The Art of Hiring: Strategies for Finding and Developing the Right Talent with Ariana Ruiz
LISTEN ON: APPLE | SPOTIFY
Ariana Ruiz, a former corporate talent acquisition specialist, loved her career at Whole Foods and other start-ups, but eventually, motherhood pushed her to step back from the corporate world and into entrepreneurship. Now, she helps other small businesses hire and develop passionate employees so both the businesses and individuals can grow and thrive.
In this episode, Ariana breaks down her top three tips for finding and developing the right talent, and why taking your time to find the perfect fit is worth it. She also gets real about why your core values should guide your business decisions—and how to actually communicate those values to potential hires.
Ariana doesn’t shy away from the tough stuff, like checking your biases in the hiring process and why a solid training program is an absolute must if you want your employees to thrive. Let's dive in!
Subscribe to the Food Means Business Podcast with Hudson Kitchen founder Djenaba Johnson-Jones to hear the personal stories and “secret ingredients” of abandoning your day job and starting a CPG food business.
In this episode, you’ll learn...
[00:53] Ariana’s background in food and how motherhood informed her decision to leave the corporate world
[06:25] Ariana’s three tips for finding and developing the right talent
[10:19] How your core values inform your business and how you can relay those values to potential employees
[14:46] How to check your biases and make sure they don’t get in the way of hiring a good candidate (or accidentally hiring one that is a poor fit)
[18:40] Why it’s so important to develop a training program for your employees
[21:53] Ariana’s self-care routine now that she’s an entrepreneur
If you're building a team while navigating the ups and downs of entrepreneurship, be sure to tune into this episode:
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About Ariana Ruiz
Ariana Ruiz is a distinguished Leadership Development Consultant and Career Coach with over 15 years of experience in guiding businesses and individuals toward achieving their full potential. As the founder of Ruiz HR Services, she specializes in talent identification and development, helping companies create compelling Employee Value Propositions (EVP) and enhancing leadership capabilities.
Ariana is passionate about assisting entrepreneurs in finding the right talent and articulating their company's mission and values to attract and retain top candidates. Ariana's approach focuses on understanding one's NorthStar—core values that inform business decisions and shape company culture.
For entrepreneurs in the CPG industry, Ariana offers valuable insights into transitioning from corporate roles to entrepreneurial leadership, building robust company cultures, and navigating the challenges of startup life. Her practical and results-oriented coaching empowers leaders to unlock their potential and drive success.
Connect with Ariana Ruiz:
Connect with Ariana on LinkedIn
Stay Connected with Djenaba Johnson-Jones:
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[00:00:00] Djenaba: You are listening to the food means business podcast, which features the personal stories and secret ingredients behind what it's like to abandon your day job to start a CPG food and beverage business. I'm Djenaba Johnson-Jones, former marketing executive turned entrepreneur and founder of food business incubator Hudson kitchen.
[00:00:20] Join our community of fellow food business owners and subject matter experts. First to learn and laugh with us as we explore a startup world. That's a little more culinary and a lot less corporate these days. All right. Hi, Ariana. Welcome to the Food Means Business podcast. I'm happy you're here. Hi, thank you so much.
[00:00:36] Ariana: I'm excited to be with you.
[00:00:38] Djenaba: Absolutely. So I wanted to, before we talk about you and what you do, we'd love to talk about your background. So this podcast is all about going from a cubicle to becoming an entrepreneur. So I'd love to be able to hear from you.
[00:00:53] Ariana: Yeah, absolutely. So my background started in the food industry.
[00:00:58] So I actually started as [00:01:00] a pastry chef and that was kind of my passion coming out of school. And I stumbled into like my first real job at Whole Foods market. So I was working in a bakery there and I just really fell in love with training others, training new hires and a position became open up at the store to, uh, be the in store trainer at Whole Foods.
[00:01:19] So I did that for a period of time and I continued to kind of move up within Whole Foods and then eventually was promoted into like a learning and development position. So I didn't really have a ton of experience, but what I did have was on the leadership side, they were really looking for an individual who kind of just help and support and give some direction to our trainers there.
