{"podcast":{"title":"The HR Life Podcast","slug":"the-hr-life-podcast-7368906","podcast_index_feed_id":7368906,"rss_url":"https://feeds.transistor.fm/the-hr-life-podcast","website_url":"https://thehrlifepodcast.transistor.fm/","image_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/BVjrIn3cLzcZ9amAQWcRnMP_HccdWgMf8DJ0MnI2Q0w/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:1400/h:1400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9jODk0/MWQzOTZhY2IyMDVi/ODhhMWZmY2EyZTFl/ZGU0Ny5wbmc.jpg","author":"Tony Benjamin","episode_count":61,"summary":"The HR Life Podcast is a show about the work-life experience of those of us in Human Resources and business leadership. This long-form podcast is a conversation, casual, and not always the corporate line. Hosts and guests touch on everything from serious or even controversial topics to the absurdity of modern American business practices. Your hosts are Tony Benjamin, owner and founder of The Grange Strategic HR Consulting, and Steven J. Smith, Author of The Hiring Tree: Laws of Applicant Attraction and all-around important guy. Guests include the best minds in the HR world. Join the show weekly.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-29T00:17:32.802408+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hr-life-podcast-7368906"},"episode":{"title":"EP 36 Is The ATS Out To Get You? An Empty Red Seat Conversation on a Deserted Island","slug":"ep-36-is-the-ats-out-to-get-you-an-empty-red-seat-conversation-on-a-deserted-island","published_at":"2026-02-17T13:00:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hr-life-podcast-7368906/ep-36-is-the-ats-out-to-get-you-an-empty-red-seat-conversation-on-a-deserted-island","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hr-life-podcast-7368906","url":"https://share.transistor.fm/s/bb8580f3","audio_url":"https://media.transistor.fm/bb8580f3/9060a412.mp3","summary":"In this episode of The HR Life Podcast , \"Fantastic\" Tony Benjamin and Stephen “Big Deal” Smith tackle one of the biggest villains in today’s job market: the Applicant Tracking System. The guys kick things off with a slightly terrifying (and mildly hilarious) detour into rogue AI bots that call you when you ignore them — because nothing says “future of work” like software that won’t let you ghost it. If you’ve ever blamed “the system” for your job search frustrations, this episode might change your perspective — or at least help you understand what the guys on the other side of the screen are really doing. And no, the ATS isn’t calling your phone. Probably. Learn more about \"Fantastic\" Tony Benjamin at: https://www.thegrangellc.com/ Learn More about Steven \"Big Deal\" Smith at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/ Learn more about the books mentioned in the podcast at: https://thehiringtreebook.com/hr-life-podcast Learn more about our sponsor MegaStarHR at: https://www.megastarhr.com/ Learn more about Pucks for Autism at: https://www.pucksforautism.com/ Watch the Trailer for Send Help here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R4wiXj9NmEE No AI's or ATS's were injured during the recording of this episode. (Or even maligned. We love AI, no, really.)","meta_description":"In this episode of The HR Life Podcast , \"Fantastic\" Tony Benjamin and Stephen “Big Deal” Smith tackle one of the biggest villains in today’s job market:…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":5651,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-hr-life-podcast-7368906/episodes/ep-36-is-the-ats-out-to-get-you-an-empty-red-seat-conversation-on-a-deserted-island/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-hr-life-podcast-7368906/ep-36-is-the-ats-out-to-get-you-an-empty-red-seat-conversation-on-a-deserted-island.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}