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I’m on a mission to help 5,000 people land jobs and save People Teams $5,000,000 in…
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How to Succeed in an Internal Job Interview24m
How to Succeed in an Internal Job Interview
By: Jena Viviano
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How to Succeed in a Case Study Interview35m
How to Succeed in a Case Study Interview
By: Jena Viviano
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Jena Viviano Dunay shared thisBig news: I just released the 50th episode of the Culture Uncovered podcast!! 🎉 We’ve officially made it past the one-year mark, and I am so, so proud of this show. It’s been a year of incredible conversations with founders and People Leaders giving us a behind-the-scenes look at some pretty cool companies, with great benefits like: - 4-day workweeks at ThredUP - “Survivor” benefits, including 6 months of salary and benefits for surviving family members - Company-wide offsites that include employees’ families at Ashby Thank you - THANK YOU - to everyone who’s participated, including Natalie Breece of ThredUP, Mary A. Burke of Experian, Meghan Colón of AssemblyAI, Jenna Eichberg of AlertMedia, Lindsay Gonzalez of Unstructured, Loraine Farberg of Spearmint Energy, Shelby Isaac, SPHR of Strive Health, Nicole Oliver of N2 Company, Will Leahy of Greenhouse, Michael C. Martocci of SwagUp, Jim Miller of Ashby, Amber Murat MSEd, PHR, CPC, ELI-MP of IAB, Rasika Rajagopalan of Savvy Wealth, Allison Ward of Walker Sands, Jenny Rothenberg of Smooth Media, Brandon Sammut of Zapier, Debbie Shotwell of Stack Overflow, Cyndel Stirland, PHR of Cozy Earth, Andi Summers of Palmetto, Jeff Williams of Aptia, and many more (too many to tag!) 💚 Now onto the next 50!! P.S. I’m always looking for more Chief People Officers + CHROs to join me on the podcast. Comment below if that’s you.
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Jena Viviano Dunay shared thisYou can tell a lot about a company by their Chief People Officer. And Sarika Lamont is one of the most authentic CPOs I've ever met. In the latest episode of Culture Uncovered we go behind-the-scenes of what it's like to work at Canadian-born, remote-first company: Vidyard Here are some quick facts about the org: - HQ : Ontario Canada - Team size: ~120 - Workforce style: Remote-first & globally distributed - Employee nickname: "Vidyardians" 🥰 You know I love a culture that brands the employee base. Some other perks you NEED to know and check out: - Flexible PTO (with a strong emphasis on taking time off!) - Charitable donation matching program - Heavy investment in you learning AI tools - Company-wide shutdown between Christmas & New Years This company gets AI. They get culture. They get growth. Oh, and they are hiring. (Ahem, listen to the episode. Pull something out. Reach out to someone at the org reference the podcast. Voila! Great way to differentiate yourself from other candidates.) 📍 Episode is live wherever you get podcasts. Search for Culture Uncovered and hit the follow button to get your weekly dose of cool companies to work for.
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Jena Viviano Dunay shared thisWow. A lot of new faces have shown up here recently, so I figured it was a good time to reintroduce myself. 👋 I’m Jena. Founder of Recruiter Unlimited and Recruit the Employer, podcast host, entrepreneur, and working mama. I help growing companies make better hires through culture-focused recruiting and embedded hiring support (while saving them thousands in recruiting fees!!). And I help people navigate layoffs and career transitions with dignity and support. I also host the Culture Uncovered podcast and am currently looking for Chief People Officers + CHROs to join me as guests. (DM me if that’s you!!) Before entrepreneurship, I worked at places like Citi, the NYSE, The Muse, and a $10B multi-client family office. I later spent several years building Recruit the Employer as a solopreneur, which gave me a 360° view of both the employer and candidate side of hiring. (Yes, I’m totally obsessed with this stuff.) A few things I care deeply about: - Helping companies hire more intentionally - Treating people well during hard transitions - Creating more opportunities for folks to find the right roles Outside of work, I’m focused on family, faith, and trying - unsuccessfully - to become a pickleball champ. If you’re new here, I’d love to say hi in the comments. Looking forward to sharing more with you all.
