EP 202: The Difference Between Filling Roles and Building Teams

EP 202: The Difference Between Filling Roles and Building Teams

Author: James Mackey March 31, 2026 Duration: 1:30:29
A bad environment can make someone shut down fast. The right one can change everything. Kenzie Hoelscher, Leading Recruiting at AssemblyAI, saw that shift early and it still shapes how she thinks about people and performance today. We dive into what truly makes a great recruiter stand out, why chasing volume can quietly undermine quality, and how top candidates think differently. It’s a practical conversation on modern hiring, from product obsession to blending AI with human judgment and why ...

Hosted by James Mackey, The Breakthrough Hiring Show: Recruiting and Talent Acquisition Conversations digs into the real work of building great teams. This isn't about abstract theory; it's a series of direct conversations focused on turning hiring from a constant challenge into a genuine edge for your business. You'll hear from leaders and practitioners who are in the trenches, discussing everything from the strategic shift needed to become a talent-first organization down to the granular details of process, technology, and metrics. Episodes move between high-level thought leadership and actionable advice you can use immediately, whether you're in a fast-moving SaaS startup, a growth-stage company, or an established firm. The dialogue here covers the full spectrum: effective onboarding and retention strategies, practical diversity and inclusion initiatives, navigating job boards and social media, and understanding the recruitment metrics that actually matter. Tune into this podcast for honest talk about empowering top talent and constructing a hiring engine that drives business forward. It's for anyone in recruiting, HR, or leadership who wants to move beyond just filling roles and start building a lasting competitive advantage through people.
Author: Language: en-us Episodes: 100

The Breakthrough Hiring Show: Recruiting and Talent Acquisition Conversations
Podcast Episodes
EP 178: The Link Between TA and Psychology [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 48:53
Sara Chevrette, Head of Global Talent Acquisition at Sonatype, joins James Mackey, to unpack the connection between psychology and recruiting talent. She shares how values drive hiring, pushing for curiosity, and the imp…
EP 177: Recruiting for ROI and Growth [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 38:07
Greg Troxell, Director of TA at Function Health, joins James Mackey to share how a single comment reshaped his hiring philosophy from resume relay to business impact. He shares how they break down the concept of skills-b…
EP 176: Running TA While Scaling From 4  to 150+ Employees [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:14
Beatriz Lourenco, Head of People at Poolside.ai, joins host James Mackey to discuss her journey scaling from 4 to 150+ employees. She shares how she approached early hires and is building a TA motion that keeps up with r…