[00:01:40] So I did that for several years and then ultimately the team was doing well. So my boss had asked me to oversee the talent acquisition team as well. So I thought, Oh, this would be easy, you know, taking on TA. And I quickly found out that recruiting is pretty difficult and not only difficult, but super important.
[00:01:57] We successfully opened up many stores [00:02:00] within the Northeast region. And prior to leaving Whole Foods, we were about a little bit over 10, 000 employees that I was overseeing their learning and development and, and also hiring strategies for. I made the switch to FreshDirect. So I was at FreshDirect for several years doing the same type of work on the people team, so talent acquisition and learning and development.
[00:02:19] And I worked closely with the leaders there and built several programs and also helped with hiring initiatives. And then from there, I, my first real kind of, um, startup experience was at Prose. So Prose at that time was about 150 employees and it was in the beauty industry, which wasn't something that I was super familiar with.
[00:02:41] I'm a foodie at heart. So it was a leap for me, but what excited me about it was really just around the values. They were really, you know, people focus, sustainability, diversity, and they were really just focusing on things. That really spoke to my core being of what was important to me as an individual.
[00:02:58] So I made the leap [00:03:00] to beauty and I did, you know, same type, similar work. We were in hyper growth at that time. So I, we were about 150 employees. And then by the time that I left, we're a little bit over 300 employees. So overseeing talent acquisition along with learning and development. And then. Prior to me leaving, I also assumed a, and just an HR director role.
[00:03:19] And, you know, after being at pros for about a year and a half, I really started to just have a level of fatigue and burnout. Uh, right around that time, I have two children and one of my youngest is 17 now, but it was about 15 and really just going through a lot of teenager stuff. And, you know, I thought.
[00:03:37] Man, you know, I'm really exhausted at this point. I need to really spend more time with my son. And I think it would make sense for me to actually stop working and just kind of disconnect and really focus on and recharge. So I actually decided to homeschool him. He's still doing homeschooling now. Wow.
[00:03:54] Yeah. It was, uh, It was scary and exciting. You know, we were both kind of doing this [00:04:00] new adventure together, but I was hopeful that, you know, us reconnecting would really help me as a mom and also, you know, as a professional, but then also, um, him as well. So I took a year off from work and then decided, okay, so what am I going to do now?
[00:04:15] Am I going to go back to corporate or potentially start my own business? So I felt, you know, pretty confident that I, over the years I had, you know, been able to build, you know, difference this skill set around learning and development and talent acquisition. So about six months ago, right around this time, I decided to start my own business.
[00:04:34] So things are going really well and my son's doing well. Um, so I'm, I'm really excited and grateful.
[00:04:40] Djenaba: That's amazing. So tell us a little bit about your business.
[00:04:43] Ariana: Yeah, so my business is centered around talent acquisition from a career coaching perspective. So I help individuals who are looking to maybe transition out of corporate, maybe start their own thing or meet or just totally take a different career, you know, trajectory.
[00:04:59] So I do [00:05:00] career coaching. I also do leadership coaching and also build learning and development programs for organizations that are looking to help their employees move up maybe into mid level leadership positions to senior leadership positions.
[00:05:14] Djenaba: Great. So I was thinking back about your experience at Whole Foods.
[00:05:17] So I have to imagine like with the 10, 000 employees that you were overseeing over that period of time, you're hiring some different types of employees. So there's a person that's probably working hourly job versus someone that's working, you know, kind of in corporate or like a managerial level as well.
[00:05:32] So I think that's really interesting that you have. The skill set to be able to do both. Can you just talk a little bit more about, about that? Yeah.
[00:05:41] Ariana: Yeah, sure. I mean, you know, so I think for the hourly employees, because we, you know, we hired anywhere from cashiers to bakers, to meat gutters, all the way to marketing directors.
[00:05:52] So, you know, I think our, our goal overall was to. Create structure. And we did a lot of training for our managers around [00:06:00] biases and how to use, you know, interview guides to ensure that we're not necessarily discounting individuals, maybe because they don't have experience or they didn't go to necessarily the top schools.
[00:06:12] So, you know, my role was really to ensure that we were really going on evaluating each individual based on a particular criteria and that we will being fair and transparent through that process.
