What are the success factors at this organization?

September 14, 2025   |   Season: 4 Episode: 2   |   Transcript

Rachel Platt

Rachel Platt brings 20+ years of experience helping organizations and individuals achieve enduring success through strategic human resources leadership. Through her roles as a Chief Human Resources Officer, Vice President, and Regional Director in diverse organizational structures and industries, she built her reputation on her track record of developing pragmatic solutions to meet complex organizational and people challenges. Rachel founded PLATTinum Consulting in 2018 to guide leaders in creating People Strategy initiatives in the areas of employee engagement, leadership development, culture assessment and improvement, performance management, staff training, communications, talent acquisition, HR process improvement, inclusion and coaching. As a certified Women's Business Enterprise (WBE), PLATTinum serves small and medium sized non-profits and commercial businesses across the US. PLATTinum partners with clients to maintain a transparent, ongoing, open dialogue. We provide a data-driven, responsive, organized approach. But most importantly, we are proactive, optimistic, approachable and occasionally funny. We place outcomes before egos and work with clients who share similar values.

Show Notes

Are you a job seeker trying to land your dream role or a hiring manager struggling to find the perfect fit? In this episode, we’re joined by Rachel Platt of PLATTinum Consulting who shares interview process insights  from both sides of the table.

Rachel reminds us that it is rare to find the perfect candidate. She reveals why hiring managers often prioritize soft skills over hard skills, explaining that it’s much easier to teach someone a new software program than to change their mindset or motivation. So, how do you stand out? Rachel explains that candidates who demonstrate a strong alignment with an organization’s specific success factors and values are the ones who get the offer.

We also tackle the push and pull between the urgent need to fill a role and the desire to make a good, long-lasting hire. Rachel offers invaluable advice for both companies and job seekers on how to avoid a bad cultural fit, boiling it down to a powerful quote from Maya Angelou: “When someone shows you who they are, believe them the first time.”

Finally, we discuss how to use AI to supercharge your interview preparation, from in-depth organization research to identifying potential questions based on a specific job description. Rachel emphasizes that every candidate should be ready with compelling examples of their adaptability, how they handle ambiguity, and their collaboration skills.

Tune in to discover the secrets to a successful hiring journey!


Resources:

Dare to Lead by Brene Brown
Beyond Passion: Advice for Job Seekers from a Best-Selling Author and Nonprofit CEO Coach
Working Identity: Unconventional Strategies for Reinventing Your Career

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