The Chad & Cheese Podcast

In this episode, we discuss the acquisition of Pento, a Copenhagen-born payroll automation platform, by HiBob, an Israeli-based HRIS. The terms of the deal remain undisclosed, but the acquisition aims to create an all-in-one solution, streamlining the entire payroll workflow. Founded in 2017, Pento had raised around $54 million. The acquisition is expected to save time for various teams by simplifying the traditionally cumbersome payroll process. We also delve into the latest earnings reports from various companies in the HR and recruiting industry. Recruit Holdings reported a decrease in revenue due to a contraction in hiring activities in the U.S. and Europe. DHI Group, the owners of Dice and Clearance Jobs, experienced a decline in revenue, primarily driven by a decrease in revenue from Dice. Randstad reported a drop in revenue, attributing it to global economic uncertainty. Monster revenue was also down. Despite a roaring U.S. economy, these companies are facing challenges, including upskilling, less job-hopping, and the need for internal networking. In other news, the Biden administration announced a $5 billion investment to support research and development in advanced computer chips. This initiative aims to reverse the decline in the U.S. semiconductor manufacturing industry and boost domestic production of advanced semiconductors. However, companies are struggling to adapt quickly enough to a convergence of tech, generational turnover, and the fast pace of change. About 44% of workers' skills are set to be disrupted in the next five years, and about 60% of workers will require training in the next three years. Jobster, the company behind the world's first predictive job advertising platform, is making a comeback. Jobster, first famous in the mid-2000s, is now back under new ownership. The return of Jobster could signal a new programmatic ad solution in the job market. Lastly, Neon Money Club, a fintech platform, has launched a new dating app called Score, which requires users to have a credit score of at least 675. Users who are denied access will be directed to resources to improve their financial literacy and credit scores. The app has received mixed reactions due to its exclusionary nature, with some viewing it as aspirational and others seeing it as perpetuating class divides. Neon Money Club has raised over $10 million in venture capital and is the first Black-owned tech business to launch a credit card with AMEX.

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

Who's ready for a new generation to enter the workforce? Well, like it or not, Gen Z is on their way in, and - stop me if you've heard this one before - they're different from all the preceding generations. How exactly? Well, no clue. That's why we invited Anthony Onesto, advisor, chief people officer, Gen Z & Future of Work Visionary and author of The New Employee Contract to the podcast. All kidding aside, a generation who's grown up in the shadow of 9/11, the Great Recession and a global pandemic, all while never knowing a world without internet and a smartphone are bound to introduce a wide variety of nuance to the world. And that, of course, includes recruitment and retention in new and sometimes scary ways. If you're hiring Gen Z, and hoping they stay awhile, you owe it to yourself to tune into this episode.

No one in the world of work likes form-filling, complex systems and bureaucracy. Yet, teams need to feel motivated, aligned, and accountable on the job, which usually means a lot of that stuff we hate. So what's an employer to do? OnLoop is here to turn every manager into a supercharged coach, and CEO and founder Projjal "JJ" Ghatak is on Firing Squad to try and prove his company has the juice to fulfill that promise and take it to established players like Lattice, 15five, Culture Amp and others. Does this former Uber executive's startup have what it takes to survive Chad & Cheese? Gotta listen to find out.

It's a Chad-less week, as Serge Boudreau of The Recruitment Flex podcast fills in. We've got some follow-up from last week's show: Google unexpectedly shut down its job-advertising test due to performance issues, leaving speculation about staffing cuts and competing priorities. In other news, Appcast analysis shows an increase in clicks and applies per job posting in 2023, but the median cost per click fell. Moving on, Fora, an Executive Relationship Management platform, has launched with $3.8 million in pre-seed funding. Featuring industry veterans like Joe Essenfeld and Susan Vitale, Fora aims to revolutionize decision-making for executives with tailored AI technology. Lyft is making waves in the U.S. ride-hailing industry with weekly earnings guarantees for drivers, aiming to attract more to its platform amidst competition with Uber. Starship Technologies has secured $90 million to expand sidewalk delivery robot operations, while the NYPD ends its AI-driven security robot deployment in Times Square. And guess who's back? NYPD's K9 robot Digidog returns to service. Lastly, Apple's Vision Pro VR headset disappoints buyers as it blocks access to VR porn. Despite anticipation, users can't access explicit content, sparking frustration on social media and Reddit.