[00:06:25] Djenaba: So you have three steps, three tips rather, to share with us, um, about finding and developing the right talent.
[00:06:31] This is like, I think, you know, as an entrepreneur, small business, like it's interesting, like I've been in a corporate organization and been the person on that, you know, being hired or whatever, but turning it around and having to, Find the right talent at different levels is challenging. And it's like this skillset that you as an instructor have to learn because otherwise, you know, you, you kind of, your, your business won't move forward.
[00:06:54] I'll I have to say like, I, in the beginning kind of tried to outsource [00:07:00] finding, uh, the right talent and, um, really realized that it was something that I definitely need to just. Sit down and learn with due trial and error. So I love to hear some of your, the tips that you have for, for entrepreneurs.
[00:07:14] Ariana: Right.
[00:07:15] And I think, you know, what you said, uh, resonated with me, which is around, it takes time. It takes time and effort to do this work. And there's no quick fix. You know, you may meet someone who you, you know, randomly bump into and you're like, Oh, I think this would be a good hire. And then, you know, they potentially might be a nightmare for you, you know, so it's really important to take your time with this process.
[00:07:37] There really is no shortcuts around it. And, you know, When you're hiring someone onto your team, you really want to make sure that they're embodying that you're really trusting them, right. To embody this organization and really support you and making it grow. So my first tip is really just around.
[00:07:55] Understanding your North star or kind of what is your employee value [00:08:00] proposition? So some of the action items that I like to encourage entrepreneurs to do is one is just taking some time to do some journaling, you know, a Take some time or in a couple of weeks and really reflect on different experiences, your values, the impact in the world.
[00:08:16] And conversely, I also like to, uh, encourage folks to write down things that kind of like rub you the wrong way, things that we want to potentially stay away from. So after some journaling. So it's nice to kind of create a little bit of a vision board. It can either be a physical vision board or even something on Pinterest where you're creating some representation around your aspirations.
[00:08:38] So when you're doing the vision board, I like to, you know, follow four easy steps, which is one is setting your intentions, right? So. Finding a quiet space and really giving yourself the time that you need to kind of think about this vision board. And then you can start to kind of collect some inspiration.
[00:08:54] So that could be images, quotes, articles, things that resonate with [00:09:00] your goals and also your, your personal values. And once you kind of have collected all of that, you can really start to pinpoint and identify the common themes, right? What is continuingly. Showing up. What are, what are the themes repeatedly showing up for you?
[00:09:15] Once you have your themes, you can organize that so you can organize your vision by your company values, your mission and purpose, and then what type of work environment are you trying to create? So once you have your vision board done, you can also work on the last step would be. Asking yourself some reflection questions, which I think are really important around, uh, what are the principles that are guiding your decisions?
[00:09:39] What is the legacy you want to leave? Right? So if you're, if you're at some point, hopefully you may be able to pass this on to the next generation, or you're going to sell your business. Like what's that, what's that mark you're trying to leave there. And, and ultimately what motivates you every day. So taking all of these.
[00:09:57] components will help you put [00:10:00] together a really, you know, impactful North Star or, you know, EVP that will really, you know, be able to embody, you know, what's important to you.
[00:10:09] Djenaba: I listened to a lot of Brene Brown and I've like read stuff.
[00:10:12] Ariana: And one of the things that
[00:10:13] Djenaba: she mentioned was your personal core values are your company's core values.
[00:10:19] And I never thought about it that way. And I, again, have had outsourced someone writing my core values for my website. Cause I thought I needed to help them. As I kind of went, got a little bit more experience in my business, because it was very new at the time. I realized, probably like almost two years in, I was like, those are not my core value.
[00:10:39] So now I, what I realized is our core values are personal responsibility, trust, and mutual respect. Right. Those are all my core values. So I thought that was really interesting that And it takes time. And you mentioned like vision boarding and like, you know, journaling and those types of things. And it's almost like you may have to do it again a couple of times.
[00:10:58] Cause it might may change [00:11:00] over, you know, over the years as your business.
