Offer Accepted

Ashby
  • 5.0 (7)
  • BUSINESS
  • UPDATED BIWEEKLY

Welcome to Offer Accepted, the podcast that elevates your recruiting game. Your host, Shannon Ogborn, interviews top Talent Acquisition Leaders, uncovering their secrets to building and leading successful recruiting teams. Gain valuable insights and actionable advice, from analyzing cutting-edge metrics to claiming your seat at the table. 

  1. Differentiating Candidate Experience Through Unreasonable Hospitality with Greg Marsh, Sierra

    1D AGO

    Differentiating Candidate Experience Through Unreasonable Hospitality with Greg Marsh, Sierra

    Candidate experience is one of the few levers you can fully control in hiring. Greg Marsh, Head of Recruiting at Sierra, joins Shannon to share how his team scaled from 25 to 600 employees while building a candidate experience that consistently stands out. He explains how Sierra approaches candidate obsession, why small moments like personalization matter more than big gestures, and how recruiting becomes a true partner to the business during rapid growth. Greg walks through how his team operationalizes these ideas with simple systems, measures impact through candidate feedback, and builds a culture where every interviewer owns the experience. He also shares how AI fits into recruiting today and where human connection still makes the difference. Key takeaways: Candidate experience wins offers: A strong, consistent experience can outperform higher compensation offers.Small details scale impact: Simple personalization creates meaningful candidate connections at scale.Recruiting is a team sport: Interviewers and hiring managers shape the experience as much as recruiters.Invest early in recruiting: Companies that prioritize recruiting early move faster and hire better.Timestamps:  (00:00) Introduction (00:15) Meet Greg Marsh (02:18) Why candidate experience matters in a competitive market (04:00) Applying hospitality principles to recruiting (05:30) Personalization through small candidate moments (08:00) Balancing intensity and family in company culture (12:30) Scaling candidate experience with simple systems (16:30) Measuring candidate experience and NPS (18:30) Why great candidates become your best referral source (20:45) Adapting candidate experience across global teams (22:43) Where to connect with Greg

    23 min
  2. 3 Steps to Make Skills-Based Hiring Predictable with Alessandra Pegnim, Udemy

    APR 21

    3 Steps to Make Skills-Based Hiring Predictable with Alessandra Pegnim, Udemy

    Skills-based hiring only works when teams can consistently define, assess, and develop the right skills. Alessandra Pegnim, Head of Global Talent Acquisition at Udemy, joins Shannon to share how her team built a more practical approach to skills-based hiring. She explains how Udemy validates skills with managers, identifies patterns of top performers, and uses structured interviews to make hiring decisions more predictive. Alessandra also discusses how this work extends beyond hiring. She walks through training interviewers with AI role-play, widens the talent pool beyond traditional backgrounds, and uses onboarding to close skill gaps early so new hires can ramp faster. Key takeaways: Start with top performers: Analyze what your best employees do differently and build hiring criteria from those patterns.Validate skills with data: Combine internal insights with external benchmarks to confirm what actually predicts success.Train for consistency: Use rubrics and practice sessions, so interviewers know what strong answers sound like.Hire for mobility: Track skills beyond hiring to unlock internal moves and reduce the need for external hiring.Timestamps:  (00:00) Introduction (00:54) Meet Alessandra Pegnim (02:25) Why skills-based hiring matters right now (04:04) What skills-based hiring actually looks like (04:58) Building job descriptions around validated skills (05:57) Three steps for skills-based hiring (07:57) How to validate skills for hiring (09:48) Turning skills into structured interview rubrics (12:21) Training interviewers with AI role play (16:33) Widening the talent pool through skills-first hiring (18:19) How skills visibility supports internal mobility (19:54) Adding AI proficiency to hiring criteria (21:31) Using onboarding to close skill gaps faster (22:32) Where to connect with Alessandra

    24 min
  3. The Recruiter's Guide to Selling Pre-IPO Equity with Hannah Spellmeyer, Slingshot Aerospace

    APR 7

    The Recruiter's Guide to Selling Pre-IPO Equity with Hannah Spellmeyer, Slingshot Aerospace

    Equity can be the difference between losing your best candidates and closing them. Hannah Spellmeyer, Chief People Officer at Slingshot Aerospace, joins Shannon to break down how recruiters can confidently sell equity and compete with larger companies. She shares what most teams get wrong, the key numbers every recruiter should know, and how to position equity based on what candidates actually care about. Hannah walks through how to make equity tangible, from explaining intrinsic value to using real market signals, such as secondary offers. She also explains how to enable teams with simple tools and stories so recruiters can speak with clarity and build trust in every offer conversation.  Key takeaways: Know the core numbers: Understand strike price, preferred price, and intrinsic value before every offer conversation.Lead with candidate motives: Tailor equity positioning based on whether a candidate values upside or stability.Make equity tangible: Use calculators and real examples to turn abstract value into something candidates can grasp.Practice builds confidence: Role play and shared examples help recruiters speak clearly without overpromising.Timestamps:  (00:00) Introduction (00:52) Meet Hannah Spellmeyer (01:39) Why recruiting teams need to get good at selling equity (04:55) The key inputs recruiters must know to close (06:49) When to share equity details with candidates (08:58) Handling “equity is fake money” objections (11:49) How secondary markets create early liquidity (13:22) Using equity calculators to enable teams (17:52) What great equity selling unlocks for hiring teams (21:09) Advice for recruiters (23:10) Where to connect with Hannah

