This week on The Chad and Cheese Podcast: It's a world of layoffs, aliens, and bad burgers as Chad brags about sunny Portugal while Joel freezes in the Midwest. From AI pimps hustling Instagram to job board dinosaurs facing extinction, the duo dives into an Acquisition Palooza that proves even startups can have a midlife crisis. Plus, they tackle the age-old question: How much Shake Shack can you eat at 30,000 feet? Spoiler: Not enough. Strap in for hot takes, cool beers, and the slow but inevitable collapse of humanity—now with a side of influencer drama!

Takeaways

• The hosts share their contrasting experiences of weather and lifestyle.
• Current events are overwhelming, with a mix of serious and absurd news.
• Boxing has transformed into a scripted entertainment spectacle.
• The hosts reminisce about the authenticity of past boxing matches.
• Industry shout outs highlight the interconnectedness of recruitment platforms.
• Fantasy football updates reveal competitive dynamics among the hosts.
• Layoffs in the recruitment industry signal ongoing challenges.
• LinkUp's acquisition showcases the importance of real-time job data.
• Adzuna's acquisition aims to enhance social media recruitment capabilities.
• The conversation reflects on the future of recruitment advertising amidst automation. Adzuna should consider acquiring Flockety to enhance its influencer marketing capabilities.
• The job board industry is evolving, with a shift towards programmatic advertising and social media engagement.
• Companies must adapt to the changing landscape of job postings to remain competitive.
• JobGet's acquisition of Snagajob could revitalize the hourly worker market.
• Recruiter.com's acquisition of BountyJobs raises questions about the future of recruitment services.
• AI-driven digital employees are becoming essential in addressing the cybersecurity talent shortage.
• The proliferation of AI-generated influencers poses significant challenges for genuine content creators.
• Legislative action is needed to combat the rise of deep fake technology on social media.
• The recruitment industry is experiencing a wave of consolidation and strategic acquisitions.
• The conversation highlights the importance of adapting to technological advancements in recruitment and marketing.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction and Current Events

03:00 - Reflections on Boxing and Entertainment

06:03 - Shout Outs and Industry News

10:03 -Fantasy Football Update

12:01 -Layoffs and Industry Changes

15:58 -Acquisition Palooza: LinkUp and Adzuna

28:32 -The Rise of Influencer-Centric Platforms

29:52 -The Evolution of Job Boards and Programmatic Advertising

33:16 -Adzuna's Strategic Shift and Industry Challenges

34:01 -JobGet Acquires Snagajob: A New Era for Hourly Workers

42:09 -Recruiter.com Acquires BountyJobs: A Strategic Move?

47:04 - AI in Cybersecurity: The Future of Digital Employees

52:00 -The Impact of AI-Generated Influencers on Social Media

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s getting acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

From the Shaker Green Room at RecFest USA, Dean Da Costa joins Chad & Cheese to share fresh recruitment advice. He urges recruiters to challenge norms, verify AI-generated data, and focus on the human touch. Da Costa emphasizes personal branding, as candidates often research recruiters, and suggests exploring platforms beyond LinkedIn to reach diverse talent. He highlights the irreplaceable value of genuine interactions over automation and advocates for a supportive, knowledge-sharing recruiter community.

Live from the SmartRecruiters booth at the HR Tech conference in Las Vegas, the boys hosted a session with Patti Tabris, Senior Director of Talent Acquisition at ResultsCX, who shared insights into leveraging employee referrals for recruitment. With 20,000 employees, ResultsCX has seen tremendous success by generating over 400,000 referrals in two years, highlighting referrals as a potent yet often underutilized recruitment strategy. Patti emphasized that continuous improvement and innovation in their referral program, named ReferCX, not only reduces hiring costs but also enhances candidate quality and company culture. The program's effectiveness is boosted by integrating marketing strategies at launch and robust backend technology to handle referral tracking and bonus calculations. The company has implemented a tiered incentive system linked to employee retention and uses a leaderboard to boost engagement without extra costs. The referral initiative extends beyond immediate hires, creating a pool of future candidates, and is integrated into the company's onboarding process through a mobile app. This program, accounting for 25-30% of hires, focuses on internal culture but plans to explore external referrals and enhance gamification. The success of ReferCX is measured through clear goals, tracking, and employee feedback, demonstrating its significant impact on both employee satisfaction and retention.

This week, the boys are joined by Lieven from House of HR to discuss various topics including layoffs in the industry, the impact of AI on startups, social media regulations for youth, and recent innovations in recruitment. The conversation highlights the challenges faced by companies in the current economic climate, as well as insights into quarterly earnings reports from major players in the recruitment space. The conversation delves into the dynamics of job platforms, particularly focusing on the power struggles between major players like Indeed and ZipRecruiter. Plenty of talking about the innovations brought by AI tools in recruitment, the challenges faced by ZipRecruiter, and the potential for mergers and acquisitions in the industry. The discussion also touches on the impact of AI on the workforce, investment trends in HR tech, and a comparison of two startups, Toothio and SocialCrowd, showcasing the evolving landscape of recruitment and staffing.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction

