The Chad & Cheese Podcast

Cheese is MIA, so Chad bring the ladies in to take over, and chaos follows:

StepStone celebrates record applications… during record job desperation. Spin level: Olympic gold.

AI agent harassment enters the chat.

IBM’s COBOL cash cow meets AI with a chainsaw.

Google’s “CareerDreamer” Copy prompt → paste → profit?

Kombo vs. Humand at 2 am

Tech layoffs are giving Hunger Games energy.

CEOs call unemployment “momentum.” Workers call it “rent’s due.”

AI in hiring: helpful assistant or reputation wrecking hallucination machine?

Stay tuned.

The Shred is a weekly roundup of what’s making headlines in the world of employment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.

Forget flashy career sites and catchy slogans—if you want to win the talent war in 2026, you need to stop being "attractive" and start being "choosable." In this episode, the boys sit down with employer branding heavyweight James Ellis, founder of Employer Brand Labs, to deconstruct the shallow misconceptions plaguing the industry.

Fresh off the release of his new book, Becoming Choosable, Ellis dives deep into why most companies fail by prioritizing aesthetics over substance. From a scathing critique of superficial Super Bowl ads to a masterclass on the NFL’s global expansion strategy, the conversation bridges the gap between high-level marketing and the gritty reality of talent acquisition.

Whether you're a mid-sized firm or a global powerhouse, tune in to learn how to define your company’s unique core identity and build a talent strategy that actually drives business growth.

Ready to find out if your brand is actually "choosable" or just wearing a fresh coat of paint? Give the episode a listen on the Chad and Cheese Podcast official site or your favorite streaming platform.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction to Employer Branding and the Podcast

02:17 - Super Bowl Insights and Branding Implications

05:18 - The Catalyst for Writing 'Becoming Choosable'

09:28 - Understanding Employer Branding and Business Growth

13:23 - The Future of Talent Acquisition and Branding Challenges

15:00 - The Importance of Brand in Recruitment

18:53 - Navigating the ATS Landscape

22:00 - The Role of Social Media in Employer Branding

29:58 - Targeting and Brand Messaging in a Holistic World

In the latest episode of The Chad & Cheese Podcast, HR’s "most dangerous" duo is back to slice through the industry noise with their signature brand of snark and real-talk.

This week, the boys dive into LinkedIn’s sudden quest for a personality, questioning if the platform can actually pull off being "funny" and what that cultural shift means for your professional feed.

The conversation heats up as they dissect Google's latest moves to monetize Google for Jobs, a play that could fundamentally disrupt the recruitment landscape and how employers reach talent.

Finally, things get sobering as they issue a blunt wake-up call to white-collar workers: evolve your skillset now or prepare for obsolescence in an AI-driven market. It’s a high-stakes mix of big tech power plays and career survival tactics that you won't want to miss.

Chapters

00:00 - Introduction and Banter

06:46 - Shout Outs and Industry Insights

10:24 - Travel Plans and Events

16:42 - Acquisition of BeApplied by Phenom

24:19 - Market Pressures and Company Valuations

27:51 - LinkedIn's Marketing Strategy Shift

34:18 - Google's Monetization of Job Searches

42:07 - The Future of White Collar Jobs

51:01 - Indeed's Smart Screening Updates

The Shred is a weekly roundup of what’s making headlines in the world of employment. The Shred is brought to you today by Jobcase.