Commercial Banker jobs in United States, Alabama, Birmingham

About this role:

Upon required licensing and SAFE registration, the Relationship Banker LP (SAFE) employee will transition to the Relationship Banker (SAFE) role.

The following job profile is intended to provide a general sense of what Relationship Bankers do; however, the day-to-day duties and responsibilities will differ from branch to branch and even banker to banker depending on several variables, including (but not limited to) years of experience, complement of customers serviced, banking services and options of various customers, and customer needs.

In this role you will:

• Employees who are not fully licensed at the time of hire will participate in the Branch Banking Licensed Banker licensing program as a Relationship Banker LP (SAFE). This is a temporary position until employee has successfully completed licensing requirements. Upon successful completion, employees will transition to the Relationship Banker (SAFE) role and perform the following duties:
• Participate in building relationships with customers and spend time understanding required needs
• Identify opportunities for offering a full range of Wells Fargo retail banking deposit and credit products and services, based on customers' needs
• Analyze tactical business challenges related to full-service banking experience to emerging affluent and high-value customers
• Present recommendations for resolving inquiries and service requests regarding customers' accounts
• Open and service accounts within authorized limits, create plans for follow-up and scheduled contacts with customers
• Provide information to internal partners and external sources to further enhance the customer experience
• Identify opportunities to leverage partners and connect customer with the appropriate partner or relationship manager to meet their needs
• Partner with financial advisors to understand appropriate introductions to address the needs of customers with investment or retirement needs
• Provide self-service digital banking options to customers
• This SAFE position has customer contact and job duties which may include the offering/negotiating of terms and/or taking an application for a dwelling secured transaction. As such, this position requires compliance with the SAFE Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 and all related regulations. Ongoing employment is contingent upon meeting all such requirements, including acceptable background investigation results. Individuals in a SAFE position also must meet the Loan Originator requirements under Regulation Z (LO) outlined in the job expectations below

Required Qualifications:

• 2+ years of customer service experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education
• 1+ year of assessing and meeting the needs of customers or helping with issue resolution, demonstrated through work or military experience
• 1+ year of building and maintaining effective relationships with customers and partners

Desired Qualifications:

• Successfully completed Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 6 and Series 63 examinations (or FINRA recognized equivalents) sufficient to qualify for immediate FINRA registration
• State Insurance license(s)
• Customer service focus with experience handling transactions across multiple systems
• Proficient with proactively sourcing, acquiring, building, and maintaining relationships with customers and colleagues
• Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Knowledge and understanding of book of business processes to actively manage a group of Wells Fargo customers to meet their needs and grow the business
• Ability to be proactive, innovative, and creative in meeting customer and enterprise needs
• Ability to make client calls and actively participate in the sales development process
• Knowledge and understanding of retail compliance controls, risk management, and loss prevention
• Ability to follow policies, procedures, and regulations
• High motivation with ability to successfully meet team objectives while maintaining individual performance
• Experience mentoring and peer- coaching
• Experience assessing customer needs and recommending products/services to fulfill those needs
• Experience using business acumen to provide financial services consultation to small business customers
• Knowledge and understanding of financial services consumer lending products
• Ability to educate and connect customer to technology and share the value of mobile banking options
• Ability to interact with integrity and professionalism with customers and employees

Job Expectations:

