Hey, thanks for stopping by. I’m Andres Gerardo. So who am I? I’m a husband, a dog dad, and a recruiting leader in Denver.

Pictured: Me, my wife Maureen, Oliver (Blue harness), and Teddy (Orange harness). The pups were enamored with seals on our trip to San Diego.

Pictured: Me, my wife Maureen, Oliver (Blue harness), and Teddy (Orange harness). The pups were enamored with seals on our trip to San Diego.

As most people who are in recruiting will tell you, they happened to stumble into this profession. My curiosity was piqued in college where I was able to interview with some great recruiters, and the profession stayed in the back of my mind as I started my career. Fast forward to 2018 and that is where I got my start into recruiting.

I’ll spare you the details of where all I’ve been (if you’re really curious, here is my LinkedIn). I will, however share my philosophies on hiring, and my hope is you see these as you follow along in the journey.

  1. This isn’t a season of The Bachelor: If you’ve worked with me, or been a candidate I’ve worked with, you’ve probably heard this before. Interviewing shouldn’t feel like we are on an episode of The Bachelor; just because a company is the one hiring, it doesn’t mean it shouldn’t be treated like a relationship.
  2. Lead with candor: We are dealing with people’s livelihoods. This is as true for a candidate as much as it is for the hiring team. Let’s be honest about what an opportunity is, and isn’t, and likewise, let’s be honest about our abilities. At the end of the day, the truth is bound to come out; be kind to one another and not cause a headache when it can be easily prevented.
  3. Ghosting is never okay: I bet you were wondering if I was ever going to mention this; well, here we are. Ghosting is never okay, and let me be very clear, ghosting is never okay whether you’re in recruiting or if you’re a candidate. Life happens, I’m far from perfect; I have forgotten to close the loop, but as soon as I have that “oh shit” moment, I’m on the phone apologizing profusely. Again, we are dealing with people’s livelihood; be kind and be empathetic.
  4. Years of Experience does not correlate with aptitude: There, I said it. There is a lot to be said here, so I will try to keep it relatively brief. Sarah has “10 years of experience developing applications” could mean as much as “Miguel has 10 years of experience developing applications”. Hell, I’ve been golfing for 10 years, and I’m sure all of my friends will jokingly (for the sake of my feelings) say it looks like I just started golfing. When we are scoping a new role, ask yourself and/or your team “what problems are we trying to solve? and how do we measure the aptitude to understand if someone can help solve these problems?”
  5. Embrace the student mindset: Every conversation should be an opportunity to learn. There are millions of ways to get to the right decision. Take the opportunity to be curious. If you’re being asked questions, assume positive intent. Embracing curiosity allows us to ask hard questions that will help us address the root problems we are trying to solve for. Lean on each other, we got this.