Paul White
Paul White
Sr. Director of Talent Acquisition, Gentiva
For many talent leaders, recruiting is a career they discover unexpectedly. For Paul White, the path began while pursuing a graduate degree and taking a temporary recruiting role that would ultimately shape the next two decades of his career.
Paul earned his master's degree in Human Resource Development from Clemson University, focusing primarily on training and development. While completing the program, he accepted a position with a temporary staffing company recruiting for an automotive facility.
What started as a practical opportunity quickly became a passion.
After graduation, Paul moved to Atlanta and joined BellSouth in a recruiting role. Over the next decade, he helped support the company's growth and eventually moved into leadership positions, including helping launch what became Singular Wireless, now part of AT&T.
“That was really how I got my foot in the door,” Paul says. “A combination of education and taking that first recruiting job. It just kind of stuck with me, and I’ve enjoyed it ever since.”
More than twenty years later, recruiting remains at the center of his professional journey.
Learning from Leaders Who Empowered Growth
Throughout his career, Paul has worked alongside leaders who encouraged innovation, professional development, and thinking beyond traditional recruiting approaches.
Among the most influential were Jim Bowles and John Carnick during his time at Singular Wireless.
“They were amazing,” Paul says. “Very supportive, engaging, inspirational leaders who challenged you to think outside the box and do your best.”
One of the most significant opportunities they provided was encouraging Paul to take a leadership role with DirectEmployers, a nonprofit organization owned and operated by employers that helps organizations with recruitment marketing, compliance, and talent acquisition technology.
Over the years, Paul served on the board, eventually becoming president of the association and helping guide initiatives that impacted employers nationwide.
“John and Jim allowed me to take on those additional responsibilities and supported my growth,” he says.
Later, at Mohawk Industries, Paul worked closely with Jerry Hendricks, another leader who left a lasting impression.
“Jerry understood the importance of social media before many others did,” Paul says. “He brought me on to help build social recruiting strategies and really trusted me to do my thing.”
For Paul, great leaders create opportunities, provide support, and trust people to innovate.
A Career Built Around Continuous Change
Having spent more than two decades in recruiting, Paul has witnessed nearly every major transformation the industry has experienced.
When he began his career, recruiting was driven largely by newspaper advertisements. Then came online job boards, followed by search engines, social media recruiting, mobile technology, and now artificial intelligence.
“I’ve seen recruiting evolve from newspaper ads to job boards to mobile devices and now AI,” he says.
Paul was actively involved with DirectEmployers during some of those early transitions, helping organizations navigate the shift toward online recruiting and digital talent attraction strategies.
Today, he sees artificial intelligence as the next major evolution.
Using AI to Improve the Human Experience
While AI is transforming talent acquisition, Paul believes its greatest value lies in helping recruiters become more efficient and more human.
At Gentiva, where he currently leads talent acquisition efforts, AI is already being used to improve recruiting workflows.
The team leverages AI to enhance job postings, improve search engine optimization, and make job descriptions more candidate-friendly.
“AI is helping both job seekers and employers become more efficient,” he says.
At the same time, Paul recognizes the challenges that come with rapid technological advancement.
The rise of fraudulent job postings, fake websites, phishing scams, and bad actors exploiting AI tools has created new complexities for employers and candidates alike.
His team recently identified and shut down a fraudulent website impersonating the company, highlighting the importance of balancing innovation with vigilance.
Despite those challenges, Paul remains optimistic.
Used responsibly, he believes AI can remove administrative burdens, improve candidate experiences, and allow recruiters to focus on what matters most: building relationships and making great hiring decisions.
Advice for Talent Leaders Heading into 2026
Paul believes one of the defining characteristics of successful talent leaders is adaptability.
The recruiting landscape has always evolved, but the pace of change is accelerating.
“I think we’ll see more change in the next two years than we saw in the last five,” he says.
For talent acquisition leaders, that means embracing innovation while staying grounded in the core principles of the profession.
Technology should enhance recruiting, not replace the human judgment, relationship-building, and strategic thinking that drive successful hiring.
By combining curiosity, innovation, and a commitment to people, Paul White continues to help shape the future of talent acquisition while staying focused on the fundamentals that have always mattered most.
