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 October 31, 2026 West End Workforce

To Look, or Not to Look? Why Q4 is One of My Favorite Times of Year to Recruit

“Nobody is hiring in Q4” is an excuse. For candidates it’s game time, and for hiring managers it’s go time.

Companies are closing out the year and planning for January, and candidates are taking stock of their careers. Why waiting until Q1 costs you, why candidates should meet the team, why your employer brand gets researched like a first date, and why Q4 is the time for a pulse check with the people you already have.

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Team Voices September 24, 2026 Kelly Lovett

To-Go with Coffee, or Coffee's Got To-Go?

Is it appropriate to bring a coffee to a job interview? The internet is split. Our recruiters weigh in.

Coffee and career conversations go back to the 17th century coffee houses. Kelly Lovett traces the history, shares the coffee-meeting habit that landed her half a dozen interviews, and Kristin Mitchell Schaer gives the recruiter's answer to the viral BYOC debate.

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W|E Care August 21, 2026 West End Workforce

W|E Care: Giving Back to the Causes That Move Us

A portion of every dollar West End earns goes back to the communities we serve. Here is why, and who it reached in 2025.

In 2025, W|E Care supported 11 North American organizations. Two hold a special place in the story: the Arthritis Foundation and the Houston SPCA. Tracy Berglund, Kristin Mitchell Schaer and Misti Elder share what giving back means at West End, and the goal of growing W|E Care to $100,000 given back.

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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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