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

What's on tap on this episode of The Chad & Cheese Podcast Does Europe? Munich-based company Personio has laid off 101 employees, constituting 5% of its workforce, to strengthen its market position and advance its product roadmap. The layoffs primarily affected the technology and product departments. The move follows Personio's valuation at $8.5 billion, and the boys discuss the trend of venture capital and private equity focusing on headcount growth, emphasizing the importance of revenue. They predict more layoffs from other unicorns that have received substantial funding. The discussion also touches on the IPO plans for Personio and the challenges faced by companies expanding to the US, citing the example of VONQ. The podcast later features a "Who'd You Rather" segment comparing two companies, HireAra and Poetry HR, and their recent funding rounds. The hosts share their preferences, highlighting the significance of the founders in their decision-making. The episode concludes with a discussion on Amazon's French arm being fined over 27 million pounds for implementing an intrusive surveillance system to monitor staff performance. The hosts express varying opinions on the impact of the fine and the ongoing global conversation about workplace monitoring and employee privacy. Looking to attend House of HR's E-recruitment Congress in March? Use CODE CP51000 and get 50% OFF when you register at https://www.erecruitment-congress.com/

In case you missed it, the nursing profession is going through a pretty challenging time. Whether it's COVID burnout, a severe lack of skilled workers or the Baby Boomers putting immense pressure on the health care system - just to mention a few - times are tough. It's certainly an issue Chad & Cheese aren't qualified to solve, let alone fully understand. That's why Dr. Beth A. Brooks, president of The Brooks Group, joined the boys to discuss a wide variety of topics, such as the current state of nursing, how the gig economy is impacting the profession, the power of pay transparency and if / when the robots will finally be the ones giving colonoscopies. It's a must listen for nurse recruiting professionals, healthcare networks around the country and, frankly, nurses themselves.

The boys are live from TA Week in the Qualifi booth dropping more commentary from the world of work. First up, the boys cover recent updates on Google for Jobs killing off their pay-per-click (PPC) pilot with employers and agencies. Then, HireVue has a new CEO - Jeremy Friedman, bringing his tech growth expertise to the company. HireVue specializes in candidate evaluation through video interviews, boasting over 1,000 customers. In CEO updates, rumors suggest Arno Schafer is out at Vonq, the job advertising platform. Now, let's dive into tech news - ADP has launched ADP Assist, a cross-platform solution powered by generative AI, revolutionizing HR productivity. Moving on, Twitter Jobs introduces featured job ads, giving verified organizations benefits like priority posts and premium support. Now, from Japan, Indeed Plus is automating job matching by distributing postings on various job boards within Recruit Holdings. Lastly, UPS is cutting 12,000 jobs, saving approximately $1 billion after a 31.8% drop in quarterly profit. UPS CEO Carol Tomé announces the end of the hybrid work schedule, requiring employees to return to the office five days a week. Plus, over 10,000 autoworkers from non-union companies have signed union cards with the UAW.

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

The future of recruiting is a popular topic these days. With AI and automation tools that are on a whole other level to tech of the past, many wonder how the future will play out for the profession that has for so long been a staple of corporate strategy. Fortunately, we have wise ol' veterans who know the past, but can also see around corners better than most. Age and vision are in short supply. That's why we had Kevin Wheeler, author, speaker and founder of Global Learning Resources, to the podcast. Kevin has a new book coming out in February entitled, “Talent Acquisition Excellence: Using Digital Capabilities and Analytics to Improve Recruitment,” that will prove helpful to those hoping the navigate the future like an ancient oracle. We're talkin' predictions for 2024, the pandemic impact, labor uprisings, how the kids are alright, and much more. Listen, subscribe, like and share.

We say a lot of things on the podcast that people disagree with. Most people stop short of writing a blog post about how wrong they think one, or both, of us are. However, Jeff Dickey-Chasins, affectionately known as Job Board Doctor, decided to put the virtual pen-to-paper and express how wrong Joel was in his analysis of how job boards are facing a Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse in the form of Google / LinkedIn, AI, automation and the gig economy. Just when you think the debate will get too nasty to take, Chad swoops in as peacemaker ... or is it instigator? A must listen for every job board employee and customer alike. The Doctor is IN.

Hold onto your resumes, wage slaves, because The Weekly Show's about to launch. This week's itinerary? Corporate drama as spicy as sriracha lattes: LinkedIn's Labyrinth: Remember stalking profiles like paparazzi? Now it's paywalled, like a Kardashian's closet. Moneybags Mania: Buckle up for a cash explosion! Huler's McDucking it, Ceridian's playing Monopoly with learning platforms, and DailyPay's got a billion-dollar piggy bank. Your salary? A rounding error. Job Board Jeopardy: Hold onto your FlexJobs! Bold.com snatched it like a free croissant at a networking event. Meanwhile, Sports Illustrated might be taking a dirt nap thanks to The Arena Group's fumble. Are robots writing your news now? Google's Global Games: Across the globe, Google's playing musical chairs with its Korean employees. But guess what? They're not having it. So there you have it, work world circus in a nutshell. Laugh, cry, maybe fart a little – that's what we're here for. Tune in next week for more corporate clowning and your weekly dose of The Weekly Show. Because in this game, we're all just juggling deadlines and dodging banana peels. Keep calm and carry on… with your trusty air freshener. P.S. Spread the word, wage slaves! We're all in this crazy ride together.

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

With an upcoming annual conference, Lieven's been really busy, but he found some time for a chat with all the news coming out of Europe lately. First up, Stepstone is touting its best year ever, but at least one co-host if calling for peak Stepstone, meaning it's call downhill from here. Another reason for pessimism is the entry of Google for Jobs in Stepstone's backyard: Germany. It's going to be interesting, and maybe Appcast, Stepstone's shiny new toy, can save the day? We discuss. And how about a little Buy-or-Sell, reviewing startups Demando, JobCannon, and Bubty (no, it's not a new techno band out of Finland). Then we roll a grenade down the hall and give you Lieven's predictions for 2024 (spoiler alert: Goodbye SEO).

