Hiring with Intention: An Executive Search Case Study (EP.93)
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Updated: May 30, 2026
Most hiring processes were built in a different era, carried forward by inertia without much consideration, and optimized for the organization’s convenience rather than a candidate’s experience.
This episode is about what happens when a team decides to proactively reimagine that dynamic.
Tim Cynova is joined by Katrina Donald (Ever-so-curious), Julie Mae Lopez (People Power Solutions), and guest host for the episode, Jodi Cobalt (Yerba Buena Center for the Arts). The four of them collaborated on a search at YBCA in 2022-23 for an executive-level Head of External Relations role. This episode is a detailed reflection of what they and the organization tried, what surprised them, and what they’d do again.
It’s a behind-the-scenes account of what intentional hiring looks like in practice, with enough specifics that you can take ideas directly into your next search.
In this conversation:
Why the typical playbook fails → information flows one way, candidates are kept in the dark for weeks, and “culture fit” bias goes completely unchecked.
“Dot connector” screening calls built around one prompt: Connect the dots between where you’ve been and this role. Those calls can reshuffle the entire candidate list.
Treating the job posting like a marketing campaign: multiple formats, audio and video assets, detailed comp and benefits information, distributed through the varied networks and channels where candidates are located.
Why a $250 honorarium Venmo’d the moment a finalist leaves the room might matter more than the dollar amount suggests.
Redesigning reference checks to ask “what advice would you give this candidate’s future supervisor?” instead of “was this person a team player?”
Accessibility built into the process from the start: contrast ratios, audio versions of postings, empathy mapping for sourcing, feedback loops through the process.
Building the case story bank: a practical tool for candidates navigating searches in the age of AI-generated everything.
Plus: using Critical Response Process for final interviews, giving care packages to finalists, sending search committee bios to candidates in advance, starting interviews with an ice breaker question, asking candidates to predict their own reference feedback, designing the search to feed directly into onboarding, calibrating the ask of candidates to where they are in the process, and how to not ghost people when the answer is no.
Want to go deeper on navigating your own search? Career Camp — the online program Katrina and Tim created — is designed to help you get unstuck, map your next move, and build a job search strategy that reflects how hiring actually works. Head to workshouldntsuck.co/careercamp
More Links & Resources
Online Courses
Inclusive Hiring: Building a Search Process from Job Description to Onboarding [FREE]
Building a Core Curriculum [FREE]
Career Camp “Prepare for Your Next Career Move” [$99]
Tools
Template for Executive Search Process | 130-item Project Management Chart
YBCA Search | Social Sharing Kit
Liberating Structures
The Behavior Dashboard
Critical Response Process
Related Podcast Episodes
About the Guests
Jodi Cobalt (she/her), a Co-Founder of Thought Partner, is a seasoned theater manager with over two decades of experience in the industry. Her unique blend of leadership, hands-on knowledge, and a thorough understanding of theater give her a wealth of insight from which to draw on. After earning her BFA in Theater at Emerson College she moved to the Bay Area, finding work in a variety of venues as a Lighting Designer, Performer, Educator and Production Manager. At Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, Jodi has held the roles of Director of Production and Chief of Operations and was the General Manager of The Shalleck Collaborative where she contributed to the operational, communications and management side of the business. More at heythoughtpartner.
Katrina Donald (she/her) is a regenerative systems designer, developmental strategist, thriving workplace practitioner, and both a certified recruiter and coach. She has become a trusted guide for individuals, teams, and organizations facilitating pivotal developmental moments, sparking curiosity in service of innovation, and supporting emergent change. With two decades of experience working across sectors, Katrina has helped folks develop their capacity to lead through complex challenges, embrace experimentation, make informed decisions, and design adaptive strategies that flow with the ever-changing dynamics of their work. She’s worked with community foundations and other non-profits, health agencies, post secondaries, arts and culture organizations, start-ups, social enterprises, family businesses, and more. This work spans everything from organizational design and learning, people and culture processes (including hiring, onboarding, training, coaching, and leadership development), to strategic evaluation, R&D, and system change and mission impact initiatives. Through her own consulting and coaching company, Ever-so-curious, and her collaboration with great partners like Shift Consulting and WSS HR Labs, Katrina works with the brave and the curious — those who are daring to bring forth what is new, what is next, and address what needs to change. More at Ever-so-curious.
Julie Mae Lopez (she/her) is a human resources leader and consultant with 15+ years of experience working with small to mid-sized for-profit and non-profit mission-driven organizations. Early in her career, Julie Mae managed people and culture operations for non-profits in the education and arts sectors. In 2018, she earned a Senior HR Professional certification from SHRM, and in 2023, a workplace certification in Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion from USF, fueling her passion for designing people programs that foster inclusive workplaces. She specializes in building human-centered practices where inclusive values are integrated into the entire employee lifecycle—from recruitment and performance management to professional development and offboarding. Through her consultancy, People Power Solutions, she provides expert guidance to help companies build environments where every individual is empowered to thrive and contribute meaningfully to their organization's success. Julie Mae received a BS in Sociology from University of California, Santa Cruz. A proud Oakland resident and Bay Area native, she is an avid thrifter and enjoys Saturday mornings at the park with her dog, Sampa. More at People Power Solutions.
Tim Cynova (he/him) is the host of the Work Shouldn’t Suck podcast, where he and guests explore bold ideas and practical strategies for creating workplaces where people thrive. At the consulting firm WSS, he draws on deep experience leading and advising mission-driven organizations through growth, change, and complexity to help them dust off outdated policies, challenge default approaches, and design values-centered workplaces that align people strategy, organizational culture, and operational infrastructure. A certified Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and trained mediator, Tim’s path has taken him from orchestral trombonist to C-level roles in multiple $25M+ nonprofits around the globe. Whether consulting, teaching, or recording, he brings curiosity, candor, and a knack for making workplace design engaging and actionable. More at timcynova.com.
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