Patrick Payne has spent 25 years shaping the recruiting industry from the inside out — leading talent at brands like Adidas, Amazon, Vail Resorts, and StockX before co-founding PopCandi, a boutique search firm built on trust, process, and relationships that last.
He’s seen every side of hiring — the corporate grind, the startup chaos, and now the agency rebuild. Through it all, Patrick’s philosophy stays the same: recruiting isn’t just about speed, it’s about service.
In this episode, we talk about what it really means to build the talent machine today:
Why “post and pray” recruiting is dead
How time-to-fill is still one of the most misunderstood metrics
Why candidate motivations matter more than benchmarks
How to recruit proactively instead of reactively
And what AI can’t replace — the human connection
Patrick brings the rare blend of experience and humility this industry needs. You’re going to leave this one inspired to slow down, think deeper, and recruit better.
Episode 007 is out now!
You and a friend can subscribe on Spotify and Youtube. It’d mean the world to me.me.
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