Ask Me Anything: Recruiter Secrets with Justin Chen
Speaker: All right, so let's
just get right into it.
We have some questions
from our hype community.
Our first question is, how do I
differentiate myself in the application
process, especially in the world of ai?
Speaker 2: Hmm.
I, I love this question personally.
I hear it all the time,
people that I'm working with.
Um, but yeah, I would say to the
best way to differentiate yourself
is actually do your research.
Like I always tell people.
Treat your job search like your job.
So whether it be spending 40 hours a
week, whether it be actually spending
your nine to five looking for a job too.
Um, definitely one digging
into the actual role.
I see a lot of, uh, being on the
other side, seeing candidates, seeing
resumes, seeing thousands of resumes.
A lot of candidates will apply for
jobs that might not even be the same
title as they're currently working on.
So definitely tailor your resume.
To the, to the, uh, job description
and what the company's looking for.
Number one, I think another way to
differentiate, differentiate yourself
is actually, uh, networking, actually.
Um, meeting, and you could do research on
LinkedIn, other social media platforms,
and really finding out who the hiring
manager might be, who the recruiter might
be, and really connect with them directly.
That will make your resume,
your application, move to
the, like, top of the list.
So I think those are kind
of what comes to mind.
Speaker: Yeah.
Awesome.
Thank you for that.
So the next question we have is what do
you think of AI tools for recruiting?
Too far or not?
Speaker 2: Definitely not too far.
I think AI tooling, just like in any
discipline, any job, whatever you
you're actually doing, it takes a lot.
It automates a lot of the
manual work that you need to do.
So in the case of my world and my role.
Uh, a lot of the manual like,
uh, record keeping note taking,
for example, finding candidates.
Um, I use AI to automate all of that.
I think I could still do a better
job, but yeah, definitely not too far.
Speaker: I love ai,
especially for recruiting too.
Love it.
Yeah, it's the best.
Our next question is, what do
you wish more candidates knew or
did differently when applying?
Speaker 2: I think it does just go back
to like doing your research actually.
Um, you will not believe how many
countless hundreds or not thousands
of times where, um, a candidate's
applying to a role that really, they
either are not qualified for or it's
very obvious they apply to like 10,
12 different roles within the company.
Us recruiters, we see all of that, right?
So I think really matching
your skillset and understanding
what the company's looking for.
I think the other thing that
candidates should really do is
what are you doing?
Obviously your job is nine to five, but
what are you doing from five to nine?
Right.
Uh, if you are looking to break into
another field or change functions
or, or, or even industries, what
are you doing from five to nine
to learn those skill sets, take
on internships, work on projects?
What are you doing outside of
your nine to five work hours?
I think that's super critical.
Speaker: I love that.
And I think for me too, I, I tell
people that taking classes like Google,
Google Certificates or Coursera, things
like that, that's also super helpful.
Mm-hmm.
But I totally agree with that.
What are you doing from nine to five?
'cause you can learn a lot of
new skills during that time.
Speaker 2: Oh yeah.
Big time.
Speaker: Yeah.
And our last question for our, um,
ask me anything is what trends are you
seeing in the job market right now?
Speaker 2: I think it's very
much like industry specific.
So obviously I work in like crypto and
like, like FinTech, if you wanna call it,
or financial services, uh, and software.
I think that it's really transitioned
to, uh, a lot of people, a lot of
companies, I mean, and hiring teams are
looking for more senior people, right?
So, uh, they're looking for
like the lowest, most entry
level role as like a senior x.
Senior engineer.
Senior accountant.
Senior operations person.
So I think that maybe a good place
for if you're not in the senior or
earlier on your career is like maybe
broadening your aperture of like
where you're looking for jobs, right?
Like I think if you wanna look
at the Google's, Facebooks of
the world too, like maybe look at
some startups, maybe look at some.
Industries that you're par particularly
passionate about, where companies
will take a chance on more, you know,
people earlier on in their career
versus just hiring senior people.
So I think generally I'm seeing kind
of a shift from, uh, a candidate market
to an employer market now to, so I'm
seeing companies across the board
or being a little bit more picky.
Um, and then I would also look at.
Uh, industries where there's a lot of
like capital flowing to 'em, right?
Like where are VCs and investment
firms really investing their money?
Obvious ones are like ai, but there
are also some more traditional
industries like, uh, manufacturing
and industrial that are getting
a lot of like capital right now.
So looking at those industries as
well, in addition to software and tech.
Speaker: So we're gonna hop
right into, um, our next.
Topic, talking about job hunting.
So you're not just fighting for a job,
you're positioning yourself with purpose.
Mm.
So our first question that we're
gonna ask is, what's the biggest
mistake you see people make
when applying for jobs in 2025?
Speaker 2: I mean, going
back to the whole AI thing.
A lot of people, like pretty tactical
thing that you can do is you don't want
your resume or your cover letter or your
email out to hiring managers or recruiters
to like look like it came from ai.
Right?
So I would just do some
research, uh, of what are pretty
typical AI kind of mishaps.
Uh, there's even jokes sometimes
where people say that, Hey, maybe
include a few spelling errors.
I'm not saying to do that on your
resume, but something like that.
Um, some obvious ones that I've seen are.
Where the kind of grammar and writing is
like way too formal, so look out for that.
Um, if it, if you've ever used ai,
you see the little like double dash
thing, I would just replace it with
simply adding two dashes versus
the, the AI generated version.
So, uh, just some things like that.
