March 2025: Employ Acquires Pillar, Silver Linings in European Defense and Some Love.
Goedendag (Good Day) from the Netherlands, Job Board Doctor Friends! The Job Board Doctor team is busy with plenty of business—and a little bit of fun—in several beautiful Dutch cities this week. More on that later, as there’s too much happening in the world to delay.
What is making news this week? Employ acquires Pillar, HeyMilo makes Money Moves, Vetty makes more People Moves, US chaos brings opportunity to Europe, Shauna Cole talks diversity recruitment in an new political landscape, and of course, love.
Let’s do this!
Mergers and Acquisitions
Employ Acquires Pillar
Employ has added another hot commodity to its growing talent acquisition solution set. Employ—a conglomeration of TA technology including Jobvite, JazzHR, Lever, and NXTThing RPO—acquired Pillar.HR this week.
Pillar, an AI interview intelligence solution, was founded in 2019 and led by CEO and Founder Mark Simpson, along with Chief Technology Officer Jordan Sherer.
Regarding the acquisition, Employ CEO Steve Cox shared:
“As hiring evolves, we’re doubling down on people-first, industry-leading solutions that give our customers a competitive edge—without sacrificing the personal touch that defines great hiring.”
Money Moves
HeyMilo Secures $2.2 Million in Seed Funding
HeyMilo, an AI candidate screening platform, announced $2.2 million in seed funding led by Canaan Partners. The company focuses on using agentic AI for screening, interviewing, and analysis at scale.
One item in the press release caught my eye: The AI agent uses “knockout questions” to screen candidates—one of the most common AUTOMATION practices in U.S. hiring workflows.
How is that AI? Good question. Maybe it is, maybe it isn’t—but it’s a great reminder of why buyers must know how to spot the difference.
People Moves
Vetty welcomes Michelle Meehan to the C-suite—an undoubtedly brilliant decision. Meehan steps into the CMO role following last month’s announcement of new CEO Jason Putnam, reuniting the dynamic duo.
U.S. Chaos Creates European Opportunity
It took a lot for me to resist making this week’s newsletter a full-on lament about the current state of affairs in the United States. For Americans—at least those of us informed enough to understand the economic implications—it’s difficult not to dwell on what’s happened over the last week.
Yet, in the storm clouds, silver linings gleam for the rest of the world—most visibly in Europe.
Following the U.S. announcement of ceasing aid and intelligence-sharing with Ukraine, Europe has come to a collective realization: The continent must now plan, act, and build security and trade infrastructure without relying on the world’s former superpower.
Just as the U.S. experienced an economic boom after WWII—creating unprecedented wealth for the Greatest Generation and Baby Boomers—Europe’s new focus on military and defense infrastructure could provide the economic boost the continent needs.
Worth a Watch
Shauna Cole, CEO and Founder of HireDiverse.ca, joins Peter Zollman and Steven Rothberg to discuss the role of job boards for diverse and underrepresented talent in an anti-DEI world.
🚨 Reality Check
Several Job Board Doctor friends reported back from HR Tech Europe this week. The takeaway? Almost every vendor had “AI” in big, bold font splashed across their exhibit.
It reminded me of HR Tech U.S. in 2022 when Gerry Crispin asked how it felt to see “DEI” plastered all over the exhibit hall in a similar way. My response? It is mostly performative and no one knows how if the solutions actually work.
Sharing Some Travels Together
This past week has been filled with incredible moments and shared memories with our friends in the TA community.
Huge congratulations to Chris Long and Maren Hogan (TA’s second-cutest couple) on their engagement! Chad and I are beyond humbled to be part of your love story.
A big thank you to Geert-Jan and the Intelligence Group for the Champions League quarterfinal match between their beloved Feyenoord and Inter Milan. Unfortunately, the Rotterdam-based team didn’t best the highly rated Italians—but for us, it was a once-in-a-lifetime experience we couldn’t be more grateful for.
And of course, a little business happened too! We met with the Omek team and worked on podcast business for Talent Chasing with co-host, Jasper Spanjaart.
Til next week,
The Doc
[Want to get Job Board Doctor posts via email? Subscribe here.]
This Post Has 0 Comments