• Ability to work a schedule that may include most Saturdays
• Adherence to Wells Fargo sales practices risk management culture
• Current registration for FINRA Series 6 and Series 63 (or FINRA recognized equivalents) is required for this role or must be completed within a specified period. For specific FINRA qualification exams obtained after 9/30/2018, the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam co-requisite will be required
• For the following states where hired, FINRA Series 65 (or equivalent) examination will also be required to be attempted within a specified period of time: AK, AL, CT, DE, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, MD, MI, MN, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NM, OR, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, and WY. The State of WY permits referral-only licensed bankers to receive the IAR registration without completing the Series 65/66 exam requirement. This list of states is subject to change and Series 65 (or equivalent) licensing requirement would be based on current state requirements during employment
• State Insurance license(s) are required for this role and must be completed within a specified period
• Licensing requirements and expected completion timeline (determined by the number of licenses needed) will be communicated to the candidate upon offer acceptance
• Obtaining and/or maintaining appropriate Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) license(s) is required for ongoing employment in thisposition.Additional requirements include meeting enhanced financial fitness and criminal background standards. Wells Fargo will initiate the FINRA review process at the time of offer acceptance
• This position requires SAFE registration at the time of employment. Wells Fargo will initiate the SAFE registration process immediately after your employment start date. The Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) web site(http://fedregistry.nationwidelicensingsystem.org)provides the MU4R questions and registration required for employment in this position
• Individuals in Loan Originator (LO) positions must meet the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau qualification requirements and comply with related Wells Fargo policies. The LO qualification requirements include meeting applicable financial responsibility, character, general financial fitness, and criminal background standards
• A current credit report will be used to assess your financial responsibility and credit fitness; however, a credit score is not included as part of the evaluation. Successful candidates must also meet ongoing regulatory requirements including additional screening, if necessary
• This position is not eligible for Visa sponsorship

Wells Fargo Recruitment and Hiring Requirements:

b. Wells Fargo requires you to directly represent your own experiences during the recruiting and hiring process.

About this role:

Upon required licensing and SAFE registration, the Relationship Banker LP (SAFE) employee will transition to the Relationship Banker (SAFE) role.

The following job profile is intended to provide a general sense of what Relationship Bankers do; however, the day-to-day duties and responsibilities will differ from branch to branch and even banker to banker depending on several variables, including (but not limited to) years of experience, complement of customers serviced, banking services and options of various customers, and customer needs.

In this role you will:

• Employees who are not fully licensed at the time of hire will participate in the Branch Banking Licensed Banker licensing program as a Relationship Banker LP (SAFE). This is a temporary position until employee has successfully completed licensing requirements. Upon successful completion, employees will transition to the Relationship Banker (SAFE) role and perform the following duties:

• Participate in building relationships with customers and spend time understanding required needs

• Identify opportunities for offering a full range of Wells Fargo retail banking deposit and credit products and services, based on customers' needs

• Analyze tactical business challenges related to full-service banking experience to emerging affluent and high-value customers

• Present recommendations for resolving inquiries and service requests regarding customers' accounts

• Open and service accounts within authorized limits, create plans for follow-up and scheduled contacts with customers

• Provide information to internal partners and external sources to further enhance the customer experience

• Identify opportunities to leverage partners and connect customer with the appropriate partner or relationship manager to meet their needs

• Partner with financial advisors to understand appropriate introductions to address the needs of customers with investment or retirement needs

• Provide self-service digital banking options to customers

• This SAFE position has customer contact and job duties which may include the offering/negotiating of terms and/or taking an application for a dwelling secured transaction. As such, this position requires compliance with the SAFE Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 and all related regulations. Ongoing employment is contingent upon meeting all such requirements, including acceptable background investigation results. Individuals in a SAFE position also must meet the Loan Originator requirements under Regulation Z (LO) outlined in the job expectations below

Required Qualifications:

• 2+ years of customer service experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education

• 1+ year of assessing and meeting the needs of customers or helping with issue resolution, demonstrated through work or military experience

• 1+ year of building and maintaining effective relationships with customers and partners

Desired Qualifications:

• Successfully completed Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) Series 6 and Series 63 examinations (or FINRA recognized equivalents) sufficient to qualify for immediate FINRA registration

• State Insurance license(s)

• Customer service focus with experience handling transactions across multiple systems

• Proficient with proactively sourcing, acquiring, building, and maintaining relationships with customers and colleagues

• Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills

• Knowledge and understanding of book of business processes to actively manage a group of Wells Fargo customers to meet their needs and grow the business

• Ability to be proactive, innovative, and creative in meeting customer and enterprise needs

• Ability to make client calls and actively participate in the sales development process

• Knowledge and understanding of retail compliance controls, risk management, and loss prevention

• Ability to follow policies, procedures, and regulations

• High motivation with ability to successfully meet team objectives while maintaining individual performance

