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  • Cleaning Toilets, Cracking CVs, and Changing Recruiting with Steven McGrath - My First Job ep24

    Cleaning Toilets, Cracking CVs, and Changing Recruiting with Steven McGrath - My First Job ep24
    2025/07/03
    Steven McGrath, Product Experience Manager at Poetry, kicks off his recruiting story far from the tech world—scrubbing bathrooms at 13 and cycling uphill to wash dishes and walk dogs in rural Scotland. From Canada’s hot tub scene to oil and gas recruitment back home, Steve shares how his unconventional path gave him an empathy-first view of hiring. In this episode, he tells Mike how he went from paper résumés to revolutionizing recruiter productivity with Poetry. Along the way, Steve opens up about staying human in an AI-powered world, why recruiters deserve better tools, and how being “too nice” can actually be your greatest strength. Highlights Include: Manual labor in Canada and how immigration laws changed his life Recruiting in pre-LinkedIn days using paper files and intuition Giving free résumé help to overlooked candidates How Poetry is giving recruiters their time (and sanity) back What makes Scottish OnlyFans truly unforgettable 📍 Connect with Steven on LinkedIn and visit poetryhr.com to learn more.
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    26 分
  • From Women’s Shoes to Workforce AI with Ben Mones - My First Job ep23

    From Women’s Shoes to Workforce AI with Ben Mones - My First Job ep23
    2025/06/26
    Before launching Fama, one of the most innovative companies in talent screening, Ben Mones was hustling on the Nordstrom sales floor selling women’s shoes. In this episode, Ben joins host Mike Wood to reflect on lessons from retail, grilling whole hogs, and the early mistakes that inspired him to build a company around online behavioral screening. Ben opens up about his entrepreneurial roots, the experience that made him realize social media should be part of background checks, and how Fama helps companies hire smarter while staying compliant. He also dishes on AI’s impact on hiring, Gen Z’s digital footprint, and why good judgment still beats a great résumé. Key Moments: Selling Uggs and learning upsell tactics at 18 Running a barbecue business inspired by his dad, a former pork cook-off champ The turning point that led to founding Fama How to responsibly screen online behavior during hiring What the future of work looks like in the age of AI 📍 Learn more at Fama.io or find Ben on LinkedIn.
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    31 分
  • From Landscaping to Director of Partnerships w Tom Horne - My First Job ep 22

    From Landscaping to Director of Partnerships w Tom Horne - My First Job ep 22
    2025/05/01
    On this episode of My First Job, host Mike Wood talks with Tom Horne, Director of Partnerships at Hari, about his initial foray into the working world: landscaping for a tough neighbor. Tom shares how that challenging first job, along with a subsequent lifeguarding role, instilled crucial lessons in efficiency, hard work, communication, and taking responsibility, which have shaped his career path. The conversation moves to Tom's current role in HR tech, the current state of the job market dynamic, and the potential impact of AI, highlighting how prioritizing skills and using AI to offload tasks can free up time for professional growth.
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    27 分
  • From Admin Assistant to Parental Leave Coach w Ariana Hillis - My First Job ep 21

    From Admin Assistant to Parental Leave Coach w Ariana Hillis - My First Job ep 21
    2025/04/24
    Join host Mike Wood as he chats with Ariana Hillis about her diverse and entrepreneurial career path on "My First Job." Ariana shares how her actual first job, starting at age 15 as an Administrative Assistant for the Berkeley Chamber of Commerce (a role she took to save for her first car!), ignited a passion for the business world. Follow her journey from that early office experience and a surprisingly lucrative tanning salon gig, through building a successful real estate career, founding multiple companies including an event planning business and an e-commerce venture, to her current role. Today, inspired by her own experiences, Ariana is the founder of Shoshana's Daughter, providing crucial coaching and consulting to support parents and employers navigating the complexities of parental leave and reintegration into the workforce.
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    22 分
  • From Counting Money to Equity Activations w T. Tara Turk-Haynes - My First Job ep 20

    From Counting Money to Equity Activations w T. Tara Turk-Haynes - My First Job ep 20
    2025/04/17
    In this episode of "My First Job", host Mike Wood speaks with T. Tara Turk-Haynes, the founder and consultant for Equity Activations. Turk-Haynes shares the unconventional story of her very first job counting money for her father’s business, which was not your typical job but certainly taught her valuable skills. She recounts how this early experience, along with her journey through nonprofit theater, PBS, and corporate roles, ultimately led her to her current position in helping companies embed equitable actions into their operations for a stronger future.
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    27 分
  • From Programmer to CEO of Greenhouse w Daniel Chait - My First Job ep 19

    From Programmer to CEO of Greenhouse w Daniel Chait - My First Job ep 19
    2025/04/10
    In this episode of My First Job, host Mike Wood sits down with Daniel Chait, the CEO of Greenhouse, to discuss his career journey, starting with his first job as a programmer at a small software company right after engineering school. Daniel shares how his early entrepreneurial experiences and technical background shaped his understanding of business and the critical importance of hiring. The conversation delves into the origins of Greenhouse, born from the insight that many companies struggle with hiring despite it being a top priority. Daniel explains Greenhouse's mission to help companies become great at hiring by implementing proven best practices and improving the job seeker experience, particularly in today's challenging and often overwhelming job market.
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    16 分
  • From Ice Cream Maker to Custom Camps Founder w Ben Hanna - My First Job ep 18

    From Ice Cream Maker to Custom Camps Founder w Ben Hanna - My First Job ep 18
    2025/04/03
    In this episode of My First Job, host Mike Wood speaks with Ben Hanna, the founder of Custom Camps, about his winding career path. Ben recounts his very first job making ice cream at the age of 14 and how that early experience shaped his work ethic and people skills. From scooping ice cream, Ben's journey led him through travels around the world with couchsurfing.com and into the tech startup scene before he ultimately created Custom Camps, a company dedicated to bringing corporate teams together through unique, nature-based experiences. Ben discusses the importance of in-person connections and experiential learning in today's tech-driven world, highlighting how Custom Camps provides a refreshing and engaging alternative to traditional corporate events and online engagement platforms.
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    9 分
  • From Retail HR to CEO w Jocelyn King - My First Job ep 17

    From Retail HR to CEO w Jocelyn King - My First Job ep 17
    2025/03/27
    In this episode of My First Job, host Mike Wood interviews Jocelyn King, CEO and founder of Virtual HR. Jocelyn recounts her eventful first job in HR at a large retail company, where she navigated high-risk employee relations issues and learned crucial leadership and communication skills. This foundational experience, coupled with her later roles in tech HR, ultimately led her to establish Virtual HR, a company revolutionizing employment and labor law compliance with technology. Tune in to hear Jocelyn's insightful journey and her perspective on the evolving landscape of HR and recruitment.
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    12 分