Episodes

  • How One Question Identifies Culture Add in an Interview

    How One Question Identifies Culture Add in an Interview
    Jun 29 2026
    In this episode of Hiring & Firing with Fexingo, Lucas and Luna explore why 'culture fit' is a flawed hiring lens and how a single question can reframe the search toward 'culture add.' They walk through the 2025 study from Harvard Business School and the University of Chicago that analyzed 50,000 interview transcripts. The question — 'What’s a project you started that didn’t exist before you got there?' — is not about past roles but about proactive contribution. The hosts break down why the question uncovers three key traits: initiative, ownership, and adaptability. They also discuss how companies like Pixar and Bridgewater have used similar framing to build more innovative teams. By shifting from assimilation to addition, hiring managers can avoid groupthink and boost retention by an estimated 28 percent according to the study. A practical, evidence-based episode for anyone who hires. #CultureAdd #CultureFit #Hiring #InterviewQuestions #HiringAndFiring #Business #Podcast #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #TalentAcquisition #Recruitment #HR #HarvardStudy #UniversityOfChicago #Pixar #Bridgewater #Innovation #Retention Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 mins
  • The One Question That Reveals a Candidate Coachability

    The One Question That Reveals a Candidate Coachability
    Jun 28 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore the single interview question that can predict how responsive a candidate will be to feedback and growth. Drawing on a 2025 study from the Journal of Applied Psychology that tracked 1,200 hires over 18 months, they discuss why 'Tell me about a time you changed your mind about something important at work' is more revealing than traditional behavioral questions. Lucas shares examples from a Fortune 500 tech firm that cut early attrition by 40 percent using this approach, and Luna pushes back on whether candidates can game the answer. The hosts also examine the counterintuitive finding that candidates who offer a specific, low-stakes change of mind often outperform those who cite dramatic, high-stakes shifts. No ads, just actionable insights. #HiringAndFiring #Recruitment #InterviewQuestions #Coachability #CandidateAssessment #FeedbackCulture #BehavioralInterviewing #GrowthMindset #HiringStrategy #TalentAcquisition #EmployeeRetention #PerformancePrediction #JournalOfAppliedPsychology #Fortune500 #TechHiring #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    9 mins
  • The Silent Exit How Ghosting Candidates Destroys Your Brand

    The Silent Exit How Ghosting Candidates Destroys Your Brand
    Jun 28 2026
    In this episode of Hiring & Firing, Lucas and Luna dive into the growing problem of candidate ghosting — where companies simply stop responding to applicants after interviews. They discuss the psychological impact on candidates, the hidden costs to employer brand, and the surprising data showing that ghosted candidates are 40% less likely to buy from your company. Using examples from a large tech firm that tracked its ghosting rate and a startup that turned rejection into a competitive advantage, they offer practical strategies to maintain respect and reputation even when saying no. Specific advice includes: setting clear timelines, using automated but personalized rejection emails, and why a two-sentence 'we went another direction' is better than silence. A must-listen for any hiring manager or recruiter who wants to protect their company's long-term talent pipeline. #CandidateGhosting #EmployerBrand #Recruitment #Hiring #TalentAcquisition #JobSearch #InterviewProcess #CandidateExperience #HR #Recruiting #Ghosting #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast #HiringAndFiring #WorkforceDecisions #Performance #RecruitmentStrategy Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    6 mins
  • Why Rejection Letters Should Come With a Next Step

    Why Rejection Letters Should Come With a Next Step
    Jun 27 2026
    Standard rejection letters kill candidate goodwill and hurt your hiring pipeline. But a small number of companies are flipping the script: they send rejected candidates a specific next action—a referral prompt, a prep guide for another role, or even a short feedback note. Lucas and Luna dig into data from Greenhouse and Lever showing that candidates who receive a meaningful next step are 3x more likely to reapply and refer others. They walk through the specific playbook used by a mid-sized tech firm that turned 18 percent of rejected applicants into eventual hires within 18 months. This episode covers the psychology of closure, the cost of ghosting, and a simple template any team can use starting today. #RejectionLetters #CandidateExperience #HiringPipeline #RecruitmentStrategy #EmployerBrand #Ghosting #TalentPool #Lever #Greenhouse #HiringFunnel #NextStep #Referrals #ReapplyRate #TalentAcquisition #HRTech #Business #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    9 mins
  • The One Metric That Predicts Sales Performance