• Experience mentoring and peer- coaching

• Experience assessing customer needs and recommending products/services to fulfill those needs

• Experience using business acumen to provide financial services consultation to small business customers

• Knowledge and understanding of financial services consumer lending products

• Ability to educate and connect customer to technology and share the value of mobile banking options

• Ability to interact with integrity and professionalism with customers and employees

Job Expectations:

• Ability to work a schedule that may include most Saturdays

• Adherence to Wells Fargo sales practices risk management culture

• Current registration for FINRA Series 6 and Series 63 (or FINRA recognized equivalents) is required for this role or must be completed within a specified period. For specific FINRA qualification exams obtained after 9/30/2018, the Securities Industry Essentials (SIE) exam co-requisite will be required

• For the following states where hired, FINRA Series 65 (or equivalent) examination will also be required to be attempted within a specified period of time: AK, AL, CT, DE, HI, IA, ID, IN, KS, MD, MI, MN, MS, MT, NC, ND, NE, NM, OR, SC, SD, TN, TX, UT, VA, WA, WI, and WY. The State of WY permits referral-only licensed bankers to receive the IAR registration without completing the Series 65/66 exam requirement. This list of states is subject to change and Series 65 (or equivalent) licensing requirement would be based on current state requirements during employment

• State Insurance license(s) are required for this role and must be completed within a specified period

• Licensing requirements and expected completion timeline (determined by the number of licenses needed) will be communicated to the candidate upon offer acceptance

• Obtaining and/or maintaining appropriate Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) license(s) is required for ongoing employment in thisposition.Additional requirements include meeting enhanced financial fitness and criminal background standards. Wells Fargo will initiate the FINRA review process at the time of offer acceptance

• This position requires SAFE registration at the time of employment. Wells Fargo will initiate the SAFE registration process immediately after your employment start date. The Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) web site(http://fedregistry.nationwidelicensingsystem.org)provides the MU4R questions and registration required for employment in this position

• Individuals in Loan Originator (LO) positions must meet the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau qualification requirements and comply with related Wells Fargo policies. The LO qualification requirements include meeting applicable financial responsibility, character, general financial fitness, and criminal background standards

• A current credit report will be used to assess your financial responsibility and credit fitness; however, a credit score is not included as part of the evaluation. Successful candidates must also meet ongoing regulatory requirements including additional screening, if necessary

• This position is not eligible for Visa sponsorship

Wells Fargo Recruitment and Hiring Requirements:

b. Wells Fargo requires you to directly represent your own experiences during the recruiting and hiring process.

In this role, you will:

• Prospect companies with annual gross sales between $100MM - $500MM and remain engaged until prospects are successfully converted to customers
• Act as an advisor to senior leadership to develop and lead market and other large-scale planning efforts, by conducting competitive analyses, leveraging business tools, and applying market insights to identify areas of opportunity across groups and functions
• Lead the strategy and resolution of highly complex and unique challenges of prospects’ needs and in-depth evaluation of Wells Fargo’s offerings, considering profitability and risk to the Commercial Bank and coordination of highly complex activities and guidance to others
• Provide vision, direction, and expertise to senior leadership on implementing innovative and significant business solutions within the Commercial Banking Business Development group that are large-scale, cross-functional, and companywide strategies
• Strategically engage with all levels of professionals and managers across the enterprise to improve processes and risk control, resolve prospects’ issues while achieving Wells Fargo’s business objectives, and represent the company externally; serve as an expert advisor to leadership and as a mentor for less experienced colleagues
• Lead the identification and sourcing of prospects and engage in both cold and warm outreach, employing strategies focused on generating new, profitable Commercial Banking relationships
• Understand the full suite of financial solutions offered by Wells Fargo to Commercial Banking clients and the financial solutions currently used by each prospect
• Strategically collaborate with relationship managers and product organizations in prospect interactions through closing of the first transactions, by leading internal coordination to develop and present financial solutions to prospects

Required Qualifications:

• 7+ years of Commercial Banking Business Development experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education