[00:11:03] Ariana: Absolutely. Yeah. You may need to go back to them. And it's funny you mentioned that because the last company I worked for asked a similar question to the CEO, you know, how did you come up with these values? And he said, I was just in a coffee shop.
[00:11:14] I think that someone said, you need to create values. So I just quickly wrote them down in the back of a notebook and that was it. But after you, to your point, two years later, three years later, you know, realizing that that's not really who we are and, and we're more than that. And these are just words that are on a piece of paper or on a wall.
[00:11:30] Um, but that isn't necessarily the type of behavior that I want to see, you know, within my organization. So maybe we do need to take a step back and kind of. Take another stab at it. And you're right. No one knows you better than you. So, you know, having someone else write your values for you isn't necessary.
[00:11:47] They're not going to necessarily really be able to embody who you truly are.
[00:11:52] Djenaba: So true. So true. So your second tip is articulating your purpose to potential candidates. So can you talk a little bit about that?
[00:11:59] Ariana: [00:12:00] Sure. So that's really like through, you know, one of the tip, the tactics from a recruiting perspective, we always try to do was meet people where they are, right?
[00:12:07] So I did a lot of events with our marketing team. So wherever you are marketing, your information is where you want to put your values or your mission statement or your, your EVP, your North Star. So that could be on your website. It also could be, you know, as you go to different events, your community partnerships, and especially your drop descriptions, you want to ensure that it's there and I like to actually put.
[00:12:31] Your, your North star kind of on the top of your job description. So it's really front and center. And it is really something that you want to ensure that your candidates understand can articulate back to you. And that resonates with them, right? That's really important. So some of the things that you want to do is create a interview guide.
[00:12:53] And again, this is going to take some time, but it's going to pay dividends on the backend, right? So creating an [00:13:00] interview guide with open ended questions that are really focused on what you're trying to attain, you know, from this particular candidate. I love questions around, you know, tell me about a time or how did you handle a particular situation when maybe.
[00:13:13] You disagreed with your boss, you know, how did that go? What was the situation? How did you handle it? What was the resolution or how do you prioritize things? You know, especially, you know, working for a small company, you may have to do many different tasks at once, right? So if I gave you these five tasks, how would you prioritize them and why would you put them in that particular order?
[00:13:33] So asking as many open ended questions I think is important and also giving time during the interview so that candidates can ask you questions. I think that's where you really can see what's really motivating this particular candidate and what's important to them. So make sure you're leaving enough time during that interview process.
[00:13:50] So, you know, some folks like to just do an interview in a half an hour and it really isn't enough time. And you're making such an important decision, right? So to only give it 30 minutes [00:14:00] doesn't necessarily do it. justice. So I think 45 minutes an hour is enough time to really be able to ask as many questions and also allow the candidate to ask questions as well.
[00:14:10] The other thing that I like to call out is around addressing your own personal biases, because we all have that, right? So one of my favorites is around the, uh, it's called the affinity or halo bias. So that may be where you see a resume and you're like, Oh, this person goes to Syracuse university. That's where my sister goes to.
[00:14:29] Or maybe you're talking to a candidate. Let's say, Oh, I love the Yankees. And you're like, Oh, I love the Yankees too. You know, and you create this bond with them, which is great because you're creating common ground. But the issue is, is that that could also blur the lines, right. If you really being focused, especially on technical skills, right.
[00:14:46] And ensuring that they have, and they're a qualified candidate. So, I would take some time, you know, as a hiring manager to really understand your biases. There's a lots of different quizzes that you can take online to really understand those and [00:15:00] be mindful of that. And then the second tip during the interview is.
[00:15:03] I like to talk to my coaching clients around red light, green light moments. So I don't know if this ever happened to you where someone says something to you and you're kind of like, Oh, like, I don't know that kind of just, I don't know how to feel about that. It kind of just rubbed me or they may say something that you loved, you know, and that really resonated with you.
[00:15:23] So taking the time after the interview to really jot down what were those red light and green light kind of moments and not ignoring. Those red light moments, right? And it's okay to maybe if you had a follow up question to ask that or to follow up with a candidate afterwards, but I like to encourage hiring managers to really just be mindful of your emotions and how you're feeling within that interview and take the time to really jot some notes down on, on kind of some of the reactions that you may have had, um, so that you don't minimize them.
