Swipe right on the right credentials, hope for a match, and call it recruiting. LinkedIn has turned talent acquisition into a pattern-matching exercise — and most people playing it aren't finding what they're actually looking for.

The infrastructure problem runs deeper than behaviour. The systems connecting talent and opportunity were built for a labour market that no longer exists, optimised for searchability rather than fit, and generating enormous activity with mediocre outcomes on both sides.

Joshua Sklüt, co-founder of MyStandard and a builder of Web3-based employment technology, thinks the underlying architecture of modern hiring is broken — not just how people use it, but the systems underneath. In this episode of Looks Good on Paper, he talks about what's actually wrong with how talent and opportunity connect today, and what a version of recruiting that doesn't work like a dating app might look like.

What you'll learn:

→  Why LinkedIn's structure produces pattern-matching rather than genuine fit

→  What's broken at the infrastructure level of how talent and opportunity connect

→  What alternative models of recruitment could look like as Web3 and decentralised systems mature

GUEST

Joshua Sklüt — Co-founder & CPO, MyStandard

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshua-skl%C3%BCt/

YOUR HOST

Anita Chauhan — Fractional CMO, co-host

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan/

STUDIES & EXAMPLES REFERENCED:

- Bertrand-Mullainathan Study (2004): https://www.aeaweb.org/articles?id=10.1257/0002828042002561 - American Economic Review research showing identical resumes with white-sounding names resulted in 50% more callbacks for white applicants (Josh referenced this as a "New York Times study" in the episode, but the actual research was published in the American Economic Review)

- Ivy League Hiring Bias - Example of companies that "only hired out of Ivy League schools" blocking 90% of qualified candidates

- Quadriplegic Employee Success Story - Josh's experience at a previous employer hiring a wheelchair-using employee who became an invaluable team member, challenging assumptions about ability and cultural fit

CHAPTER MARKERS:

00:00 Intro

00:36 Introduction

04:24 Biggest Hiring Mistake

06:56 Unknown Hidden Biases

10:08 Most Surprising Hire

15:42 Wildcard: If Resumes Disappeared - Choose One Survivor

19:02 Wrap Up

19:36 Outro

LISTEN & FOLLOW

Spotify          →  https://open.spotify.com/show/0dbfz6y0tMq3crViHQD66H

Apple Podcasts   →  https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1625835562

All episodes     →  https://looksgoodonpaper.buzzsprout.com

WATCH ON YOUTUBE - https://youtu.be/NZyud0Atuao

POWERED BY WILLO

Hire humans, not resumes  →  https://www.willo.video/looks-good-on-paper

CONNECT WITH US

LinkedIn  →  https://www.linkedin.com/company/10170893

If this episode changed how you think about hiring, share it with one person who needs to hear it. And subscribe — we're rewriting the rules of hiring, one episode at a time.

LinkedIn optimises for searchability and network proximity, not fit or capability. The result is a recruiting process that surfaces candidates who know how to present themselves on the platform rather than candidates who can do the job. Pattern-matching on credentials and connections is not the same as evaluating someone's ability to contribute — and the gap between the two is where most bad hires come from.

Show Resources

• Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
• CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
• Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan - Connect with the host

The candidates most companies are sleeping on aren't hard to find. They're just being filtered out by job descriptions designed to attract the people who already have the job, salary bands that haven't moved with the market, and sourcing strategies that fish in the same three ponds.

The gap between companies paying 70K for a role and companies paying 500K isn't always budget. It's often clarity — about what the role actually requires, what the market actually pays for it, and where the people who can do it at the highest level actually are.

Adam Gellert, founder of Linkus Group and talent marketplace Hipo, has spent two decades finding the gap between where companies look for talent and where the talent actually is. In this episode of Looks Good on Paper, he shares what companies paying at the top of the market have figured out that others haven't, and why the difference is rarely about budget.

