Rejection to Empowerment: Building Trust and Inclusion in Modern Recruitment

C. Guz explores the journey from relentless job rejections to entrepreneurial empowerment, challenging the impersonal recruitment status quo and advocating for inclusive, candidate-centric hiring practices that rebuild trust and human connection.

In this episode of The Inclusion Bites Podcast, Joanne Lockwood is joined by C. Guz for an insightful exploration of how rejections within the job market can be transformed into genuine opportunities for growth and inclusion. The conversation moves beyond the standard narrative of setbacks, probing the systemic flaws in recruitment practices and championing the necessity of humanising the candidate experience. Joanne and C. dismantle the status quo, addressing the pitfalls of traditional CVs, the prevalence of ghosting, and the risk-averse nature of recruitment processes, while emphasising the strategic importance of trust, psychological safety, and authentic employer branding in attracting and retaining top talent.

C is a female entrepreneur and job seeker based in Istanbul with a resolute mission to make recruitment more inclusive for all. Drawing from her own journey—marked by over 13,000 rejections and a ten-month period of unemployment—she channels her experiences into advocacy for candidate-centred hiring. As the founder and CEO of Octopus, C. has developed a platform aimed at bridging the gap between employers and candidates, ensuring actionable feedback and fair assessment at scale. Her partnership with her technically-focused co-founder complements her vision, bringing practical solutions to the critical challenges experienced by both jobseekers and recruiters.

Throughout their discussion, Joanne and C. interrogate the inherent biases in recruitment technology, the often transactional approach of large organisations, and the harmful effects of poor candidate experiences on employer brand and retention. They debate the ethical challenges of AI in hiring, the impact of speculative job postings, and the need for proactive strategies—such as structured feedback and transparent expectations—to establish trust and dignity in the process on both sides.

The key takeaway from this episode is the transformative power of reframing rejection, not as a defeat but as a catalyst for change in recruitment culture. By advocating candidate-centred practices, transparent communication, and actionable feedback, Joanne and C. encourage listeners to drive practical, inclusive change—ensuring that every individual, regardless of circumstance, is both seen and valued within the world of work.

Published: 07.08.2025 Recorded: 17.03.2025 Duration: 1:06:42

• AI Extracts and Interpretations
• The Inclusion Bites Podcast #170 Turning Rejections into Opportunities
• Other Links
• SEE Change Happen: The Inclusive Culture Experts — seechangehappen.co.uk
• Inclusion Bites Podcast on YouTube

Clips and Timestamps

Viral Topic: Candidate Experience Impacts Employer Brand: “Your employer brand is candidates. And if you don’t value those people, then they’re going to talk about it.”
— C. Guz [00:09:43 → 00:09:50]

Viral Topic: The Problem with Job Interviews
Quote: “So candidates are set to fail, almost like you’re setting your candidates to fail, which is so ironic.”
— C. Guz [00:14:21 → 00:14:28]

Viral Topic: The Power of Employer Branding in Startups: “we had an employer brand before the product itself, before an mvp, we were working from Five different time zones. It was, it was a mess. But the way that we positioned our vision resonated so deeply with people that they went on and apply and that was not it. After they applied, I actually had a 20% like of the people filling out an eight section form that I have prepared to be able to assess candidates. And that process look entirely different from any of the interview processes that I’ve been to because I couldn’t find any of those answers in the resumes.”
— C. Guz [00:15:12 → 00:15:45]

Viral Topic: The Importance of Reflective Recruitment
“And I’m going to tell this as a recruiter. Majority of the people, especially juniors and even middles, they don’t know what they want. And it’s your opportunity to help them reflect to, you know, have a more coaching style of interview where they’re able to understand this because then you hire them and then they realise that job is not right for them.”
— C. Guz [00:16:33 → 00:16:54]

Viral Topic: The Hidden Pressures of Job Assessments: “But I think that candidates are not feeling safe with that and it’s, it’s, it’s not happening.”
— C. Guz [00:21:55 → 00:22:01]

Viral Topic: The Impact of Candidate Experience on Hiring Costs: “if you nail candidate experience then essentially you’re reducing your cost for all things involved. And the reason is because you’re attracting the right candidates for you because those candidates are essentially pre qualifying themselves and they now know what kind of an organisation that they will be working in.”
— C. Guz [00:29:24 → 00:30:25]

How to Stand Out in the Job Application Process: “I think the best thing that you can do is actually find out who you will be working with and then reach out to that person directly.”
— C. Guz [00:34:03 → 00:34:10]

Viral Topic: The Flaws of Talent Pools: “But most of those candidates never even get contacted and then, you know, it just becomes a reporting metric again.”
— C. Guz [00:46:26 → 00:46:33]

Viral Topic: Structure vs. Uncertainty in the Workplace: “One thing that I really focus on in my interviews, for example, do you feel more comfortable in structured environments, structured tasks where like, you don’t have to deal with abstract instructions and you essentially are doing something with, you know, like assigned training manual. And now there is not much uncertainty there. But there are also some people who love that uncertainty.”
— C. Guz [00:50:17 → 00:50:40]

Balancing Flexibility and Specialisation: “And I think that in terms of that flexibility, not every organisation will be able to provide that. And it’s important for candidates to also recognise that as they’re applying, because if that’s an expectation and you’re applying to a startup who recently got funded and they’re in a seat and even like series A round, they won’t be able to provide the same flexibility.”
— C. Guz [00:51:06 → 00:51:27]

Definition of Terms Used

What is the Candidate Experience?

