Our story
We built the hiring tool we couldn't find anywhere else.
The Plugboard started because two problems collided: hiring is broken for the employers doing it, and the people on the other end of the process deserve better than a black hole.
Built by someone who does this work every day.
The Plugboard was created by an HR professional with nearly two decades of experience, including years running a fractional HR consulting practice serving small and mid-sized businesses across tech, marketing, franchises, and industries so niche that no job board knows they exist.
The pattern was always the same: companies with great products and disjointed hiring processes. Managers promoted into leadership roles with no formal interview training. Recruiting decisions based on instinct alone. Candidate summaries typed up by hand. Analytics that require a research project to compile. And on the other side, candidates submitting resumes into a void, never hearing back, never knowing where they stand.
The Plugboard exists to solve those problems. It gives language to the gut feeling: structured, data-backed, and something your team can feel confident acting on. If you've ever known your people make good hires but had no way to measure it, scale it, or teach it to the next manager, this is what we built.
The bigger picture.
The Plugboard is a product of The Plug NW, a nonprofit dedicated to creating pathways for people who've been overlooked by traditional systems, starting with justice-impacted individuals.
The connection is simple: revenue from The Plugboard directly funds The Plug NW's programs. Career readiness, advocacy, and the kind of support that changes trajectories for individuals and the generations that follow them.
When candidates use The Plugboard, they're contributing to that mission at no cost. When employers choose The Plugboard, they get a better hiring tool and their investment creates real impact. It's not charity. It's a better model.
What we believe.
Hiring decisions should be evidence-based.
Not vibes. Not hunches. Not "I just liked them." Structured evaluation produces better outcomes for everyone: the employer, the team, and the candidate.
Everyone deserves a fair shot.
The Plugboard is second-chance friendly because we believe that where someone has been shouldn’t define where they can go. That’s not a marketing angle. It’s why this company exists.
The candidate is a person, not a line item.
There’s a human being on the other end of every application. They deserve to know where they stand, why they were or weren’t selected, and that someone actually reviewed their materials.
Tools should make you better at your job, not replace your judgment.
The Plugboard doesn’t make hiring decisions for you. It gives you the structure, the data, and the confidence to make better ones yourself.
How we think about the product.
Think of The Plugboard less like a tracking tool and more like a hiring coach.
Confidence
It coaches you through adding a layer of confidence you don’t always have on your own.
Efficiency
It saves time and makes you more efficient, so you can focus on the conversations that matter.
Discovery
It helps you find candidates you normally wouldn’t consider and attracts candidates who normally wouldn’t consider you.
Growth
It teaches and sharpens your skills over time. The analytics back up the entire process and performance.
The goal is simple: make you look better at what you do, and build the evidence to prove it.
Hiring with purpose.
Start using The Plugboard for free. Every upgrade directly supports programs that change lives.
Questions? [email protected]