I think it's very obvious
when someone's using ai.
I think some other
things that come to mind.
2025.
I have some like historical
stuff, but 20, 25 I think.
Hmm.
Maybe I need to come back to that one.
Yeah, no problem.
Yeah.
Speaker: Do you wanna talk about
the historical things that you,
you mentioned like people are
Speaker 2: making mistakes on Yeah, I
think I covered it previously, but, um.
I think, yeah, like maybe a good place
to talk about where it, I think it's
like a craft, like a really, a science
on how to put together a resume.
Um, actually that's a great point because
I think one thing that job seekers are
maybe like overly indexing on is like
spending too much time on the resume.
Right.
Like oftentimes when I, you know,
just help people within, within
VI or within hype, uh, about job
searching, they'll spend all of
their time on the, the resume piece.
And I think, uh, resumes are just
like, ma, they're, you're kind of
foot in the door where, uh, a lot
of recruiters are basically just
looking at really basic information.
Do you qualify?
Do you meet the requirements of the job?
And then they move on.
So, one, I just wouldn't over index on
spending all of your time on resume.
Um.
But pretty simply, like do, when you're
putting together a resume, and this
is, you know, maybe I'm preaching here
a little bit, but when you're putting
together your resume, super simple.
Look at the type of
job you're looking for.
Take the job requirements and
then literally make bullet points.
And I think people kind of overlook
that piece too much of just tying your
resume to the actual job description.
Um, I think too, like, I can't say
it enough, apply for jobs that, like,
not that you're qualified for, but.
Read through your resume and read through
your experience doesn't make sense, right?
If you put yourself in my shoes, will,
if I'm reading your profile and your
resume within, you know, 10 to 15
seconds, which is the average, am I, am
I gonna really be able to draw a line to
like, Hey, can this person do the job?
So again, I think that's,
that's really important.
Um,
I think another area too is like.
I honestly help a lot of people with job
searches, even outside of my company.
Um, just friends, family, whoever.
They don't take it as seriously
as I think they should.
Right.
Because you'll, you'll see people that,
like, people that I know that have
gotten several offers, uh, through a
job search, they're spending like a
lot of time like treating it like a
full-time job, looking for a role too.
So, um, yeah, I think unemployment
should be really, your, your full-time
job should be looking for a job.
Yeah,
Speaker: I love that.
And you mentioned about the resume,
um, sim, do you think it's better
to be like simple on your resume?
'cause I've seen people who have like,
elaborate resumes, so do you think that
it's better to be simple, especially when
it's being, um, sent over into like a,
um, one of those automated generated.
Are those?
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Like it just shoots back
a, a resume for you, right?
Yeah.
Resume generator.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And then
Speaker: when they're submitting
it, you know, a lot of times it's
not an actual person looking at it.
It's like an AI looking at it.
So I hear people say like, oh, you
know, I submitted my resume, but I
don't ever get a response from anybody.
And a lot of times they're using
like, chat GPT and different sources
like that, and it's because it's
maybe too elaborate and it's not
getting through to the right people.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
I think that's a, that's a
really good question actually.
So, I mean, let's dive into it.
Like really tactical, like resume
building, I would say, um, I would
take different approaches if you're
like earlier on in your career
and then later on in your career.
'cause if you think about someone with
like 10 to 15 years of experience, over
five to 10 companies versus someone
that has two years of experience,
resumes gonna look very different.
I think one, if you're building
out, uh, the resume company.
Role dates obviously, but you
should rank your bullet points
based on what's the most important.
I think also not being overly elaborate
to your point, um, you want to just
be really concise and get to like the
meat of like what you actually did.
And I think metrics and numbers
and like deliverables are really,
really critical to have in there.
Um, and again, I can't say it
enough, especially to your point.
If, uh, if it is an AI that's reviewing
the resumes, you wanna make sure that.
The job description
matches your resume, right?
And, and having a, a huge
overlap and alignment there.
I think, uh, if you're earlier on in
your career, always limit it to one page.
Like, don't, don't need to talk about, uh,
you know, working at, you know, I worked
at a coffee shop when I was in school.
Like, you don't need to put all that.
You wanna put only stuff that's
really relevant to the role.
Um, and that's a great, great, uh,
area where you can add projects and
other things that you're working on.
If you're earlier on your career and you
like, want to break into a new field,
I think that's a great place to like
buff up and add into your resume too.
Speaker: Thank you.
Thank you for breaking,
breaking that down.
Um, so our next question is,
is networking still the golden
ticket or has it become overrated?
Speaker 2: I, well we're, we're talking
about hype network here too, right?
Mm-hmm.
So I think networking is actually
the key to getting a job.
It's even like even more important now.
Um.
One area, like maybe tangential is what
we're seeing, at least in recruiting
and someone that's reviewing resumes.
There's, there's actually so
many fraudulent resumes that are
in that we, we come across like
they're not even real people.
Um, and yeah, it's,
it's, it's a lot, right?
So I think that you working
hard, networking and getting
to the right person is just.
Even more important than it used to be.
Um, if you just make the right
connection, you'll literally
move to the top of the list.
And if you connect with the actual
person making the hiring decisions,
they'll, they'll literally pass the
resume to the recruiter and boom,
you're, you're gonna get an interview.
Right?
So I think it, it could
not be more helpful.
And I mean, huge plug to hype network.
That's, that's a great place to start.
Speaker: Right?
And I to speak to networking, um,
one thing I like to tell people
is, you know, when you're applying
to a job, to a company, look to
see maybe who the recruiter is.
