinking that I was pretty good at productivity, and that my work experience of 10 years had allowed me to establish some stellar ways of working... But then (plot twist!), when I joined the startup life 4 months ago, I realized that there were still plenty of opportunities to take my productivity skills up a notch....

And here I was, thinking that I was pretty good at productivity, and that my work experience of 10 years had allowed me to establish some stellar ways of working… But then (plot twist!), when I joined the startup life 4 months ago, I realized that there were still plenty of opportunities to take m...

29/06/2021

As a practical follow-up to my very first episode on how to answer Behavioural Interview Questions (and nail pretty much any interview), I thought I’d bring up some additional “Interview Prep 101” pointers. Because preparing for your interview from a content perspective is extremely important, but understanding interview etiquette and avoiding some blatant faux-pas is just as crucial. Listen in to find out what top mistakes you’ll definitely want to avoid when going into any kind of interview, and of course I’ll also dish out some tips on what you can do to shine....

As a practical follow-up to my very first episode on how to answer Behavioural Interview Questions (and nail pretty much any interview), I thought I’d bring up some additional “Interview Prep 101” pointers. Because preparing for your interview from a content perspective is extremely important,...

07/06/2021

Feedback - feedback everywhere! Most companies these days are all about the fast feedback culture. There’s many reasons why - mostly because instant, situational and well-delivered feedback is helping individuals to grow, develop and learn from their mistakes. In order to foster this feedback culture, many organizations make a point to teach employees the art of giving feedback. However, we’re not putting enough emphasis on how to actually receive feedback!...

Feedback – feedback everywhere! Most companies these days are all about the fast feedback culture. There’s many reasons why – mostly because instant, situational and well-delivered feedback is helping individuals to grow, develop and learn from their mistakes. In order to foster this feedback ...

04/05/2021

Pre-Screens (also known as Screening Calls or Introductory Conversations) are the first touch-point between a candidate and a recruiter, and they are a crucial step to select the best candidates for any given role. The more efficient your pre-screen technique, the more efficient your filtering is. And the better you filter, the better your funnel ratios become - which saves your hiring manager a lot of time on the interviewing front!...

Pre-Screens (also known as Screening Calls or Introductory Conversations) are the first touch-point between a candidate and a recruiter, and they are a crucial step to select the best candidates for any given role. The more efficient your pre-screen technique, the more efficient your filtering is. A...

20/04/2021

Whenever there’s a talk about and , there’s almost always a talk about wanting to get that next-level , the fancy and/or becoming a . And according to where one stands in their career path, those are absolutely fair aspirations.

However, while we’re always hustling to climb that , we sometimes forget to check ourselves and to evaluate if those targets are actually compatible with who we are, how we’re doing and which environment we’re in.

If promotion, bigger title, and/or are on your radar, then let this episode be your reality check. Are you set on those goals for the right reasons, and are you approaching them the right way?

Let’s explore some unfiltered truths around those themes - from the potential trap of acting too entitled, to the reality of being trapped in an environment that doesn’t actually allow you to shine and grow - and of course, we’ll touch on how to best achieve whatever you set yourself!

Whenever there’s a talk about professional growth and development, there’s almost always a talk about wanting to get that next-level promotion, the fancy title and/or becoming a manager. And according to where one stands in their career path, those are absolutely fair aspirations. However, while...

13/04/2021

This week’s podcast guest, Anna Stimamiglio, is - like many other previous guests - a friend and former colleague I met at Amazon. She is a recruiting professional who - to date - has worked in no less than 3 countries, and is about to conquer her 4th country, after having recently moved from Canada to Switzerland for a role with Deloitte. In less than 5 years, she has had a taste of many working environments from start-up to big corporates, and also explored many different types of recruiting.

However, Anna's path also surprises by her truly remarkable ability to deal with , such as having to go through the unnerving motions of a company ; or having to question the sustainability of working for a company that isn’t doing well financially. And finally: gaining back the courage to tell your professional story with .

So if you can relate to the fact that (work-)life is not just rainbows and butterflies but oftentimes includes challenges and , have a listen to Anna’s unfiltered and super inspiring recount of her experience in Recruiting!

This week’s podcast guest, Anna Stimamiglio, is – like many other previous guests – a friend and former colleague I met at Amazon. She is a recruiting professional who – to date – has worked in no less than 3 countries, and is about to conquer her 4th country, after having recently moved f...

30/03/2021

When I joined Facebook a couple of years ago, I first found it rather funny that recruiters would refer to as “candidate break-ups”. But come to think of it – it’s very fitting, and acknowledges the fact that every candidate involves feelings. Therefore, “break-ups” need to be handled with care and courtesy, and without !

