TTP - The Top 10% Podcast with Craig Whiting
TTP - The Top 10% Podcast
TTP - The Top 10% Podcast is a deep dive into the world of hiring, recruitment, and career growth, exploring the strategies, challenges, and trends that shape how companies attract, hire, and retain top talent.
Hosted by Craig Whiting, this series brings together tech leaders, recruiters, and industry experts to share their insights on what it really takes to build high-performing teams in today’s evolving job market.
What to Expect in Each Episode:
🔹 The Hiring Landscape – How companies find, assess, and secure top talent.
🔹 Recruitment & Industry Insights – The evolving role of recruiters, agencies, and internal hiring teams.
🔹 Leadership & Culture – How company culture and leadership styles impact hiring and retention.
🔹 Career Growth & Development – How candidates can stand out and advance in their careers.
🔹 Future of Work – The impact of remote work, AI, and new hiring trends on the job market.
Whether you're a business leader, recruiter, or job seeker, The Top 10% Podcast will challenge your thinking and provide practical, real-world insights to help you navigate the ever-changing world of work.
TTP - The Top 10% Podcast with Craig Whiting
The Top 10% Podcast with Craig Whiting - Ep. 3: Donal McCarthy on Recruitment, Tech Hiring & Teams
Ep. 3: Donal McCarthy on Recruitment, Tech Hiring & Teams
In this episode, Craig sits down with Donal McCarthy, a seasoned leader in the tech financial industry, to explore the recruitment landscape from a hiring manager’s perspective. They discuss why hiring should be about more than just checking boxes on a CV, how recruiters can add real value, and the importance of understanding company culture when making hiring decisions.
Donal, who has led hiring at energy trading firms, buy-side institutions, and sell-side banks, shares his candid thoughts on the state of recruitment today. He discusses the common pitfalls in tech hiring, why recruiters often miss the mark, and what companies can do to improve their talent acquisition strategies.
Whether you’re a hiring manager, recruiter, or candidate, this episode will challenge your thinking on recruitment, candidate engagement, and building high-performing teams.
🎙 Key Topics:
🔹 Why most recruiters fail to understand hiring managers' needs
🔹 The importance of deep recruiter-hiring manager relationships
🔹 How centralized recruitment can slow down hiring
🔹 Why hiring for culture is just as important as technical skills
🔹 How candidates can stand out in the hiring process
Tune in for an insightful discussion on the future of hiring, how recruitment should evolve, and what really makes a great hire.
Show Notes & Timestamps
[00:00] – Opening & Introduction
- Donal’s first thought when hearing the word “recruiter.”
[01:00] – The Role of Recruiters in Tech Hiring
- Why hiring is about more than just filling a role.
- The biggest mistakes recruiters make when engaging with hiring managers.
- Why relationship-building is key to successful recruitment.
[06:00] – Why Recruitment is Broken
- The low barrier to entry in recruitment and its consequences.
- Why cold calls and irrelevant CVs frustrate hiring managers.
- The disconnect between recruiters and hiring managers.
[10:00] – The Importance of Culture in Hiring
- Why hiring should focus on long-term fit, not just technical skills.
- How companies can communicate their culture to recruiters.
- Why culture impacts employee retention and job satisfaction.
[18:00] – The Downsides of Centralized Recruitment
- Why limiting agency access can slow down hiring.
- The problem with rigid hiring processes.
- How businesses should balance internal hiring vs. agency partnerships.
[27:00] – The Candidate Experience: How to Stand Out
- Why job hunting should be about more than just salary.
- How recruiters can help candidates position themselves better.
- The role of personal projects and open-source contributions in hiring.
[37:00] – Rethinking Hiring & The Role of Recruiters
- Why recruiters should focus on understanding the industries they serve.
- How recruiters can add real value beyond just sending CVs.
- The importance of proactive career conversations.
[50:00] – Final Thoughts & Key Takeaways
- Why companies need to rethink their approach to hiring.
- How hiring managers and recruiters can work together more effectively.
- The future of recruitment and its impact on the tech industry.