    The One Metric That Predicts Sales Performance
    Jun 27 2026
    Episode 77 of Hiring & Firing with Fexingo. Lucas and Luna explore a single metric that top-performing sales organizations use to predict a candidate's future performance before they're hired. They dive into a study of 5,000 sales reps across 30 companies, revealing that the number of times a candidate mentions their own past failures in an interview correlates with a 23% higher quota attainment in their first year. Lucas explains why most recruiters overlook this signal and how to structure questions that surface it naturally. Luna challenges whether the metric works outside sales and shares a counterexample from a tech startup that saw the opposite trend. The conversation also touches on why unconscious bias can distort this signal and how one firm trained its hiring team to spot it reliably. Practical takeaway: a single interview question that could cut hiring mistakes by a third. #HiringMetrics #SalesHiring #InterviewQuestions #PredictiveHiring #SalesPerformance #QuotaAttainment #TalentAcquisition #Recruitment #HiringBias #BehavioralInterviewing #SalesRecruitment #PerformancePrediction #HiringScience #FexingoHiring #BusinessPodcast #HiringTrends #TalentStrategy #RecruitmentAnalytics Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    11 mins
  • Why Rejection Emails Are Your Best Talent Pool

    Why Rejection Emails Are Your Best Talent Pool
    Jun 26 2026
    In this episode, Lucas and Luna explore how top companies are turning the 'no' into a strategic asset. They focus on a specific case: a mid-size tech firm that, instead of ghosting rejected candidates, sent personalized feedback and invited them to join a talent community. Within six months, 14% of those candidates were hired for other roles, and the company saved $1.2 million in recruiting fees. The hosts break down the psychology of scarcity, the cost of ghosting, and how to build a rejection pipeline that actually yields hires. They also discuss why high-skill candidates are likelier to reapply if treated well, and share examples from companies like HubSpot and GitLab that have formalized this approach. The episode ends with a practical three-step framework listeners can implement next week. No fluff, no buzzwords — just a concrete strategy for turning your rejection inbox into a talent pool that already passed through your filters. #RejectionEmails #TalentPool #HiringStrategy #CandidateExperience #Recruiting #Ghosting #HubSpot #GitLab #TalentCommunity #RecruitingCosts #HiringFunnel #EmployerBrand #Feedback #ScarcityEffect #Business #Recruitment #FexingoBusiness #BusinessPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    9 mins
  • How a No-Notice Policy Cut Turnover by Half

    How a No-Notice Policy Cut Turnover by Half
    Jun 26 2026
    Episode 75 of Hiring & Firing with Fexingo examines a radical retention experiment: a mid-sized tech firm eliminated all notice periods for resignations—no two-week notice, no awkward transition. Lucas and Luna break down the surprising results: voluntary turnover dropped 50% in the first year, but only after management fixed the underlying trust issues. They discuss the psychology of the 'golden handcuffs' reversal, the risk of knowledge loss, and why the policy only works if you pair it with honest exit interviews. The show also touches on the broader implications for the current talent market as of June 2026, where quiet quitting and boomerang hires are reshaping norms. If you've ever wondered why employees stay even when they want to leave—or why the ones who leave quickly might be the ones you should keep—this episode offers a counterintuitive playbook. #NoNoticePolicy #RetentionStrategy #EmployeeTurnover #VoluntaryTurnover #TalentManagement #HRStrategy #WorkplaceTrust #ExitInterviews #BoomerangHires #QuietQuitting #Recruitment #HiringAndFiring #BusinessPodcast #FexingoBusiness #WorkforceDecisions #Performance #Leadership #CompanyCulture Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    12 mins
  • How Pre-Hire Assessments Predict Performance Better Than Resumes

    How Pre-Hire Assessments Predict Performance Better Than Resumes
    Jun 25 2026
    Lucas and Luna explore why traditional resumes are poor predictors of job performance and how pre-hire assessments — like work samples and cognitive tests — are changing the hiring landscape. They dig into a case study from Google's Project Oxygen, where structured assessments reduced mis-hires by 24 percent, and discuss the surprising finding that a 10-minute work sample test predicts performance better than a 45-minute interview. The hosts also examine the risks of over-relying on assessments, including potential bias and the challenge of designing tests that actually reflect the job. This episode offers practical insights for recruiters and hiring managers looking to make smarter, data-driven hiring decisions. #PreHireAssessments #HiringMetrics #GoogleProjectOxygen #WorkSampleTests #CognitiveTests #PerformancePrediction #ResumeBiases #StructuredInterviews #DataDrivenHiring #TalentAcquisition #RecruitmentStrategy #HRMetrics #PeopleAnalytics #MisHireRate #Business #FexingoBusiness #HiringAndFiring #BusinessPodcast Keep every episode free: buymeacoffee.com/fexingo
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    8 mins