    25 min
  4. Rebuilding Engineering Hiring for the Rise of AI with Jonathan Durnford-Smith, Synthesia

    MAR 24

    Rebuilding Engineering Hiring for the Rise of AI with Jonathan Durnford-Smith, Synthesia

    Hiring is changing quickly as AI tools reshape how teams build products and how companies evaluate talent. Jonathan Durnford-Smith, Head of Talent at Synthesia, joins Shannon to discuss why recruiting teams must become more agile and strategic. He shares lessons from scaling talent functions at high-growth companies and explains how AI tooling is shifting what great engineers look like today. Instead of focusing only on coding execution, his team now prioritizes product sense, customer empathy, and strong problem definition. Jonathan explains how Synthesia redesigned its engineering interview process, resulting in a hiring approach that adapts more quickly while maintaining a high bar for talent. Key takeaways: Redefine engineering excellence: Evaluate engineers on product thinking and customer empathy, not only coding execution.Encourage AI collaboration: Allow candidates to use AI coding tools during interviews to better reflect real work environments.Define roles before hiring: Spend time clarifying the real problem the role must solve before sourcing candidates.Challenge hiring assumptions: Talent teams should question role definitions and push back when something feels misaligned.Timestamps:  (00:00) Introduction (00:48) Meet Jonathan Durnford-Smith (01:48) Why agility matters in recruiting during the AI era (05:03) How AI is changing engineering hiring (06:00) Why product sense matters more than coding execution (07:24) Redesigning engineering interviews around real business problems (09:14) Why engineers must be comfortable using AI tools (11:36) The signal great engineers show early in interviews (13:52) The culture principle that enables agility (16:30) Aligning hiring with company strategy and leadership bets (17:29) Why recruiters must push back on hiring decisions (20:25) Why hiring processes should be revisited every six months (24:29) Where to connect with Jonathan

    26 min
  5. Building Interviewer Scorecards to Raise Your Talent Bar with Vanessa Paladini, Nubank

    MAR 10

    Building Interviewer Scorecards to Raise Your Talent Bar with Vanessa Paladini, Nubank

    Great hiring outcomes start with great interviewers. Vanessa Paladini, Global Talent Acquisition Director at Nubank, joins Shannon to share how the world’s largest digital bank outside of Asia raised its hiring bar without slowing down growth. She walks through Nubank’s four workstreams, including structured assessments, technical bar raisers, and a data-backed interviewer scorecard. Vanessa broke down how her team measured interviewer assertiveness, linked decisions to 90-day ramp and 12-month performance, and reduced the interviewer pool to improve their skills.  Key takeaways: Data builds credibility: Linking interview feedback to long-term performance helps TA influence the business.Use AI thoughtfully: Evaluate how candidates use AI tools during exercises instead of prohibiting them.Measure assertiveness: Track interviewer decisions against ramp time, retention, and performance data.Hiring is collective: Moving accountability beyond recruiters creates stronger business partnership.Timestamps:  (00:00) Introduction (01:03) Meet Vanessa Paladini (01:40)   Three pillars of Nubank's Hiring Talent bar (03:15) Four workstreams to raise the talent bar (06:15)  Why companies should invest more on interviewer quality (08:19) Building and measuring interviewer scorecards (11:19) Defining the traits of a good interviewer (14:40)  Who has access to the Scorecards? (17:30)  Additional learnings from the Scorecard program (20:53)  How the Scorecard data is expected to impact conversions (23:44) Where to connect with Vanessa

    25 min
  6. The 4-Pillar System Behind a 93% Offer Acceptance Rate with Jordan Trott

    FEB 24

    The 4-Pillar System Behind a 93% Offer Acceptance Rate with Jordan Trott

    Offer acceptance rate is the clearest signal of whether your recruiting engine is actually working. Jordan Trott, Talent Lead at Taptap Send, joins Shannon to break down how his team maintains a 93% offer acceptance rate across global hiring. He explains why this metric reflects everything from role clarity to candidate experience, and where most teams lose candidates long before the offer stage. Jordan shares the four practices that changed outcomes for his team, including tighter candidate profiles, culture-first interviewing, rigorous benchmarking, and a partner mindset with candidates.  Key takeaways: Clarify both sides of fit: Define not only who you want, but who will genuinely want your job.Interview for values first: Design intentional questions that test cultural alignment.Hunt for bad news early: Actively surface concerns and misalignment before the offer stage.Own the talent bar: Build credibility by pushing back on unrealistic expectations and misaligned budgets.Timestamps:  (00:00) Introduction (01:44) Meet Jordan Trott (02:12) Why offer acceptance rate is a high-signal recruiting metric (03:44) The four levers behind a 93% offer acceptance rate (04:54) Building a candidate profile that answers “do they want this job” (07:59) Interviewing for culture over content and why it changes the sell (10:49) Benchmarking compensation at three moments in the hiring cycle (12:31) The pre-close conversation that prevents late-stage surprises (15:08) Treating candidate experience like a partnership, not a transaction (20:03) Hunting for bad news early and using an “anti-sell” to build trust (23:23) How this approach improves retention and reduces churn (26:09) Where to connect with Jordan

