Episode: S4E20 – Hiring Smarter, Not Harder: What Every Manager Should Know

Guest: Joel Schwann, Founder of Schwann Stratifier

In this follow-up to one of our most popular job-seeker episode, we flip the script. This week, Leaderish co-hosts Doris Dunn and Regina Taute welcome back Joel Schwann to explore the other side of the hiring equation — what hiring managers can do to find, evaluate, and retain great talent more effectively.

Joel brings nearly a decade of experience in HR, recruiting, and workforce planning. Together, they dig into the practical and often overlooked parts of hiring that make or break the process — from writing a solid job description to avoiding “permanent contractors” and ensuring fairness across interviews.

💡 Highlights:

• The power of a strong job description and why most companies skip this critical step.
• How to determine whether you really need a contractor or a full-time employee.
• The importance of setting clear non-negotiables (and stopping at five).
• Why structured interviews matter — and how to avoid bias.
• How many interviews are too many (hint: fewer than you think).
• Real talk about AI screening, candidate experience, and ghosting.
• What organizations like Amazon are getting wrong about unpaid interview projects.

Whether you’re leading a team or building one, this episode is packed with practical strategies to help you hire smarter, faster, and more humanely.

Sequence:

00:00 Introduction and Welcome Back

00:38 Discussing Job Market Trends

01:44 Introducing Joel Schwan and Workforce Planning

02:16 Challenges for Hiring Managers

04:58 Importance of Job Descriptions

07:16 Evaluating Resumes and Skills

14:18 Interview Questions and Techniques

18:37 Structured Interviews and Fairness

19:41 How Many Interviews Are Necessary?

19:56 The Ideal Interview Process

20:20 Panel Interviews and Exceptions

20:42 Candidate Experience Matters

21:39 Interviewing for Different Levels

26:18 Efficient Interview Scheduling

32:05 The Role of Assessments

36:44 Final Thoughts and Wrap-Up

🎧 Available on YouTube, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you listen.

📩 Want to be a guest? Email us at leaderishpodcast@gmail.com

We'd love to connect! You can find us in all of these places:

• Regina
• • Email: regina@collectivegrowthcc.com
  • Website: https://www.collectivegrowthcc.com
  • Newsletter subscription: https://collectivegrowthcc.com/resources#blog
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reginataute
  • Free Coaching Session: https://calendly.com/collective_growth/complimentary-30-min-coaching-session
• Doris
• • Email: doris@dunnwise.com
  • Website: https://www.dunnwise.com
  • Newsletter subscription: https://www.dunnwise.com/blog
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/doris-dunn
  • Schedule a Discovery Call: https://calendly.com/dunnwise-consulting/30min_discovery_call
• Joel:
• • Website: https://www.schwanstratifyr.com/
  • LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joelschwan/
  • Free Resume Template: https://docs.google.com/document/d/16yPPIAnFpzM1Xfc-BdGMnByM19wgsUqe/edit?usp=sharing&ouid=114233432138195416514&rtpof=true&sd=true
  • Free AI Resume Assistant: https://chatgpt.com/g/g-ldX568rNT-schwan-stratifyr-resume-assistant