What you'll learn:

→  Why the best candidates get filtered out before hiring teams ever see them

→  How salary band construction shapes the quality of candidates you attract

→  Where high-performing companies source differently from everyone else

GUEST

Adam Gellert — Founder, Linkus Group & Hipo

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamgellert/

YOUR HOST

Anita Chauhan — Fractional CMO, co-host

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan/

CHAPTER MARKERS:

00:00 Intro 

00:35 Introduction 

01:54 Biggest Hiring Mistake 

04:06 Unknown Hidden Bias 

07:27 Most Surprising Hire 

14:21 Wildcard: Can We Finally Get Rid Of The CV? 

17:50 Wrap Up 

18:08 Outro

LISTEN & FOLLOW

Spotify          →  https://open.spotify.com/show/0dbfz6y0tMq3crViHQD66H

Apple Podcasts   →  https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1625835562

All episodes     →  https://looksgoodonpaper.buzzsprout.com

WATCH ON YOUTUBE

https://youtu.be/rYWkrUAIxiQ

POWERED BY WILLO

Hire humans, not resumes  →  https://www.willo.video/looks-good-on-paper

CONNECT WITH US

LinkedIn  →  https://www.linkedin.com/company/10170893

If this episode changed how you think about hiring, share it with one person who needs to hear it. And subscribe — we're rewriting the rules of hiring, one episode at a time.

The gap between average and exceptional hires is rarely a budget problem. It is most often a sourcing and clarity problem: job descriptions written for the wrong candidate, compensation bands set by benchmarking against peers rather than the market for the specific capability needed, and sourcing strategies that reach active candidates while ignoring the passive talent pool entirely.

Show Resources

• Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
• CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
• Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan - Connect with the host

Nobody reads job ads the way companies write them. And the best candidates — the ones not actively looking — aren't reading them at all. The job ad as a recruiting tool had a good run. It's over.

The companies still investing in job description craft and job board spend as their primary sourcing strategy are fishing in a shrinking pond, competing for the same pool of active candidates while the passive talent market goes entirely untouched.

Christine Spagnuolo has been a headhunter for 18 years and founded The Sorelle Group on the premise that great hiring happens through relationships, not listings. In this episode of Looks Good on Paper, she makes the case for why the traditional job ad is dead, what's replaced it for companies serious about talent, and why the way most companies write job descriptions is actively working against them.

What you'll learn:

→  Why job ads reach active candidates but miss the best passive talent

→  What relationship-based sourcing actually looks like in practice

→  How to rewrite job descriptions that work for the talent you actually want

GUEST

Christine Spagnuolo — Founder, The Sorelle Group

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/christinespagnuolo/

YOUR HOSTS

Anita Chauhan — Fractional CMO, co-host

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan/

CHAPTER MARKERS:

00:00 Intro 

02:00 Biggest Hiring Mistake 

07:20 Unknown Hidden Bias 

13:45 Most Surprising Hire 

16:00 Wildcard 

19:10 Conclusion 

19:32 Outro

LISTEN & FOLLOW

Spotify          →  https://open.spotify.com/show/0dbfz6y0tMq3crViHQD66H

Apple Podcasts   →  https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1625835562

All episodes     →  https://looksgoodonpaper.buzzsprout.com

WATCH ON YOUTUBE - https://youtu.be/NKlc3a7dED8

POWERED BY WILLO

Hire humans, not resumes  →  https://www.willo.video/looks-good-on-paper

CONNECT WITH US

LinkedIn  →  https://www.linkedin.com/company/10170893

If this episode changed how you think about hiring, share it with one person who needs to hear it. And subscribe — we're rewriting the rules of hiring, one episode at a time.

The traditional job advertisement reaches only the candidates who are actively looking — which typically excludes the highest performers, who are already employed and not browsing job boards. Companies that rely on job ads as their primary sourcing strategy are competing for a subset of the talent market by default, regardless of how well the ad is written.

Show Resources

• Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
• CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
• Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan - Connect with the host

The rules of hiring were written for a different era, by people who needed to manage risk at scale, not find the best person for a specific job. Most of those rules are still in place — and most of them are quietly producing worse outcomes than the alternatives.

Degree requirements for roles that don't need degrees. Interview processes that test presentation rather than capability. Reference checks that produce no useful information. The standard hiring playbook is full of practices that persist because they're defensible, not because they work.

