Why Hiring Relationships Break

Katrina Collier joins the podcast for a raw conversation about the broken relationship between talent acquisition teams and hiring managers — and why recruiting problems are rarely just process problems. From overloaded recruiters and poor leadership support to toxic workplace behaviors and unhealed personal trauma, this episode dives into what actually damages hiring outcomes. Katrina also shares deeply personal lessons from her memoir, The Damage of Words, and explains how self-worth, boundaries, and emotional healing directly impact leadership, recruiting, and workplace culture.

Key Takeaways

- Recruiting breaks down when TA and hiring managers stop acting like partners

- Most hiring problems start before a job is ever posted

- People-pleasing and perfectionism quietly damage recruiters and leaders

- Toxic workplace behavior often comes from unresolved personal wounds

- Great hiring requires confidence, boundaries, and honest communication

Timestamps
00:00 – Introducing Katrina Collier and her work
03:20 – Why TA and hiring managers clash
06:00 – The recruiting chaos created after 2020
11:00 – Why recruiters need more authority upfront
15:00 – Managers who think interviewing equals recruiting
18:30 – Why TA teams are undervalued internally
21:00 – The danger of untrained managers
24:00 – Job postings, AI applications, and candidate overload
29:00 – How recruiters should push back on bad hiring practices
35:00 – The emotional damage behind workplace behavior
38:00 – Childhood trauma, perfectionism, and people-pleasing
42:00 – Narcissism, toxic leaders, and workplace survival
50:00 – Katrina’s healing journey and The Damage of Words

Keywords
talent acquisition, hiring managers, recruiting culture, workplace toxicity, Katrina Collier, leadership development, candidate experience, workplace trauma, perfectionism, emotional intelligence