Rob reconnects with longtime friend and HubSpot’s VP of Talent Acquisition & Mobility, Becky McCullough, for a conversation that spans nearly a decade of growth, both personal and organizational. Becky shares how trust, flexibility, and curiosity have kept her at HubSpot for 10+ years, and why she encourages her team to take recruiter calls (really). They also dig into HubSpot’s AI-first approach to hiring, performance, and engagement, including how they’re assessing AI fluency without bias, and why “show your prompt” might be the new “show your work.” Plus: Becky’s spicy take on why direct reports shouldn’t be part of hiring their boss.

📌 Key Takeaways

• Why Becky encourages her team to take phone screens with external recruiters—and how it builds trust

• HubSpot’s shift from reactive HR to strategic workforce planning

• How AI fluency is becoming table stakes in hiring (and how to assess it equitably)

• The role of trust in employee engagement surveys—and why honesty is a signal

• Why Becky believes direct reports shouldn’t help hire their boss

• How HubSpot uses Qualtrics and AI to synthesize feedback fast

• The balance between fast AI adoption and responsible implementation

• Why hiring is (still) a team sport—and TA shouldn’t be “the hiring police”

🔗 Links

Becky McCullough on LinkedIn

LHH Recruitment Solutions 

A Beautiful Working World

A Soundbeam Studios Production