Syngenta’s Hiring Upgrade with Winston - Danilo Bulatovic - Hiring Happy Hour - Episode # 041
#41

Syngenta’s Hiring Upgrade with Winston - Danilo Bulatovic - Hiring Happy Hour - Episode # 041

Thousands of applications, no consistent way to review them, and great candidates slipping through. How does a global TA team fix that? In this episode of Hiring Happy Hour, Nicole talks with Danilo Bulatovic, Global Lead of Talent Acquisition Sourcing and Operations Technology at Syngenta, about turning that challenge into a success story. Danilo shares how SmartRecruiters’ Winston Match and Winston Screen brought consistency to top of funnel review while keeping humans in every decision. After five months of using Winston Match, more than 60% of candidates who scored a four have moved on to interviews at Syngenta, and early signs show less time spent on review and stronger candidates moving forward. Danilo also makes the case for responsible AI adoption: human oversight on every decision, regular checks on low-scored candidates, and screening that helps strong candidates move forward, not filter them out. He shares where the recruiting roadmap is heading, including agents that help candidates find roles that fit.

Takeaways:
  • Find where your team’s time actually goes. Application review can take 30-50% of a TA team’s week, so look there first.
  • Keep humans in the decision seat. Let AI prioritize candidates, then let your TA partners make every call.
  • Pair matching with screening questions. Together they show your team who fits and surface details a resume may have left out.
  • Don’t stop at the top matches. Review candidates across the full ranking to catch false negatives and build trust in the tool.
  • Expect fewer applications reviewed, not lower quality. Early signs show less time at the top of the funnel and stronger candidates moving forward.
Quote of the Show:
  • “When you join answers from Winston Screen and then with Winston Match, it does give a really great insightful way for recruiters to review these findings and also connect with the actual resume of candidates and decide who they want to move forward with.” - Danilo Bulatovic
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