Sourcing Recruiting Partnerships

Chris Hoyt: So at CareerXroads—CXR—we have t-shirts we’ve done for charity events. Troy Hatch, you know, we do the CXR Cares program, and we give out branded shirts that say “CXR Cares” on the back with our domain for any charity work we do. We also had jackets made, I think two years ago, with a big CXR logo. They’re nice jackets, and we like them. But I have to tell you, Hatch, I see you in that branded pullover, and I miss the days of corporate when every month or so someone would roll in with a t-shirt, a hoodie, a logo backpack…

Hatch Reppard: Yeah, I would say that Troy and I are lucky. I think the kings of swag at CarMax are definitely our technology division—they love some branded swag. And since we support them, we get the little brother effect—we get kept on the list for swag. So we get our fair share of it, and then you get the occasional vendor who leaves a pile of hoodies or Yetis or something like that.

Chris Hoyt: I like the differentiator—hoodies or Yetis.

Hatch Reppard: And the occasional knockoff Yeti, right? This one, I actually really like. Great weight and all that. I think this was the first thing we had with both CarMax and Edmunds on it, after we acquired Edmunds. It was for our hackathon day—Innovation Garage. Everything has to be a car pun.

Chris Hoyt: Is your closet like mine? By the time I left PepsiCo and AT&T, I had like two years of wearing branded swag until it fell apart. Sometimes I’d forget what the acronyms even meant.

Troy Shullick: I don’t have a ton of CarMax swag, but in my previous life in the Air Force—I spent over a decade in Air Force recruiting. Before I was a recruiter, I didn’t wear anything Air Force-related. Then suddenly, I wore nothing but branded Air Force gear. When I retired, yes, I had a whole closet full—polos, t-shirts, hoodies. I’m slowly building my CarMax collection now, but I’m not at that level yet.

Chris Hoyt: Well, Hatch brought his A game, Troy. I’m a little disappointed.

Troy Shullick: The funny thing is, I had a CarMax t-shirt on earlier. I thought it might not be appropriate for the venue, so I changed to a polo. I didn’t know Hatch would roll in with the full-on branded swag!

Chris Hoyt: I think it would’ve been fine. Maybe five of our seven or eight listeners are actually watching. They’re probably on the treadmill, on the StairMaster, getting it done.

Well, we do have some work to talk about today, believe it or not. You guys ready?

Troy Shullick: Yeah, let’s do it.

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Announcer: Welcome to the CXR channel, our premier podcast for talent acquisition and talent management. Listen in as the CXR community discusses a wide range of topics focused on attracting, engaging, and retaining the best talent. We’re glad you’re here.

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Chris Hoyt: Welcome, welcome, welcome to the Recruiting Community Podcast. I’m your host, Sherlock Holmes, ready to unravel the mysteries of talent acquisition. Unfortunately, my trusty sidekick Dr. Watson—aka Jerry—is off on another adventure and couldn’t join today.

This week, we’re joined by two CXR community members from CarMax: Hatch and Troy. They’ll introduce themselves shortly, but we’re talking about the dynamics between sourcing recruiters and corporate recruiters—and how to build a successful partnership.

A lot of you have experienced these challenges—some successfully, some not so much. For some of you, this might even bring back a little team-merging trauma.

We are streaming across social channels—YouTube, Facebook, LinkedIn, maybe even Twitch, Instagram, and TikTok. You can find previous and upcoming episodes at cxr.works/podcast.

This podcast is a labor of love. We’ve done over 400 episodes because we know a lot of great people with a lot of great insights. These two guests are no exception.

If you’re watching live on LinkedIn, go ahead and drop a question in the chat—either for our guests or just to say hello. We follow up with every message.

Also, you’ll see a little QR code in the corner. That’s for the CXR Foundation, our 501(c)(3). We’ve raised almost $34,000 for scholarships and programs—like the CXR Inspire Scholarship, the Russ Mountain Scholarship, the History of Recruiting, and TA Talk Tank. No board members are paid. It’s all about giving back to the TA community.

