In this episode of Hiring & Firing with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna dive into a case study of a logistics company that launched a skills-based hiring pilot for a project manager role. By replacing traditional resume screens with a 60-minute work simulation, they cut screening time per candidate from 2.5 hours to just over an hour and boosted six-month retention from 78% to 92%. The hosts explore how the company designed the simulation to measure not just current skills but learning agility, how they addressed bias by anonymizing submissions, and why hiring managers initially resisted—but eventually came around. They also discuss the cost savings, candidate experience improvements, and the key mistake most skills-based pilots make. A practical, data-backed episode for anyone looking to hire smarter in 2026.

#SkillsBasedHiring #HiringPilot #WorkSimulation #ScreeningTime #RetentionRate #LearningAgility #HiringBias #StructuredInterview #ProjectManager #TalentAcquisition #HiringMetrics #PerformancePrediction #CandidateExperience #HiringFiringFexingo #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #PodcastEpisode

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In this episode of Hiring & Firing with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore why candidates with zigzag career paths often outperform traditional hires. They examine a real case where a former teacher turned nonprofit director turned freelancer became a top-performing marketing manager after the hiring team focused on learning agility over direct experience. Backed by Harvard Business Review research and the rise of skills-based hiring at companies like IBM and Google, they share practical interview questions to assess adaptability and potential. Learn how to spot hidden talent in resumes that don't follow a straight line, and why hiring for potential can reduce bias and boost retention. Tune in for a fresh take on modern recruitment.

#Hiring #NonLinearCareer #CareerChange #PotentialOverExperience #HiringBias #ResumeGap #HiringStrategy #TalentAcquisition #HR #Recruitment #Workforce #LearningAgility #CareerPivot #SkillBasedHiring #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #HiringAndFiring

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In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how one SaaS company overhauled their post-interview debrief process, moving from casual hallway chats to a structured, blind-voting system. The result? A 25% improvement in hiring accuracy and fewer costly mismatches. They discuss the flaws in typical debriefs, the specific changes made, and why the shift to data-driven calibration matters for any team that hires regularly. If you've ever left a hiring meeting feeling like the best candidate didn't get a fair shake, this episode offers a practical fix that doesn't cost a dime.

#Hiring #InterviewDebriefs #HiringAccuracy #StructuredHiring #TalentAcquisition #Recruitment #HR #PeopleOps #BiasReduction #DataDrivenHiring #SaaS #Business #Management #WorkforcePlanning #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #HiringPodcast #PerformanceManagement

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In this episode of Hiring & Firing with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore a true story of how a mid-sized SaaS company avoided a costly mistake by adding a peer interview step to their hiring process. The candidate had a stellar resume and charmed senior managers, but a structured meeting with potential teammates revealed condescending behavior that would have poisoned team culture. They discuss why peer interviews work, how to structure them effectively, and what questions uncover hidden red flags. The episode also includes tips for incorporating peer feedback without creating awkwardness, and a breakdown of the financial and cultural cost of a toxic hire.

#PeerInterview #ToxicHire #HiringMistakes #CandidateRedFlags #HiringProcess #TeamCulture #WorkplaceCulture #Recruitment #HR #HiringAndFiring #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Business #Management #Leadership #TalentAcquisition #Interviews #JobInterview

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Episode 133 of Hiring & Firing with Fexingo dives into a specific case: a mid-size B2B software company that lost $1.2 million over two years paying employees whose jobs had become irrelevant. Lucas and Luna break down how the company conducted a pre-hire work audit — mapping each role's actual day-to-day tasks against the original job description — and discovered that 40% of new hires were filling responsibilities that no longer existed. They walk through the audit methodology, the pushback from managers, and the surprising result: cutting four open positions entirely and redefining twelve others, which reduced time-to-productivity by 30 percent and saved the equivalent of 20 full-time salaries. The episode also touches on why this approach works better than traditional hiring scorecards or behavioral questions for roles in fast-changing industries. A practical, numbers-driven episode for anyone who suspects their org chart has drifted from reality.