Martin Hauck is a fractional HR consultant and founder of People People Group, a community of over 5,000 HR, recruitment, and operations professionals. In this episode of Looks Good on Paper, he challenges the norms that still govern most hiring decisions, explains what he's seen actually work at the companies doing it differently, and makes the case for looking past what looks good on paper.

What you'll learn:

→  Which standard hiring practices persist despite producing poor outcomes

→  What the companies doing hiring differently actually do instead

→  How to challenge inherited hiring norms inside an organisation that resists change

GUEST

Martin Hauck — Fractional HR Consultant & Founder, People People Group

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/martinhauck/

YOUR HOSTS

Anita Chauhan — Fractional CMO, co-host

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan/

CHAPTER MARKERS:

00:00 Intro

00:35 Introduction

01:44 Biggest Hiring Mistake

05:37 Unknown Hidden Bias

10:48 Most Surprising Hire

15:01 Wildcard: How Can We Look At Candidates Differently?

18:30 Wrap Up

19:33 Outro

LISTEN & FOLLOW

Spotify          →  https://open.spotify.com/show/0dbfz6y0tMq3crViHQD66H

Apple Podcasts   →  https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1625835562

All episodes     →  https://looksgoodonpaper.buzzsprout.com

WATCH ON YOUTUBE - https://youtu.be/D1y4yxhH34g

POWERED BY WILLO

Hire humans, not resumes  →  https://www.willo.video/looks-good-on-paper

CONNECT WITH US

LinkedIn  →  https://www.linkedin.com/company/10170893

If this episode changed how you think about hiring, share it with one person who needs to hear it. And subscribe — we're rewriting the rules of hiring, one episode at a time.

 Most hiring norms persist not because they produce good outcomes but because they are defensible. Degree requirements, unstructured interviews, and pro forma reference checks are difficult to challenge internally because they look rigorous. The companies that hire best have replaced defensibility with validity — asking not 'is this practice standard?' but 'does this practice predict the performance we actually want?'

Show Resources

• Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
• CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
• Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan - Connect with the host

Most hiring processes were designed without neurodivergent candidates in mind — and it shows. Timed assessments, unstructured interviews, rigid communication norms: the standard screening gauntlet systematically removes people whose brains work differently, regardless of whether those people would be exceptional at the actual job.

AI tools are supposed to make hiring more objective. For neurodivergent candidates, they often make it worse — pattern-matching on communication styles and response formats that have nothing to do with capability, and filtering out exactly the people who bring the most distinctive thinking.

Theo Smith is a celebrated recruiter and co-founder of Neurodiversity World, which helps organisations build workplaces where neurodivergent people can actually thrive. In this episode of Looks Good on Paper, he talks through the specific ways standard hiring fails neurodiverse candidates, where AI tools help and where they actively cause harm, and what truly inclusive hiring looks like in practice rather than in policy.

What you'll learn:

→  Where standard hiring processes systematically exclude neurodivergent candidates

→  Why AI screening tools can amplify bias against non-neurotypical communication styles

→  What inclusive hiring design looks like at the process level, not just the policy level

GUEST

Theo Smith — Co-founder, Neurodiversity World

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/theosmithuk/

YOUR HOSTS

Anita Chauhan — Fractional CMO, co-host

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan/

CHAPTER MARKERS:

00:00 Intro

00:35 Introduction

01:06 Biggest Hiring Mistake

06:45 Unknown Hidden Bias

11:04 Surprising Hire

16:40 Wildcard: How Recruiters Can Educate Candidates To Leverage AI

18:58 Wrap Up

19:28 Outro

SHOW RESOURCES:

CV Free Toolkit: https://cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments

Willo: https://willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time

LISTEN & FOLLOW

Spotify          →  https://open.spotify.com/show/0dbfz6y0tMq3crViHQD66H

Apple Podcasts   →  https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1625835562

All episodes     →  https://looksgoodonpaper.buzzsprout.com

WATCH ON YOUTUBE - https://youtu.be/TI-ngol6Toc

POWERED BY WILLO

Hire humans, not resumes  →  https://www.willo.video/looks-good-on-paper

CONNECT WITH US

LinkedIn  →  https://www.linkedin.com/company/10170893

If this episode changed how you think about hiring, share it with one person who needs to hear it. And subscribe — we're rewriting the rules of hiring, one episode at a time.

