From the Team

Ideas worth reading.

Perspectives from the W|E team on hiring, careers, and the staffing landscape.

Team Voices

Written by our team.

Team Voices April 20, 2026 Kristin Mitchell Schaer

Spring Break, PTO, and Why I Stopped Apologizing for Taking Time Off

A reflection on why taking real time off is not a negotiation - and what it took to stop apologizing for it.

Kristin traces her experience navigating workplace PTO culture across different companies - from environments where vacation felt like a negotiation to finding a team that values outcomes over optics. The piece explores the “unlimited PTO paradox,” the moment a family health situation reordered her priorities, and why rest is not the opposite of performance.

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Team Voices April 5, 2024 Kristin Mitchell Schaer

Interview Day: Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid as a Team

Three mistakes hiring teams make on interview day that cost them the candidate they spent weeks recruiting.

Don’t be late. Know the role. Tell candidates where the company is going. Kristin draws on her experience coaching hiring managers - and on her years as a competitive basketball player - to make the case that game-day preparation is a team sport.

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Team Voices March 13, 2024 Kristin Mitchell Schaer

Interview Experience Series II: Don’t Do These Two Things When Preparing for an Interview

The two fastest ways to lose a top candidate before the interview even happens.

Canceling the interview - even in emergencies - sends a message about how your team operates under pressure. And scheduling too many interviewers for one candidate tells its own story about decision-making. Kristin offers a clear framework for how many interviewers is enough.

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Team Voices February 22, 2024 Kristin Mitchell Schaer

Before You Recruit: The 2 Must-Do’s for the New Wave of Hiring

Two things that have to happen before any candidate walks through your door.

Call it the “Hiring Experience,” not the process. And get your recruiter in the room before a single resume arrives. Kristin makes the case that preparation starts with language and ends with alignment.

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Insights & Updates

From the W|E desk.

Insights Tracy Berglund

The End of the Staffing Transaction

Why subscription staffing finally gives mid-market employers something the big agencies refuse to offer.

Awards West End Workforce

West End Workforce Named ClearlyRated Best of Staffing 2025

Third year running. 4.9-star average across 32 verified reviews.

For Employers Morgan Reyes

Five Questions Every Employer Should Ask a Staffing Firm

If your staffing partner can’t answer these, it’s not a partnership.

For Candidates Kara Okafor

How to Stand Out on a 15-Minute Candidate Call

What a recruiter is actually listening for in those first 60 seconds.

Press West End Workforce

West End Workforce Expands Houston HQ

New floor at our Louisiana Street office - supporting the federal practice ramp.

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