Are you still screening for “polish” when your teams need grit, resilience, and potential? GCS CEO, David Bloxham, sits down with Chance Bleu-Montgomery, Bridge of Hope Ambassador Network Manager (Bridge of Hope Careers), to discuss practical strategies for inclusive, high-signal hiring that boosts retention and delivers measurable social value.
What you’ll learn:
Don’t miss out this conversation can reshape your 2025 hiring strategy.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro: David Bloxham and Chance Bleu-Montgomery
1:09 Chance’s story: resilience, prison, therapy (3y10m), Open University (5y), and a mission to change lives
4:08 Meeting James Fallows and joining Bridge of Hope Careers; broadening impact across veterans, neurodiversity, and more
6:12 Brands and partnerships: KPMG, Molson Coors, Diageo, GCS, Butler Rose, Retinue
7:25 Open Hiring explained (Body Shop): ditch the CV, ask 3 role-fit questions, widen the funnel
8:39 Leadership lesson: turning background into a strength; the “ask” that landed an office—and why negotiation matters
12:13 Why hidden talent doesn’t apply: ATS rejection cycles, lack of role models, and systemic barriers
14:17 Workplace realities: mental health trends and why grit and resilience matter
15:55 Hope as a driver: Aristotle’s “poverty is the mother of crime,” Timpson data on hiring returning citizens
19:05 What Bridge of Hope actually does: reducing barriers, supporting employers, moving beyond video interviews and CVs
20:02 Pivot to characteristics: grit, resilience, EQ, improvisation, perseverance; Mindset Makeover workshop results
24:18 Practical advice for leaders: masterclasses with empathy, hire for potential not polish, build social value into offers, make belonging a KPI
27:02 Interview prompts that work: “Tell me about a time you should have given up… but didn’t”
29:59 Common ground and the Maya Angelou reminder; low autism employment stats and what to change
31:23 Finding hidden talent: forums, podcasts, targeted outreach; Royal Mail and BAE Systems case studies
33:36 Traditional recruiting vs. hidden pools: new options for hard-to-fill roles
35:32 Bridge of Hope’s open-door approach: advice, not just services
36:01 End-to-end solution: charity partners (No Going Back, Key4Life, Pecan), equine therapy, From Grit to Great coaching
40:18 De-risking for employers: coaching cadence for managers and hires; batch hiring and social value math
41:20 Street recruitment vs. pro-social recruitment: county lines and the need to “recruit back”
43:19 Patience and pathways: 3–5 year plans; working for free to build experience and signal
45:21 Lessons from leading: coalition culture over competition in the third sector; avoiding tick-box greenwashing
49:24 Unconscious bias rethought: no guilt, actionable growth, better design for learning
50:29 What’s next: scaling justice-impacted hiring; c. £56k social value per hire; myth-busting masterclasses
53:22 Intergenerational impact: “Dad, I love who you are”—how one hire can change a family’s trajectory
54:32 Closing: how to connect; free keynote offer from Chance
#AI #TalentAcquisition #HRTech #OpenHiring #Grit #InclusiveHiring #SocialValue #FutureOfWork #ListenNow #Podcast
