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Why Every Recruiter Needs to Be a "French Fry" in 2025 with Liz Whitehead Live on Shally's Alley
Want to know why some recruiters build unstoppable pipelines while others struggle? It starts with curiosity. Liz Whitehead brings raw energy and practical wisdom about what actually works in talent acquisition: staying curious, adapting like a french fry (yes, really), and remembering that recruiting is fundamentally about people, not Boolean strings. She's built her career on tech obsession balanced with genuine human connection, and this conversation reveals exactly how she does it.
Key Takeaways
➡ Forever curious beats forever busy. The best recruiters treat every conversation as an opportunity to learn something new about people, industries, and motivations.
➡ Be a french fry, not a filet mignon. Versatility matters more than specialization. Adapt to different environments, clients, and challenges instead of staying rigid in your approach.
➡ Technology without humanity is just noise. Tools amplify your work, but genuine curiosity and authentic connection are what actually fill pipelines.
➡ Ask "why?" at least three times. Candidates give surface-level answers initially. Dig deeper to understand true motivations, goals, and pain points.
➡ Stop hoarding tools, start solving problems. Identify your ONE biggest pain point, then find the tool that solves it. Master that before adding more to your stack.
➡ Joy is a recruiting superpower. Bringing positive energy to every interaction isn't soft skill fluff, it's what makes candidates want to engage with you.
➡ Learn from the people you want to work with. Liz built her sourcing expertise by following industry leaders like Shally and Greg Hawkes, then applying what she learned.
➡ The intake conversation is everything. Whether it's a hiring manager or a candidate, understanding pain points upfront determines your success rate.
➡ Data scraping and automation aren't magic. They're just tools that free up time for relationship building, which is still the real work of recruiting.
Chapters
00:00 – Intro: Fall weather and allergy wars
02:05 – Meet Liz Whitehead: The one that got away
04:09 – Early career: Finding the sourcing path
07:22 – The curiosity framework: Why "input" is everything
12:45 – Technology obsession meets human connection
18:30 – The french fry philosophy: Versatility as strategy
25:17 – Building authentic candidate relationships
31:40 – Asking "why?" three times: The deeper conversation
38:55 – Tool selection strategy: Solve ONE pain point
44:20 – Learning from industry leaders and applying it
51:15 – Liz Connects: Building community through connection
54:00 – Closing thoughts and guest recommendations
Sound Bites
"How are you like a French fry? Can you adapt to your environment, be seasoned different ways, and show up differently based on what's needed?" – Shally Steckerl
"Focus on one pain point and start there. You'll be surprised how far you get." – Liz Whitehead
Guest Info
Name: Liz Whitehead
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizconnects/
Expertise: Talent sourcing specialist focused on technology, automation, and authentic human connection in recruiting. Known for curiosity-driven approaches and building genuine candidate relationships.
Subscribe on: Spotify | Apple | iHeart Radio | Pandora | Amazon Music
About Shally: srcn.co
AskShally GPT: srcn.co/sgpt
The Sourcing Method Book: srcn.co/tsm
The AI Browser Toolkit: srcn.co/aib1
Follow Shally on
View all episodes
By WRKdefined Podcast NetworkWant to know why some recruiters build unstoppable pipelines while others struggle? It starts with curiosity. Liz Whitehead brings raw energy and practical wisdom about what actually works in talent acquisition: staying curious, adapting like a french fry (yes, really), and remembering that recruiting is fundamentally about people, not Boolean strings. She's built her career on tech obsession balanced with genuine human connection, and this conversation reveals exactly how she does it.
Key Takeaways
➡ Forever curious beats forever busy. The best recruiters treat every conversation as an opportunity to learn something new about people, industries, and motivations.
➡ Be a french fry, not a filet mignon. Versatility matters more than specialization. Adapt to different environments, clients, and challenges instead of staying rigid in your approach.
➡ Technology without humanity is just noise. Tools amplify your work, but genuine curiosity and authentic connection are what actually fill pipelines.
➡ Ask "why?" at least three times. Candidates give surface-level answers initially. Dig deeper to understand true motivations, goals, and pain points.
➡ Stop hoarding tools, start solving problems. Identify your ONE biggest pain point, then find the tool that solves it. Master that before adding more to your stack.
➡ Joy is a recruiting superpower. Bringing positive energy to every interaction isn't soft skill fluff, it's what makes candidates want to engage with you.
➡ Learn from the people you want to work with. Liz built her sourcing expertise by following industry leaders like Shally and Greg Hawkes, then applying what she learned.
➡ The intake conversation is everything. Whether it's a hiring manager or a candidate, understanding pain points upfront determines your success rate.
➡ Data scraping and automation aren't magic. They're just tools that free up time for relationship building, which is still the real work of recruiting.
Chapters
00:00 – Intro: Fall weather and allergy wars
02:05 – Meet Liz Whitehead: The one that got away
04:09 – Early career: Finding the sourcing path
07:22 – The curiosity framework: Why "input" is everything
12:45 – Technology obsession meets human connection
18:30 – The french fry philosophy: Versatility as strategy
25:17 – Building authentic candidate relationships
31:40 – Asking "why?" three times: The deeper conversation
38:55 – Tool selection strategy: Solve ONE pain point
44:20 – Learning from industry leaders and applying it
51:15 – Liz Connects: Building community through connection
54:00 – Closing thoughts and guest recommendations
Sound Bites
"How are you like a French fry? Can you adapt to your environment, be seasoned different ways, and show up differently based on what's needed?" – Shally Steckerl
"Focus on one pain point and start there. You'll be surprised how far you get." – Liz Whitehead
Guest Info
Name: Liz Whitehead
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lizconnects/
Expertise: Talent sourcing specialist focused on technology, automation, and authentic human connection in recruiting. Known for curiosity-driven approaches and building genuine candidate relationships.
Subscribe on: Spotify | Apple | iHeart Radio | Pandora | Amazon Music
About Shally: srcn.co
AskShally GPT: srcn.co/sgpt
The Sourcing Method Book: srcn.co/tsm
The AI Browser Toolkit: srcn.co/aib1
Follow Shally on