Reach out to them, send them a
little message and you never know.
You know how connecting with them can
maybe even bump your application up.
And it just goes, speak to how
Pastor Adam always says, you're one
connection away from your breakthrough.
Right.
So you never know who you network with.
Could be your next boss.
Speaker 2: Yeah.
If, if I can touch on that too,
like how to network is also the
question, like how should I write
the email or what's important?
I think if you do your research
about the company and like
let's say you're applying to.
Uber, but part of their like Uber Eats
division, like understanding what that
product is or what that specific team that
you're looking to apply, like do research
on it, maybe even share some anecdotes.
Um, I wouldn't go like too much into the
personal side of like finding out what the
hiring manager does on their free time.
None of that, but uh, really going.
Above and beyond in a few layers deeper,
just showing that you have, uh, you
really want the role, you really are gonna
be hungry and, and go out and seek it.
I think that's like huge.
Speaker: Justin, so we have
a spicy question for you.
Speaker 2: Ooh.
Spicy.
Yeah.
Speaker: Do you think people
use waiting on God as an excuse
for inaction when job hunting?
Speaker 2: I mean, it's not that spicy.
Short answer is yes, like
straight up point, blank period.
I think that is, uh, a lot
of times what I've seen.
Um, I think the only times where it
that's not the case potentially is, I
mean, it's not a surprise that how long
people stay at companies now is not like.
The previous generation where it's like
you hear people staying at companies for
10, 20, 30 years, their whole career.
Right now.
It's like if you stay at a company for
four years, like, oh my gosh, you're
like, you know, you're, you're resilient.
You, you, you, you've been
there for so long, right?
Um, so yeah, I think in the case that
if you are in a current role, um, prey
on it, maybe God has you there for
a reason still, and your assignment
and your time there is not done.
So that's where I can see waiting on
God as a, as a reasonable, uh, excuse.
But if you're like.
One, don't have a job, two need
a job, and three, like complain
that you don't have a job.
Like, yeah, I think
Short answer, not spicy.
Definitely is an excuse.
Speaker: I have to laugh because I've
been at my job for like 16 years.
Yeah.
But I've always moved around and I like
that where, you know, it's a company
you can move around in the company.
Yeah.
And so sometimes I'm like, Lord,
am I supposed to still be here?
Like, or do you want, do
you want me somewhere else?
And I found every job that I've
gotten, he's just elevated me.
But in moving up.
Every time I've applied, I really
didn't really put much thought into it.
I applied to it and I'm like, okay,
Lord, if this is, if you want me to have
this job, it's just gonna be seamless.
And every time I've just walked
right through the door and
there's never been a problem.
It's just like, and so that's how I
know it's from him because he just
blesses me and I'm just am able
to walk right through that door.
Speaker 2: Yeah, that's
like such a great example.
'cause it's not like you are.
Like frustrated with your boss,
like, okay, like I need to leave.
Right.
You're actually like wading through it
and being resilient and being patient.
Right?
Yeah.
So yeah, it's great.
Yeah.
Speaker: All right, so next segment
we have is Recruiter secrets exposed.
Mm-hmm.
Recruiters aren't just
gatekeepers, they're storytellers
looking for alignment.
Okay.
So our first question is, what
do recruiters actually look
for when scanning resumes?
Speaker 2: Yeah, I think like the stat
is recruiters will spend maybe 10 to 15
minutes, especially if it's not like an
AI tool that companies are using, uh,
10 to 15 seconds scanning the resume.
So I'll just show, share
the, the secret sauce here.
Uh, hopefully I don't
get in trouble for this.
Um, but the first thing we look at
is what your most recent role is.
So always have that on top.
Number one, um, very simply, it's
like, Hey, is that most recent role?
Say it's a project manager.
And you're applying for an engineer, make
sure those match its most recent role.
Uh, then we look at how long you've
been at that role or that company.
Hopefully there's some
longer track record.
And then we basically scan all the way
down to the bottom, basically wherever you
put, uh, college, university, or last job.
And then just see your
overall years of experience.
So to summarize, does your current
role or most recent role match
the job you're applying for how
long you've been at that company?
And then lastly, we're always
looking for how long you're.
You've been in your career for
an overall years of experience.
So 10, 15 seconds is
usually what we'll spend on.
Speaker: That's great to know.
Secret exposed.
Yeah.
Um, so I do, going back to that, when
you were saying you're looking at the
resumes, do you think that recruiters,
uh, count doing, like say, you know,
when you, for us, like we serve at
our church and can we take experiences
of things we do at the church and
putting it on there, would that even
count for some recruit for recruiters?
Speaker 2: It definitely counts.
I think moving the needle on that front
is like, I would say on the smaller side.
So like maybe let's use an example, right?
Um, let's say that same example of you're
a project man, a project manager, and you
want to transition to engineering, right?
If your resume only shows project
management experience and you're
applying for an engineer, but you
have like one stint at five church
on the engineering or innovation
team, that might not move the needle.
But if you have like a very clear, like
cover letter or very clear, uh, mission
objective statement at the top, and you
have multiple examples of like where maybe
something that you worked at at vi, you.
Helped built our ministry hub or something
like that, and people can go and click
on it and like play around with it.
I think that helps a lot.
Um, so yeah, having multiple examples
in projects I think definitely moves
the needle, but if it's just one,
a little bit hard for specifically
a, a role transition or a career
transition, if that makes sense.
Speaker: No, it totally makes sense.