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Jena Viviano Dunay posted thisA tech company recently needed an engineering hire. Traditional recruiting fee: 25% of salary on a ~$170K role. ≈ $42,500 Instead, they partnered with us through a subscription recruiting model. Total investment: ~$15K Savings: $27,500 But honestly? The cost savings wasn't even the biggest win. The bigger win was: They stopped treating recruiting like a transaction. Most recruiting firms: Post → source → send resumes → disappear What actually moved the needle with this client: → DEEP dive on culture and subculture → Understanding why a top engineer would actually leave a good job → Strategic outreach and messaging (KEY!) → Iterating the candidate profile in real time → Acting like an embedded recruiting team (not an outside vendor) Basically, we were an employer branding + recruiting agency all wrapped into one. But also accessible to growing orgs who can't stomach the $$$ of employer branding and recruiting agencies. I think *even in this economy* companies have to really fight and differentiate themselves as the employer of choice to get top candidates. Because top candidates are scared to leave the comfortability of their current situation. What's your take? Do you think it's actually harder to find and land top talent in this economy?
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Jena Viviano Dunay shared thisToshiba. A company we've all heard of. But have you ever thought to work for them? (I didn't) I hadn't until I got the chance to chat with Jason Desentz on the Culture Uncovered podcast while at Transform. Here are some cool things about the org that I didn't know. (And you should check out their Careers Page!!!) Unique Perks & Programs: → Strong employee appreciation culture and milestone celebrations → Family-inclusive events and employee recognition programs → Mobile mammogram and preventative healthcare initiatives → Financial wellness and earned wage access programs → Toshiba University for structured employee learning and development → AI-readiness training and hands-on AI experimentation workshops → Community volunteering and charitable engagement initiatives One of the most fun things I uncovered was the emphasis on executives REALLY celebrating employees who have been with the organization for decades. (You'll have to listen to the episode to hear that story!) Honestly GenZ'rs really needs to check out this company as a great place to start your career! 🎤 Listen to the episode here: https://lnkd.in/eC4E_DCD
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Jena Viviano Dunay shared thisMost recruiting agencies don't prep their candidates. And that is the DUMBEST thing I've ever heard of. Not only is it a terrible candidate experience. It makes you as the recruiting firm look silly if you present unprepared folks. That's why we provide a MOUNTAIN of prep materials for our candidates: → The link to the JD → The link to the folks they will be interviewing with (and why them) → A 40+ page interview prep guide → 2 videos on how to interview (confidence building, etc.) → A bulleted list of "How to impress [PERSON YOU'RE INTERVIEWING WITH] → Link to the company's Culture Uncovered episode 😘 → Which step of the interview process this is None of this is rocket science. But FEW agencies do this. Which again, is dumb. Because it creates a fabulous candidate experience. Which makes our client look great. And then the candidate is better prepared. So they feel confident. And they do better in the interview. You can also weed out the people that don't prep. So you know who NOT to refer to other clients in the future. Our goal at Recruiter Unlimited is to get THANK YOU emails from candidates we rejected post interview, citing their experience as the best they've had. (See photo below) Not only is it the right thing to do. It's good for our clients. And those candidates? Probably will become clients. I'm just saying - if your recruiting agency doesn't take CANDIDATE experience as seriously as they take your CLIENT experience, they aren't a good recruiting firm. So tell me, do you think we're crazy for putting all this effort in?
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Jena Viviano Dunay posted thisMost companies post a job and hope the right candidate rolls in. Strategic companies know they have to hunt for top talent. Problem is - most companies and teams are under-resourced and don't have the time to commit to strategic hiring. So they do the same thing: Post → Pray → Hire → This-Person-Is-Good-Enough or worse Post → Pray → Hire → Fire And usually there isn't a solid process to interviewing. No real system to ensure the person is not only technically sound. But more importantly, there's no system to understand if they will be a good cultural fit. Here's how we're doing it different at Recruiter Unlimited: → Culture Deep Dive → Role Deep Dive → Develop and Share our Strategic Sourcing Strategy → Messaging (most recruiting firms really miss this one) → Source → Pinpoint (this is where we really refine the candidate profile) → Hire We spend a lot of time on understanding the culture and subculture of the hires. And then we spend a lot of time figuring out WHY a top candidate would want to come work for you. Strategic hires still want to know what's-in-it-for-them. The companies winning talent right now aren't waiting for the right candidate to apply. They are building the process to go find them. -- Tired of lackluster job posting results, but hate insane agency fees? Send me a DM. 😊
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Jena Viviano Dunay shared thisWhen I started Culture Uncovered, I was pregnant, overwhelmed, and worried about the future. (Isn't every entrepreneur?!) Since then I've: → Recorded 60+ episodes → Taken the pod on the road to multiple conferences → Met 100+ People Leaders → Converted 30% of guests into revenue-generating clients (only soft-sell) → Developed a Commercial Usage Package → Sent awesome swag gifts to our 2026 guests (thank you SwagUp!) → Oh yeah. And now have a walking 1 year old! And we're honestly just getting started. Which is why I'm super excited to welcome Haley Bragg White onto the Culture Uncovered team as Podcast Producer. She'll be in charge of taking this podcast to the next level - as a great media asset and the core lead generator for Recruiter Unlimited and Recruit the Employer. With a background in social, and a total process queen - she'll be helping us not only make the experience seamless for guests... ...she'll be helping us think through how to strategically utilize it as the asset that it is. Welcome to the team Haley Bragg White!!
