From Amazon to Bath & Body Works: Eric Buntin on Scaling Smart, Hiring Better and Making TA Actually Strategic

Beyond the Offer Podcast | Hirewell Talent Insights Recap

What does great talent acquisition look like when you’re hiring 35,000 seasonal workers in eight weeks or standing up a brand-new tech org after a corporate split?

In Episode 15 of Beyond the Offer, we sit down with Eric Buntin, former TA leader at Amazon, Bath & Body Works, and Randstad, for a fast-paced, insight-rich look at what it really takes to scale high-performing recruiting teams across complex businesses.

Eric unpacks everything from building agile hiring strategies in volatile markets to using AI for high-volume hiring without losing the human touch. He also shares why Amazon’s hiring process was “scientific,” how assistant store managers became seasonal recruiters, and why a great career page is useless without authentic, gritty, candidate-driven content.

Here’s what we cover:

• The science and structure behind Amazon’s hiring machine
• How Bath & Body Works hired 35,000 people in 8 weeks with internal mobility baked in
• Why assessments can cut your interview ratio in half
• RPO vs. in-house: what Eric learned from leading both
• The difference between “culture fit” and “culture add”
• How to deploy AI in a way that actually improves experience and retention
• What future-ready TA orgs need now (hint: curiosity and empathy)

Plus, Eric shares his biggest career misstep and why he almost went to law school instead of recruiting.

Listen to the full episode for a sharp, practical take on modern TA from someone who’s built it at scale.

Rosanna Snediker

Bill Gates