Yeah.
Our next question is what are the instant
red flags that get a resume tossed?
Speaker 2: I'm gonna be
beating a dead horse here.
I'm gonna be, uh,
repeating myself for sure.
But yeah, make sure you're
applying for roles that you've
actually done the work for.
Uh, making sure that you've
actually read the job description
so your resume matches.
Um, and I think another, maybe a more
practical tip is for every single
company and or role, I would create a
separate resume for each of those, right?
Even going all the way to like
the, the fine detail print of.
Whatever the PDF file is, do company
name, role, and your name too, and
do that for every single role and
company that you're applying for.
So I think it's just such table
stakes to make sure your experience
and the job actually matches.
I can't stress that enough 'cause
that's the quickest way for a
recruiter to go on to the next resume.
Speaker: Our next question is, what's
one thing candidates should be doing
on LinkedIn, but they rarely ever do.
Speaker 2: Network for sure.
Definitely network, make connections,
write notes to people, comment on people.
Like as you start to build your, your
network on LinkedIn, um, like within your
feed you'll start to see people's posts
and I would definitely interact with
it and I making sure you're commenting,
adding some value, uh, different things
like that so that your like name starts to
become more familiar in the right circles.
Um.
I think too, like this is something that
I'm trying to get better about too, is
actually posting content on LinkedIn.
I think a lot of people, um, you don't
want like to post, like woes is me.
Like I, it's been six months
that I haven't had a job.
But if you're like, documenting your, your
search, like it could start getting some
eyeballs, um, and get your resume and your
background in front of the right people.
So yeah, like if you're in
a job search right now, like
use, get rid of your Instagram.
Delete your TikTok and just use
LinkedIn as like your social
media for the next two months.
And you'll definitely, you'll
definitely see ROI on it.
Speaker: That's great.
And I like how, how you were
saying about getting, getting
rid of all of your socials and
make that like your primary one.
Um, gosh, I lost my train of thought.
Speaker 2: No, it's so,
it's so, it's so important.
'cause like, yeah, think about like all
of the random things you find, like,
you know, we always joke about like.
Um, the algorithm knows me.
Like why not have the LinkedIn
algorithm get to know you?
Right.
So, yeah, just get rid of the other
social and focus on your, your job search.
And it goes back to how important
is your job search, right?
Right.
Are you putting all the effort into it?
And I think this is like a
very tangible way to do it.
Speaker: Have you personally found
anyone who has done that where they've
just been posting through their
journey of finding a job and they
ended up landing on your page somehow?
'cause maybe a friend liked it
and then it showed on your feed.
Have you found anyone that way?
Speaker 2: I,
I personally have, but I found
it more so through Twitter.
So the, the industry that I'm in crypto is
like less LinkedIn, it's more on Twitter
or XI guess, uh, is what it's called now.
And so I, I definitely notice people
where they're posting their journey or
even posting like, Hey, I've left this
company and I'm looking for what's next.
Um, 'cause I think it's very easy to
fall into, Hey, I, I lost my job for
my re for a reason that I did, or the
market a macro envir, uh, a macro factor.
Um, but I think it's good to just
be vulnerable and like share, Hey,
you know, I'm, I moved on from this
company, so I found people that way.
Um, on LinkedIn.
I, I don't have like, like hard data on
this, but I've definitely seen people,
uh, where they like circle back at the end
of their journey of like, Hey, I've, and
I've seen them post throughout and it's
like, Hey, after six months, like, I found
this job and it was because of LinkedIn.
Right.
So I think it's, it's
better to do it than not.
Yeah.
Yeah.
Yeah.
And I,
Speaker: I've, I have examples
too where I've seen friends
on there who they've been.
Sharing their journey
and then just timing.
I'm like, oh, you know what?
I do know of someone who's hiring in their
field and I'll, you know, send that over.
But had they not kept being, you
know, consistent on posting about
their, their, um, you know, story of
how they're going through their job
loss, uh, I wouldn't have seen it.
So I wouldn't be able to
connect them to that person.
Make connect, you know?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Speaker 2: I mean, I think we just
have like a new product idea for hype.
I think we need to create that
network within the hype community
too, of like, 'cause obviously like
yourself and myself, we work in the
recruiting space and we know probably
other companies that are hiring too.
And then on the other side, there's
probably a lot of people within
hype that are looking for jobs
or looking for what's next too.
So just saying that's an idea right there.
That's a great idea right there.
Speaker: Um, so we have a hot topic here.
Spicy.
Spicy, yes.
Have job seekers become too
entitled in the hiring process?
Speaker 2: Hmm.
Entitled, huh?
Um, I don't think so.
At least what I've seen, um, if you
were to ask me two or three years
ago when I think it was like a very
much a candidate's market where
like companies were like, Hey, we
need to hire all the best engineers.
Especially like with the AI talent grab
right now too, like, yeah, I think.
There was, uh, a case to be made like a
couple years ago, but I think it, it's
starting to kind of balance out and swing
towards the other side of the pendulum.
Um, yeah, if it's a, if it's an
employer's market, candidates
are not gonna be entitled.
If it's a candidate's
market, they will be.
So yeah, not too spicy.
Speaker: Not too spicy.
All right.
Our next segment, we're gonna be talking
about interviews, confidence and vibes.
Confidence gets you in the room,
but character keeps you there.
Speaker 2: Love that.
Speaker: So our first question is,
what's one question a candidate
should always ask in an interview?
