Episode 18: Nate Ollestad of Literati.com

Nate Ollestad is no stranger to fast-growing companies, and it’s a good thing. As a tech recruiting veteran, he has cut his teeth in the agency world, then at Google, Rackspace, and Duo Security, and now applies that growth experience to building the team from the ground up at Literati.com, the “Stitch Fix™ of children’s books”. As the Austin, TX-based startup unintentionally benefits from the world sheltering in place during the Covid-19 pandemic, Nate and his team are meeting the challenge of doubling their employee base by blending “new school” technology with “old school” core recruiting fundamentals. In their discussion, Nate and Erin dig deep into what makes a strategic and credible leader, including knowing your craft and not being afraid to move around and toggle from leader to individual contributor to learn new skills. They also review the personal experiences and challenges that have helped Nate refine his style, his TA tech stack priorities, personal branding goals, and his best advice to future leaders. Enjoy this fun, casual and fast-paced discussion regarding all things TA and leadership. Topics Discussed: Understanding your “why?” in terms of the candidate experience The value of recruiting experience gained across different industries The importance of structured change management in business transitions Partnering with new TA technology and tool vendors to help them help you Striving for excellence and authenticity in leadership Giving back, contributing and mentoring the next generation of leaders Connect with Nate Ollestad LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/nathanollestad Twitter: https://twitter.com/N8stad Company Website: https://literati.com/careers/ Connect with Erin Peterson Erin is a Talent Acquisition Interim Leader and RPO Advisor with PeopleResults. She has led TA and RPO globally for some of the most successful organizations in the world including Accenture, Aon Hewitt, and Amazon. She translates her unique global experience to help clients with TA strategy, employment branding, onboarding, candidate experience, and recruitment process outsourcing (RPO) decisions. Connect on Social Website: https://www.people-results.com LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/erinpeterson Twitter: https://twitter.com/ErinMcPeterson