    28 min
  7. Measuring Recruiter Feedback to Drive Process Improvement with Will Ducey, Ashby

    FEB 10

    Measuring Recruiter Feedback to Drive Process Improvement with Will Ducey, Ashby

    Recruiting teams often track hiring metrics but forget to ask the team how it feels to do the work. Will Ducey, Head of Recruiting Operations at Ashby, joins Shannon Ogborn to talk about how internal recruiter surveys create a feedback loop that leads to better tools and processes. Throughout the conversation, Will explains the balance between quantitative and qualitative feedback, sharing real-world examples from Ashby on how they’ve implemented surveys to gauge recruiter satisfaction. He also addresses how small wins, like reducing administrative burdens, can have a huge impact on overall efficiency. Whether you’re a recruiting leader looking to implement your first survey or aiming to refine your current process, this episode offers valuable insights into how recruiters can lead to actionable change and, ultimately, create a more effective and happy recruiting team. Key takeaways: Survey consistency builds trust: Quarterly cadence shows that feedback leads to real changeSmall wins compound: Simple fixes often reduce friction the fastestSentiment data guides priorities: Low survey scores highlight where RecOps should focus nextCollaboration is a solution: Engaging team members in fixing the pain points creates better outcomesTimestamps:  (00:00) Introduction (00:43) Meet Will Ducey (02:18) Why traditional metrics don’t reflect recruiter experience (03:13) What makes recruiter surveys so valuable in RecOps (04:14) How Ashby runs quarterly recruiter surveys (06:32) Structuring the survey for actionable feedback (08:44) Understanding time-use with a 1–4 scale (10:37) Why acting on survey data matters more than collecting it (11:59) How Will identifies small process wins (13:22) Organizing teams for long-term improvements (14:15) Building trust and consistency through surveys (16:26) The NPS score that led to a full ATS transformation (19:10) Comparing tools using internal data (20:07) Helping recruiters become more confident with data (21:19) Why alerts are Will’s favorite Ashby feature (23:57) Where to connect with Will

    25 min
  8. Turning Internal Mobility Into a Durable Capability with Angie Peterson, Coursera

    JAN 27

    Turning Internal Mobility Into a Durable Capability with Angie Peterson, Coursera

    Clarity is the foundation of any effective internal mobility program. Angie Peterson, Talent Operations & Programs Manager at Coursera, joins Shannon to break down how her team turned employee feedback into a durable system for internal career growth. After survey data showed employees didn’t understand how to move internally, Angie partnered with L&D to diagnose the real blockers, conduct listening circles, and reframe internal mobility as a company-wide operating model. She walks through how Coursera moved from one-off efforts to a shared language, accessible tools, and a structure that centers employee agency. Because of this, a scalable system was made that gives people confidence to navigate their careers, and gives the business better retention and planning. Key takeaways: Clarity changes behavior: Most internal mobility issues are due to confusion, not lack of opportunity.Start with shared language: Defining terms company-wide is a low-lift, high-impact first step.Use what you have: Coursera kept 70% of its existing materials but packaged them better.Make internal hiring feel human: Candidate experience doesn’t end after someone joins the company, it only starts there.Timestamps:  (00:00) Introduction (00:43) Meet Angie Peterson (02:13) Why internal mobility is often underutilized (03:53) What Coursera learned from its employee engagement survey (06:52) How listening circles revealed the real blockers (10:28) Why internal mobility is an operating model, not a perk (13:42) What Coursera kept, repackaged, and rebuilt from their existing program (15:18) Launching the internal mobility hub and resources (17:50) The unexpected value of a career chatbot (19:58) Addressing mentorship without building a full program (21:16) How Coursera enabled hiring managers and recruiters (24:28) Measuring early signals of program impact (28:01) Making internal mobility a durable business system (30:13) Where to connect with Angie

    32 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
7 Ratings

About

Welcome to Offer Accepted, the podcast that elevates your recruiting game. Your host, Shannon Ogborn, interviews top Talent Acquisition Leaders, uncovering their secrets to building and leading successful recruiting teams. Gain valuable insights and actionable advice, from analyzing cutting-edge metrics to claiming your seat at the table. 

Information

  • Creator
    Ashby
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    74
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2026 Offer Accepted
  • Show Website
    Offer Accepted

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