Speaker 2: I think the go-to for that
is framing a question where you've like
actually done some research, right?
Where maybe company just announced some
like quarterly earnings or announced
a new product, but framing a question
where you're interested about that.
I think, um.
Depending on who you're interviewing
with, if it's just like a, like a
cross-functional team member that sits on
a different team, or if you're actually
interviewing with the hiring manager,
crafting your questions to that person.
And I think, again, like part, it goes
into doing research on that person, right?
Because usually if you're doing
a a more formal interview, you're
gonna know who the person is.
They'll usually share their LinkedIn.
If they don't look 'em up, find out
what their role is, and then start
crafting very specific questions to them.
Um.
Yeah, I think those are the
questions that I would always ask.
I don't think there's
anything else like that.
Let's say you don't ask an interview,
it's like you're gonna bomb it, I think.
I think just, yeah, making sure that
you have like thoughtful and questions
that you've done your research
about the person and the company.
Speaker: That's great.
Our next question is, can someone recover
when they totally bomb an interview?
Speaker 2: I think in most cases, yes.
Like removing the, like, screw your mom.
You said that to an interviewer,
moving that out of the equation.
Um, or, or whatever.
Like you just, yeah, it is a, a very
like, bad, negative experience, but
if you just like, maybe didn't answer
the questions right, or you couldn't
like, think perfectly on the spot, I
think there's, it's always recoverable.
I think that, um.
Peeling back the curtains from my seat.
And like in a recruiting seat, what
we usually look at is we look at,
say you're doing an onsite interview
for a software engineering role.
Again, that's mainly my world.
Uh, there's usually four segments
and if you do bat in one, we
usually try to confirm or look at
signals from the other interviews.
Right.
So I don't think you can
just bomb one interview.
Um, you always can recover, uh, in
other interviews 'cause they're all
trying to capture the same type of
signal, same type of your experience.
Yeah.
Speaker: I love that.
That's good.
Our next question is, how do
you spot a toxic company culture
before signing the offer?
Speaker 2: Hmm.
That's an interesting question.
I guess like, I, I think first I
would want to define toxic maybe.
Um, I don't think a, a company
necessarily is toxic or not.
Um, but yeah, I think if you are
able to uncover it somehow, then.
Uh, yeah, avoid and red flag, but
maybe where the question's coming from
is more around how do you find out
what the company values and how does
that align with like, you know, your
values or what a company's working
environment or a culture is like.
Do they expect 9, 9, 6, or do they
expect you to work after hours?
I think maybe crafting
questions on what's.
Important to you, or even maybe like
what are deal breakers for you, right?
Like, uh, maybe you, you have a
family and you prioritize spending
time with their, your family, you
know, after six to dinnertime, uh,
understanding kind of what those are.
But I would tread carefully there
is, you don't want to come across as
like you're not willing to work hard.
So, um, yeah, craft your questions
carefully, but um, yeah, I would just.
Make sure you understand what's
important to you, what are deal breakers
for you, and then like craft your
questions around it to uncover it.
I don't know if like, I mean there
are definitely some companies that
are like toxic quote unquote, but
I don't think like a, a company's
inherently toxic or not, so
Speaker: that's great.
Our next question is, how important
is your digital footprint?
So when you're thinking like
social media and LinkedIn.
Speaker 2: Like your or versus personal?
Speaker: Yeah, your personal
versus your LinkedIn account.
Speaker 2: Um, I think
it definitely matters.
Like, I think anything when you're
talking about digital footprint, like
it lives on the internet forever, right?
So definitely be, be careful of
what you're putting out there.
Um, but I think in practicality I
won't, or recruiters probably won't
look at like your personal social.
Until maybe towards the end of the
process, I, I believe, like, uh, in the
reference or like back channel stage two.
Um, so yeah, I mean pro tip is like, go
look up yourself from like a incognito
Google Chrome window and like look for
your name and see what you can find.
And just making sure it matches with, uh,
your LinkedIn or professional footprint
at least while you're job searching.
Right.
If you're not, it's fine.
But I think generally
probably part of height we.
Those, those two worlds
should be pretty congruent.
I would say.
Speaker: Presentation matters.
Speaker 2: Presentation matters.
Yeah.
Speaker: And our spicy question
is, should people ever fake it
till they make it in an interview?
Speaker 2: Hmm.
Fake it till you make it.
Like, I don't think you should
ever fake anything, but I, I'm
guessing the, the heart and the
core of the question is like.
If you don't know the answer to it, um,
or, uh, you're maybe again, transitioning
to a new role or you're trying to get
a role that's like a higher level.
I think there is some element or
some like art of taking your previous
experience and like picking and choosing.
Like for example, like if in my role as
a recruiter and I want to do more kind
of operation stuff, there's definitely my
core job is still recruiting and talent.
But there's definitely other
aspects of operations that I've
touched before too, and like
highlighting that in the interview.
Uh, I think that's maybe a
good way to like fake it, quote
unquote, till you make it.
Um, but yeah, I definitely wouldn't lie
about your role or your experience at all.
And yeah, definitely don't
like lie on your resume either.
Speaker: Yeah, no lying.
Speaker 2: No lying.
No lying.
The truth always comes out.
Speaker: It sure does.
All right, so we're gonna
jump into our next segment.
The modern job market.
AI didn't kill recruiting.
It exposed who's lazy?
True.
So our first question is, is AI
changing the hiring game or just
making it harder to stand out?
Speaker 2: It's, I mean, it's like without
a doubt, it's changing the hiring game.
