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Friday FocusAs the week wraps up, here's one question every Talent Acquisition leader should ask:What hiring decision di...
06/05/2026

Friday Focus

As the week wraps up, here's one question every Talent Acquisition leader should ask:
What hiring decision did we make this week that will have the biggest impact six months from now?

It's easy to get consumed by open requisitions, interview schedules, and urgent requests. The best TA leaders make time to look beyond today's activity and evaluate whether their hiring efforts are producing the outcomes the business needs.

Before you close out the week, consider:
• Which hires are creating the most value?
• Where are candidates dropping out of the process?
• What is slowing down decision making?
• What should we stop doing next week?

Small improvements made consistently create significant results over time. Take a few minutes today to reflect, recalibrate, and prepare for a stronger week ahead.

What is one lesson your team learned this week?

A recent article about World Cup roster cuts delivered by email sparked an interesting conversation about leadership and...
06/04/2026

A recent article about World Cup roster cuts delivered by email sparked an interesting conversation about leadership and communication.

The debate isn't really about soccer.
It's about how organizations deliver difficult news.

In Talent Acquisition, we spend a lot of time thinking about what we communicate. We don't always spend enough time thinking about how we communicate it.

Most candidates understand they won't receive every opportunity they pursue.

What they remember is how they were treated throughout the process.

For early-stage candidates, email may be appropriate.

For finalists, internal candidates, and individuals who have invested significant time in the process, a conversation often matters more than a template.

The communication method should match the significance of the message.

Respect is not just conveyed through words. It's conveyed through the experience.
Article: https://hrexecutive.com/world-cup-roster-cuts-by-email-what-hr-leaders-can-learn

One of the biggest challenges in Talent Acquisition is that everyone talks about quality of hire, but few organizations ...
06/03/2026

One of the biggest challenges in Talent Acquisition is that everyone talks about quality of hire, but few organizations define it the same way.

Many companies spend years searching for the perfect metric. In the meantime, they never establish a practical way to measure whether their hiring decisions are actually working.

The reality is that quality of hire doesn't have to be complicated.

Start by asking a few simple questions:
• Did the new hire achieve the outcomes they were hired to deliver?
• Would the hiring manager make the same hiring decision again? • Is the employee still with the organization six months later?

A consistent framework will tell you far more than a complex model that no one uses.

The goal isn't perfection. The goal is making better hiring decisions over time.
Article: https://www.shrm.org/topics-tools/news/talent-acquisition/holy-grail-recruiting-how-to-measure-quality-hire

FRIDAY FOCUSCandidate experience is not a courtesy. It is a reflection of organizational discipline. This week reinforce...
05/29/2026

FRIDAY FOCUS

Candidate experience is not a courtesy. It is a reflection of organizational discipline. This week reinforced a hard truth for Talent Acquisition leaders: how candidates experience your hiring process shapes far more than one hiring decision.

When communication is inconsistent, timelines are unclear, or candidates are ghosted, the damage extends beyond the immediate role.

Trust erodes.
Employer brand weakens.
Future talent pipelines become harder to build.

Organizations spend significant resources attracting talent, yet many unintentionally undermine that investment through poor hiring ex*****on.

Candidate experience is not about perfection.
It is about respect, consistency, and operational accountability.

Friday question for leaders:
Does your hiring process reflect the organization you want candidates to believe you are?

A poor candidate experience creates bigger problems than many organizations realize.When candidates are ghosted, left wa...
05/28/2026

A poor candidate experience creates bigger problems than many organizations realize.

When candidates are ghosted, left waiting without communication, or moved through inconsistent hiring processes, it does not just affect one hiring decision. It shapes reputation. Candidates talk. They share experiences. They remember how they were treated, even if they never become employees. That is why candidate experience matters so much.

Organizations spend significant time attracting applicants, building employer brands, and creating recruiting strategies. But if the hiring experience feels disorganized or dismissive, all of that work starts to unravel.

Respect, communication, and process discipline are not optional in hiring.
They are part of your employer brand.

Question for leaders:
Does your hiring process reinforce trust, or quietly damage it?

