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The hiring process is not just “broken” right now, it’s starting to feel openly hostile, and that’s the part we can’t ignore. I’m joined by Keirsten Greggs, better known as the Trap Recruiter, to talk about what’s happening inside talent acquisition and recruiting as the job market tilts toward employers. We get into why empathy disappears, why candidates get treated like placeholders, and why TA teams often end up fighting everyone at once: hiring managers, HR, compensation, vendors, leadership, and even each other.

We also dig into the internet layer that’s making job search harder: fake job postings, recycled openings, and LinkedIn influencer culture that rewards the loudest take over the truest one. Keirsten breaks down how to vet job search advice, why “guaranteed placement” programs can be predatory, and why anyone claiming they can teach you how to beat the ATS is selling a fantasy. We ground it with real recruiting reality: the ATS is mostly a filing system, rejections at odd hours have boring explanations, and there is no straight line from application to offer.

Then we go deeper into the human cost: cliquey TA communities, conference safety, tokenization, and the exhausting cycle of trend chasing from DEI to AI. Keirsten shares what it’s like to be a job seeker while pursuing TA leadership roles, including how an online brand can be treated as a “risk,” and what her dream role looks like across TA ops, storytelling with data, and customer education.

If you care about candidate experience, recruiting ethics, and how hiring actually works, this conversation will stick with you.

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Follow Keirsten: https://www.linkedin.com/in/traprecruiter/

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