In this episode of Frog Talk, Nader sits down with Rachel Biggs, founder and CEO of Good Works Talent, to explore how recruitment—often dismissed as a transactional HR function—is actually one of the most powerful levers for shaping organizational culture. Through an honest and strategic conversation, Rachel reveals how AI is transforming talent acquisition without sacrificing the human connection that makes culture fit possible. From breaking the "hiring hamster wheel" to redefining what job descriptions should actually say, this episode challenges everything you thought you knew about finding and hiring great people.

Guest Introduction: Rachel Biggs is the founder and CEO of Good Works Talent, a pioneering agency specializing in AI-powered recruitment solutions, particularly for the accounting profession. With over 15 years of experience in executive search and talent strategy, Rachel has built her career helping companies escape the endless cycle of posting jobs, sifting through junk resumes, and conducting low-quality interviews. Most recently as Director of Talent Acquisition for a top 70 public accounting firm, she built thriving teams, established new processes, and invested in technology to transform recruitment from reactive to strategic. Today, through Good Works Talent, Rachel helps business leaders find talent that doesn't just check boxes—but actually aligns with company culture and drives performance.

Key Takeaways:

• The "hiring hamster wheel" is broken—hiring needs to shift from filling seats to hiring for the one-year anniversary date when managers are high-fiving over great hires.
• Outbound recruiting flips the script: instead of waiting for candidates to come to you, pursue passive talent with compelling stories about your culture and mission.
• Job descriptions should be performance profiles, not compliance documents—define what success looks like a year from now and reverse-engineer backwards.
• Employer branding misses the mark: it's focused on the employer, not the employee. The real question is "Why would anyone want to work for you?" not "Why should they?"
• AI should gather evidence, but humans must make hiring decisions. Automation increases efficiency; humans ensure culture fit.
• Candidates are scared too—automation, offshoring, and economic uncertainty make job seekers risk-averse. Authentic communication about culture and opportunity is more critical than ever.
• Don't let just anybody interview for your organization—train interviewers to hire for performance, not to describe a person they already have in mind.

• Hiring green talent and investing in their development creates loyalty and retention far beyond the typical 18-24 month churn cycle.

  
  

  Chapter Markers:

  2:13 Guest Introduction: Rachel Biggs

  2:36 The Hiring Hamster Wheel — What's Broken About Traditional Recruitment

  5:01 Capability vs. Capacity: Why Internal Teams Struggle

  5:28 Flipping the Script: Outbound Recruiting vs. Inbound "Post and Pray"

  6:40 The Miss in Employer Branding

  7:50 Rachel's Origin Story: From Nonprofit to Recruitment

  13:25 Why Would Anyone Want to Work for You? The EVP Question

  22:03 Job Descriptions vs. Performance Profiles

  31:23 Nader's Story: 460 Applications, 1 Interview, and the Broken Job Search Process

  40:02 What Makes Good Works Talent Different

  47:37 Are People Being Interviewed by AI? When and Where AI Works

  58:33 Final Takeaways: Embrace Change Wisely

  
  

  Keywords:

  Frog Talk podcast, Nader Safinya, Rachel Biggs, Good Works Talent, AI-powered recruitment, hiring hamster wheel, organizational culture, talent acquisition, outbound recruiting, employer branding, employee value proposition, culture fit, performance profiles, job descriptions, hiring strategy, AI in recruitment, passive talent, accounting recruitment, quality of hire