We had employee referral software solution Real Links, and their CEO and co-founder Sam Davies, on Firing Squad four years ago. Chad gave them a rousing applause, while Cheese was a bit more tempered, giving them a gold clap. Needless to say, a lot has happened in the world since January 2020, so we thought a reunion would be apropos. When we last talked to Davies, they had just raised a little over a million bucks, employed nine people and were considering changing their domain from dot-io to a dot-com. So what's new? Ya' gotta listen to find out. Spoiler alert: LinkedIn has been as integral to their business as they thought it'd be. Visit www.reallinks.io for more.

News has been slow since the holidays, but things are getting back to normal. Most notably, Indeed and LinkedIn are still doing stupid stuff, and we're happy to oblige with some razor-sharp commentary. They're the gift that keeps on giving. Additionally, DJ Sol at Goldman Sachs has finally figured out and fixed racism ... hallelujah! OK, not really, but you decide. Plus, it's a Who'd Ya' Rather, pitting PerformYard against Mercor (call it the 2 a.m. edition, because neither choice is all that appealing). How can it get even better, you ask? Can we interest you in Pornhub's annual report on global porn consumption? Spoiler alert: It's a lot to swallow. Talking about the data! There are some real sickos out there. Wait, did I mention our bulging Spotify metrics? Like, Share, Subscribe and Review!

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

Artificial intelligence and the world of work are strange bedfellows, especially when it comes to recruiting. It's OK if you're a bit confused, but trust us, you're not alone. We're pretty lost too, particularly when you start imagining where things could go as AI develops at lightning speeds. That's why we invited Hilke Schellmann, NYU Professor, Emmy Award-Winning Technology Journalist, and author of How AI Decides Who Gets Hired, Monitored, Promoted, and Fired and Why We Need to Fight Back Now to the podcast. Together, we cover a broad range of topics from her take on HR Tech, to bias on steroids to rampant sexism to vocal biomarkers (say what?). It's a must-listen for navigating the ever-evolving minefield that is AI in recruiting.

Do the names H3, Zubka, YorZ, Jobster, Refer.com and KarmaOnef mean anything to you? How about Indeed Crowd? Still no? Well, they're all that created a referral marketplace and eventually called it quits. History does not look fondly on empowering regular people to promote jobs to their networks for money. Draftboard, however, thinks they've cracked the code. CEO and founder Zach Roseman joins the boys on a lively episode of Firing Squad. To say Zach had a mountain to climb is an understatement, but he just may sway the world into his way of thinking. We are all recruiters? Well, maybe ... maybe not. Gotta listen to see if Draftboard survives the Firing Squad.

Like a good fight? Well, you're in luck. This episode is for you. This week, the boys are covering fights between OpenAI and The New York Times, Elon Musk and Mark Cuban, and Miller Lite and Bud Light. Good thing Chad is back from Europe and in a fighting mood. We take on challenges to DEI and the rise of minimum wages in New York and California, while beer mints are hoping to be a thing. (It's not.) What's more snarky TikTok'ers, Big Macs, and Bird scooters ... Oh, my. Grab a cold one and enjoy. Again, what the hell is Dry January?

The Shred is a weekly roundup of who’s raised funds, who’s been acquired and who’s on the move in the world of recruitment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

What's going to happen to all those remote-work unicorns who raised hundreds of millions during the pandemic, now that RTO is back and WFH is out? What's the current state of M&A in HR Tech in 2023, heading into 2024? And when will the IPO dam finally break and throw companies like iCIMS, Greenhouse, Personio and others to the public markets? All great questions, but ones Chad & Cheese aren't exactly proficient in answering. That's why we asked Jim Holzer, managing partner at Drake Star Partners, on the pod. Jim manages M&A and capital raising in the HR tech vertical for Drake Star. A must listen for anyone raising, selling or just surviving this turbulent market. Don't go into 2024 without checking this one out.

Recorded live at the HR Tech Conference from the Fuel50 booth in Las Vegas, Chad & Cheese sit down with Taylor Weiss, a Technology Investor at PeakSpan Capital. Taylor discusses her role, preferences for startups, emphasizing the importance of honest, succinct pitches. The conversation explores tech founders' ages, backing the right founder, excitement for innovative solutions in HR Tech, and leveraging AI for career advancement. Taylor stresses honesty's significance in career progression, proposing early education on self-awareness. She advises startups to align with investors' ethos and highlights PeakSpan's focus on alignment with entrepreneurs. To learn more about Fuel50, visit https://fuel50.com.

Another year, another podcast full of predictions that (mostly) won't come true. Yup, it's finally 2024 and the boys have sobered up enough to give their best guesses for what will happen over the next 12 mos. And if you already long for 2023, never fear, we also review last year's hits and (mostly, again) misses. Plus, we reflect on 2023's podcast takeaways, our fantasy football champion is crowned, and travel heats up again. And what the hell is Dry January?