Gloria Espina on Human-First Hiring

At Yotru, we share the voices of people who are shaping how work gets done. Our Voices of Work series highlights practitioners who combine people-first thinking with practical systems. This time, we spoke with Gloria Espina, Founder of Recruitment Gal. Gloria is a bilingual systems strategist with more than 20 years in recruitment and operations. She has built hiring workflows for small businesses, scaled fast-moving teams, and now helps founders design processes that work without chaos.

Good vs. Great Hires

For Gloria, the difference between a good hire and a great hire is not found in the resume alone. “A good hire checks the boxes. A great hire fits the boxes and the space between them,” she said. She has seen many “perfect on paper” candidates fail to thrive because suitability was missing. A great hire does more than meet the role requirements. They align with the mission, the pace, and the style of communication in the team.

Some of the strongest hires Gloria has made did not have flashy resumes. They succeeded because they adapted quickly, made smart decisions with limited information, and elevated the people around them.

Scaling Without the Chaos

Every startup reaches a moment when simple systems stop working. “When files get weird and emails pile up, that’s not failure. That’s growth,” Gloria said. Her solution is to map the business into steps and departments, then connect those steps so work flows smoothly.

Onboarding is a good example. It is never just sending a contract. “You might need a DocuSign template, automated account creation through Zapier, training videos, and clear SOPs,” she explained. When each repeatable step has a defined path, teams spend less time chasing files or duplicating work.

This is also how we think about Yotru. Just like Gloria builds systems that cut clutter and reduce friction, Yotru makes resume building clear, structured, and easy. Candidates no longer need to guess at formats or wording. Instead, they can focus on showing their real impact.

Structure That Makes Hiring Human

Gloria believes structure is a foundation for fairness and speed. “Structure lets you compare apples to apples, not apples to resumes,” she said. A clear process with the same steps, questions, and scorecards reduces bias and keeps evaluations consistent.

Structure also creates space for deeper human conversations. When the process is organized, recruiters stop scrambling and start listening. “You can listen. You can understand the story,” Gloria said.

Technology That Serves People

Gloria’s approach to technology is simple. It should enhance human judgment, not replace it. She designed an applicant tracking system in Notion that teams actually use. “I want tech that people actually use,” she said. “If it takes more time than the problem it solves, people drop it.”

She has also created six custom GPTs, each focused on one area such as resumes, interview prep, or self-assessment. “They package knowledge. Same quality, anytime access,” she explained.

At Yotru, we share that belief. Think of it as a bridge between the speed of AI and the need for authenticity. Our goal is to give candidates tools that help them move faster while still sounding human, just as Gloria designs systems that people trust and actually use.

Early Career Advice

Gloria encourages early-career candidates to stop playing it safe. “Say what you bring. Show it,” she said. Many undersell their strengths and use vague language. She reminds candidates that self-expression is not unprofessional, it is memorable.

She also points to networking as a step that too many overlook. “Send the message. Ask the question. People hire people they connect with,” she said.

Cross-Cultural Talent as an Advantage

Through her Remote Work Academy, Gloria has seen how much potential exists across Latin America. “I built the Academy for Spanish-speaking professionals because the talent is there. They just need a fair shot,” she said. She believes bilingual and cross-cultural talent is not only valuable but a driver of business growth. “Cross-cultural hiring is not charity. It’s good business.”

The Role of Trust

Gloria recalled a candidate who looked like a job-hopper on paper but shared that they had gone through burnout. “Honesty changed the decision,” she said. By reframing the story to highlight resilience and self-awareness, the candidate landed in a role that matched their pace and values. For Gloria, trust begins with clear expectations. “No sugar-coating,” she said. Transparency on both sides makes alignment possible.

Advice for Founders

For founders making their first hire, Gloria’s advice is to slow down. “Write 30, 60, 90-day goals. Hire for those outcomes. Not for a wishlist,” she said. The first hire sets the culture, the pace, and the standards. Without clarity, teams risk onboarding with guesswork.

More About Gloria

Gloria Espina is the Founder of Recruitment Gal, a systems strategist and veteran recruiter. She builds hiring workflows in Notion, automates processes with Zapier and Google Workspace, and designs onboarding systems that real teams use. She has led high-volume energy recruiting, scaled remote tech teams, and now runs the Remote Work Academy for Spanish-speaking professionals.

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