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Jena Viviano Dunay shared thisIt's so fun to interview companies on Culture Uncovered - especially if I'm already a superfan of what they do. Enter this week's guest: ThredUp On this week's episode we go behind-the-scenes of what it's like to work at this company who is shaping the future of fashion and inspiring the world to think: secondhand first. During my conversation with Natalie Breece we talked about: → Her crazy career trajectory from recruiter → CPO → Why you should say yes to roles you're not fully ready for → How #ThredUp maintained its culture while transitioning to a public company Unique Perks: → FOUR DAY WORK WEEKS → Strong internal mobility → Career Compass: their career pathing framework → BizUp program: intentional cross-functional business learnings → Impact Leadership Institute: leadership development program Basically, if you care about their mission, love 4 day work weeks, and crave being a part of an org that REALLY invests in professional development. You want to work at ThredUp. SOME ROLES THEY ARE HIRING FOR: Senior People Business Partner → https://lnkd.in/ekXbkPAg Art Director → https://lnkd.in/eavcAjYk IT Systems Administrator → https://lnkd.in/efr8ic_n 📍What perk did you find most interesting? --- Check out the episode here: https://lnkd.in/er6SgmqD Check out their careers page here: https://lnkd.in/ecW7G575
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Can't wait to read!
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I love your company's journey! Been following for 5+ years (especially the Pay Transparency piece)!
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Look at you go!!!! LinkedIn's very own Rockstar! Still so grateful you had me on your show in the EARLY days. You've done so much! They are lucky to have you! CC: LinkedIn
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Jena Viviano Dunay liked thisJena Viviano Dunay liked thisWe’re #hiring a Staff Engineer! Come work with Maxwell Salzberg, Mae Beale and our incredible team to help creators bring their dreams to life through crowdfunding. Are you a frontend-leaning Staff Engineer who is excited to craft UX in Rails with Hotwire, Turbo, and Stimulus? Come build fun stuff with us! https://lnkd.in/gntzv76r
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Jena Viviano Dunay liked thisJena Viviano Dunay liked thisYour hiring process might giving Love is Blind energy...and not in a fun way. Candidates are applying in record numbers and hearing nothing back, with even a lot of interviewed candidates walking away feeling like they just got ghosted after a two-week emotional investment! Teamtailor surveyed 300 candidates about their experiences, andddd the pattern is as chaotic as you would expect. ✍ I collab'd with them on an article about it all, breaking down exactly what's going wrong and how to fix it. I did it all using reality TV tropes, because we still like to have a little fun around here, okay?! ⬇️ Link in comments
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Jena Viviano Dunay liked thisJena Viviano Dunay liked thisBeing back in the job search has been a humbling reminder of what it feels like to be on the candidate side again. And honestly… it's a lot. We talk about urgency in recruiting constantly— but usually in terms of how fast we can move. I've been thinking more about how urgency actually feels for candidates just… waiting. Interviewing is stressful. That comes with the territory. But there are moments in my own search where the process itself makes things worse. Long stretches of silence. "Let's schedule a call" emails with no context. Waiting for said call and spiraling about whether it's good news, bad news, or just a formality. It's made me think about the small things we as recruiters can do that actually reduce stress (and keep things moving). No hot takes, just lived experience: Be upfront about everything— the good, the bad, and the messy. Role scope, expectations, comp, timeline, tradeoffs. If something's uncertain, say that too. Surprises later help no one. Just call people with updates. If a candidate is already waiting to hear from you, pick up the phone instead of scheduling another meeting. Give them a clear callback window if needed. It saves everyone time and spares them the anxiety of wondering what "we'd like to schedule a quick call" actually means. Own the process, especially when it's not going smoothly. If something's stuck or changing, just say so. Silence and vagueness are way more stressful than honesty. especially now, people can understand shifting priorities. Small things. But they matter when you're the one waiting.