A recent article noted that recruiters may spend as little as 11 seconds on an initial resume review.That number should ...
05/27/2026

A recent article noted that recruiters may spend as little as 11 seconds on an initial resume review.

That number should prompt an important conversation for business leaders.
The issue is not whether candidates need to create stronger resumes. The bigger question is whether hiring processes are designed to identify real talent effectively.

High application volume has forced many hiring teams to move faster than ever. Speed matters. Efficiency matters. But when hiring becomes a race to sort applications instead of thoughtfully evaluate people, strong candidates can easily be overlooked.

There is also a candidate experience issue here.

When the hiring process feels rushed, impersonal, or transactional, top talent notices. And they often move on.

The strongest organizations find the balance between speed and sound judgment.
The real leadership question is this:
Is your hiring process simply moving applications faster, or actually helping you identify the right talent?
Article: https://www.forbes.com/sites/courtneyconnley-hampton/2026/05/08/in-ai-age-recruiters-spend-11-seconds-a-resume-heres-what-they-notice/

This week highlighted two important realities for business leaders.The latest jobs report showed hiring demand remains a...
05/22/2026

This week highlighted two important realities for business leaders.

The latest jobs report showed hiring demand remains active, which means strong candidates still have options.

At the same time, Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky’s reflection about wishing he had prioritized hiring sooner reinforces a lesson many companies learn under pressure.

Hiring is not a task to delegate and revisit when growth accelerates.

It is a leadership priority that shapes ex*****on, culture, and long-term business performance.

Organizations with reactive hiring strategies will continue to struggle with speed, decision-making, and missed talent opportunities.

The strongest leaders treat Talent Acquisition as part of business strategy, not operational cleanup.

Question for leaders: Is hiring something your organization delegates, or something leadership actively owns?

A recent comment from Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky stood out: he wishes he had focused more on hiring much earlier.That is a ...
05/21/2026

A recent comment from Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky stood out: he wishes he had focused more on hiring much earlier.

That is a lesson many business leaders can relate to.

Hiring is often treated like a support function until growth exposes the cracks. Then leadership scrambles to fill gaps, rebuild teams, and accelerate hiring under pressure.

The strongest organizations think differently.

Great hiring is not a reaction to growth. It is what helps create growth.
The quality of your team impacts ex*****on, customer experience, innovation, and long-term performance.

Talent Acquisition should not be an afterthought. It should be part of the business strategy conversation from the beginning.

What would change if leadership treated hiring as a top strategic priority?
Article: https://www.businessinsider.com/airbnb-ceo-brian-chesky-regrets-not-obsessing-over-hiring-sooner-2026-5

Big executive hires often tell a bigger story.Bank of America just hired veteran dealmaker Richard Hardegree from UBS to...
05/20/2026

Big executive hires often tell a bigger story.

Bank of America just hired veteran dealmaker Richard Hardegree from UBS to serve as Vice Chair of M&A as deal activity continues to rebound.

This is not simply a leadership announcement. It is a reminder that strong organizations hire for where the business is going, not where it has been.

Too many companies wait until growth pressure hits before addressing leadership gaps. By then, the best talent may already be spoken for.

Talent strategy should be proactive, especially at the executive level.

What does your leadership hiring strategy say about where your business believes it is headed?

Read the Reuters article here: https://www.reuters.com/legal/transactional/bank-america-taps-tech-dealmaker-richard-hardegree-vice-chair-ma-memo-shows-2026-05-08/

Friday FocusAn increasingly common challenge in today’s hiring environment is the imbalance between application volume a...
05/15/2026

Friday Focus

An increasingly common challenge in today’s hiring environment is the imbalance between application volume and hiring outcomes.

Applications are up. Great hires are not.

This week’s jobs report reinforced what many Talent Acquisition leaders are already experiencing: hiring demand remains active, but volume alone is not solving the problem.

More applications do not automatically mean better talent pipelines.

In many organizations, recruiters are sorting through larger applicant pools while hiring teams still struggle to identify, engage, and close the right candidates quickly enough.

Volume can create the illusion of momentum.
Outcomes tell the real story.

Friday question for TA leaders: Is your hiring process built to manage activity, or built to produce results?

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