The Frontlines with The Gap's Steve White

From The Frontlines · 32:35

Show by Tim Sackett

“The Gap is back!”—and in this episode of The Frontlines, we’re going behind the scenes with the talent acquisition leader helping the iconic retailer build the workforce behind its resurgence.Hosts Tim Sackett and Madeline Laurano sit down with Steve White, Talent Acquisition Leader at Gap Inc., for an energetic conversation about frontline hiring, candidate experience, AI, employer brand, and the business impact of great recruiting. With more than 80,000 employees across Gap, Old Navy, Banana Republic, and Athleta, Steve has a massive opportunity—and responsibility—to connect talent strategy directly to the growth of some of retail’s most recognizable brands.Steve shares his playbook for entering a new TA leadership role, beginning with a deceptively simple question: How does the business make money? Instead of immediately obsessing over open requisitions, time-to-fill, and recruiting activity, he focuses on understanding the company’s strategy, building relationships, creating space for healthy conflict, and aligning TA around the business problems that matter most.The conversation also tackles one of the biggest challenges in frontline hiring today: speed. Candidate expectations have fundamentally changed. People can order a product and receive it the next day, so why should they wait a week to hear back about a job? For today’s frontline candidates, hiring speed is no longer measured in days—it’s measured in minutes and hours.Steve explains how Gap Inc. is using Paradox and its AI assistant, “Bridget,” to simplify hiring, engage candidates faster, and create more consistent experiences at scale. The group explores how technology can help employers treat every applicant fairly—even the 99% who may not receive an offer—and turn rejected candidates into future applicants, brand advocates, and loyal customers.And that leads to one of the episode’s biggest ideas: You cannot separate the candidate from the consumer. Every recruiting interaction has the potential to strengthen—or damage—the company’s consumer brand, employer brand, and revenue. As Steve puts it, every open requisition is ultimately a business problem waiting to be solved.In this episode, you’ll discover: Why TA leaders must understand how their organization makes money How to connect recruiting outcomes to revenue, margin, and growth Why frontline candidates now expect answers within minutes or hours How AI and automation can improve speed, consistency, and fairness Why candidate experience and customer experience are inseparable How to turn unsuccessful applicants into raving fans of your brand Why TA needs to move beyond “filling seats” and solve real business problemsA special thank you to Workday and Paradox for sponsoring The Frontlines and supporting the conversations transforming frontline hiring.If you lead talent acquisition, frontline recruiting, employer branding, or recruiting technology, this is an episode you do not want to miss.

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