How Booster’s Ron Storn Uses Technology To Win the War for Talent

Though today’s hot job market is driving the war for talent to be more intense than it's been in years, fast-growing companies can’t let it faze them. Positive growth requires talented, engaged teams that require proactive, creative recruitment. Booster — a mobile energy delivery provider based in San Mateo, California — has a plan to meet the challenge. Ron Storn, chief people officer of Booster, spoke with StrategicCHRO360 about combining automation and personalization to increase Booster’s employee headcount three-fold.

In the interview, Storn discusses when to use AI, why you want candidates to have a good interview experience even if they don’t join the company, and how to create a more diverse talent pool. His recruitment strategy hinges on two principles: finding the best candidates and developing a positive view of the company, no matter where they are in the funnel.

“Remember that people are learning about your company at the same time they’re learning about potential careers, so it’s a critical inflection point in the recruitment process,” Storm said to StrategicCHRO360.

The biggest challenge that fast-growing companies like Booster face, Storn explains, is that it can take too long to fill the talend funnel with consistent candidate quality. This is where talent acquisition AI and technology really shine, because it can significantly cut down the hours that aren’t an efficient use of the team’s time. This gives them more time to focus on fostering meaningful connections with candidates. It also makes room for deeper employer branding efforts, which help to ensure Booster attracts the right candidates over the long-term.

As other fast-growing companies work to build their talent funnels, Storn urges them to be open to new technologies, and to be sure to measure success along the way. And above all, to cast a wide net but be specific about who you’re putting on your shortlists.

“Be intentional about making sure you have quality, diverse candidates in your funnel to expand the type of talent you’re ultimately bringing into the company,” said Storn. “You want your entire funnel to be diverse, not just the people within it, so you’re pre-empting any bias coming into the equation.”

Interested in joining the team at Booster? Browse our job openings here.