Small business owners struggling to hire in Central Texas's competitive labor market received a practical playbook from Shannon Black, Chair of SCORE Austin, during Episode 82 of the Rock Solid: Round Rock Business Leaders Podcast. Hosted by Bryan Eisenberg and published July 14, 2026, the episode explores Black's systematic approach to recruiting, developed from her experience as a former math teacher and founder of Sunrise Montessori.
Black emphasized that timing is critical for job ads. "The best time of the week to put an ad, to place it, is actually Sunday morning," she said, explaining that search engines take about 24 hours to index listings. "The number one time of the week that people look for jobs are Mondays during lunchtime." This strategy ensures ads appear at peak search times, increasing visibility.
She also advised using 30 or more hashtags at the bottom of job listings to improve SEO without rewriting content, and cautioned against "masculine" language that can deter female applicants. Black's screening process includes a 10-minute Zoom pre-interview with unexpected questions like "What is your favorite color?" to gauge personality and fit.
The episode opens with Black recovering from a baby rattlesnake bite while gardening in Georgetown, crediting St. David's in Round Rock for antivenom treatment. The conversation then shifts to SCORE's free mentorship model, a national nonprofit offering over 1,000 workshops per month and virtual mentor matching at score.org. Black previewed an upcoming women's conference, a trades conference on June 13, and a four-day workshop series on valuing and selling a business.
Black shared success stories, including helping client Justin launch a successful Austin clay studio and pointing to entrepreneur Desiree Fox of V Wear Love as an example of idea-stage founders SCORE serves. Eisenberg noted his own hiring wins after applying Black's tactics, plus a lease near-miss rescued by Round Rock realtor Bacha Porter.
As Central Texas continues to experience rapid growth, Black's insights offer small business owners actionable strategies to attract and retain talent while protecting company culture. Her data-driven methods, honed through experimentation and a math background, provide a roadmap for navigating post-COVID hiring shifts and AI-inflated resumes.
Episode 82 of Rock Solid is available now wherever podcasts are heard.
