Ten Must-Reads from Hiring Success 18

Don’t lose momentum after the excitement of Hiring Success 18! Keep learning and stay inspired with the best reads from the conference.

Everyone knows the deflated feeling of arriving home after a whirlwind of activity and excitement, but as you drop your bags by the door, don’t drop the ball when it comes to Hire18 takeaways for better hiring this year.

To help you stay the course, we’ve compiled a list of top reads authored or recommended by the very same speakers who galvanised you with their stories just two weeks ago. Whether you want to improve your communication skills, build your employer brand, or instil an atmosphere of workplace creativity, we’ve got you covered with the following titles:

A Second Chance

Read more about Defy Ventures through the lens of its founder, Catherine Hoke.  The non-profit, founded in 2010, seeks to transform the lives of formerly incarcerated people through employment training and opportunities. This groundbreaking narrative was introduced at Hiring Success 18 by Bay Area executive director Veronica Ensign, in her session, A Second Chance. Share in Catherine’s heartfelt vision, be inspired by her story, and pay it forward.

Thinking Fast and Slow

This must-read for, well, pretty much any business person, will teach you how to master that bit of intuition we call the gut feeling. Packed with digestible, intuitive takeaways from the Nobel prize-winning psychologists Daniel Kahneman and Amos Tversky, this book applies specifically to recruiters, because it speaks precisely to that part of ourselves we trust innately, while at the same time also need to keep in check, lest we fall into the patterns of unconscious-bias. Read it fast or read it slow, but definitely read it.

Creativity, Inc.  

Pixar-president Ed Catmull provides the ultimate inspiration guide for employees, and reveals the hidden forces that block creative atmospheres. This book comes with a stamp of approval from Steve Fogarty, senior director of talent futures for Adidas, who stole the Day-Two mainstage at Hiring Success 18 with his patented behind-the-brand insights.

Crucial Conversations – Tools for Talking when the Stakes are High

This communication manual by Kerry Patterson, Joseph Grenny, Ron McMillian, and Al Switzler, prepares the reader to speak effectively in those crucial make-or-break moments. TA professionals know these moments all too well, and can relate to the real-world examples of emotionally charged situations that the book lays out to illustrate its methods.

The New Rules of Work: The Modern Playbook for Navigating Your Career

Kathryn Minshew, CEO and Founder of The Muse website brought her insight into employer branding to her Hire18 session, Candidate Experience and Scaling Your Brand, and now you can absorb her insights gleaned from the flipside of candidate experience. Delve into the world of millennial workers and learn what’s important to the generation that now – shudder – claims the majority of the world’s workforce.

Hire with your head: Using Performance-Based Hiring to Build Great Teams

Lou Adler joined Hiring Success on the main stage for an in-depth explanation of how to predict the quality of hire, before you make an offer. Hire with Your Head lets the reader explore the industry Yoda’s strategy for hiring great people with a nuts and bolts approach that shows his deep understanding of the recruiting business. After all, he’s been in it for 40 years. 

A Mind at Home with Itself

Byron Katie brought her renowned techniques for mindfulness to her Hire18 session, Break Free of Unquestioned Beliefs.  If that workshop inspired you (or you missed it) this book is a great introduction to and unpacking of the beliefs that launched this life coach and author into the firmament of the self-improvement set. 

RIP Resume: Job Search and Interview Power Prep

Torin Ellis, human-capital strategist for over 17 years and the host of the Power of Diversity Panel at Hiring Success 18, puts the candidate in control of their employment search with real-world examples both applicants and recruiters can learn from, making the job hunt more productive for all parties.

Hiring Success Fundamentals: How to Win in the Talent Economy

SmartRecruiters shows the reader how to evaluate their hiring practices and bring metrics to the c-suite, making your hiring function sustainable well into the future. Don’t think short term, give your company the competitive advantage with a powerful TA practice.

Employer Branding for Dummies

Lars Schmidt, founder of the boutique HR firm Amplify, talked tech implementation during his session, Big Bang VS Phased Approach, but the subject nearest and dearest to his heart is employer branding – he even wrote the book on it. When it comes to employer branding most of us are actual dummies so start at the beginning and build your understanding brick by brick. The foundation is the most important part!