I think it's changing it from.
Like I mentioned from like the
recruiting side, so it's like two sides
of the marketplace, like candidate
market and then like hiring team.
I think it is changing it in the
aspect of like AI is gonna be, if
not already gonna be a necessary
part of like a skillset for any role.
It doesn't matter if you
are in tech or not in tech.
If you're in fashion or if you're on
social media, like I think everyone's
gonna figure out, need to figure out how
to leverage AI into like your workflow.
And make you more productive in general.
So I think that yeah, AI
is like inevitably gonna be
part of our kind of workflow.
Um, in terms of like the job market.
Yeah, I mean it's, I think it's just
gonna make things more streamlined,
I think like to the, to the topic
and banner of this segment too.
Like it just exposed who's like
not trying and not working as hard.
Um, so yeah, definitely.
Put in your, put in your time, like
work hard, but also like on your
free time, learn how to leverage ai.
There's just so many like
YouTube videos, tutorials.
Hit me up like you can,
we can talk about it.
Speaker: Yeah, definitely
changing the game.
So
Speaker 2: it really is,
Speaker: if you're not using
it, you need to catch up.
Yeah.
We used it earlier, like, how long
Speaker 2: is this gonna take to read?
Like, right.
We just threw it in there.
Yeah.
That
Speaker: also like level you up, you know,
on the playing field when you're applying.
You know, if you say, oh, I've.
I learned, you know, these
skills from this, you know, it
might, might help you actually.
Speaker 2: Yeah, I mean I
think that's a good point.
Like in my role right now, I'm like
a team of one and I think through my
interview process, I think a lot of like
heads of, or if you're like a leader,
you want to come in and like immediately
I need to hire X amount of people.
I need to build my team.
But I think from the very beginning
I'm like, I told the founders I want
to be as lean as possible and be a
one person team as long as possible.
So I've had to like leverage
a lot of like AI and.
Other resources to be able to
like do multiple jobs at once.
Speaker: Right.
The next question I have is,
should people still tailor every
resume or is that outdated advice?
Speaker 2: Tailor every resume.
Every single one.
Yeah.
Tailor every resume.
I mean, using ai, you can literally take
the job description, your old resume, send
it in there, create a new resume for me.
Again, like I said, save your
name specific to the job and
the company and you're done.
Right?
So yeah, there's AI and resume combined.
Speaker: All right.
Our next question is, what's the most
underrated job search platform right now
Speaker 2: in my world
is definitely Twitter.
Like, I feel like I have never in
my career had as many networking,
but, uh, sourcing and like getting
in contact with the right people,
uh, as much as I am on Twitter.
I think that generally and more
broadly, at least in the us everyone's
on LinkedIn right now, so I don't
think that's changed too much.
So, um, you will be able to find the,
the recruiter or the hiring team and like
information about the company like fully
on LinkedIn if you're, if you're in the
us I would say outside there are other
kind of platforms, um, that you know
specifically to those region regions, but.
LinkedIn is like still the
predominant social media platform.
So I would say if you're in a job search
or you're planning to be, definitely
just focus all your energy on LinkedIn.
Nothing else.
If you're in like crypto or
SaaS B2B, stuff like that, like
Twitter can be very helpful.
Speaker: So when you mention, uh,
Twitter X you were saying, um, if you're
in, uh, crypto, is that more just for
that sphere or is there certain job
markets that are only on there or.
You are you, you think
like anyone can be on X?
Speaker 2: Hmm.
I
Speaker: think
Speaker 2: anyone can be on XI do think,
I mean, I don't have the full picture
by the way, but other industries that
I've seen is definitely crypto for sure.
Definitely a lot of like SaaS companies.
Um.
If you're building a developer tool, so
like your end user is not like a you, me,
our parents, retail people, or they're
actually like developers, like engineers.
That's really helpful.
And then I think another cohort
within Twitter that's really
popular is like founders too, right?
So, uh, if you're like a founder,
which you know, hype probably a lot of
like amazing entrepreneurs here, um.
Twitter would be like a good
place to like meet VCs, meet other
founders and and things like that.
So there's probably a lot more,
but I just, yeah, not aware.
Speaker: That's great.
Thank you.
Speaker 2: Mm-hmm.
Speaker: Our next question is X,
are remote jobs making a comeback
or are they gone for good?
Speaker 2: I don't think
they're making a comeback like.
I guess like post 2020 remote
jobs, like spiked completely
and obviously outta necessity.
Um, since then, it's kind of
tapered off and I, I don't
think they're going anywhere.
That's just my, if I had to
like, uh, project out and just,
you know, hypothesize, I don't
think they're going anywhere.
Um, and companies now, you can't like
really peel that back necessarily, but.
Companies that, and industries
that remote work is feasible.
Like I think it's here for good.
Outside of that, it'll probably
move to more of a hybrid model.
Um, but there are definitely
some companies that like
just operate better together.
I think it, it's really about like
company culture too, like founders,
executives, if they like prioritize in
person collaboration, those companies
will for sure like return to office.
But I don't think if you look
at the whole job market that.
Remote work or hybrid work
is ever like gonna go away.
And that, that'll be my take.
Speaker: And I don't, I, I love working
remote, but I've also found working
remote, I can't really build a good
relationship with my coworkers the
way I would have in the past when I
was working full-time in the office.
Mm-hmm.
It's just a different level of
connection, um, that you build
with them and you can have more
intimate conversations with them.