Standard hiring processes — timed assessments, unstructured interviews, rigid written communication requirements — were designed for neurotypical candidates and consistently screen out neurodivergent applicants before any human evaluates their actual capability. Inclusive hiring design requires examining each stage of the process for the assumptions it makes about how competent people think and communicate.

Show Resources

• Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
• CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
• Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan - Connect with the host

The candidate who looks perfect on paper — right school, right company, right titles — is often not the right hire. Not because the credentials are irrelevant, but because the process of selecting for credentials filters out the things that actually matter: adaptability, judgment, the ability to do the specific work in the specific context.

This is the founding argument of Looks Good on Paper. And in the first episode, hosts Andrew Wood and Anita Chauhan lay out exactly why the gap between what looks impressive on a resume and what makes someone exceptional at a job is wider than most hiring managers want to admit.

This is where it all started. If you're new to the show, this is the episode that explains why we exist — and what we set out to change.

What you'll learn:

→  Why credentials correlate poorly with job performance in most roles

→  The founding thesis behind Looks Good on Paper

→  What skills-based and potential-based hiring look like as alternatives

YOUR HOSTS

Anita Chauhan — Fractional CMO, co-host

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan/

Andrew Wood (Woody) — Co-host

LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-douglas-wood/

SHOW RESOURCES:

CV Free Toolkit: https://cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments

Willo: https://willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time

CHAPTER MARKERS:

00:00 Intro 

00:35 The Problem with Traditional Hiring Practices 

03:33 Core Issues with CVs 

06:38 What to Expect from Future Episodes 

08:51 Outro

LISTEN & FOLLOW

Spotify          →  https://open.spotify.com/show/0dbfz6y0tMq3crViHQD66H

Apple Podcasts   →  https://podcasts.apple.com/podcast/id1625835562

All episodes     →  https://looksgoodonpaper.buzzsprout.com

WATCH ON YOUTUBE - https://youtu.be/EZ8bcodDY0M

POWERED BY WILLO

Hire humans, not resumes  →  https://www.willo.video/looks-good-on-paper

CONNECT WITH US

LinkedIn  →  https://www.linkedin.com/company/10170893

If this episode changed how you think about hiring, share it with one person who needs to hear it. And subscribe — we're rewriting the rules of hiring, one episode at a time. 

The credential-to-performance correlation is weaker than most hiring managers believe. Candidates who look perfect on paper — top schools, recognisable companies, clean career progression — have been selected for the ability to accumulate credentials, which is a different skill from the ability to produce outcomes in a new role. The gap between these two things is what Looks Good on Paper is built to close.

Show Resources

• Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
• CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
• Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan - Connect with the host

In this episode of the Recruitment Reality Podcast, I am joined by Artimese Braddy Lawrence, Coordinator of Human Resources at Tyler ISD, the largest school district in Northeast Texas.

Artimese discusses the broad range of recruitment responsibilities in the school district, from hiring teachers to custodial staff and bus drivers. Within the educational sector there are some unique challenges, including finding quality candidates who are genuinely interested in working with children.

We explore strategies for attracting potential candidates, such as utilizing social media, incentives, community partnerships, and emphasizing the district's family-oriented environment. Additionally, the conversation touches on the role of technology, specifically AI, in the recruitment process and the importance of maintaining human elements in human resources. Her advice to candidates was to research the company that you are applying to and to not hide your personality in your interviews.

Watch on YouTube

RESOURCES:

► Willo: Video Interview Screening Software
► Andrew Wood, COO & Co-founder at Willo
► Tyler ISD: Largest School District in Northeast Texas
► Artimese Braddy Lawrence, Coordinator of Human Resources at Tyler ISD

Show Resources

• Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
• CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
• Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan - Connect with the host

In this episode of the Recruitment Reality Podcast, I am joined by Joe Atkinson, Founder at PURPL, a peer-to-peer learning platform built by talent acquisition for talent acquisition professionals. They specialize in upskilling recruiters with practical, time-efficient & industry relevant training.

