Emily Volden

I’ve seen a lot of posts this week about the Amazon and Meta layoffs, and my heart goes out to everyone affected. I’ve been recruiting and hiring through some wild job markets, and I’ve seen how tough and heavy this side of the cycle can be. If you were impacted, here’s my honest advice: 1. Apply for unemployment immediately. It takes a while to process. Most states back pay you for the weeks it’s pending, but please don’t wait. There’s NO shame in getting what’s owed to you. Times are tough, and this is a safety net for a reason. 2. Take your time with severance paperwork (and NEGOTIATE!) You’ll likely get a packet from HR with a severance offer and a release form (basically: you accept the package they're offering you, and you agree not to sue for wrongful termination). That’s negotiable like everything in life. You CAN ask for more money, longer coverage on your insurance, more time to vest equity. There's no guarantee that you'll get what you want, but you won't know until you try. Read all of your paperwork carefully. Do not have these negotiations over the phone. Get everything in writing. You don’t have to sign anything right away. 3. This market feels rough, but there *IS* opportunity. I’ve said this before and I’ll say it again: the last few years have been wild for tech. The market’s uneven and highly competitive, but there are so many new AI and startup companies getting funded right now. When companies raise, they hire. Follow people like Tim He and Haley ONeill on LinkedIn - they frequently post about companies that are raising and hiring. Use LinkedIn, and honestly, use LLMs to help you research who’s raising and growing. 4. We're hiring at Evertune 💪 We’re building teams in NYC and Seattle. We’re hiring engineers, client services folks, a financial controller, and will be opening more roles soon! If you were affected by the Amazon or Meta layoffs, or if you’re just looking for a new challenge in AI, please reach out. If we’ve crossed paths before, or have mutual connections, I’d love to chat about what we’re building and how you could be part of it. This market is still very weird, but it’s not hopeless. Take care of yourself, protect your peace, negotiate, and don’t lose sight of the fact that there are better chapters ahead 🫶

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I've noticed a rise in Executive Assistant job opportunities in the San Francisco Bay Area, signaling a positive trend for EA roles nationwide. For those navigating the job market, best of luck to you all! Here are some helpful tips to help you land your next job! To present yourself effectively, it's crucial to meticulously review your resume for any errors in spelling, grammar, or formatting. Ensure alignment between your resume and LinkedIn profile. Align your career objective with the job you seek. Prepare thoroughly for interviews by researching the company and asking insightful questions. Dress professionally to make a strong impression. Demonstrate your commitment to securing a position through your preparation and engagement during interviews. Follow my website for new job postings and sign up for my newsletter to receive new job notifications at https://lnkd.in/dZczHdC4

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Ummmm, that was unexpected. The #USLaborMarket lost 92k jobs in February. #Healthcare has carried the market for several years and even they saw a decrease of 28k. While some of that can be attributed to the Kaiser Permanente strike, those numbers are still jarring. The #Information sector, where tech roles fall, remains in a funk losing 11k. That includes #AI hiring which we're all told is booming. #Unemployment ticks up slightly to 4.4% and the amount of individuals on the market for over 27 weeks increased by 500k. #JobHugging is real folks! Companies aren't firing as much. Those seeking employment are feeling the impact. Overall this was a surprise. Or as Mark Hamrick said, "Well that was ugly. February’s employment data misses the mark across the board." #Macroeconomy #USJobMarket https://lnkd.in/gQFYBm9W

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Yelp’s Chief Culture Officer, Miriam Warren, shared a great piece diving into the impact of our 21 Yelp Employee Resource Groups (YERGs). She shares that nearly half of our workforce belongs to at least one group, and nearly 4 out of 10 Yelpers belong to more than one (which is much higher than the U.S. national benchmarks reported by Pew Research). What I love is that our YERGs host virtual programming that is open to everyone, covering real-world skills like navigating AI, home buying, and leadership. Miriam shared that 93% of Yelpers agree Yelp fosters an inclusive environment, and having access to these kinds of open, supportive spaces is a huge reason why 🌟 Check out her full post here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gVCGh9FP  #LifeAtYelp #FiveStarCareer

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Excited to be part of the first episode of Hiring Unscripted at EisnerAmper with Ian Decker. We had a great conversation about today’s competitive executive landscape and what truly makes an offer stand out. Take a look at the video below 👇 #ExecutiveSearch #TalentAcquisition #LeadershipHiring #EisnerAmper #RecruitmentStrategy

