The New Talent Playbook: The Ultimate Guide to Building Your Dream Team with Rob Levin

January 14, 2026

31 min episode · 2 min read

Rob Levin

Episode

31 min

Read time

2 min

Topics

Books & Authors

AI-Generated Summary

Published Jan 14, 2026

Key Takeaways

✓Culture by Design: Create intentional company culture with defined core values that guide hiring and operations, rather than letting culture develop by default. Check Glassdoor to see what employees say publicly about working at your company before candidates do.
✓Hire for Fit First: Prioritize cultural alignment and attitude over technical skills during hiring. Ask candidates about what they liked and disliked at previous jobs to assess cultural fit, then use upskilling programs to develop specific technical capabilities after hiring.
✓Upskilling Programs: Provide internal or external training opportunities using free resources like LinkedIn Learning and AI courses. Employees gain promotions and raises while bringing new capabilities into the company, creating retention and competitive advantage simultaneously through continuous skill development.
✓Global Talent Access: Expand talent pools by hiring remote workers from Latin America and The Philippines, where strong English skills and work ethic combine with lower cost of living. WorkBetterNow operates with 80% Latin American staff, including half the leadership team.

What It Covers

Rob Levin explains how small businesses can compete for talent against Fortune 500 companies by building culture-first organizations, implementing upskilling programs, leveraging global remote talent, and hiring for cultural fit over credentials alone.

Key Questions Answered

•Culture by Design: Create intentional company culture with defined core values that guide hiring and operations, rather than letting culture develop by default. Check Glassdoor to see what employees say publicly about working at your company before candidates do.
•Hire for Fit First: Prioritize cultural alignment and attitude over technical skills during hiring. Ask candidates about what they liked and disliked at previous jobs to assess cultural fit, then use upskilling programs to develop specific technical capabilities after hiring.
•Upskilling Programs: Provide internal or external training opportunities using free resources like LinkedIn Learning and AI courses. Employees gain promotions and raises while bringing new capabilities into the company, creating retention and competitive advantage simultaneously through continuous skill development.
•Global Talent Access: Expand talent pools by hiring remote workers from Latin America and The Philippines, where strong English skills and work ethic combine with lower cost of living. WorkBetterNow operates with 80% Latin American staff, including half the leadership team.

Notable Moment

Levin reveals his company WorkBetterNow achieved Inc 5000 status twice with 80% of staff based in Latin America, proving offshore talent can drive world-class performance while the founder maintains work-life balance without weekend work.

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