Fetcher Recruiter Spotlight: Laura Stapleton, Litmus

March 26, 2020

Laura Stapleton, Director of Talent Acquisition, Litmus

Hope all is well and that everyone staying healthy during these uncertain times. Now, more than ever, we are reminded just how important it is to learn from one another, forge relationships, and support each other.

In our Recruiter Spotlight series, we’re excited to do just that, by showcasing recruiters’ talents as well as their own professional journeys.

This month we introduce you to Laura Stapleton, whose employer branding and recruiting skills make her a ‘must know’ leader in the industry.

Laura, what led you to select recruiting as your career?

I like to think recruiting selected me! After several internships in advertising, I assumed that I would end up in marketing, but learned about the recruiting industry at a college career fair. A career in recruiting was not something I had ever considered but I love meeting new people and having a positive impact when I can. The idea that I could have that be a huge part of my job was really appealing to me. As a bonus, employer branding has become a part of my role so the marketing skills still came into play.

You’ve been in talent acquisition and recruiting for over 10 years - love this! How have you seen the space evolve over the years?

The space has evolved so much over the course of my career. One of the biggest shifts for me was the investment that companies started making in their internal talent acquisition teams. I spent the first three years of my career on the agency side and then took a role on an internal talent acquisition team at a software company. It has been great to see how talent acquisition team members are valued by growing companies.

Having a strong partnership between the leaders of the business and their talent acquisition teams is critical to the success of any growing company. When those types of relationships develop, talent acquisition teams can do way more than just bring people in. There is so much that goes into how companies grow and a good talent acquisition team member can develop and manage that strategy with a data driven approach.

Congratulations on your career growth at Litmus. What advice do you have for those in their first few years of recruiting?

Thank you! It has been a wild ride at Litmus and I am so grateful to work there. To anyone in their first few years of recruiting, my advice would be to give it time. I almost moved into a different role after my third year as a recruiter, but my mentor encouraged me to push through and stick with it, and I am so glad that I did.

It is one of those roles where you learn a lot through experience and it really evolves over time. Try to learn from every phone screen, every interview, every interaction and always strive to improve. It is a tough role but so rewarding. You have to be willing to buckle down and get it done. You have to be willing to have difficult conversations and push back on colleagues that may have way more experience than you do. You have to expect the unexpected because so many elements factor into each successful hire.

It can be uncomfortable and challenging, but you grow from it. The roles in talent acquisition have so much potential to expand and I’ve been fortunate to have experienced that over the years. Helping people get jobs is awesome, building out great teams is awesome. A talent acquisition career can be incredibly fulfilling, you just need to be willing to put in the work to build yourself a foundation to be successful and keep grinding.

You have worked at a handful of software companies throughout your career – including your current role at Litmus. How has software / technology helped you in your recruiting initiatives?

Software helps tremendously and it is a huge benefit working at a software company like Litmus because they understand the impact that good software can have on the business. I am always looking for parts of the role that I can automate.

I want to spend my time delivering amazing candidate and hiring manager experiences and software/technology helps me to do that by automating and streamlining where it makes sense to do so. Without that capability, we would have to sacrifice volume or experience. Fortunately Litmus is committed to having a great hiring process and that enables me to put the right tools in place so that I can get the most out of my efforts.

How did you learn about Fetcher? What’s your favorite feature in Fetcher?

I listen to a talent acquisition podcast pretty regularly and one episode focused on sourcing technology. I started doing some research and came across Fetcher.

Can I have two favorite features? I love the Fetcher sourced profiles. Being able to provide the search criteria once and then regularly get batches of profiles for that search has been a real game changer! The automated outreach feature has also changed the way that I approach my day to day. I spend way more time actually engaging with people and managing them through our process which is so refreshing! I really appreciate the partnership I have with Fetcher, I feel like the team really cares about the success that I have with the product and are always available to help if I need it to make sure I get the results that I need.

With the great growth at Litmus, we know how busy you are! What do you do outside of the workplace to relax and unwind?

The growth at Litmus keeps me incredibly busy but fortunately it is rewarding and we are having a lot of fun! I’m honestly not very good at relaxing. Outside of the workplace, I spend my time with my husband, three children, my cat and my dog. Our children love sports so you can usually find us in a hockey rink or at a basketball court!

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Laura, we love working with you and appreciate all of your feedback and insights. Thanks for sharing your background, experiences, and growth with our community!

Know a recruiter who we should spotlight? Tell us about them via email at support@fetcher.ai.

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Learn More About Fetcher

At Fetcher, our mission is to introduce companies to the people who will help them change the world. Our full-service, recruting automation platform automates those repetitive, top-of-funnel tasks, so you can focus more on candidate engagement & team collaboration. Simplify Sourcing. Optimize Outreach. Hire Top Talent. Learn more at fetcher.ai.