So in this podcast episode, we’ll explore both sides of the story. First we’ll talk about what it’s like to be a candidate who is on the receiving end of a rejection. What should you expect from your recruiter in terms of ? How should you behave, and what should you avoid? And last but not least, we will cover how you can move on from the of being from a you were really excited about.

And if you are a recruiter who is looking for additional tips on how to best deal with the unavoidable task of rejecting your candidates in the most courteous fashion, then I’ll have you covered as well. So get your kleenexes ready as we will dive deep into the anatomy of breakup!

When I joined Facebook a couple of years ago, I first found it rather funny that recruiters would refer to candidate rejections as “candidate break-ups”. But come to think of it – it’s very fitting, and acknowledges the fact that every candidate rejection involves feelings. Therefore, “bre...

23/03/2021

I love nothing more than to exchange with people who are equally as passionate about the world of talent acquisition as I am. So for this episode, I am thrilled to welcome guest speaker Roman Zhilyakov, who is a Senior at Facebook Israel. His job involves finding and approaching passive senior across very niche pipelines such as , , or .

He is literally one of the best I know and had the pleasure of working with! And given that you guys really took interest in the Sourcing vs. Recruiting Episode, it was only natural for me to invite him to talk about his day-to-day!

We’ll talk about Roman’s career and also about what it’s like to be a niche sourcer in a big tech company. He’ll also talk us through how he sets himself up for success at the beginning of a new search, and how he owns and troubleshoots his .

And beware: Roman is one hecking creative sourcer! So be prepared to hear about a bunch of nifty sourcing tricks and funny sourcing anecdotes!

I love nothing more than to exchange with people who are equally as passionate about the world of talent acquisition as I am. So for this episode, I am especially thrilled to welcome guest speaker Roman Zhilyakov, who is a Senior Technical Sourcer at Facebook Israel. His job involves finding and app...

16/03/2021

Here’s a little (not so secret) secret of mine: preparation is half the battle won.

One ultra-essential part of your preparation as recruiter, when kicking off your should include driving your own understanding of your .

In other words: where are you going to start searching for viable talent?

In order to drive this understanding in an organized fashion, my absolute favorite thing to do is to draft a Company (or Industry Target List). This helps me lay the foundation of my sourcing strategy, and helps me do my market mapping in a methodical way. Target Lists are basically pieces of than can be used and re-used over time, so it’s never wasted to work on one!

If you want to know what the fuss around Target Lists is all about, how to create one, and also how to use it to earn trust with your business stakeholders – have a listen!

🎧 Head on over to podcast.thecuriousrecruiter.com

In Episode 13 about Briefing Meetings, I let you in on a little (not so secret) secret of mine: preparation is half the battle. One ultra-essential part of this preparation when kicking off your recruitment process should include driving your own understanding of your target universe. In other words...

02/03/2021

In a society where humility is mostly key, and where most corporate cultures tend to overindex on their employees’ development areas and shortcomings, becomes harder and harder. It’s especially difficult considering that the nature of the brain has a preference for remembering the bad things over the good ones…

When all of this culminates, some of us are prone to experiencing extreme and the feeling of utter incompetence. This phenomenon has been coined as the by researchers in 1978 and has been studied ever since.

What sounds like a bad ailment is fortunately just a counter-productive . In other words: it’s a mindset that can be changed! In today’s episode I’d like to propose 3 easy tips to help you with restoring your self-confidence and overcoming Impostor Syndrome.

🎧 Head on over to podcast.thecuriousrecruiter.com

In a society where humility is mostly key, and where most corporate cultures tend to overindex on their employees’ development areas and shortcomings, celebrating successes becomes harder and harder. It’s especially difficult considering that the nature of the brain has a preference for remember...

23/02/2021

Personally, I could spend hours (!) talking about the all the right ways to unearth talent as a corporate recruiter, or about how to best approach candidates, and how to get them sold on a new job opportunity. But all this technical know-how wouldn’t even mean a thing to the best talent hunter on the planet if they don’t really know what profile they are looking for and if the of the role they are hiring for is unclear.

Whether you are a recruiter or a hiring manager – both experienced or new to hiring – you must understand that preparation is half the battle. And there’s nothing better for kicking off a successful recruiting process than a state-of-the-art (aka: or ). This will clearly determine the organization’s setup and , and help you establish a strong (and ) from the get-go.

So to find out exactly how to set the foundations for any upcoming , and how to structure a good intake meeting, just give this new episode a go!

Personally, I could spend hours talking about the all the right ways to unearth talent as a corporate recruiter, or about how to best approach candidates, and how to get them sold on a new job opportunity. But all this technical know-how wouldn’t even mean a thing to the best talent hunter on the ...