Human First Recruiting: Navigating AI and Niche TA with Hope Pace (Live @ RecFest USA)
Video: https://youtu.be/KX_jhW_WBPo
Live from RecFest 2026 in Nashville! In this conversation, host Adam Posner speaks with Hope Pace, Director of Talent Acquisition at Key Rehab. Hope shares her transition from fashion and sales into talent acquisition, detailing the unique challenges of recruiting healthcare professionals—specifically physical, occupational, and speech therapists—in rural Midwest markets.
The conversation explores best practices for candidate experience, alternative sourcing channels (like Handshake and TikTok for Gen Z), the rapid expansion of AI tools in recruiting, and why genuine human empathy remains essential when delivering bad news to job seekers.
Connect with Hope: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hope-pace-aphr/
Apple Podcasts 
Spotify 
Castro 
RSS Feed Thanks for listening, and please follow us on Insta @NHPTalent and www.youtube.com/thePOZcast
For all episodes, please check out www.thePOZcast.com
Our friends at Dalia brought you these episodes from RecFest US 2026! Dalia helps employers convert more career-site traffic into qualified applicants by giving job seekers a universal candidate profile that eliminates repetitive applications and streamlines the application process. Learn more (link below)
https://www.dalia.co/audit?utm_source=pos
Key Takeaways
- Authentic Communication Over Interrogation: Interviews should feel like reciprocal conversations rather than rigid Q&A sessions to ease candidate anxiety and yield authentic responses.
- Meet Candidates Where They Are: Traditional platforms like LinkedIn or standard job boards don't reach every candidate pool; platforms like Handshake, TikTok, and local grassroots events often work better for early-career and specialized frontline talent.
- Targeted AI Adoption: While AI capability in HR is growing exponentially, companies don't need to implement AI for everything; core processes, culture alignment, and human connection must come first.
- Empathetic Rejections: Deliver rejection notices with direct human empathy and personal care, not automated templates, to preserve the candidate relationship.
Chapters
- 00:00 – Introduction & Guest Welcome
- 00:22 – Key Rehab Overview & Scope
- 01:05 – Hope’s Journey from Sales to Talent Acquisition
- 02:32 – Candidate Experience & Respecting Job Seekers' Time
- 03:22 – Overcoming Hiring Shortages in Rural Healthcare Markets
- 05:07 – Rethinking Sourcing: Moving Beyond LinkedIn & Traditional Job Boards
- 07:18 – Leveraging Social Media & Handshake for Gen Z
- 08:56 – How to Identify and Hire Great Recruiters
- 10:25 – Conference Insights: The Rise of AI vs. The Need for Humanity
- 13:06 – Handling Candidate Rejections with Empathy
- 14:44 – Closing Thoughts & Where to Connect