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Every week, our CEO Wade Foster, sends out his "Friday 5" - 5 things that are top of mind for him. This week, recruiting made the list, and what he shared was a good reminder of why I work at Zapier. One of the first things I learned when I joined Zapier was our belief that "hiring is a team sport" and building teams is listed as the top priority for managers in the business. This week, Wade reminded the entire company that hiring is the most important thing we do. A few headlines: - it's not solely the recruiting team's job to make great hires - managers should be networking, reaching out to great candidates, etc. - interview more - be ready to conduct 10 interviews a week if needed to fill your roles. All of this is the stuff that leads to a great recruiting process that helps land great talent. And it's the stuff that ONLY humans can do. We do use AI and automation at Zapier - we use it a lot! We use it to automate reminders, take notes during interviews, support our sourcing efforts, and more. But what that does for us is free up more time for recruiters and hiring managers to partner together and make the hiring process as human as possible - something that's set as a baseline expectation for every single person at the company. P.S. Our head of TA, Tracy St.Dic is hosting an AMA this Wednesday - if you're curious about how to leverage AI to make your hiring process more human, check it out!

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Yelp’s Chief Culture Officer, Miriam Warren, shared a great piece diving into the impact of our 21 Yelp Employee Resource Groups (YERGs). She shares that nearly half of our workforce belongs to at least one group, and nearly 4 out of 10 Yelpers belong to more than one (which is much higher than the U.S. national benchmarks reported by Pew Research). What I love is that our YERGs host virtual programming that is open to everyone, covering real-world skills like navigating AI, home buying, and leadership. Miriam shared that 93% of Yelpers agree Yelp fosters an inclusive environment, and having access to these kinds of open, supportive spaces is a huge reason why 🌟 Check out her full post here 👉 https://lnkd.in/gW9wTQX4  #LifeAtYelp #FiveStarCareer

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What’s one small thing that makes your candidate experience amazing? Yesterday I posted about the small, unseen metrics that drive a great TA team and a lot of people rightly pointed out how critical candidate experience is. It got me thinking over my coffee this morning: What does an amazing candidate experience actually look like in 2025? Surely we've nailed this by now, right? (Or... judging by some of the horror stories I still see on here, maybe not.) And no, I’m not just talking about "reject people faster" (although, let’s be honest, that should be the bare minimum). I'm curious, what are the little things you do that actually make a difference for candidates? The tricks, tips, or small touches that leave people thinking, “Wow, that was a great experience, even if I didn’t get the job.” And just for fun: What's the worst candidate experience you’ve ever had? (We can start a support group in the comments.) Drop your best tips and worst horror stories below. (Follow me for more thoughts on fixing recruiting, one rejected candidate at a time.)

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The Bay Area Advantage… and a Wake-Up Call Now that I’m in my 40s and have spent a big part of my life in the Bay Area, I’m starting to appreciate something I didn’t fully recognize when I was younger: Living here exposes you to the future… early. New ideas. New technologies. New ways of working and living. Innovation isn’t a headline—it’s a daily expectation. But what’s surprised me even more lately is how uneven access to those innovations still is. Across the Bay, across California, and across the country… you can find people living in different timelines. • Some are leveraging AI every day — automating tasks, learning faster, building businesses. • Others haven’t tried a single AI tool yet because no one around them is talking about it. • Some people treat health optimization as a science — wearables, recovery tech, advanced training methods. • Others are still running the same workouts they learned in high school. • Some communities evolve their thinking on big issues — immigration, inclusion, economic mobility — based on decades of data and lived experience. • Others are still stuck in outdated narratives from the 90s. We are living in a world where information has never been more available… and yet the gap in mindset and adoption is widening. This isn’t about being “better” or “smarter.” It’s about exposure, environment, and curiosity. The Bay Area has its flaws — believe me, I see them too — but one thing it does incredibly well is push you to evolve. To question assumptions. To try the new thing. To stretch into the future a little faster. The older I get, the more I value that. My takeaway? Where you live matters. Who you surround yourself with matters even more. And the future doesn’t arrive everywhere at the same time. If you’re lucky enough to see it early — don’t take that for granted. Stay curious. Stay learning. Stay moving forward. 🚀 — Frank

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