03:02 - The Impact of AI on Startups

06:00 - Social Media Regulations and Youth

09:03 - Innovations in Recruitment

14:51 - Layoffs and Economic Challenges

17:48 - Quarterly Earnings Reports and Market Trends

27:35 - The Power Dynamics of Job Platforms

29:08 - Innovations in Recruitment: The Rise of AI Tools

30:52 - The Struggles of ZipRecruiter

34:42 - The Future of Recruitment: Mergers and Acquisitions

36:44 - AI in the Workforce: Opportunities and Challenges

48:30 - Investment Trends in HR Tech

53:08 - Startups to Watch: Toothio vs. Social Crowd

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s getting acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

Broadcasting from the ever-glamorous Shaker Green Room at RecFest USA, Chad & Cheese sit down with the powerhouse of DEI herself, Novonda Lilly, Director of DEI Campus and Community Engagement at Vanderbilt Health. Novonda schools the guys on how to navigate the choppy waters of diversity in hiring, especially with 2025 looming large. Spoiler alert: it’s not as simple as slapping a rainbow on your LinkedIn banner.

Novonda doesn’t hold back, calling out the so-called “shortage of diverse candidates” and challenging recruiters to step up their game. She serves up practical advice on using social media to reach underrepresented talent, though she’s quick to throw a little shade at AI and its dicey role in hiring – because, let's be real, nobody wants a “smart” robot unintentionally screening out great people. And, if you're hoping for a warm fuzzy moment, sorry – Novonda’s here to make sure we all stay sharp and resilient. She dishes on the reality of adapting DEI strategies to market trends, and she’s already lined up LinkedIn requests from everyone who wants in on her best practices.

Prepare for an episode packed with humor, hard truths, and a few digs at outdated recruiting “innovations.” Novonda reminds us that if you’re not actively building an inclusive culture, you’re just setting yourself up for 2025 – and not in a good way.

In this episode of Firing Squad, Josh Sklüt, co-founder and Chief People Officer of My Standard, discusses the innovative approach of his company as a Web3 alternative to traditional job platforms like LinkedIn. He explains how My Standard empowers users to control and monetize their professional data while addressing the shortcomings of existing recruitment methods.

The conversation delves into the app's features, the challenges of candidate matching, and the future of job searching in a decentralized world. The discussion covers client success stories, the competitive landscape, and the go-to-market strategy focusing on AI jobs. Sklut also addresses challenges and critiques from the hosts regarding the complexities of blockchain and the need for effective education in the HR space.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to My Standard and Josh Sklut

05:09 - Pitching My Standard: A New Approach to Job Searching

09:54 - The Problem with Traditional Job Platforms

15:11 - Data Verification and Candidate Matching

19:51 - Monetization and Business Model of My Standard

24:45 - Challenges and Future of My Standard

17:52 - Understanding the Use Cases and Client Success Stories

19:51 - Differentiating from Competitors and Market Positioning

22:03 - Go-to-Market Strategy and Initial Focus on AI Jobs

23:57 - Team Composition and Expertise Behind MyStandard

26:04 - Exit Strategies and Future Growth Opportunities

28:04 - Facing the Firing Squad: Challenges and Critiques

In this episode of the Chad and Cheese podcast, the boys discuss various topics including Sundar's velvet hammer, LinkedIn's financial success, the recent election results and their implications, and the trend of wealthy Americans considering relocation. The conversation flows from light-hearted banter to serious reflections on political and social issues, all while maintaining a humorous tone.

They discuss various topics including the results of a hybrid work experiment, the growth and innovations at LinkedIn, and Google's recent all-hands meeting where AI's impact on jobs was addressed. They explore the implications of hybrid work on productivity and employee satisfaction, LinkedIn's revenue growth and new features, and the concerns surrounding job security in the tech industry due to AI advancements.

Chapters

01:03.95 - Election Commentary and European Perspective  

01:13.19 - Chad in Nazaré, Portugal  

01:37.89 - Travel Plans and Europe Compared to the U.S.  

02:09.21 - Election Insights and Mental Health  

02:41.38 - Joel Reflects on American Elections and Republican Revolution  

04:21.03 - Reflections on Political Cycles and Voter Shifts  

05:53.67 - Wealthy Americans Planning to Leave the U.S.  

09:03.63 - Text Recruiting and Listener Shoutouts  

10:45.49 - Draftboard Business Pivot  

11:52.10 - Listener Art and Future Tattoo Ideas  

17:20.55 - Hybrid Work Study Discussion  

22:17.14 - Hybrid Work Future Predictions  

24:34.07 - Immigration Impact on American Workforce  

25:06.13 - LinkedIn Revenue and Global Market Growth  

27:17.62 - LinkedIn AI and Coaching Feature Expansion  

31:32.68 - Google's Velvet Hammer  

36:03.05 - Closing Remarks and Halloween Joke

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s getting acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

Live from the Shaker Green Room, Mary Battle Broxton from Tractor Supply Company joined The Chad & Cheese at RecFest USA to talk AI, authenticity, and hiring without the ‘lazy applicants.’ ‘Embrace the robots, or get left in the dust,’ as Mary urges talent leaders to dive headfirst into AI tools like Paradox. Forget the old-school ways; it's all about tech-fueled, authentic candidate experiences now, where people and bots get to know each other before onboarding. Oh, and by 2025, you better be ready to keep up, or, as Mary might say, enjoy life as a digital dinosaur.