Desired Qualifications:

• Proven track record and experience in direct sourcing and prospecting new clients
• Commercial banking account relationship management experience for clients with annual revenue of$100MM to $500MM.
• Commercial or Middle Market account relationship management experience
• Established network in the city of Detroit and surrounding area
• Existing local in-market network to fuel new client acquisition {or business development}
• Experience developing partnerships and collaborating with other business and functional areas
• Treasury Management product knowledge
• Experience building relationships with community organizations and key community influencers
• Proven ability to develop and execute a sales strategy on multiple prospects simultaneously
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Effective organizational, multi-tasking, and prioritizing skills
• Proficient with MS Technology Platforms (i.e., Excel, PowerPoint, Word, Outlook, etc.)
• Credit acumen demonstrated through education
• Risk management experience to include understanding of the responsibility to protect sensitive information
• Bachelor’s degree preferred

Job Expectations:

• This position is not eligible for Visa sponsorship
• This position offers a hybrid work schedule
• Specific compliance policies may apply regarding outside activities or personal investing; affected employees will be expected to provide information to the Wells Fargo Personal Account Dealing Team and abide by applicable policy requirements if hired. Information will be shared about expectations during the recruitment process
• Ability to travel up to 25% of the time

Locations:

• 255 E Brown St., Birmingham, MI 48009

Wells Fargo Recruitment and Hiring Requirements:

b. Wells Fargo requires you to directly represent your own experiences during the recruiting and hiring process.

In this role you will:

• Participate in delivery of exceptional customer experience by building relationships through proactive outreach as well as proposing appropriate products, services, and digital solutions to help customers succeed financially
• Assist customers with basic requests related to opening new accounts, completing service requests, and submitting credit applications
• Receive direction from managers and exercise judgement within defined policies and procedures
• Develop understanding of bank products and services to connect to customers' needs
• Interact with customers to demonstrate care and build relationships
• Provide appropriate options for bank products and services to customer
• Refer customers' financial needs to other bankers and partners as needed
• This SAFE position has customer contact and job duties which may include the offering/negotiating of terms and/or taking an application for a dwelling secured transaction. As such, this position requires compliance with the S.A.F.E. Mortgage Licensing Act of 2008 and all related regulations. Ongoing employment is contingent upon meeting all such requirements, including acceptable background investigation results. Individuals in a SAFE position also must meet the Loan Originator requirements under Regulation Z (LO) outlined in the job expectations below

Required Qualifications:

• 6+ months of interacting with customers experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education

Desired Qualifications:

• Customer service focus with experience handling complex transactions across multiple systems
• Experience proactively engaging with customers through outreach via phone or email
• Ability to educate and connect customer to technology and share the value of mobile banking options
• Ability to help customers succeed financially by offering introductions to additional team members as appropriate
• Experience working with others on a team to meet customer needs
• Experience fostering and developing strong customer relationships
• Ability to build strong relationships with internal partners
• Ability to follow policies, procedures, and regulations
• Ability to identify potential fraud/risky accounts and take appropriate action to prevent loss
• Ability to interact with integrity and professionalism with customers and team members
• Relevant military experience including working with military protocol and instructions, enlisted evaluations, officer/leadership reporting
• Relevant military experience including working in personnel benefits management, processing military personnel orders or transitions, wartime readiness operations, human resources or military recruiting
• Proficient with proactively sourcing, acquiring, building, and maintaining relationships with customers and colleagues
• Support customers and employees in resolving or escalating concerns or complaints

Job Expectations:

• Ability to work a schedule that may include most Saturdays
• Maintains cash drawer, cash handling and balancing and spends time completing service-related tasks as needed

• This position requires SAFE registration at the time of employment. Wells Fargo will initiate the SAFE registration process immediately after your employment start date. The Nationwide Mortgage Licensing System (NMLS) website(http://fedregistry.nationwidelicensingsystem.org)provides the MU4R questions and registration required for employment in this position. Individuals in Loan Originator (LO) positions must meet the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau qualification requirements and comply with related Wells Fargo policies. The LO qualification requirements include meeting applicable financial responsibility, character, general financial fitness and criminal background standards. A current credit report will be used to assess your financial responsibility and credit fitness, however, a credit score is not included as part of the evaluation. Successful candidates must also meet ongoing regulatory requirements including additional screening, if necessary
• This position is not eligible for Visa sponsorship

