Growing in the Greenhouse: spotlight on recruiting coordinator, AJ Biggers

5 mins, 44 secs read time

Recruiting Coordinators are the unsung heroes of the recruiting world. They work tirelessly to make sure candidates and interviewers show up at the right place at the right time. They balance busy schedules and navigate different departments’ priorities. And in the case of Greenhouse Recruiting Coordinator AJ Biggers, they do it with an infectiously positive attitude.

Did AJ Biggers always know he wanted to be a recruiter? Nope. His path to this field was a little circuitous. Like a lot of liberal arts students, AJ wasn’t sure exactly what he wanted to do after he graduated. But his first job out of college, working in his school’s career center, helped him realize how much he loved working with people and helping them find their dream jobs (or at least “jobs that they really liked” for those realists amongst us). We caught up with AJ to learn more about his career journey, his path to Greenhouse, and his role as a recruiting coordinator.

This is the second post in the “Growing in the Greenhouse” series. To learn more about another Greenhouse employee, check out our previous interview with front-end developer Ellie Wawrzaszek.

Greenhouse: What was your first job ever?

AJ Biggers: In high school, I worked at the local YMCA supervising the kids in an after-school and summer program.

GH: Oh, so it was very similar to your current role, then?

AJ: Haha, yes.

GH: You were a Psych major in college—what was appealing to you about that subject?

AJ: The thing I’ve always loved about psychology is figuring out what makes people tick, why they do the things they do. In high school I took an Intro to Psychology course and my mind was blown. Then in college, my concentration was personality and social behavior.

GH: How did you end up in the field of recruiting?

AJ: I started out thinking I’d go to law school, then thought I’d get a PhD in Psychology, but when I talked to my professors about it and realized I’d have to do years and years of research, I realized that was not what I wanted at all.

I shifted my focus to consumer behavior and business applications of psychology. I ended up working at my school’s career center after I graduated and that was my first foray into HR and career development work. I really liked assisting the career counselors with career fairs and résumé workshops and found it interesting to help others figure out what they wanted to do—even though I had no clue myself what I wanted to do in the long run!

I moved to New York and decided to continue that career exploration. I had a couple of roles and gradually realized that recruiting and talent acquisition was what I really wanted to focus on.

GH: What was your journey to Greenhouse like?

AJ: One of my colleagues from a former company, Amanda Segal, had started working at Greenhouse and let me know that there was a recruiting role open here. I was like, ‘Yes, sign me up!’ I was ready to get in somewhere and learn all about recruiting best practices because at the time I didn’t have any.

GH: And what was the application process like?

AJ: I applied through the link Amanda sent me and very soon afterwards I got an email from the recruiting team to set up a phone call. My first call was with the Director of the team—I remember I was scared that I was going to have a really tough interview. Then I had a take-home assignment and the last step was the onsite interview. One of the things that stood out the most was the culture add interview because it was really fun. It was so relaxed and took the pressure off a little bit. It was great to get perspectives from people outside the team on what they really enjoyed about Greenhouse as a whole.

GH: What have been some of the most memorable moments of your time at Greenhouse so far?

AJ: There are a lot, but I’d have to say the People team fun day—and not only because I planned it. That was part of it, though! We did a winery tour throughout Long Island with the whole People team: recruiting, people operations, employee experience, and partnerships. It was one of the first times we all got together as a full team, which was great. And it was one of those moments when I realized just how happy I really am here. I truly enjoy working with everyone and spending time with them. We all bonded, especially on the bus ride there. And it’s not just during fun trips. The bonding happens every day.

GH: Tell us about your role as a recruiting coordinator. What is a typical day like on the job?

AJ: The main gist of my job is to handle the logistics for different interviews. I go through the roles I’m coordinating and follow up with scheduling, collecting feedback, etc. I also make sure everyone is set up for the onsite interviews taking place that day.

GH: What is it like to work as a recruiter at a recruiting software company? I imagine a bit meta.

AJ: The process we’ve built here at Greenhouse is strong and it differentiates us from other companies, so candidates already have an elevated experience. But I think we do feel pressure to never settle—we’re always looking for ways to improve.

I also get to interact regularly with the product team. Back when we were getting ready to launch the scheduling feature, they asked me to test it out, and I enjoyed sharing my feedback with them, and we went through a similar process before launching the Greenhouse CRM (or Candidate Relationship Management software).

GH: Anything you’d like to add about your time at Greenhouse so far?

AJ: I feel like I’ve been able to learn so much and absorb so many best practices. The first part of my time here was focused on logistics and coordinating, and now I get to do some recruiting of my own. Having the support to grow and learn is something I value a lot—and it makes us stand out from everybody else.

GH: Word on the street is that you’re a karaoke-lover. What’s your go-to song?

AJ: I usually try to keep it high energy, so my go-to song is “You Give Love a Bad Name” by Bon Jovi.

Did we mention that we’re hiring? Learn more about Greenhouse and explore our open roles here… you just might find yourself Growing in the Greenhouse and singing a duet with AJ.