Episode 115: The Recruiting Ops Blueprint They Don't Want You to Know with Alexa Lane

What happens when you’re the only recruiter at a fast-growing startup? In this episode of Recruiting Is No Joke, host Joel  sits down with Alexa Lane, Head of Recruiting at Placements.io, to find out. Alexa’s path to recruiting wasn’t a straight line. She started in marketing and sales (yes, even cold-calling at Yelp) before stepping into a role where she’s now a “team of one” responsible for all hiring. When she joined Placements.io, there was no ATS, no structured interviews, no real process, just a few spreadsheets. She walks us through how she built it all from scratch: rolling out Greenhouse, creating scorecards, training interviewers, and even helping shape company values to use as a hiring compass. The conversation digs into how the recruiter’s role has shifted from high-speed order-taking to a deeply strategic function where quality and alignment matter more than ever. Alexa shares how AI has become both a game-changer and a curveball. It is great for automating tasks like scheduling and writing job descriptions, but tricky when it comes to AI-generated resumes and fake candidates. They also zoom out to explore bigger industry shifts: why talent from giants like Amazon and Meta are flocking to startups, the push and pull of remote and hybrid work, and what candidates expect from the hiring experience in 2025. Packed with hands-on lessons and honest insights, this episode is a masterclass in building a recruiting function that is efficient, resilient, and most importantly human. Let’s dive in! In this episode: [00:00] Introduction & guest background [01:27] Alexa’s path into recruitment [03:22] Evolution of recruitment [04:54] Recruiting with fewer resources [05:56] Introduction to recruiting operations [07:11] Building scalable recruiting processes [09:18] Candidate feedback & process improvement [09:57] Training hiring managers & interviewers [11:29] AI in recruiting: Benefits & concerns [14:17] Red flags & fake candidates [15:41] AI-generated resumes & resume screening [19:19] Assessing startup fit & scrappiness [20:10] Advice for entering tech & startups [22:17] Modern networking strategies [25:00] Greenhouse conference takeaways [26:14] Employer branding & candidate attraction [27:14] Shifts in candidate preferences [28:33] Selling office culture [29:00] Big company to startup transitions [31:19] Hiring mindset shifts post-2021 [32:56] Evaluating AI vs. human roles [34:16] Advice for recruiters: Upskilling & operations [35:58] The future of recruiting roles [37:01] Upcoming events & conferences [38:56] Connecting with Alexa About Alexa Lane Alexa Lane is the Head of Recruiting at Placements.io, a global adtech platform headquartered in Seattle. As the company’s only recruiter, Alexa has built recruiting operations from scratch, implementing ATS systems, training interviewers, and shaping employer branding. With experience spanning agency, in-house, and startup recruiting, she’s passionate about balancing efficiency and humanity in hiring. About Joel Lalgee  Joel Lalgee is an internationally known recruitment leader and coach who has helped thousands of recruiters build their brands online. In 2015, Joel started recruiting for a small start-up agency in Milwaukee. He quickly found his passion for recruitment. In 2019, he discovered content marketing, publishing his first posts on Linkedin. Since then, he has grown to over 400k followers, and his content has been seen over 1 billion times. In 2023, he started a business specializing in coaching recruiters, marketing consulting, and influencer partnerships. Alexa Lane LinkedIn  https://placements.io/ Recruiting is No Joke Social Media LinkedIn Website Instagram TikTok   X (formerly Twitter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices