In this podcast, Sr. Employer Brand and People Experience Manager, Tannum, talks about Golden Hippo’s exciting and unique company culture with the people who know it best. This episode, we spoke with Lauren, who has been at Golden Hippo for 6 months as a Senior TA Partner.
Here are some of the highlights of Tannum and Lauren’s conversation:
What is your career journey? How did you get into recruiting?
I did not seek out recruiting, it happened by accident. I went to school for Criminology & Criminal Justice. I was living in the DC area and wanted to catch bad guys. I was fortunate enough to get a government job with the Department of Homeland Security and did that work for about 3 years as a Research Specialist. It was interesting, but it admittedly was not fulfilling. When my life picked me up and moved me to LA, I needed to figure out what I would do now. When I started applying to jobs, I was focused on entry-level HR and Talent jobs. I was on the job market for about 6 months and looking back, a lot of that experience really shaped how I approach recruiting today. About 6 months later, I landed a role with a local video game company. I found myself working for 6 months as a contractor there, and was eventually hired full time.
What do you find most fulfilling about your current role at Golden Hippo?
I love being able to see a process from end to end. The cherry on top is being able to help someone find their next opportunity. Also, being able to impact that process, provide a great experience for candidates, and operate on behalf of a great company is one of the many fulfilling parts of recruiting for Golden Hippo.
What specific elements make a resume stand out to you, and what consistent traits do you see in top talent that ultimately get hired?
Do the best you can do to align your experience via your resume to the job opening. I know it sounds cliche and it’s a lot of work, but the way I think about it is that your lifetime of career experience is so much more than one page, so using all of the projects that you’ve done and using the resume to cherry pick those accomplishments will really set you apart. That level of alignment is so important in this job market.
Are people actually reading our cover letters?
Yes, we are. I like to see a cover letter, I really like to see a cover letter if you’re applying to a role related to writing. If you are going to opt into writing a cover letter, really use it as an opportunity to explain maybe a career pivot or a gap in your resume, or use it as a way to make a connection to the brand. It really should not be a recap of your resume. A few sentences that make you feel connected to the brand or role or to fill in some gaps in your story is really what the cover letter should be used for. That being said, the cover letter is a prime place for candidates to slip up if they forget to update the title or the company name.
What are some things that recent hires at Golden Hippo have done that stood out during the hiring process?
I get really excited when candidates are also excited and engaged in the conversations. Doing your homework about the company - I talk to candidates all the time who mention listening to the podcast - and learning more about our brands. As best as you can, be engaged and responsive in the process. We will chase you down, but it’s much more exciting when we can move things quickly. Sharing your excitement on the role, doing your homework on us, and being responsive.
Postings say apply even if you don’t hit every qualification. Is a lack of a degree an instant no?
No, it is not. We love to see relevant experience. If your path in life did not hit a degree but you’ve had years of experience to be effective in the role, we want to talk to you.
Can you share some common ‘red flags’ that would definitely disqualify a candidate from being hired at Golden Hippo?
There are many reasons that candidates don’t work out. The only ‘red flag’ from my perspective is if a candidate is rude. The best advice I can give is to be nice to the Talent Acquisition team, your coordinator, and your interviewers. We’ve all had a not-so-great experience in a job, but talking poorly about your previous employer is not a great look.
Any parting advice for candidates you’d like to share?
Update your resume, whether it’s for one of our jobs or somewhere else. Really use that resume to be that highlight reel for yourself as it pertains to the job you’re interested in. Recruiters are active on LinkedIn and we’re navigating a lot of InMails. If you’d like to connect, I’d like to reiterate that I don’t work on every role here. A connection is great, but use it more as an opportunity to put up the beacon. In terms of asking specific questions or a few minutes to talk about the opportunity, it’s not really something anyone on our team has the bandwidth to do.
What do you think makes Golden Hippo stand out as a place to work?
We really care about our employees here. We have an amazing benefits package. It really fosters an environment to share and implement ideas. Because we're not overly corporate, it allows us to share those ideas from everybody and see results faster. And we have a great infrastructure to support those ideas.
If you’d like to listen to the full conversation, click here!
- Employee Spotlight
- Podcast
- Recruiting
