Beyond the Hire
On Beyond the Hire, we dive into recruiting for the GTM space, what it takes to build winning teams, and how industry leaders got to where they are today.
With your hosts: Sandra Polak and Ayse Yasas
Beyond the Hire
From Oracle Acquisition to Startup Agility: Lily Gibbens’ Career Pivot
Lily Gibbens joins Beyond the Hire to share how she built a decade-long career at Cerner (later acquired by Oracle) and why she eventually made the leap to a much smaller startup environment. She breaks down the differences between big-company bureaucracy and startup speed, what she looks for in candidates, and the advice she gives to job seekers unsure of their next move.
You’ll hear:
- How she grew her career internally at Cerner and navigated an Oracle acquisition
- What hiring red flags (and green flags) she pays attention to
- The resume mistakes she sees too often—and how to avoid them
- How to decide whether to stay in a role or move on
- What changed most when she left a 20k+ org for a 30-person company
This episode is packed with honest, tactical advice on standing out in the hiring process and building a people-first career.
About Lily Gibbens:
Lily Gibbens began her career at a 10-person agency, where she quickly learned the value of structure, communication, and wearing many hats. She then spent nearly a decade at Cerner, eventually leading large-scale HR programs following the company’s acquisition by Oracle. Her roles spanned HR business partnership, learning design, and engineering culture, supporting teams of up to 10,000 employees. Today, Lily leads HR and recruiting for two early-stage edtech companies backed by a private equity firm—owning everything from hiring and onboarding to performance, benefits, and culture. She’s passionate about bringing clarity to chaos and building people programs that make work better.
