About
I'm Emily D'Andrea.
I've spent 15+ years building talent brand strategies, programs, and teams at Microsoft, Meta, and Procore Technologies.
When I began working in the employer brand space in 2012, it was still very new, largely focused on building "goodwill" externally while organizations chased Employer of Choice badges rather than building authentic employee experiences underneath it. My first role at Microsoft was in social recruiting, which had simultaneously become extremely popular, but mostly as distribution channels for job boards and homogenous messages.
I stumbled into the employer brand world after a retail marketing leadership role at Whole Foods Market, and I realized quickly that there was an untapped opportunity to use the pillars of excellent customer experience to create top notch candidate experiences and build trust. I evolved our approach to social recruiting, adopting a personal and authentic voice and connecting with our candidates by showcasing the true lived experience of our employees. I also lifted the curtain of the Microsoft recruiting process, facilitating relationships across talent acquisition while leveling up our recruiters as storytellers and brand ambassadors themselves.
The talent brand landscape has dramatically changed since 2012. Companies may still be writing their own stories, but candidates aren't reading them. They've already used AI to learn more and develop their own perception about a company.
Trust is now more important than ever. Authentic employee voices are now a company's most valuable asset.
That's why Sand & Signal exists.
I help companies compete for talent by building talent brand strategies powered by authentic human storytelling, not AI-generated noise.
What I Do
Bring clarity to chaos
I untangle the knots, simplify what's gotten complicated, and connect the dots your team hasn't had time to connect, impact over activity, always.
Build story-to-impact systems
Not decks that sit in a folder, narrative frameworks your recruiters and employees can actually use.
People first, business follows
Teams, employees, candidates, they're the reason any of this works. I've never found a shortcut around that.
How I Work
Curious by default
I ask before I assume, about your culture, your team, or what an AI tool just told me. The right questions matter more than fast answers.
Test, measure, reflect
I plan, try, measure, and adjust, not "set it and forget it."
Values you can count on
Openness, consistency, community, curiosity, and joy aren't a poster on my wall, they're how I show up in every engagement, every time.
I'm not here to hand you another EVP deck. I'm here to help you tell a story that's actually true, because your employees are already telling it, whether you've shaped it or not.
On the name. Sand represents grounding, where identity starts. Signal represents the emergence of a voice, where it becomes something others can hear. Sand & Signal lives in that transformation: from inner grounding to outward expression. It's true for a person finding their story. It's true for an organization finding theirs too.
Ready to get started?
Let's talk.
Book a 30-minute intro call. I'll listen to what your team is navigating, share how I work, and we'll figure out together whether this is the right fit.
Let's Talk