Hiring as Improv: Embracing the Unscripted in Job Searches (EP.85)

About this episode

This episode explores the concept of hiring as improvisation, featuring insights from experts in the performing arts and organizational leadership.

In this episode, we explore what it means to approach hiring as improvisation—especially from the perspective of job seekers navigating ambiguous, pressure-filled, and often inequitable processes. Joining host Tim Cynova are two brilliant minds who live at the intersection of the performing arts and organizational transformation: Courtney Harge, founder of CHarge Advisory Hub and Kate Stadel, General Manager of Arts at YMCA Calgary. Both bring deep experience in theater and arts leadership—and share how their training has shaped how they build teams, lead organizations, and show up in interviews. We explore: Why job seekers rarely get a full script—and how to adapt when you’re handed a vague prompt How theater skills like reading a room, holding tension, and embracing failure help candidates and hiring managers alike What hiring managers can do to reduce unnecessary ambiguity and bring more care and intention into the process Why “just be yourself” is both true and insufficient advice—and how to pick which version of yourself to show up as Why sometimes the goal is to “interview to get fired”—so you and the organization can learn quickly if it’s a fit Whether you’re hiring, job…

People in this episode

Host: Tim Cynova

Guests: Courtney Harge, Kate Stadel

Topics covered

• hiring
• improvisation
• job searching
• theater skills
• organizational transformation
• interviews

Keywords

• improv
• job seekers
• theater skills
• hiring managers
• interviews
• ambiguity
• feedback
• storytelling

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: CHarge Advisory Hub, YMCA Calgary

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