Versus when you're remote, you just don't
have that same relationship with them.
It's more just all work and that's it.
Yeah.
Speaker 2: Yeah, and like the relational
piece is so important because like
now the coworkers that you've worked
with in person, like when you ask
them for like, Hey, I need help with
this project, they're way more willing
to do it, versus like, you only see
each other on a screen once a week.
Maybe it's like, ah, just
asking me for this thing again.
Right, right.
Mm-hmm.
Speaker: Yeah.
Um, and our spicy question is, has
the job market become more about
personal brand than an actual skill?
Speaker 2: Maybe in some
industries, but I actually think
it's like the inverse of that.
I think it's even more important
about actual skills now where like you
companies and like recruiting teams and
hiring teams are actually looking for.
Uh, not how well you
even do in an interview.
They're looking for like artifacts
of like your actual work, right?
So I think in replace personal
brand with maybe a portfolio, right?
You don't have to just be a
designer to have a portfolio.
Like even as a recruiter or a talent
person, you can put together a
portfolio of like, um, the different
like dashboards you put together.
Uh, the.
You know, uh, maybe even having case
studies of the different companies
that you've worked at versus a resume
and like, so I think there's ways to
like prove your actual work, and I
think companies are starting to veer
more towards that now versus just how
you interview or your personal brand.
Speaker: That's awesome.
We're gonna jump, jump
into our last segment.
Faith, purpose and Career Alignment.
Nice.
Sometimes God closes doors you
were never meant to knock on.
So we'll jump into our first question.
How do you know when God's
telling you to leave a job?
Speaker 2: He will call you on your
phone and say, I'm saying, um, I mean,
if you know, tell you, please tell me.
Um, I think it's a matter
of generally what I've seen.
Like I'm not, I haven't been working
for 40 years or something like that,
but in like the, the decade plus
that I've been working, I think.
Usually people can stay
longer than they think.
Um, and yeah, just like be
patient, wait on God too.
Um, that doesn't mean you sit doing
nothing, but if you, uh, maybe God is
having you in a specific place and like
understanding what your purpose is there.
And I think there's a big difference
between like what or who you're called
to versus like your actual assignment.
AKA your job or, or your career.
So yeah, I think just push a
little bit further and really seek
God in for every step of the way
and it'll start to become clear.
But in my life, I don't think he's
ever made it like, Hey, Justin,
this is what you should do.
Speaker: Yeah.
I, I can speak to that because there's
been times where I've been places and
I'm like, I'm feel like my flesh is
like, let's go, let's leave this place.
But God's like, no, I want
you here for a reason.
You're here and.
It's not time yet, like and.
When you try to leave, it's not very easy.
So you're like, okay, it's just
I'm fighting this uphill battle.
It's not time for me to go,
so I'm gonna stick it out.
And I know God has a purpose for me
in this and I've had that where I've
worked some in a department where
I was so scared to go work there
because they said the executive
was really difficult to work with.
And I ended up going in there and
um, I remember God so clearly saying
like, you're gonna be the light here.
I need you to come to be the
light in this dark place.
That's it.
On the last day when she was leaving, I
ended up making such a great connection.
She ended up becoming my, um,
reference for future jobs.
Amazing.
And she gave me a basket and it was
all like sunshine, like a sunshine cup.
And, uh, she, she said, you be, you
were the sunshine that we needed here.
It was so dark and you came
and you brought light here.
Amen.
And so I knew that going into it, I didn't
want to, but it was like a voluntold role.
And once I got in there and I owned it.
And, um, she just confirmed on her last
day like, this is why I was brought here
to, to bring light into this dark place.
So,
Speaker 2: I mean, that's exactly it.
Nothing to add there.
That's, that's a perfect example.
Yeah.
Just yeah.
Faith over feelings, right?
Yeah.
Yeah.
Speaker: Um, so our next question
is, what's the difference between
a career move and a calling?
Speaker 2: I mean, I think I was
just talking about it, like, I
think, well, let's define the terms.
I think, um.
A career job I considered assignment.
Right.
Especially nowadays, it's a couple
years, you know, maybe five, maybe
10, um, if you're like really
like diligent and committed.
Um, but I think calling is like,
it's actually not a thing that we do.
It's like who?
It's like we're called to Christ.
We're called to Jesus.
Right?
So a calling is not like a thi a job.
Any, any in any sense.
So I think like we've kind of
conflated those two worlds where
like nowadays people are like.
I mean, if you're passionate about
something, obviously pursue it.
But we're so indexed on
like, Hey, do I love my job?
Do I feel called to my job?
No.
Like maybe God has you
there for his calling.
Right.
Not like what you want to do.
Um, so yeah, I think we need to
like separate the two of like, Hey,
I'm in this assignment right now.
God has me here for a reason.
Let me find out why I am here.
Versus conflating that with like your
calling, which is your call to Christ.
Speaker: That's awesome.
I love that.
Our next question is, how do you
hold your values in industries
where faith isn't popular?
Speaker 2: I mean, I'm
still figuring that out too.
Um, but I think one is you can't
be afraid to be like bold, right?
Like Bible tells us to be
strong and courageous, right?
It's not gonna be, um, not
gonna be easy to talk about it.
Um, especially if you're in the
Bay Area, like where I'm at too.
And that's like not something, uh.
That's super welcomed in the
workplace, but I think in individual
settings you could definitely
find opportunities to share it.
And then I, I think going back to
like your personal, was it personal
brand, uh, or your digital footprint,
um, you want those to match, right?
