Hiring with Intention: An Executive Search Case Study (EP.93)

Most hiring processes were built in a different era, carried forward by inertia without much consideration, and optimized for the organization’s convenience rather than a candidate’s experience. This episode is about what happens when a team decides to proactively reimagine that dynamic. WSS host Tim Cynova is joined by Katrina Donald (Ever-so-curious), Julie Mae Lopez (People Power Solutions), and guest host for the episode, Jodi Cobalt (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts). The four of them collaborated on a search at YBCA in 2022-23 for an executive-level Head of External Relations role. This episode is a detailed reflection of what they and the organization tried, what surprised them, and what they’d do again. It’s a behind-the-scenes account of what intentional hiring looks like in practice, with enough specifics that you can take ideas directly into your next search. In this conversation: Why the typical playbook fails → information flows one way, candidates are kept in the dark for weeks, and “culture fit” bias goes completely unchecked. “Dot connector” screening calls built around one prompt: Connect the dots between where you’ve been and this role. Those calls can reshuffle the entire candidate list. Treating the job posting like a marketing campaign: multiple formats, audio and video assets, detailed comp and benefits information, distributed through the varied networks and channels where candidates are located. Why a $250 honorarium Venmo’d the moment a finalist leaves the room might matter more than the dollar amount suggests. Redesigning reference checks to ask “what advice would you give this candidate’s future supervisor?” instead of “was this person a team player?” Accessibility built into the process from the start: contrast ratios, audio versions of postings, empathy mapping for sourcing, feedback loops through the process. Building the case story bank: a practical tool for candidates navigating searches in the age of AI-generated everything. Plus: using Critical Response Process for final interviews, giving care packages to finalists, sending search committee bios to candidates in advance, starting interviews with an ice breaker question, asking candidates to predict their own reference feedback, designing the search to feed directly into onboarding, calibrating the ask of candidates to where they are in the process, and how to not ghost people when the answer is no. Want to go deeper on navigating your own search? Career Camp — the online program Katrina and Tim created — is designed to help you get unstuck, map your next move, and build a job search strategy that reflects how hiring actually works. Links & Resources Online Courses Inclusive Hiring: Building a Search Process from Job Description to Onboarding [FREE] Building a Core Curriculum [FREE] Career Camp “Prepare for Your Next Career Move” [$99] Tools Download the 100-page Search Playbook for this search Template for Executive Search Process | 130-item Project Management Chart YBCA Search | Social Sharing Kit Liberating Structures The Behavior Dashboard Critical Response Process Related Podcast Episodes Inside the Search: What Executive Hiring Actually Looks Like (EP.91) Hiring in the Age of A.I. (EP.90) Hiring as Improv: Embracing the Unscripted in Job Searches (EP.85) Values-Based Hiring: Re-Imagining the Search Process (EP.58) Inclusive Hiring Practices (EP.45) About the Guests Jodi Cobalt (she/her), a Co-Founder of Thought Partner, is a seasoned theater manager with over two decades of experience in the industry. Her unique blend of leadership, hands-on knowledge, and a thorough understanding of theater give her a wealth of insight from which to draw on. After earning her BFA in Theater at Emerson College she moved to the Bay Area, finding work in a variety of venues as a Lighting Designer, Performer, Educator and Production Manager. At Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Jodi has held the roles of Director of Production and Chief of Operations