Why candidates said yes
I'm an open book with candidates, and they're open back. That trust is why people name the experience as the reason they joined.
- Role
- Recruiter, then head of recruiting
- Tools
- Greenhouse, LinkedIn Recruiter, a phone, and follow-through
- Scope
- Agency recruiting in Calgary, then every Orium role across the Americas
- Reading time
- 2 minutes
Everything else on this site started here. I was a recruiter first.
At Hays I was named the Americas Rising Star and Rookie of the Year in Canada, with more than 30 placements in my first year. At TEKsystems I was the number one rookie recruiter in the country. Then I joined Myplanet, now Orium, to lead hiring as the company grew.
- Offer acceptance at Orium
- 95%
- New hires onboarded in 2022 alone
- 100+
- Public LinkedIn recommendations, most from people I hired or placed
- 22
Openness goes both ways
I’m an open book with candidates. I tell them how the process works, where they stand, what I actually know about the team, and things about my own life too. Not as a technique. It’s just how I work.
What surprised me is how reliably it comes back. When you’re open first, people are open with you. They tell me about their families, the worries behind a decision, what they’re really hoping the next job gives them. And I remember. Months after someone starts, I’m still asking about the things they told me.
That two-way trust is what candidates write about. A Director of Product who told me at the start he had no intention of switching jobs later wrote that I’m the reason he joined. A new hire wrote that the way she was treated was a big factor in accepting our offer over another company’s.
They always knew where they stood
- “constantly updated the timelines so I wasn't left unsure or waiting.”Scott Thompson
- “being honest regarding all the phases we were going through.”Felipe Goeldi
- “I knew exactly what was coming and what to expect.”David Liau
They felt known as a whole person
- “He took the time to really understand me personally and professionally and how those versions of me overlap in the workplace.”Sarah Darrell
- “He was genuine and listened to my concerns about my career and personal life.”David Liau
- “Raj took the time to first get to know me, my skillset, and my aspirations”Ian Marques
It felt honest, so they were honest back
- “really builds trust from day one.”Lauren Swan
- “his enthusiasm for the company came from a place of authenticity.”Tiiu Vaartnou
- “His authenticity, interest in building relationships and connecting skillsets to the right role became evident immediately.”Foster Kwon
He kept showing up after the offer
- “Raj has continued to check in and offer support, even when it’s outside the scope of his role.”Kaitlyn Lovatt
- “followed up with repeated intervals as I was onboarding to the new role.”Lauren Swan
- “Raj continued to ensure that I was in the right place to succeed”Ian Marques
The moments I design on purpose
-
The first call
Learn what they actually want, before pitching anything.
“When Raj first reached out about the opportunity, I had no intention of switching jobs.”
Foster Kwon -
Before each interview
Who they will meet, what to expect, and how to show their best.
“He prepared me thoroughly for all interviews, shared who I was meeting and followed up promptly.”
Sarah Darrell -
Every step in between
Timelines updated before anyone has to ask.
“There wasn't a moment where I was guessing what would come next.”
David Liau -
The offer
Explained line by line, not just sent. Fair, and seen to be fair.
“Raj took the time to explain the offer, benefits and contract to me.”
Sarah Darrell -
After day one
Still checking in, long after the offer is signed.
“Since joining the team, Raj has continued to check in and offer support.”
Kaitlyn Lovatt
Care at scale is a system
In 2022 we onboarded more than 100 people as the company nearly doubled in under a year. You can’t hand-hold every candidate at that pace by memory and good intentions. So the care became structure: prep notes before every interview, timelines updated before anyone asks, offers walked through line by line, check-ins after the start date.
That’s the real origin of the systems on this site. The onboarding check-ins, the recruiting toolkit, the updates leaders read: each one exists because I did that job by hand first, and wanted it to stay good when I couldn’t be in every conversation.
What I learned
Speed matters. Clarity matters more. And the hard parts of hiring, the offer and the decline, deserve the most care, not the least.
Candidates don’t remember your process. They remember whether they ever had to wonder what was happening.