Imagine you’re sitting alone under your office’s fluorescent lighting, watching the paint dry. Then suddenly, the ceiling opens and an avalanche of job applications comes spiraling down onto your head. As an HR pro, you have one job: Process this deluge of résumés and cover letters to fill a vital role in a timely fashion, while making sure every candidate feels seen, heard, and ultimately un-ghosted.

Now, exit the nightmare and consider Canva. The graphic design platform processed 300,000 applications between August 2021 and September 2022, according to Jennie Rogerson, its global head of people. It’s not a gargantuan figure on par with today’s foremost tech giants, but it’s nothing to sniff at, either, especially considering that every application is reviewed by human eyes.

As Rogerson told HR Brew, to efficiently wade through and find promising applicants, talent acquisition teams need to be on the ground floor of company culture, intimately familiar with the organization’s heartbeat. At Canva, TA teams are “really embedded in our people group to make sure that they truly understand our culture, how it’s evolving, and what we’re looking for,” said Rogerson.

Know who you want before they apply. Standing before a mountain of applications, you can become less daunted by familiarizing recruiters with your company’s culture. That way, the right candidates stand out. “That really tight alignment upfront makes the reviews of any application much easier,” Rogerson said.

Problems are more likely to arise when communication is sparse. “I’ve had a few instances where we saw a huge application pile and upon review of several of the applicants, they were very unqualified, so we took down and then reposted the role in order to ensure the applicants were closer to the qualifications,” Daniel Space, a senior HR consultant, explained over email. Keep reading here.—SB

Donald Knight has been working on people teams for nearly two decades and has seen some big transformations in the field. Knight said it’s an exciting time to be in the field as more and more people pros showcase to companies the value of putting their people first. He described his current role at Greenhouse as “exactly where I’m supposed to be on the planet, and the ride is just getting started.”

What’s the best people policy change or update that you’ve made at a place you’ve worked?

It’s hard to pick just one, as each change we’ve made tackles a different aspect of our people strategy. However, all of them are guided by our commitment to IDEA (inclusion, diversity, equity, and allyship). Our global passport program takes the cake for promoting cultural immersion, allowing our team to spend up to 60 days working in different countries without using PTO. Our “Gather At” events are a standout for fostering meaningful connection and fostering a sense of community. Lastly, our sabbatical program, which gives employees the chance to take four weeks off after four years of service, is the best in the tech industry when it comes to promoting well-being. All in all, each of these policies showcases our dedication to putting people first.

Are you currently a member of any ERGs?

I believe that a true leader’s commitment to inclusion is demonstrated by their involvement in employee resource groups or what we call “arbors” at Greenhouse. These arbors act like trees, purifying the organization with IDEA and creating a supportive environment for all people to grow. As an active executive sponsor for Blackhouse, I see it as my responsibility to invest my time, talent, and resources into these communities as it shows the organization our commitment to creating a diverse and inclusive work environment. Keep reading here.—AD

Today’s top HR reads.

Stat: Some 28% of US workers have, or have had, someone they consider to be a “work spouse,” and 26% have felt romantic feelings towards them. (SHRM)

Quote: “We are not running out of work. Just look around. Our doctors and nurses are overworked, there is a mental health crisis, a climate crisis, our classrooms are overcrowded. What is shifting is the efficiency frontier. ChatGPT could help us gain in productivity.”—Christian Terwiesch, professor at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School, on how ChatGPT could make work more efficient (Bloomberg)

Read: Today is the Family and Medical Leave Act’s 30th birthday (though it doesn’t look a day over 29). What’s the state of leave today? (Vox)

Recruitment road map: Examine the twists and turns of HR recruiting alongside industry pros at HR Brew’s virtual event: The Future of Recruiting: How to Keep Up, sponsored by Fountain. See you there on March 2.*

^{*This is sponsored advertising content.}