#PreHireWorkAudit #HiringMistakes #SalaryWaste #JobDescriptionDrift #WorkforcePlanning #TimeToProductivity #B2BHiring #RoleRedefinition #HiringMetrics #OrgDesign #CostOfBadHires #RetentionStrategy #HiringProcess #BusinessPodcast #FexingoBusiness #LucasAndLuna #HiringAndFiring #PodcastEpisode133

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Employee referral programs are widely used, but many companies run them poorly. In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine the data behind referral hiring: why referred candidates tend to have higher retention and faster ramp times, but also why over-reliance on referrals can kill diversity. They break down a real case study — how a mid-size tech company redesigned its referral bonus structure to increase quality without excluding outside talent. Expect specific numbers, a look at the psychology of referrers, and a playbook for making referrals work without creating a closed network.

#EmployeeReferral #ReferralHiring #HiringStrategy #TalentAcquisition #Recruitment #WorkforcePlanning #DiversityAndInclusion #Retention #HiringMetrics #ReferralBonus #PeopleAnalytics #HRTech #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #HiringAndFiring #TalentStrategy #JobReferrals

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Lucas and Luna break down the true cost of a bad hire by examining a real mid-sized tech company that hired a senior engineer who seemed perfect on paper but caused two years of productivity drag, team churn, and rework. They calculate the hidden expenses—onboarding time, manager hours, lost institutional knowledge, severance—and show how a structured hiring process with a weighted scorecard could have prevented the mistake. The episode includes a concrete framework for estimating bad-hire costs at any organization and a candid conversation about why companies rarely do the math.

#BadHireCost #HiddenHiringCosts #HiringScorecard #StructuredInterviewing #EmployeeTurnover #OnboardingExpense #ProductivityLoss #TeamMorale #RecruitmentROI #DataDrivenHiring #Business #TalentAcquisition #WorkforcePlanning #PeopleAnalytics #HiringMistakes #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #HiringAndFiring

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In this episode, Lucas and Luna examine a real-world blind hiring experiment conducted by a mid-size marketing agency that removed names, schools, and graduation years from resumes. They discuss why blinding works, where it fails—especially for senior roles—and the surprising finding that structured skill assessments outperformed even anonymized resumes. The hosts also touch on the tension between blind hiring and diversity goals, and share one practical takeaway for managers considering a trial. Plus, a short segment on listener support that keeps this podcast ad-free.

#BlindHiring #HiringBias #Recruitment #UnconsciousBias #Diversity #InclusiveHiring #ResumeScreening #SkillBasedHiring #HiringMetrics #TalentAcquisition #WorkplaceFairness #HR #Business #Management #HiringStrategy #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #HiringAndFiring

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In this episode of Hiring & Firing with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore a counterintuitive hiring lesson: sometimes a hiring freeze is the best thing that can happen to your talent pipeline. They examine a real-world case from a mid-size B2B SaaS company that implemented a six-month hiring freeze in 2025. Instead of halting all recruitment, the company used the freeze to overhaul its hiring process—introducing structured scorecards, candidate rubrics, and mandatory cross-functional panels. The result? When the freeze lifted, the company hired 40% fewer people but retained 90% of new hires after one year, compared to a prior 55% retention rate. Lucas and Luna break down what the company did differently, why slowness in hiring actually improves quality, and how any team can borrow these tactics without waiting for a freeze. They also discuss the emotional challenge of telling hiring managers 'no' and how to maintain team morale when open roles go unfilled. A practical episode for anyone who has ever felt pressure to hire fast—and regretted it.

#HiringFreeze #TalentAcquisition #RetentionStrategy #StructuredHiring #HiringScorecard #QualityOfHire #RecruitmentProcess #CandidateExperience #CrossFunctionalHiring #HiringSlowly #B2BSaaS #EmployeeRetention #BusinessPodcast #HiringAndFiring #FexingoBusiness #WorkforceDecisions #RecruitmentTips #HiringLessons

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Episode 128 of Hiring & Firing with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna dive into a single behavioral interview question that one Fortune 500 company found to be a stronger predictor of two-year retention than any cognitive test, personality inventory, or reference check. They break down the specific wording, the surprising data behind it, and why most managers ask it wrong. Lucas shares the exact framing that cut early turnover by 28 percent in a controlled trial across 1,400 hires. Luna pushes back on whether the question works in smaller companies or for remote roles. No fluff, no generic advice — just one concrete tool you can drop into your next interview and the evidence that backs it up.

#BehavioralInterview #RetentionPrediction #HiringMetrics #TurnoverReduction #InterviewQuestions #TalentAcquisition #HRData #PeopleAnalytics #Fortune500 #EarlyTurnover #EvidenceBasedHiring #Business #HiringAndFiring #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #Podcast #Recruitment #WorkforceDecisions

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