The episode delves into Joe's journey from his passion for startups to identifying a gap in professional training for recruiters. PURPL emerges as a solution, offering a platform for recruiters to upskill by learning from top professionals in the tech world. Joe shares insights on the challenges in talent acquisition, the lack of data literacy, and stakeholder management. The discussion also covers how PURPL sources its creators, their motivations, and the unique approach to content authenticity and learnability.

In facing economic downturns with massive tech layoffs, PURPL began assisting displaced professionals by offering free trainings to enhance their employability for their next role. Looking ahead, Joe outlines plans to engage a broader segment of the recruitment industry, emphasizing the importance of fundamental skills. The episode concludes with valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs and recruiters. 

Watch on YouTube

RESOURCES:

► Willo: Video Interview Screening Software
► Andrew Wood, COO & Co-founder at Willo
► PURPL: Peer-to-Peer Learning Platform for Talent Acquisition
► Joe Atkinson, Founder at PURPL

Show Resources

• Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
• CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
• Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan - Connect with the host

In this episode of the Recruitment Reality Podcast, I am joined by Robert Garner, Director at Abstraction Labs, a recruitment website design & development firm. We discuss his transition from a career in recruitment to becoming a software developer and eventually starting his own web design business.

Robert shares his diverse experiences, from selling recruitment advertising and working in media recruitment to launching a job board and moving into talent acquisition and software development, focusing on recruitment CRM systems. He delves into the challenges he faced early on trying to launch his own software platform, the pivotal role of self-teaching and online learning resources in his career shift, and gives advice for effective cold calling.

Robert also provides insights into the current state of the recruitment market, the importance of business development, and utilizing AI and automation. Additionally, he offers valuable advice for recruitment agencies on improving their websites, emphasizing the use of 3 easy things you can do today to assess your website:

1. Perform the Google Lighthouse performance test
2. Ensure Mobile Responsiveness of your pages
3. Incorporate high quality Images and Videos

Watch on YouTube

RESOURCES MENTIONED:
► Willo: Video Interview Screening Software
► Andrew Wood, COO & Co-founder at Willo
► Abstraction Labs: Recruitment Website Design & Development
► Robert Garner, Managing Director at Abstraction Labs
► The Challenger Sale, a book about taking control of the customer conversation
► The Jelly Effect, a book about how to make your communication stick

Show Resources

• Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
• CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
• Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan - Connect with the host

In this episode of the Recruitment Reality Podcast, I am joined by Ahva Sadeghi, CEO/Co-founder at Symba, an innovative onboarding and talent management platform. She highlights how Symba has grown from its initial conception of remote internships to focusing on new hire readiness in order to allow individuals to be productive from day one.

She shares insights into the challenges faced during the initial years of launching her startup and how customer feedback played a crucial role in expanding the product's capabilities. Ahva emphasizes the importance of forming a strong team, providing a great onboarding experience, the impacts of a company's culture on its growth, and the need to constantly learn and adapt.

Avha’s first piece of advice for listeners was that when receiving feedback, you should only implement wisdom that resonates with you from people you respect. She also shared advice that one of her mentors gave her, which was that you should make sure that everyone that comes into contact with your company is better off because of it.

Watch on YouTube

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Willo: Video Interview Screening Software https://www.willo.video
• Andrew Wood, COO & Co-founder at Willo https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-douglas-wood
• Symba: The Go-To Platform for New Hire Readiness https://symba.io
• Ahva Sadeghi, CEO & Co-founder at Symba https://www.linkedin.com/in/ahvasadeghi

Show Resources

• Willo: willo.video - The most cost-effective way to screen candidates at scale. Interview candidates anywhere & at any time
• CV Free Toolkit: cvfree.me/join - Break up with the CV and get everything you need to modernize your hiring approach with skills-based assessments
• Anita Chauhan: linkedin.com/in/anitachauhan - Connect with the host