Javier Valencia applied to more than 200 jobs on LinkedIn. Every interview he landed came through someone he knew. Javier had spent years leading recruiting teams and implementing systems like Workday and iCIMS. He knew why employers built the application process the way they did. Then he had to get through it himself.

The people who helped him get interviews were mostly peers or people who had worked for him. They could tell a hiring manager what they had seen him do and why he was worth talking to. What could those people see that his application couldn’t show?

Why this matters

Javier has been responsible for filling a role that drew a thousand applicants. He can explain why a recruiter in that position asks more screening questions and why reviewing every application is hard to imagine. He also knows what it’s like to apply for a job he believes he can do and never hear back. Those experiences lead him and host Ian Davidson to disagree about when a hiring decision actually happens. If the software ranks the applicants and the recruiter reviews only the top 25, who decided which people got a chance?

About Javier and Ian

Javier began recruiting in the U.S. Army and went on to recruit for technical schools and the collision repair industry, lead recruiting teams, and implement applicant tracking systems. He and Ian first knew each other in high school. They reconnected while Javier was searching for work. Ian is the founder and CEO of Signol Labs, where he works with employers, workforce leaders, and technology teams on the systems that connect learning and work. Connect with Javier · Connect with Ian

What you’ll hear

Javier describes what his application experience at Meta felt like when it pointed him toward other roles instead of leaving him to guess. He walks through how he would audit a recruiting workflow and makes a provocative case for retiring some job postings in favor of direct outreach. The conversation gets personal when he talks about what he wants for his kids and what he learned watching technicians earn qualifications they could take to their next employer.

Chapters

00:00 — When does a hiring decision happen?

02:00 — From Army recruiting to leading recruiting teams

06:00 — Designing a workflow for candidates, recruiters, and hiring managers

09:00 — What useful feedback felt like at Meta

12:00 — Where Javier’s interviews came from

16:00 — What happens when one role draws a thousand applicants

20:00 — Who gets seen when the recruiter reviews the top 25?

25:00 — What Javier would audit when he returns to recruiting

27:00 — The case for posting fewer jobs

30:00 — What proof of capability could travel with a worker?

36:00 — What happens when nobody is there to vouch for you?

Continue the conversation

If you’re designing the profile at the center of a talent marketplace, I’d like to hear what you’re trying to help employers see. Talk with Signol Labs. If someone comes to mind who could help us understand another part of this system, send a guest suggestion to connect@signollabs.com.

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