[00:15:57] So that's a little bit about the interview process. And then to ensure [00:16:00] that you're not running into biases, another recommendation I have is around creating a competency ranking system. And it might sound super like complicated and heavy, but it really isn't. It's, you know, what are the five. quality or skills you're looking for in this role.
[00:16:15] One of them could be communication, teamwork, problem solving, and really creating a little bit of a ranking for each of those candidates as you're interviewing them will help you to look at things from a black and white perspective versus, you know, gauging candidates from a subjective point of view.
[00:16:34] I'm thinking, you know,
[00:16:35] Djenaba: I, I'm, I guess made a lot of hiring mistakes. We all know, I know part of it was, we talked about slowing down and like taking the time, but the part of it wasn't you rushing me, get the position billed. Absolutely. Part of it was me. Meeting someone that I liked. So the bias, the bias was definitely there.
[00:16:55] Oh, I like them. I can work with them versus like testing for, [00:17:00] do they actually have the skills to be able to do this job? And I'm wondering, is there, I know you talked about addressing your biases and creating an interview guide. I'm wondering, is there something that. You could, I like to give a project sometimes so they could be like, so they could understand, like, here's the kind of type of work that you might be doing.
[00:17:19] How would you approach it? Or is there, are there any other things that you could do? And as some of my clients, if they're hiring an hourly person, they might have them come and work the day to see if they can. You know, they're able to handle the work of it in the detail level of what, what it's like, cause then you're like, Oh, it's just cooking.
[00:17:34] But it's like, there's, can you actually put six protein balls in a bag? It doesn't make a big difference. Like maybe that's not their skills.
[00:17:44] Ariana: That's because they like food doesn't mean they can necessarily work
[00:17:48] Djenaba: with right. Right. Yeah.
[00:17:51] Ariana: Yeah. I mean, I've seen it, you know, several different ways that, uh, you know, uh, in my past experience, we've used some sort of assessments, we've used [00:18:00] exercises kind of what you had mentioned, some sort of project based work.
[00:18:04] Also having that, we would call them like a little bit of, of just doing a shift. Of course, it would pay for your time, but having you come in and, and, you know, positioning with the candidate that it's also to ensure that you're going to be happy here. Right. Right. We want to ensure that this is an environment where you feel like you can thrive.
[00:18:19] And I think a lot of candidates appreciate that. They also don't want to get into a situation where it isn't the right fit for them. So I think all of those things are smart to do, but there should be a little bit of proof to ensure that, Hey, I'm the right fit for you. And, and, and you'd, you're potentially the right fit, you know, for our organization as well.
[00:18:40] Djenaba: So, You found something that you want to hire, and now it's time to train this new hire. And I think this is also where people fall down, people meaning me, what I'm trying to get there at is there's this hope I think that we have, that we just were like, they, they seem great. They interviewed really well, their [00:19:00] references checked out, take this project and run with it.
[00:19:03] And I think that training, you know, should definitely be a part of that, but there's Honestly, like there's so much excitement about getting something off of your plate that, you know, we kind of could skip over these trainings. I'd love to hear like your, what your take is on that.
[00:19:17] Ariana: Yeah, sure. I mean, I think training is, and to your point, Absolutely.
[00:19:23] You know, we've all been in that situation where we're kind of in desperate need, you know, sometimes we, uh, at this point we, we need someone like yesterday, right? So when they start, we're kind of just, you know, quick, giving them a very quick overview. They're like, you're really smart. You'll figure this out.
[00:19:38] If you have any questions, just let me know. I'm always here. But the reality is, is that. It's difficult for a new hire. Imagine, you know, starting a new job, new environment, new boss. So you're really setting them up for success, but also for, for you as well. So, and it could be just, you know, a training plan may sound very intimidating, but it doesn't have to be, you know, it can be [00:20:00] just.
[00:20:00] Mentoring or shadowing this particular person this day or organizing this or joining me on conference calls, or I'm going to this event, right? It's just this little bit of padding that new hires potentially need. And it also gives you an opportunity to really watch them through this 30 days to really understand and assess where their strengths and opportunities are, right?
