Heike Hiss: How Culture and Candidate Experience Impact Hiring Success

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Heike Hiss, Senior Director of Global Executive Recruiting and G&A Recruiting at Box.  Heike previously served  at Juniper Networks, Heidrick & Struggles, and Apple.

Having transitioned from executive search, Heike shares the challenges she faced in acclimating to her in-house role. She describes the search firm mindset as more “entrepreneurial” and short-term, while internal recruitment constantly has to have the bigger picture in mind when leading candidates through the process.

She then speaks on the value of considering company culture when evaluating candidates and why this factor is more important than looking at level of skill. She also explains why she thinks that culture continues to be undervalued among many companies.

Asked about the future workplace, Heike believes that choosing whether to work at the office or remotely should be an option, as flexibility brings out the best in every member of the team.

Finally, Heike speaks on why she and her team are “obsessed” with candidate experience and her dos and don’ts when it comes to communicating with candidates.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [01:21] Heike’s experience in executive search at Heidrick & Struggles

●      [02:45] The challenges of switching from executive to internal

●      [05:14] Differences between the search firm mindset and in-house mindset

●      [12:24] The importance of fostering a positive and empowering culture

●      [14:48] The downsides of a remote working culture

●      [19:29] Teaching and promoting the language of appreciation to your team

●      [20:28] Why Zoom has ironically brought teams closer

●      [22:47] Should showing up at the office become mandatory or optional?

●      [27:46] Why Heike and her team are “obsessed” with candidate experience

●      [35:22] Heike’s process when she worked in executive search

●      [39:01] Dos and don’ts when it comes to candidate experience

Key quotes:

●      “[Executive search] is more of an art than it is a science [...] and you learn it best from other people who do it well.”

●      “It probably took me almost a year to land fully in my in-house role because I realized that search, at a search firm, is search in its purest form: You’re really focusing on the research and candidate development piece and client management. But it’s somewhat isolated: You are not collaborating with compensation or the finance team or the onboarding team or the legal team. Learning how to collaborate cross-functionally and, frankly, learning business practices—how a company actually runs—is one of the biggest surprises.”

●      “The cultural and value component weighs heavier than any technical skill. They have to have the basics, of course; but, where we make our decision is typically based on culture, and we often reject candidates because they might be brilliant technically but they are missing the connection to our values and culture.”

●      “I personally think that optional hybrid is the only way to go, especially if you want to keep your top talent and you want to attract your top talent.”

●      “You can never communicate too much with your candidates.”

Resources Mentioned:

●      Heike Hiss on LinkedIn

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/