I can relate to candidates with non-linear career paths — I’ve had one, too.
Working at PwC straight out of college was a logical choice. I majored in Econ, I excelled at math, and I was eager to prove myself in the accounting big leagues. But it soon became clear that the Big 4 was not the place for me.
As a social person, spending all day crunching numbers was a slog. I didn’t really have ownership over what I was doing, and it was hard to see how I was making an impact. I felt like a cog in the wheel.
At that time, I started thinking about what other kind of job would fulfill me. And I kept coming back to people. I enjoyed meeting them, getting to know them, and watching them grow. But I didn’t want to let go of the structure, process, and efficiency that felt good about accounting.
The sweet spot? Recruiting.
Once I had a career target in mind, I had a decision to make: keep plugging away at my unfulfilling accounting job or pursue roles that lit me up. I chose the latter and scored a job as a recruiting coordinator at Airbnb. New to the profession, I was drinking water from the firehose. But it felt good. I was where I was supposed to be.
After getting my bearings, I went on to lead recruiting at a smaller startup, excited to apply what I’d learned at an even faster pace, meet tons of new people, and play a part in helping the company hit new milestones. But unfortunately, that goal was put on pause — until I came to Kard.
Finding a home at Kard
Like many people, I was laid off in 2022. It was a huge blow, especially when I’d just started to see my career take off. My ego was bruised, and I knew it would be tough to get a new gig. But then, I came upon Kard.
While most tech companies were downsizing, Kard was thriving. They’d just won a $20M+ round of funding and were hiring like crazy — a fantastic sign for a hungry recruiter.
I also liked that the company was small but mighty. Having worked at startups before, I knew that kind of environment was exactly what I wanted: high-touch interactions with lots of room to grow and experiment. So I applied.
Boy, was I right. The energy at Kard was contagious. I was jazzed about the impact I could make on the team and on the company culture. Best of all, leadership believed in me.
I’ll always remember when Harper, our nickname for Kard’s COO, said, “We are going to hire you because we know you can do it. You’re going to come in, and you’re going to knock it out of the park.”
This vote of confidence when I was feeling low put the wind back in my sails, and I was ready to rock and roll.
Taking ownership
Kard already had hiring workflows in place, but my boss gave me the freedom and flexibility to make them my own.
From my time at Airbnb, I knew that building solid processes would help us move candidates along faster and more accurately as we scaled. And it would also give candidates an even better first impression of Kard.
One of the biggest projects I worked on was conducting company-wide interview trainings. By that point, I’d gotten our interview process down to a science. But I knew our teams needed some more guidance to execute it successfully.
For each department, I:
- Ran through the process end-to-end
- Shared sample interview questions
- Reviewed interview etiquette
- Answered pressing questions
Most importantly, I encouraged my peers to be themselves. Kard is a place where you can be your authentic, genuine self, and we want that to shine through in interviews.
During these trainings, I heard a lot of “I didn’t know you could ask that!” and “Wow, that’s a great way to phrase this.” It was rewarding to connect with folks that I don’t normally talk to on a day-to-day basis and help them be the best interviewers they could be.
I also made an external-facing video about our interview process. I’ll admit, it’s a little embarrassing for me to know that I’m up on our website, but nearly every candidate I’ve spoken to appreciates the insight into how we run our interviews and what they can expect. For me, the end goal is to create a hiring culture where candidates can show up as their best selves. An interview isn’t a test; it’s a conversation.
Tackling new challenges
If last year was all about taking ownership of Kard’s hiring process and adding some structure, this year is about expansion.
Now that we’ve standardized our hiring workflow, I’ve got room to spend more time brainstorming outreach strategies that will get us in front of the exact talent we’re looking for. I’m focused on squeezing every ounce of juice from my LinkedIn Recruiter plan, making a splash at networking events, and generally being more proactive about engaging with potential candidates.
Part of that will force me to lean a bit more into sales, pitching Kard as a place where anyone can make their mark — and where they’ll be treated with respect and honesty.
With obvious bias, I think we’ve got a great thing going here. Curious how you can make an impact at Kard?
Check out our guide to interviewing (which includes my video!), and take a look at our open roles while you’re at it. Excited to chat with you!
Bonus round: Rituals and obsessions
A Kard ritual I enjoy
I’m not sure it’s a ritual yet, but hopefully we’ll make it one!
At one of our offsites, the product team hosted a “Shark Tank”-style competition. We were split into teams and asked to come up with a pitch for what Kard would look like ten years from now. It was a tough assignment — it’s hard to know where a product is going in three years, let alone ten — but I found it a really fun and creative team-building exercise.
The main reason I like this activity is that it’s a true reflection of Kard’s values. We’re not afraid to say, “Wait a minute, we got something wrong — there’s a better way to do this,” and then pivot with everyone (including leadership) on board. I think the courage to be open to new ideas and actually implement them is part of what makes Kard so special.
What I’m obsessed with
Something my peers may not know about me is that I’m obsessed with documentaries. Any kind. I’ve watched everything from Speed Cubers to Love Has Won. On my last international flight, I watched four docs in a row.
Documentaries get me so passionate about topics I never thought I would’ve been interested in before. The narrative arc is so good.
When I dig a little deeper as to why these fascinate me, it makes sense: I’m a people person, and these shows are all about people — what they do, how they do it, and why.