Okay! Let’s welcome our guests. Here’s Troy and Hatch.

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Troy Shullick: Thanks for having us.

Hatch Reppard: Great to be here.

Chris Hoyt: So, Hatch, give us your escalator pitch—who are you, and why should folks care about what you’ve got to say?

Hatch Reppard: I’m Hatch Reppard, Senior Manager of Corporate Talent Acquisition at CarMax. I’ve been in TA for over 15 years now, which was a bit of a realization for me at a recent event! I’ve worked agency-side and now in corporate, and I’ve supported a wide range of functions, especially in tech. I bring a blended perspective from both sides of the desk.

Chris Hoyt: Love it. Fifteen years—cute. I’m coming up on 30, and it does go fast. Troy, how about you?

Troy Shullick: I’m Troy Shullick, Sourcing Manager at CarMax. I lead a team supporting technology, strategy, and military hiring. I come from an Air Force background with over a decade in military recruiting, and now I’ve been in corporate for about four years.

Chris Hoyt: Thanks for your service, Troy.

So, let’s get into it. You’ve built a sourcing structure that works in tandem with corporate recruiting. That’s not easy. How does CarMax define the roles of sourcing recruiters vs. corporate recruiters?

Hatch Reppard: It’s been an evolution. Troy and I joined the company around the same time, just after COVID. We had a bit of a blank slate and were able to shape the model collaboratively. There was a foundation in place, but we rebuilt it with more intentional structure.

Troy Shullick: What makes it work is the relationship and communication. We meet weekly with the corporate team, have real-time conversations throughout the week, and Hatch and I stay very aligned. That ongoing dialogue is crucial.

Chris Hoyt: What strategies have been most effective in building that partnership?

Hatch Reppard: One big one was developing an “interaction model.” It’s a continuum—from first candidate contact to hire—that maps out who does what, when, and where the handoffs happen. It also identifies the gray areas where flexibility is okay.

Troy Shullick: And when things go off track, we don’t solve it for them—we connect the individuals and say, “You two need to talk.” That conversation builds trust.

Chris Hoyt: So you’ve got shared visibility, clarity on handoffs, and good communication. What about accountability? How do you measure success for sourcing versus recruiting?

Troy Shullick: We revisit that every year. Sourcers are measured on submittals and offers extended—things they can control. We’re not tying them to hires because they don’t own the full process.

Hatch Reppard: It’s quantity and quality. Submittals give us quantity; offers give us quality. That way, we avoid the trap of just pushing volume at the expense of fit.

Chris Hoyt: What’s a common challenge between the teams, and how do you resolve it?

Hatch Reppard: The most common is simple: communication gaps. Sometimes a sourcer will keep moving with a hiring manager and forget to loop in the recruiter—or vice versa. It’s not malice—it’s just momentum. When that happens, we step back and realign.

Chris Hoyt: What advice would you give to an org looking to build a sourcing/recruiting partnership?

Troy Shullick: Connect the teams as closely as possible. The more they interact, the better they function.

Hatch Reppard: And pick up the phone. Don’t email. Don’t Slack. Talk it out—especially when something feels off.

Chris Hoyt: Conflict isn’t confrontation. Talking it out builds relationships. We end every episode with a question: if you were going to write a book about this experience, what would the title be? Troy?

Troy Shullick: Mine would be Teamwork. That’s what it all comes down to.

Chris Hoyt: Hatch?

Hatch Reppard: Clear Is Kind. One of my recruiters taught me that phrase—it really captures the heart of successful collaboration.

Chris Hoyt: One last curveball—who gets the first signed copy of your book?

Hatch Reppard: Tom Bailey—my mentor for 10 years in staffing.

Troy Shullick: Jack McCarthy—he hired me into CarMax and took a chance on me.

Chris Hoyt: Love it. Gentlemen, thank you both so much for joining us today and sharing your story.

Troy Shullick: Happy to be here.

Hatch Reppard: Thanks, Chris!

Chris Hoyt: For everyone else, check out cxr.works/podcast for upcoming shows, and we’ll see you next time!

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