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Jena Viviano Dunay reacted on thisJena Viviano Dunay reacted on thisHR's relationship with AI on this platform has gotten… robotic. (No pun intended.) Every other post says the same thing — "HR has to lean into AI." Cool. But almost nobody shows you how. And honestly? I get why. Our work is confidential. It's personal. It's tied to people's livelihoods and the most human moments of their careers. You can't turn that into a template. So what usually happens? The folks who have figured something out either gatekeep it or put it behind a paywall — selling you prompts or classes you're not even sure will work for you or your org. That's why today hit different. I spent an hour of my day in a live working session led by Hebba Yusseff and Cassidy Edwards, and it was the opposite of all that. No buzzwords. No "trust me, I cracked the code." Just real-time building — step by step, the whole room following along and walking away with actual systems and takeaways we can use. For free. That kind of generosity is exactly what HR should be doing right now. Because here's the truth: we are ALL new to this. Nobody's an expert yet. The people moving us forward aren't the ones selling the secret — they're the ones pulling up a chair and saying "here, let me show you how I'm doing it, and we will laugh together if we eff up." Thank you Hebba Youssef and Cassidy Edwards for leading the way, the right way.
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Jena Viviano Dunay liked thisJena Viviano Dunay liked thisAge 11. Dropped out of middle school to start his company. By 23, 3,500 people were sleeping in his backpacker hostels in Europe. Dan Mishin grew up in Crimea, the warm southern tip of Ukraine. He was 11 when he took his first trip outside the country. Berlin. With his mom. On their last day, her wallet was stolen. All they had left was a 20 euro bill hidden deep in her purse. They were stuck in Berlin, waiting on a Western Union transfer from his dad. So she booked the cheapest backpacker hostel in the city. Industrial part of town. Graffiti everywhere. Cheap beer. His mom went to sleep. Dan, 11 years old, sat in the common room. Around him: 20-year-olds from all over the world, laughing in a language he didn't understand. He couldn't stop watching. Why were these strangers so happy? On the train ride back to Ukraine, he wrote two decisions in his notebook: Learn English Open a hostel A month of begging, and he convinced his grandma to move out of her two-bedroom apartment. He painted the walls. Filled the rooms with bunk beds. Took photos on an old camera and listed it on Booking.com. 10 minutes later, his first guest booked from Australia. 12 years later, the company was the largest backpacker hostel chain in Eastern Europe. 3,500 beds. Today he he's the CEO of Manifest OS, starting it 20 months ago and raising $60M in the bggest raise in legal tech. Full Podcast Link: https://lnkd.in/ebbinsQ3
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Jena Viviano Dunay liked thisJena Viviano Dunay liked thisIt took Buffer: 5.5 years to reach $10M Another 3 years to reach $20M Another 6 years to reach $20M (...again) Just 15 months to reach $25M I joined on day 82 of that 15-month sprint. Which means I've gotten to witness, contribute to, and ride the high of one of the most exciting stretches in Buffer's history. A few reflections from inside the rocket ship: 🐢 Slow and steady is underrated. Buffer's path to $25M wasn't a hockey stick. It was a recommitment — to mission, to customers, to values. The kind of growth that comes from taking the long view. 🧪 Small bets add up. A +5% lift here, a habit-forming nudge there — none of these individually moves the ARR needle, but consistent improvements layered over months and years compound. 💜 Culture is the moat. What's struck me most in my time here is how much the team genuinely cares — about each other, about customers, about doing things the right way. Congrats to the entire Buffer team, past and present. Onward to $30M. 🚀
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Jena Viviano Dunay liked thisJena Viviano Dunay liked thisI'm going to lose followers over this one. I don't even care. Is a Traeger actually even a grill?
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