You want what, what you do on the
weekends to match, like, you know,
what, what you do at work and kind
of your value system and morals and
obviously being Christ-centered.
Um.
So, yeah, I think there's always ways
to find opportunities to like talk about
it, but not being afraid to talk about
it is like the very, very first step and
you have no idea where that can lead to.
It's, I think once we start doing
that as believers, we'll be able to
like, have so much impact where our
coworkers are coming to, to church.
You just don't know who, who, uh,
is like open and God's already
moving and, and kind of fore
running for us on those fronts.
You just gotta be bold and talk about it.
Speaker: I love that.
I love being bold,
especially in the workplace.
Speaker 2: It's not easy, but gotta do it.
It's not,
Speaker: yep.
Someone's gotta do it, you know?
Even if it's like during
the holidays, dropping those
little invite cards, you know?
'cause I feel like the
holidays is such a good place.
People are looking, you know, they
don't have family in the area.
They're looking for community.
And so sometimes I use those opportunities
at work to put it in the break room, the
invitation cards for like the Christmas
productions, things like that, you know?
Speaker 2: Yeah.
I mean, even another simple.
Very like easy thing to do is like every
time on Monday or Tuesday, everyone
asks, what'd you do on the weekend?
It's like, went to church.
Speaker: Yeah.
Speaker 2: It's like no one's
gonna complain about that.
No.
Yeah.
But you don't know what
those doors can open.
Right?
Speaker: Yeah.
Our next question is, can work itself be
ministry, even if it's not in a church?
Speaker 2: Yeah.
A thousand percent.
Church can be ministry.
Going back to what your assignment
is and who you're called to, you
can, like, God's gonna place.
You in places where it doesn't
necessarily need to be in a church,
definitely go to church still.
But you, you can do ministry in
wherever God's called you to be.
Um, like Paul, like looking at Paul,
he was like, if we were to look at his
like W2, it would say tent maker, right?
He wasn't, he was a, a, he was not
a pastor, he was not a ministry
leader, but that was his calling.
But like what he did as a functional
job, I don't think he ever was
like, I'm called to be a tent maker.
I'm called to build tents.
No, actually that was his job.
That was his function.
That's how he like made money.
But he was called obviously
to, to, to bring the gospel
to literally the entire world.
Right?
So yeah, I think you definitely can.
Speaker: And our spicy question is.
Do you think su success has become
the new idol for our generation?
Speaker 2: Yeah.
Especially here in the Bay Area.
Um, like if you spend any time here, when
you meet someone, the first thing they
ask you is like, what you, what do you do?
Right?
What are your credentials?
Like?
Who do you work for?
Uh, how much money do you make?
No one asks that, but essentially that.
Um, so yeah, definitely
think success can replace.
You know, putting our, IM, uh, our value
and importance and identity in Christ.
Like anything that
replaces Christ is an idol.
Uh, right.
So, yeah, I definitely think success can
be, I think, I don't wanna be preachy too
preachy here, but I think like a good way
is like we always have to self-reflect,
'cause I'm guilty of it, right?
Like, we have to self-reflect on like,
what are we valuing in our lives, right.
A simple way is just always, just take
a look at your calendar right now,
where are you spending your time on?
And you know, is, is that matching
to what your morals and values
and uh, and everything too.
So, yeah, definitely can
put success as an idol.
Speaker: So Justin, being the head of,
uh, talent in recruiting, how has a
Hype network helped you in your career?
Speaker 2: I think like, I
wouldn't say it's necessarily.
Directly helped me in my career.
It's helped me expand outside of my
career and how, um, I think one, there's
just not that many spaces where, like
the intersection of everything that I
like, am super passionate about, talk
about tech, talk about entrepreneurship,
and then ministry and faith.
Like there's just not
many of those that exist.
Uh, so that's one reason.
And I think being around the hype
community, all the members, all
the mentors that we have here,
it just like keeps expanding
what I think is possible, right?
Where uh, I can do really well in
my job and my career, but how do I
leverage that where, where God's put
me to and like steward that really well
to really expand his kingdom, right?
I'm called there for a reason,
um, called to him for a reason,
but I think it's just, yeah.
Expanding my vision, get it, get
around faith-filled entrepreneurs,
get around faith-filled, like kingdom
builders, and it's gonna just, it's
just gonna move mountains in your life.
I think
Speaker: that's great.
I love being around,
um, faith-filled people.
They just really just expand your
vision and just help you see things
from a different perspective that
maybe you didn't even think of seeing.
Mm-hmm.
Um, so as we close this out, um, for
the person listening who feels unseen
by recruiters, by bosses, maybe even
by God, what's the one thing they need
to hear right now to keep showing up?
Speaker 2: I'll give,
I'll give a couple things.
God is the same yesterday,
today, and tomorrow.
Right.
He's not gonna change.
And then also, God's
always gonna go before you.
So I think knowing that we should w.
We don't obviously work for salvation,
but we work from salvation, right?
So put in the good work, right?
Uh, what is it?
Colossians three 17, as
you work unto the Lord.
Um, so yeah, I would say God sees you.
He knows he has everything planned out.
He has good plans and you just have
to like put in the work and trust
that, um, it's his timing, not yours.
Speaker: That's great.
Today we pull back the curtain on
recruiting, job hunting, and calling
from resume myths to spiritual truth.
If it's your first time listening, feel
free to like, comment, and subscribe.
If you like this episode, please
follow Hype Network for more content.
Cheers.