Posting Location(s):

• VESTAVIA - 641 Montgomery Hwy - Vestavia Hills - AL - 35216
• SUMMIT - 301 Summit Blvd - Birmingham - AL - 35243
• RIVERCHASE - 3089 Hwy 150 - Birmingham - AL - 35244
• OAK MOUNTAIN - 2261 Hwy 31 S - Pelham - AL - 35124
• COLONIAL PROMENADE - 500 Colonial Promenade Pkwy - Alabaster - AL - 35007
• MOUNTAIN BROOK - 2843 Cahaba Rd - Mountain Brook - AL - 35223
• HOOVER - 1600 Montgomery Hwy - Hoover - AL - 35216
• GREENSPRINGS -325 W Valley Ave - Birmingham - AL - 35209
• HARBERT PLAZA - 1901 6th Ave N - Birmingham - AL - 35203
• UAB - 316 18th St S - Birmingham - AL - 35233
• BROOK HIGHLAND - 5376 Hwy 280 - Birmingham - AL - 35242
• TRACE CROSSING - 2527 John Hawkins Pkwy - Hoover - AL - 35244

Wells Fargo Recruitment and Hiring Requirements:

b. Wells Fargo requires you to directly represent your own experiences during the recruiting and hiring process.

As a Product Manager for Merchant Services Servicing and Operations, you will support the development and execution of the product strategy and roadmap for our Servicing and Operations tools. A key aspect of your role will be assisting in stakeholder interactions to understand their needs, gather feedback, and help represent our tools effectively. You will work closely with cross-functional teams to contribute to solutions that meet the evolving needs of our clients and service teams that support. Your role will be important in ensuring our servicing solutions are intuitive, insightful, and impactful.

Key Responsibilities

• Assist in developing and communicating the product vision and strategy for Merchant Services Servicing and Operations.
• Support stakeholder engagement efforts to gather and prioritize product requirements, ensuring our solutions align with their needs and expectations.
• Collaborate with internal teams regarding servicing tool related inquiries and feedback.
• Contribute to defining and managing the product roadmap, ensuring alignment with company goals and customer needs.
• Assist in conducting analysis and market research to identify opportunities for automation.
• Monitor product performance and user feedback to support continuous improvement and innovation.
• Help develop and deliver product training and documentation to ensure successful adoption and utilization of servicing and operations tools.

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Computer Science, or a related field.
• X years of experience in product management or a related field, preferably in the financial services or fintech industry.
• Basic understanding of merchant services preferred.
• Demonstrated ability to support the launch and management of software products.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to collaborate effectively with cross-functional teams and engage with clients.
• Ability to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment.

In this role, you will:

• Lead complex market and other large scale planning efforts with Commercial Banking Business Development, by conducting competitive analyses, leveraging business tools, and applying market insights to identify areas of opportunity
• Review and analyze complex, multi-faceted or larger scale prospects’ needs and Wells Fargo’s offerings, considering profitability and risk to Commercial Banking
• Make decisions in complex and multi-faceted situations within the Commercial Banking Business Development group requiring solid understanding of relevant policies, procedures, and compliance requirements that influence and lead team to meet deliverables and drive new initiatives
• Strategically collaborate and consult with peers, colleagues, and middle to senior level managers to resolve prospects’ issues while achieving Wells Fargo’s business objectives, by helping prospects navigate processes and escalating inquiries when needed; serve as a mentor for less experienced colleagues
• Identify and source complex prospects and engage in both cold and warm outreach, and lead team to employ strategies focused on generating new, profitable Commercial Banking relationships
• Understand the full suite of financial solutions offered by Wells Fargo to Commercial Banking clients and the financial solutions currently used by each prospect
• Collaborate with relationship managers and product organizations in prospect interactions through closing of the first transactions, by leading internal coordination to develop and present financial solutions to prospects

