EP277: Renuka Gundala , Founder & Director at Talent Grader Ltd - Why EMPATHY is your secret sauce as a recruiter

Renuka Gundala, Founder & Director of Talent Grader LTD. In this episode she shares her, two decade long, journey in recruitment with a focus on executive search and senior roles in the not for profit sector. Starting Talent Grader during the COVID-19 pandemic, she initially provided talent assessments for recruiters and HR professionals then later expanding into executive search services for charities and purpose driven organisations, including B Corps.Renuka emphasises the thoughtful use of psychometric assessments, deploying them only when they serve a clear client need. She also created an online database to help users find the right assessment tools. Despite their potential, these tools are underused by recruitment businesses in hiring for their own teams.Her executive search approach is tailored and client focused, involving case studies, scenarios and occasionally psychometric tools. She values transparency and the human element in recruitment & underscores the recruiters ability to positively shape the hiring process. The conversation also explores equality, diversity and inclusion, acknowledging both ongoing efforts and the challenges posed by shifting political climates.In terms of inclusive hiring, Renuka advocates for empathy and simplicity recommending job descriptions list only 5–6 essential criteria to attract a diverse range of applicants. Her and Lysha stress the importance of designing thoughtful, inclusive recruitment processes that consider the candidate experience.The discussion concludes with advice for recruiters and business founders on building empathetic, inclusive, and value driven hiring practices, especially in the non profit sector, where diversity and mission alignment are key.Connect with Renuka here - https://www.linkedin.com/in/renukagundala/-----------The Recruiter's Recruitment Podcast is proudly sponsored by Paiger and partners to Needi, Keybridge IT and Diversity and Inclusion .Our Sponsor: Paiger - Making Recruiters Smarter and Faster. Paiger helps recruiters build personal brands, identify new business opportunities, attract candidates, and have better conversations.Find out more details on Paiger here - https://paiger.co/?utm_source=podcast...Our Partners: Needi is a concierge gift-matching service using psychology and AI, to pinpoint the perfect gifts and experiences for your recipient, from the best, local independent businesses. Their team of expert gift finders, save companies time and money, with their complimentary corporate gifting service . Find out more here -https://needi.co.uk/Diversity in Recruitment helps recruitment businesses understand diversity, equity, and inclusion in a way that makes sense. Our training and advisory work is designed anidence to attract diverse talent, recruit inclusively, improve your candidate journey and confidently partner with their clients. DE&I doesn’t have to be complicated and scary - it’s simply about fair, ethical and high-quality recruitment.Keybridge IT Solutions is a London-based Fully Managed IT Support and solutions Provider - Providing 24×7 Support to all Customers. Specialities include Microsoft Cloud, including Office 365, Microsoft 365, Microsoft Azure, Security, Internet Connectivity, VoIP, and much more didence to attract diverse talent, recruit inclusively, improve your candidate journey and confidently partner with their clients. DE&I doesn’t have to be complicated and scary - it’s simply about fair, ethical and high-quality recruitment.