Hire18 Speaker Interview: Angie Verros

A passionate, strategic and innovative Talent Acquisition leader, the founder of Vaia Talent has a unique combination of successful recruiting leadership coupled with talent brand and operations experience.

A passionate, strategic and innovative Talent Acquisition leader, Angie Verros has a unique combination of successful recruiting leadership coupled with talent brand and operations experience. Angie has a proven track record of success in identifying, recruiting and hiring outstanding talent. With experience in fast-paced entrepreneurial and start-up environments, she excels at designing and implementing recruiting programs to build social and brand awareness.

In her 13-year career in the recruiting space, she has been responsible for managing and executing overall company talent acquisition strategy to meet firms’ high growth people needs, improve policies, procedures, and tools for effective and seamless candidate sourcing. She has also led employment branding and social recruiting efforts to create candidate awareness and engagement. Ahead of her talk at Hiring Success 18 – register here! – we caught up with Angie to pick her brains about all things HR.

What does the concept of Hiring Success mean to you?

Hiring Success, to me, means finding the right people and aligning them with your organization’s vision, mission, and values.

Where on your company’s list of priorities is “recruitment”?

Recruitment is top priority! Hiring the right people for your business is the most important part of your organization.

What does your organization do differently in recruiting than anyone else?

We keep it real, entertaining, and funny. Creativity, uniqueness, and passion play a huge role in attracting top talent.

What is one thing about your job process you’d most like to change?

I’d like to see more automation. Not as in the “robots will take over”, but as in using automation tools that can get items done seamlessly – i.e. mass messages, scheduling, etc.

What is the thing you are most proud of in your work?

My passion and work ethic! I love and have a passion for what I do and that makes it easy.

What is the current balance between technology and human intuition in your hiring process?

I’d like to think there’s a good balance between technology and human intuition but I believe that I lean more towards the human intuition. Although I love the use of tools and technology, I still believe that human interaction is necessary. It may sound like a cliche, but people do business with people.

What have been some of the biggest changes you’ve seen occur in the industry since you began?

So many changes, but technology is probably at the top. When I started in recruiting, we used to pull resumes from job boards, print and fax those paper resumes to clients. We used to call interviews ‘send outs.’ Oh, and we used to make phone calls on phones (with chords). Today, technology has influenced and changed the way recruiters and hiring managers do their jobs. The war for talent is hotter than ever but with the rise of sourcing tools, finding top talent is easier.

What will your job look like five years from now?

That’s a good question and I don’t know that I have a good answer. I think I’m going to take a step back and focus on the ‘now.’ I’m in a good place!

Who is your biggest professional influence and why?

Joseph Silich. I can’t say enough about this man. He was (and continues to be) my mentor. He was very tough on me and I think that has attributed to my success. Joe makes any difficult task seem simple. He is not only the hardest worker that I know, he is also the smartest (and very funny)! He keeps it real and has always been there for me. He inspires me to be a better person.

What would be your first bits of advice to a new hire in your department?

Get to know the people that you work with. Ask questions. Get involved. You spend more time with your colleagues than you do with your family – find the balance that will make you the happiest and most productive.