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of Commercial Banking Business Development experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education

Desired Qualifications:

• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of core banking products and services, such as commercial lending and treasury management
• Completion of formal credit training program
• Commercial banking account relationship management experience for clients with annual revenue of $25MM to $2B
• Established local in-market network with demonstrated knowledge of the Birmingham metro area and the broader Alabama / Mississippi market
• Demonstrated experience working collaboratively to deliver the organization to clients and prospects
• Demonstrated experience generating new client relationships, building and retaining long-term client relationships
• Experience identifying and mitigating risk, ensuring compliance with processes and procedures
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills

Job Expectations:

• This position is not eligible for Visa sponsorship
• Specific compliance policies may apply regarding outside activities or personal investing; affected employees will be expected to provide information to the Wells Fargo Personal Account Dealing Team and abide by applicable policy requirements if hired. Information will be shared about expectations during the recruitment process
• Ability to travel up to 30 percent of the time

Location:

• 1901 6th Avenue North, Suite 400 - Birmingham, Alabama 35203

Wells Fargo Recruitment and Hiring Requirements:

b. Wells Fargo requires you to directly represent your own experiences during the recruiting and hiring process.

In this role, you will:

• Drive strategic customer selection by focusing on companies with annual revenues typically up to $100 million, aligning with growth objectives and market opportunity
• Proven ability to develop and grow client relationships through a well-established professional network in markets across Alabama and Mississippi, supporting targeted business development and client acquisition efforts
• Execute proactive customer engagement strategies to build comprehensive C&I relationships
• Acquire, deepen, and retain client relationships through a disciplined and strategic outreach approach
• Build comprehensive, cross-product relationships with core C&I prospective clients to drive long-term value
• Position Wells Fargo as the primary or sole banking partner by developing holistic client relationships
• Deliver proactive strategic guidance, insights, and thought leadership to add value and strengthen client partnerships
• Leverage CRM tools effectively to manage and track customer and prospect interactions
• Maintain accurate and complete relationship records to ensure visibility and continuity across teams
• Document client engagement and calling activity in a timely and precise manner
• Apply a disciplined approach to pipeline management to drive consistent business development results
• Collaborate with internal partners to identify and recommend best-fit solutions tailored to client needs
• Foster strong, cross-functional partnerships to enhance client experience and deliver integrated solutions

Required Qualifications:

• 5+ years of Commercial Banking Relationship Management experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education

Desired Qualifications:

• Comprehensive knowledge and understanding of core banking products and services, such as commercial lending and treasury management
• Completion of formal credit training program
• Commercial banking account relationship management experience for companies with annual revenues typically up to $100 million
• Established local in-market network with demonstrated knowledge of markets across Alabama and Mississippi
• Demonstrated experience generating new client relationships, building and retaining long-term client relationships
• Ability to drive new client acquisition by partnering across teams to cross-sell solutions, prioritize prospects, develop pursuit strategies, craft proposals, and lead onboarding through successful conversion
• Experience identifying and mitigating risk, ensuring compliance with processes and procedures
• Proven experience managing commercial banking relationships with a focus on client growth and retention
• Excellent verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
• Strong time management, organizational, and prioritization skills
• Self-motivated and able to work independently with minimal supervision
• Proven ability to build and maintain effective internal partnerships across functional teams
• History of successful sales pipeline management and consistent performance
• Strong in-market presence with an established network to support business development efforts

Job Expectations:

• This position is not eligible for Visa sponsorship
• Specific compliance policies may apply regarding outside activities or personal investing; affected employees will be expected to provide information to the Wells Fargo Personal Account Dealing Team and abide by applicable policy requirements if hired. Information will be shared about expectations during the recruitment process
• Ability to travel up to 50 % of the time

Location:

• 1901 6th Avenue North- BIRMINGHAM, AL 35203

Wells Fargo Recruitment and Hiring Requirements:

b. Wells Fargo requires you to directly represent your own experiences during the recruiting and hiring process.