Sr. Talent Operator. 20+ yrs in Recruiting: EvolutionaryScale AI, UiPath IPO, Google, AWS & DoD. Hard Knocks. Real talk on Careers, Hiring, Life & Human Nature.
Sacramento, CA
Joined November 2024
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When a C-level leader exits overnight, a majority may watch the stock.
I watch the people inside.
The employees left behind did nothing wrong. Yet they’re the ones suddenly wondering where the company is headed.
And trust me, the headhunters are already paying attention.
I’ve recruited for EvolutionaryScale AI and AWS in the U.S, competing against NVIDIA for technical talent. I’ve also worked in the top 20 staffing world across engineering, technical, and G & A roles.
I know what can happen next.
Some employees may get recruited away. Others may explore startups, launch their own, or reconsider leadership opportunities.
Uncertainty has a funny way of changing someone’s willingness to take a call.
It’s not disloyalty. It’s human nature.
Most will stay. Some will explore.
And a few who wouldn’t answer your call six months ago may finally pick up the phone.
But here’s the bigger story.
There’s an entire industry of crisis advisers, corporate reputation specialists, psychologists, and leadership consultants helping companies navigate moments like this.
I wrote a deeper article about what happens behind the scenes when a giant like NVIDIA faces a crisis.
The people. The psychology. The advisers. The headhunters.
And what it really takes to rebuild trust.
📷 Read the full article:
[nitter.cf/EdwardCassas/status/21…]
When leadership changes overnight, what matters most: the stock price, the next CEO, or the people keeping the business running?
People first. Always.
#NVIDIA #Leadership @X
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POV: a 20-year recruiter tries to order one coffee at a Starbucks!
Interview mode: locked in.
Drive-through mode: total meltdown.
I can close an AI candidate.
I can't get through a drive-through without laughing at myself.
So, what’s your funniest or worst drive-through moment?
I’ll go first @X Watch. 🫠
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Listen up, every human has three lives and three layers. Public, private, and secret.
All of us do @X and over time so many people simply forget.
This week showed what happens when they don't line up at the very top. One gap and billions in trust can walk out the door.
The best people and leaders are the same person in all three.
It’s tough but it’s all possible.
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200 verified showed up in less than 30 days. Thanks for rolling with me ~ next step perhaps the creator program. :) ☕️
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33 years at the top of it all. Gone overnight. Is it Power or Human Nature?
The higher people climb, fewer people tell you no.
Yes, Jensen is out at Nvidia.
But think about this for a second.
Skilling, Enron.
Ebbers, WorldCom.
Hurd, HP.
Kalanick, Uber.
Moonves, CBS.
Easterbrook, McDonald's.
Neumann, WeWork.
Holmes, Theranos.
Bankman-Fried, FTX.
Looney, BP.
Freixe, Nestlé.
Billion dollar companies. Smart people, same ending.
I've hired around powerful people for 20 years and research this. It usually comes down to five things:
1. Power dulls empathy and shrinks the risk.
2. Nobody left in the room can say no.
3. The private line and the business line blur.
4. The board protects the star and never builds a bench.
5. Winning numbers cover for character.
So, real ppl of X, Is it the power, or is it just our human nature?
#nvidia #CEOs
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From the hiring side: when I check backchannel on senior leaders, I'm not asking if they're smart. I'm asking who in their last job was allowed to tell them no!
Be the no man or woman!
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🛜 175K+ impressions. 190+ blue verified. A few hrs each week for 3+ weeks on @X
🙏That reach is yours. You replied, you talked and you showed up.
Thought LinkedIn was the only way for yrs? How wrong was I.
I’m Ed Cassas. She’s my Dog. Our Italian Mastiff Stella. My kids call her stink.
A Top Recruiter. Father of 6.
Hard Knocks U. Empty nester. Husband. Underdog fan.
Enjoy inspiring others too.
Middle aged Gen X Grandpa. Brooklyn roots. Forged in the flames of adversity. Ex athlete.
What I write about:
•psychology
•adversity
•real talk
•careers
•recruiting
•human nature.
To all of you and new people with synergy. I appreciate your time.
Wax on, wax off. Although my kung fu training days are behind me.
