What actually happens behind the scenes in recruiting? In this episode, Diana Alt sits down with Kelli Hrivnak, founder of Knak Digital, to unpack how recruiting really works from sourcing candidates to the business model behind recruiting firms. If you’ve ever wondered how recruiters evaluate candidates or why the hiring process can feel confusing, this conversation pulls back the curtain.

• The difference between internal recruiters and agency recruiters

• How recruiters are measured and how recruiting firms make money

• What “sourcing” actually means in modern recruiting

• What makes a candidate easier for recruiters to find and evaluate

• How mass applications and auto-apply tools are affecting hiring

• Signals recruiters look for that suggest someone may be open to a new role

• The reality of backdoor references and reputation management

• The controversy around reverse recruiting services

⏳ Timestamps 01:00 Kelli’s unconventional path into recruiting (restaurant management and wine sales) 05:00 Nonlinear career paths and mid-career reassessment 09:10 Internal recruiters vs. agency recruiters explained 12:00 How internal recruiters are measured (time-to-fill and sourcing metrics) 14:20 How agency recruiters make money and how recruiting fees work 18:00 Contract recruiting, markups, and how staffing firms operate 23:10 What a “full desk recruiter” is 25:40 What sourcing means and how recruiters actually find candidates 30:00 How candidates can make themselves easier to find 32:10 Why hard skills and industry keywords matter in recruiter searches 34:20 How mass applying and auto-apply tools are changing hiring 39:00 Signals recruiters use to identify candidates who may be open to change 41:20 Backdoor references: what they are and why companies use them 47:30 Reverse recruiting and why it’s controversial 52:00 Job search shortcuts vs. doing the work that actually matters

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📢 Connect with Kelli Hrivnak

🌐 Knak Digital → https://www.knakdigital.com🔗 LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellihrivnak/

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