What if I told you that no matter how advanced artificial intelligence becomes, the real question isn’t whether it can replace the human touch in hiring, but how we can balance both?
In this episode of AI in Recruiting, Marcus Sawyer sits down with Shelly Morales, a veteran HR leader with nearly 30 years of experience at top tech companies and now founder of MoralesHR.
Shelly’s story is anything but ordinary, from potentially inheriting her mother’s “Happy Hot Dog” stand to becoming a Chief People Officer and now building her own human-centric recruiting firm. She explains why she wanted to step out of corporate roles and create a business focused on human connection in hiring. Her model combines technology with conversations that let candidates feel seen and heard before they enter the hiring process.
The discussion covers the rising use of AI in recruiting, from sourcing to screening, and the problems that come with it. Shelly highlights issues like fake resumes, candidates misrepresenting themselves, and the risk of people being filtered out by automation before anyone speaks with them. She argues that while AI can make hiring faster, it cannot replace talking to candidates directly.
The episode also touches on leadership. Shelly reflects on changes she has seen in tech and how leaders can balance new tools with personal experience and mentoring. Her advice to her younger self: stay present, value the moment, and appreciate progress as it happens.
In this episode:
(01:06) Shelly’s journey from HR leadership to founding Morale HR
(02:20) Why she pivoted from CPO roles to starting her own firm
(03:22) Building recruiting around human connection in a tech-driven world
(05:06) Fear, change, and how to adapt in the age of AI
(07:32) Candidate and client expectations in today’s hiring market
(09:38) Cutting through noise and misrepresentation with AI
(11:02) The rise of fractional employment and portfolio careers
(12:45) Fake candidates, resume inflation, and the recruiter’s role
(13:55) Where AI is most useful in hiring and where it fails
(15:39) Candidate care vs. candidate experience
(17:43) Relationship-driven recruiting as a long game
(18:52) Leadership lessons from Bay Area tech and the role of mentorship
(20:20) Why “the magic is in the middle” of tech and human connection
(22:28) Shelly’s personal philosophy and advice to her younger self
About Shelly Morales
Shelly Morales is the Founder of MoralesHR, a recruiting firm built on the belief that people deserve more than just transactional hiring. A former Chief People Officer with nearly three decades of HR leadership in tech, Shelly brings deep expertise in building high-performing teams, scaling organizations, and putting humanity back into the hiring process. At MoralesHR, she blends technology with care, ensuring every candidate feels valued and every client receives top-tier talent.
About Marcus Sawyerr
Marcus Sawyerr is the Founder & CEO of EQ.app, a company reshaping recruitment by eliminating administrative overhead through AI. With 19 years of experience in staffing and recruiting technology, including serving as Global President of Innovation at Adecco, Marcus brings a rare blend of grassroots sales expertise, executive leadership, and product vision. EQ.app is built around a clear mission: Zero-Admin™. Marcus’s goal is to empower forward-thinking recruiting organizations with intelligent infrastructure that unlocks access to opportunity and drives real outcomes.
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