Rhys Hughes has led talent at Adobe, Rubrik, and now GV—so when he talks about hiring, you listen. In this episode, Rhys joins Nolan to challenge conventional recruiting wisdom and lay out what actually works at the highest levels of hiring. From betting on internal talent to exposing the flaws in "time to hire," Rhys unpacks how world-class companies build teams—and why your next great hire probably isn’t on LinkedIn.

Key takeaways:

• Why hiring should be your last resort (and what to do instead)
• The hidden costs of prioritizing speed over quality
• How to earn trust before you need to hire
• The underrated power of emotional intelligence in exec hiring

Key topics covered:
[00:00] Intro
[05:17] Rhys’ Journey to GV
[11:07] Day to Day Talent Partner Role
[15:16] Performance Evaluation at GV
[18:06] Key Executive Characteristics for Today
[22:30] Back Channel Reference Strategies
[26:00] Building Authentic Professional Brand
[27:50] Promote Within vs External Hiring
[31:52] Why Hiring Should Be Last Resort
[35:30] Time to Fill is Overrated Metric
[38:56] Current Wild Compensation Market
[41:44] Sports Analogies in Executive Recruiting

To learn more about Metaview, the AI platform for 10x recruiting teams, head to www.metaview.ai/10x