• Definition: Candidate experience refers to the entirety of a job applicant’s interactions with a prospective employer’s recruitment process, from application through to feedback, regardless of the hiring outcome.
• Relevance: It is a key driver of employer brand reputation and significantly impacts whether candidates remain customers, advocates, or detractors of the organisation, even if they are not hired.
• Examples: Clear communication about interview stages, tailored feedback after interviews, and transparent job descriptions all contribute to a positive candidate experience.
• Related Terms: Employer Brand, Talent Acquisition, Employee Value Proposition (EVP)
• Common Misconceptions: Many believe candidate experience is only about candidates who are hired, but it encompasses the journey of every applicant, including rejections and feedback.

What is Ghosting (in Recruitment)?

• Definition: Ghosting in recruitment describes the situation where an employer, recruiter, or candidate ceases communication without explanation during the hiring process.
• Relevance: Ghosting undermines trust, damages employer reputation, and contributes to profound candidate frustration and disengagement from the recruitment process or industry at large.
• Examples: An applicant who never receives a response after multiple interview rounds; a recruiter never hearing back from a promising candidate after an offer.
• Related Terms: Communication Breakdown, Feedback, Candidate Trust
• Common Misconceptions: Ghosting is often assumed to be unique to employers, but candidates may also ghost recruiters, especially when trust in the process is low.

What is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)?

• Definition: An Applicant Tracking System is a digital software platform employers use to manage and streamline the recruitment process, particularly for handling large volumes of job applications.
• Relevance: ATS technology often filters CVs using keywords or Boolean searches, shaping who is progressed or rejected at scale, but may dehumanise and standardise candidates unfairly.
• Examples: Software such as Workday, Greenhouse, or SmartRecruiters used by HR departments to screen thousands of CVs for relevant roles.
• Related Terms: Recruitment Automation, Boolean Search, CV Parsing, Talent Pool
• Common Misconceptions: Some candidates believe ATSs always impartially select the “best” CVs, yet formatting and keyword choices can have a disproportionate effect, excluding suitable applicants unintentionally.

What are Smart Pre-Interviews?

• Definition: Smart pre-interviews are structured digital assessments or questionnaires customised by employers to evaluate candidates’ suitability for a role before formal interviews, often leveraging automation or AI-driven processes.
• Relevance: They allow recruiters to focus on actionable data and deeper insights into candidate fit, reducing bias and increasing fairness by moving beyond superficial CV evaluation.
• Examples: Custom online questionnaires or scenario-based questions automatically sent to applicants to explain their thinking, values, or approaches relevant to the job.
• Related Terms: Pre-Screening, Automated Assessments, Structured Interviews
• Common Misconceptions: Some believe smart pre-interviews are impersonal or make processes longer, but they can reduce administrative burden, improve candidate matching, and increase transparency.

What is Employer Branding?

• Definition: Employer branding refers to the public perception and reputation of an organisation as an employer, shaped by values, culture, candidate experience, and employee advocacy.
• Relevance: A strong employer brand can attract top talent, increase retention, and differentiate organisations in congested job markets, especially when candidates share their experiences via platforms like Glassdoor or LinkedIn.
• Examples: Companies sharing authentic employee stories on their careers page, being transparent about interview processes, or ensuring every candidate receives substantive feedback.
• Related Terms: Employee Value Proposition (EVP), Candidate Experience, Recruitment Marketing
• Common Misconceptions: Employer branding is sometimes assumed to be just a marketing campaign, when it is actually the lived and communicated reality for employees and candidates alike.

FAQ

• What is the Candidate Experience? The candidate experience is the total sum of interactions a job applicant has with an employer’s recruitment process, from first contact through to feedback and closure, impacting organisation reputation and future engagement.
• What is Ghosting in Recruitment? Ghosting refers to the sudden cessation of communication during the recruitment process, either from employers or candidates, often leaving the other party uninformed and frustrated.
• What is an Applicant Tracking System (ATS)? An Applicant Tracking System is a software application that manages and organises job applications for employers, often using keyword searches and automation to sift large numbers of candidates.
• What are Smart Pre-Interviews? Smart pre-interviews are automated, structured assessments or digital questionnaires used to effectively gauge candidate fit before formal interviews, allowing for richer data and a more inclusive process.
• What is Employer Branding? Employer branding is how an organisation is perceived as a workplace, shaped by real employee and candidate experiences, work culture, and values, impacting talent attraction and retention.

Please connect with our hosts and guests, why not make contact..?

Brought to you by your host

Joanne Lockwood SEE Change Happen

A huge thank you to our wonderful guest

C. Guz Octopus

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