More to come. ✌️❤️🔥
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🇺🇸🦭⚓️ From 2020 to 2024 I had the chance to mentor ex-Navy SEALs transitioning to civilian life.
A support system on interviewing, harnessing their natural strengths, training, operational skills, etc.
Developing a talent / org mapping process and advising them on job search + interview prep through the Seal Future Foundation.
Even made some cool intro’s that led several folks to great careers.
Some of the most amazing people you’ll ever meet! The real deals.
These men go through a lot when transitioning from their warrior space back into normal civilian everyday life. It all ain’t easy.
It was an honor to meet, work and consult these men. I hold them in high regard.
Thank you to everyone who served.
Today and the other 364.
~ Ed
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Someone already in the room often has to say your name!
A cold application can still get you in the interview pile. People still review resumes more than AI.
What I've seen move people is a recommendation from a company, a colleague, or a hiring leader.
I have an inside track to these things. I’m on the talent side.
5 of my last great roles came that way, after I left staffing and NYC, Bay Area headhunting more than 10+ yrs ago.
Referrals are often worth their weight in gold. It pays to leave good people with good memories of your work and abilities.
I see the same thing when I hire.
A referred name gets a different kind of team attention than even a strong application.
Applications still matter. Don’t get me wrong. Apply, apply but what’s your low hanging fruit?
When you landed your last role, was anyone already in the room for you?
~ Ed
@X marks the spot!
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A former candidate just referred me. Wasn’t expecting that!
We didn't move forward in the process, but he liked how I treated him.
Great recruiting isn't just about matching resumes to keywords as some think.
This is a framework I've followed throughout my career, and in return multiple doors have opened.
Agile, Connected and Empathetic (ACE)
1. When we actively listen to what candidates need, and advocate for them, we transform a transactional process into a life changing career move or solid partnership.
2. Follow through, over communicate when needed, make the extra call, Slack or send the extra email.
3. Stay late at times, or log in more than a 9-5 because others need the help. Be a cool teammate.
4. If there's a potluck, "cook" the night before, or buy it if your brain is not wired that way, and help feed good people.
5. If there's a person who needs extra support, lend a hand. Be invested in the space you occupy and the people around you. They sense it.
6. Work like your life, family, mortgage or rent depends on it. Make good decisions for the company that pays you, be a brand ambassador. Protect it.
7. Get your colleagues home after a company event. If a co-worker is in trouble, run to their rescue.
8. Treat your day more like a personal duty rather than a check box or bullet point.
9. Give back authentic quality. Be the same person in life as you are walking into the office or remote meeting.
Recommendations at times throughout our careers are worth their weight in gold.
Since transitioning from staffing and NYC headhunting 10+ yrs ago, five of my last great career or embedded consultant roles have all come from recommendations.
When we support and guide teams like an ACE, great results for good people are obtainable.
P.S. Neurodivergent? Listen to 432 Hz music with binaural beats. The concentration stuff to lock in. It works wonders. Bluetooth right now in my old school headphones, wishing you a great week ahead X.
~ Ed
🤖 Made with AI
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I recruited UiPath's U.S Customer Success team from 2 to 70. Before the IPO in 6 months. AI startups call this work forward-deployed engineering now. Here's who I hired, and the 3 questions I'd ask your first FDE finalist.
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Three questions I ask every FDE finalist.
1. Tell me about a time a client's ask and their real problem didn't match. How did you find out, and what did you build instead?
2. Walk me through a handoff to the client's team after you rolled off. What did you leave behind so it kept running without you?
3. When did you push back on your own product team because of something you saw in the field? What changed?
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Not too many people tell you the truth on the first try.
The first answer is the safe one.
The real one shows up later, if you don’t crowd it.
So when someone trails off, I repeat their last couple words and wait.
Then I ask one short question.
“What’s really going on there?”
And I shut up. Still the hardest part for me to this day.
I also tell people it’s ok to say no.
Saved me more good relationships than any pitch.
Yeah, fomo, Pressure gets you a fast yes. Usually the wrong one.
I’m job hunting right now too, so I’m on the other side of that table.
Still looking. Still listening. Stay powerful!
~ Ed
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