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Published on Hirewell Talent Insights | The Balancing Act Podcast
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In this episode of Between Two Hires, host Tom Hannigan interviews Justin Bullock, VP of Sales at Recall and a seasoned SaaS sales leader with over a decade of experience at companies like New Relic, Envoy, and now a fast-scaling team at Recall. With more than 100 hires to his name, Justin shares proven insights on sourcing top talent, spotting red flags, and cultivating a leadership brand that draws in A-players.
Sales Hiring That Actually Works
Justin reflects on some of his most memorable hiring surprises. One standout? A candidate who followed up after a networking event with a subject line titled, “Ed’s Super Secret Cookie Recipe.” While there was no actual recipe, the follow-up showcased creativity and hustle—and the candidate later became a top-performing enterprise rep at Envoy.
On the flip side, Justin recalls a BDR candidate who mistakenly thought coffee was part of the interview—and asked for it twice. That one didn’t make the cut.
Justin’s Talent Strategy Playbook
1. Reputations Over Recruitment Tools
Justin believes your reputation as a leader is your most powerful recruiting asset.
When former team members actively promote your leadership, referrals and inbound interest skyrocket.
2. Ask Questions That Reveal How Candidates Think
Two of his favorite interview questions are:
- “What are you most proud of?”
- “How would you explain our company to your non-tech-savvy aunt at a barbecue?”
These prompts test for audience awareness, storytelling, and self-reflection—all critical traits in sales.
3. Go Beyond the Script in Reference Checks
One of the most revealing questions comes from Recall’s co-founder, Amanda:
“If I see you at a party six months from now and say it didn’t work out—what would be your first guess why?”
Even the most loyal references tend to answer candidly, offering valuable insight into risk areas.
Advice for Hiring Managers
Know Your Blind Spots
Justin acknowledges that his optimistic outlook can cloud his judgment during interviews. His solution? Include more skeptical team members in the hiring process to balance perspectives.
Internal Promotions: Trust the Data
When promoting SDRs to AEs, Justin prioritizes performance history over interview charisma. Metrics matter more than likability alone.
Currently Hiring at Recall
The team at Recall is growing rapidly. They’re currently hiring for:
- Enterprise Account Executives
- Mid-Market and Velocity Sales Reps
- Account Managers
“We’ve grown our AE team from two to six and plan to scale significantly. If you’re excited about solving real customer problems, let’s talk.”
Listen to the full episode of Between Two Hires for more hiring wins, red flags to watch for, and Justin’s philosophy on building high-trust, high-performance sales teams from the ground up.
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Plenty has been written about AI over the past two years. For much of that time, AI has been more hype than reality. I THINK 2026 is when that starts to change.
Here’s the first in a three part series of where we see AI going in the recruiting world.
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For the last few years, most companies treated AI like a recruiting assistant. It helped draft job descriptions, summarize resumes, and speed up outreach. Useful, sure. But it didn’t fundamentally change how hiring worked. And oftentimes, things needed to be double checked before hitting send.
I think that’s going to change.
In 2026, we’re seeing the rise of agentic HR. These are systems that don’t just support recruiters. They can execute work autonomously inside defined guardrails.
That shift is forcing talent leaders to rethink what recruiting teams are actually responsible for and what still requires a human.
From Copilot AI to Agentic Recruiting Systems
Traditional recruiting AI waited for humans to click “next.”
Agentic systems don’t.
They can interpret real-time funnel data, align to hiring goals, and take multi-step action. That includes adjusting sourcing spend, coordinating interview schedules, and triggering workflow changes without manual oversight.
This isn’t automation layered onto old processes. It’s the early version of a self-driving recruiting function.
The Metric That Matters More Than Time-to-Fill
Time-to-fill and cost-per-hire still matter. They just don’t fully capture what’s changing.
A concept showing up more in 2026 is Return on Autonomy. It measures the value created when humans and autonomous systems are paired intentionally.
In plain terms, the question is simple.
Are we using technology to eliminate busywork, or are we just doing the same work faster?
Because speed doesn’t help if it leads to worse decisions, a weaker candidate experience, or more noise in the funnel.
Why This Changes the Role of TA Leadership
As agentic systems absorb transactional work like screening, scheduling, and coordination, the role of recruiting leadership shifts.
The best TA leaders are spending less time managing process and more time doing what actually drives hiring outcomes. That includes aligning hiring to business priorities, building trust with candidates, and improving decision quality.
The real opportunity of 2026 isn’t more AI. It’s that recruiters finally get to focus on the work that requires being human.
The Mistake Companies Are Making Right Now
Here’s the trap.
Companies adopt advanced recruiting technology but keep the same habits. Long approval chains. Inconsistent communication. Unclear evaluation criteria.
When that happens, speed increases, but trust collapses.
Candidates don’t experience innovation. They experience silence, confusion, and a process that feels even more impersonal than before.
In 2026, the human experience of hiring is becoming a differentiator again because so many companies are getting it wrong.
What Talent Leaders Should Be Thinking About Now
You don’t need a total rebuild tomorrow. But you do need clarity.
The companies winning in 2026 are asking the right questions.
What parts of our hiring process truly require human judgment?
Where are we slowing things down out of habit?
Are recruiters trained for strategic work, or just process management?
Do our systems increase transparency, or just efficiency?
These aren’t technology questions. They’re leadership questions.
What’s Next
Agentic HR is changing how recruiting works. It’s also creating a new challenge.
As employers deploy autonomous systems, candidates are doing the same. The result is an emerging AI-on-AI hiring arms race that’s flooding pipelines with highly optimized but low-trust applications.
Next in this series: The AI-on-AI Hiring Arms Race and How to Protect Hiring Quality Without Breaking Trust
A lot of companies are going to try to AI their way into faster hiring this year and still end up with worse results. If you want to build a recruiting model that actually works in 2026, one that balances speed, quality, and credibility, we can help. Reach out if you want a second set of eyes on your hiring approach.
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