Lars Schmidt answers our tough talent Questions

2 mins, 38 secs read time

We love getting to hear from talent industry pros, and it’s especially exciting to spend time with those who have given as much to our community as Lars Schmidt has. You might recognize the name, as Lars is very visible in our world and is the Founder of Amplify Talent & HR Open Source.

In case you’re not familiar with Lars, here’s a lightning-fast recap of his impressive career: He started as a tech recruiter in New York and LA during the first dot-com days of the late ‘90s, ran global recruiting for Ticketmaster, Magento, and NPR, and then launched Amplify to help companies build progressive people teams and talent strategies. In 2015, Lars co-founded HR Open Source, a not-for-profit global community of HR practitioners that’s dedicated to collaboration and knowledge sharing. Greenhouse is a proud sponsor of HROS, and we were also honored to share our story in an HROS case study about the lessons we learned during a period of hypergrowth.

We recently sat down with Lars to ask him some of our toughest talent questions. Here’s what he had to say.

What makes a successful recruiter/hiring manager relationship?

According to Lars, the things that make a successful relationship between a recruiter and a hiring manager are “elements like trust, communication, collaboration, honesty, and openness.” He goes on to add that once you’ve established a trusting relationship with hiring managers, they’ll be much more open to listening when you present information and make recommendations. Taking the time to build that trust initially can pave the way for a more collaborative working relationship down the line.

Looking for even more practical tips on how to improve the recruiter/hiring manager partnership? Greenhouse Recruiting Manager Ariana Moon shares how to establish clear communication on the logistics of your recruiting process, your expectations for hiring managers, and your estimated timeline in Managing Expectations: How We Set Recruiters and Hiring Managers up for Success at Greenhouse.

What are some trends in the space that you’re looking forward to?

Lars says, “I’m excited to learn more about the new Greenhouse Inclusion platform. I think that Paradigm does incredible work so I’m excited to see what that brings... We’re kind of at a point with diversity and inclusion right now where it’s a big part of our conversation. I think some companies are embracing it wholeheartedly. Others know they want to but they might not even know where to start.”

We agree—we see an increased awareness and interest in the topics of diversity and inclusion, we’re thrilled to be partnering with Paradigm, and we’re excited to be a part of raising awareness and helping companies see what they can do on a practical level to limit bias and create more inclusive hiring processes.

Learn more from Lars in our article 3 Questions in 3 Minutes with 3 Speakers at Namely’s HR Redefined 2018 Conference.