[00:20:23] So 30 days, you're really just in this, you're observing as a manager so that you can kind of take away and create a little bit of a deeper plan for them so that ultimately they can be successful. But yet training plans are, are critical and it doesn't have to be. Sometimes I think managers think that you have to like, Single out every single moment of the day.
[00:20:43] They don't, you know, we're all adults, but should be, you know, at least one of the goals for this day. And, you know, and let's circle back around and, you know, in the next couple of days, let's have lunch together. Right. And you kind of get to know one another. Those are all things that you can build into a training [00:21:00] plan.
[00:21:00] If you have documents, you want them to review or webinars to attend, right. It's all about them getting acclimated. 30 days isn't enough time for someone to hit the ground running, right? It's time for them to just really be able to be a sponge and absorb, understand the culture there and how they can best support you moving forward.
[00:21:18] Djenaba: Thank you.
[00:21:20] Ariana: Any last words for our audience here? Last words is that, you know, It may sound daunting to do, but it's absolutely doable. And there's so many tools and videos and things out there that can help support entrepreneurs. So don't feel like, you know, as an entrepreneur, I can understand you're trying to do everything yourself.
[00:21:43] And now here's another thing that you have to do and it can feel intimidating, but it doesn't, doesn't have to be. And there's lots of resources and support out there for entrepreneurs.
[00:21:53] Djenaba: Thank you. So I want to switch gears a little bit and talk a little bit more about you. So you, you know, are obviously an [00:22:00] entrepreneur wondering like, what do you do for self care?
[00:22:03] Ariana: Oh, self care. You know, I think I was reading your page too, and I appreciated your fitness journey and me too. Yeah. I think when you're in corporate, you're, you're just so. Just don't have time to kind of care for yourself the way that you want to. So since being an entrepreneur and even taking my time off, I've been, you know, focusing more on my physical health, but even more so on my spiritual health.
[00:22:24] So I've been, you know, really trying to read my Bible daily and pray and have a gratitude journal that I try to write in every night and just really appreciate the gift that I have, even though being an entrepreneur can be super stressful sometimes. It really is such a gift, you know, to be able to do something that you're passionate about and, and be able to extend yourself in service to others.
[00:22:48] Djenaba: It's true, it's definitely a privilege for
[00:22:51] Ariana: sure.
[00:22:55] Djenaba: So at Hudson Kitchen we have what we call the money bell that we ring when we're celebrating something. So I'm [00:23:00] wondering, what are you celebrating?
[00:23:01] Ariana: Oh, two things. One is that, um, I just turned my, my six month milestone of having my own business. So I'm excited about that. And I'm also working on teaching my, my 17 year old how to drive.
[00:23:16] Djenaba: Oh, wow. Wow.
[00:23:17] Ariana: So for us, for riding on the streets safely, but I'm excited. It's nice to be able to spend time with your kids and watch them kind of achieve, you know, these milestones. So we're excited. Hopefully he'll be getting his license soon.
[00:23:33] Djenaba: Yes. I hope so. I hope so. Are you going to please let everyone know where they can find out all about you and Ruiz HR services.
[00:23:40] Ariana: Sure. So you can find me on LinkedIn. You can just search Ariana Ruiz. Also my email address is ArianaRuizHR@gmail.com and happy to, you know, send over any, uh, tools and assessments, drafts, you know, training plans that I have to kind of help you on your journey [00:24:00] for hiring the right people.
[00:24:01] Djenaba: Thank you.
[00:24:02] You're welcome. The Food Means Business podcast was produced by Hudson Kitchen. It is recorded at the studio at Kearney Point and mixed and edited by Wild Home Podcasting. Our theme song is by Damian DeSandis and I'm your host, Djenaba Johnson Jones. Follow Hudson Kitchen on Instagram, at the Hudson Kitchen, and to get Food Business Bites right in your inbox, sign up for our newsletter at thehudsonkitchen.com/newsletter. Listen, follow, and leave a review on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you get podcasts. Until next time.