Talent Attraction Techniques

The best founders do one thing brilliantly... Hire. Here’s how we think about finding & attracting A-players for our portfolio companies: Most owners hire like they're running a restaurant. They think more cooks = faster service. Instead, they get a kitchen full of people bumping into each other, burning food, and blaming everyone else. That’s why hiring isn’t a numbers game. You don't need more people. You need the RIGHT people. It’s impossible to build a worthwhile business with mediocre talent. Over the years, we've developed a framework to find, attract, and close the top 0.001%. I call it the 4 C's to Top-Level Talent: 1. CURATE Start hiring before you start hiring. Follow smart people in your niche on Twitter. Connect on LinkedIn. Bookmark stuff that makes you say, "Damn, I wish I wrote that." Treat talent like a portfolio. Study first, invest later. The best hires happen when you're NOT desperately hiring. 1. CULTIVATE Engage without being weird. Compliment their stuff. Comment. Ask smart questions. Send them ideas. The best talent moves when THEY'RE ready, not when you need them. Plant seeds early. Water them consistently. 3. CLOSE When it's time to close the sale, go HARD. Fly them in. Meet their spouse. Pay more than you're comfortable with. I wasn't even looking for a company President when I met Marc. I wanted a CRO. But after one conversation, I knew he was our guy. So I changed the org to fit HIM. That's how good hires work. They change you. Don't squeeze top talent into your current structure. Bend your business around exceptional people. 4. CONTINUE Top performers won't always stay forever. That's okay. Even when they leave, keep them close. My old Head of Content now runs a 7-figure business. We still trade notes. They send better talent than any recruiter ever could. As someone who’s hired 100s of people, take it from me: Your best hires won't walk in the door with a resume in hand. They're already working somewhere else, crushing it. It’s your job to go find them. Hiring the right people is one of the most powerful growth levers for any business. If you want to see exactly how we attract and retain top-tier talent across our portfolio, I’ll be breaking it all down in an upcoming workshop (tomorrow). This is just one of several proven scaling strategies we’ll cover— more info here: https://lnkd.in/emd63SuT

I Can Spot a Great Candidate in 30 Seconds - Without Looking at Their Resume. At Vicco Laboratories, the first few interview rounds are handled by our HR and leadership team. They assess skills, experience, performance history - all the standard checkboxes. But when someone reaches my room, I’m not evaluating capability. I’m evaluating character. Because skills can be trained. Character can’t. So in the final round, I deliberately observe three things before we even get into formal questions: 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭 1: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐓𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐦𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐬𝐭 𝐏𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐑𝐨𝐨𝐦 Before they enter, I always ask our receptionist to make them wait for a few minutes. Not to trouble them — but to observe: Do they greet her or ignore her? Do they show gratitude or entitlement? Do they smile or stay blank? Do they thank her when being called in? If someone is only respectful upwards, they’re not fit for leadership. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭 2: 𝐇𝐨𝐰 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐇𝐚𝐧𝐝𝐥𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 During the conversation, I pause intentionally. A great candidate: Doesn’t panic when things go quiet Holds eye contact without overcompensating Thinks before responding, instead of rushing to impress Silence is a pressure test.  Silence exposes a person’s comfort with themselves. And self-assured people make better decisions under pressure. 𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐢𝐭 3: 𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐓𝐡𝐞𝐲 𝐀𝐬𝐤 “𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐂𝐚𝐧 𝐈 𝐆𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐭𝐨 𝐕𝐢𝐜𝐜𝐨”, 𝐍𝐨𝐭 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭 “𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭 𝐖𝐢𝐥𝐥 𝐈 𝐆𝐞𝐭?” I watch closely when compensation and responsibilities are discussed. If the questions are only about salary, perks and timings, they’re employees. If they ask about learning culture, values, decision-making structure…they are already thinking as an owner. I’ll always choose alignment over achievement. So if you’re ever preparing for your final round anywhere — don’t just prepare your resume. Prepare your presence. Because long after your words fade, your character stays in the room. Sanjeev Pendharkar  Just sharing what I’ve learnt #values #business #hiring #hr #decisionmaking #cv #leadership #skills

I attracted 53% of my old employer’s apprenticeship talent, with 1 simple tool and £0 budget. . I’ll be completely transparent… I LOVED my old job at Heathrow . In fact, I loved the airport so much, it poured out of me and overflowed onto the internet. . For over 5 years, I would pick up my phone and make daily videos about: . Things I was getting upto Things I was learning, and Advise I wish I knew earlier . The result? . A walking talking job description in the form of short, sharp and educational videos across instagram and TikTok… . “A Digital Twin” of my experience, so to speak . Now here’s the interesting part: . These videos were made with £0 budget and just my phone… as a result they were NOT: . Silky smooth shots Highly edited Scripted or planned . Instead they were: . Authentic Raw REAL! . They built trust and connection… . This resulted in THOUSANDS of messages with questions about the role I was doing… . And most importantly, how could they get this role too? Yeah… I answered all of them . Before I knew it, this online community had grown so rapidly it overtook the number of followers that Heathrow Airport had across its own social media channels 😅 . This is something every organisation can learn from… . Your best talent attraction strategy…is your own talent! . Allow them to have a voice! Allow them to use it! . This authenticity is the only thing that will stand out on social media and cut through the noise. . Anything else will just look and feel like an advert… . And we all know what happens when we see an Ad.. . *Skip* . . . Some organisations penalise their staff for speaking about their job on social media… . Those days are over. . The organisation that will attract the best talent of the future are the ones that encourage, empower and, dare i say it, TEACH their staff how to use social media! . Yes, thats right! Invest in building your own internal “influencers” . Give them a social media master class, teach them where the red lines are and encourage them to share their day to day experiences at work . Then sit back, and watch the magic happen. . Ps - If you like the idea of getting ahead of the curve and developing your own internal team of “influencers”, let’s talk. . #TheAirportGuy . #TalentAttraction #Aviation

🌠𝗛𝗢𝗪 𝗧𝗢 𝗛𝗜𝗥𝗘: 𝟴 𝗪𝗮𝘆𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗼𝗴𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗔-𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘆𝗲𝗿 🌠— I've led more than 500 hiring interviews in the past 5 years. Here are my core clues for identifying top talent: (1) They Seek to Understand, Not Just Know.💡 Curiosity is key. Look for candidates who ask deep, meaningful questions to truly understand your business instead of gathering surface-level info. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: Give them the chance to follow up with questions — and see if they do. (2) They Are Predictable.🤝 Reliability is crucial. They deliver on promises, follow up as announced, show up on time, and come well-prepared. They make you feel like you can trust them. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: Give hints on what you’d like them to share & see if they if they pick up on your direction and follow up. (3) They Handle Feedback Exceptionally Well — In Both Directions. 📬 They are optimizers who, even during recruiting, can suggest 2-3 improvements for your hiring process, product, or a recent discussion. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: Ask for feedback at the end of every single interview. (4) They Encourage Reference Calls. 🗣️ They provide access to genuine, varied references who offer a realistic assessment, not just praise. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: if a reference has nothing constructive to say, see it as a flag. (5) They Visualize Themselves in Your Company.💭 And then ask critical, detailed questions about them fitting into your company’s setting, team, and business. They challenge whether or not a collaboration would be a win-win. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: Ask them what their biggest question mark around joining your company is — and how they would verbalize their doubt to their best friend? (6) They Challenge You for Change.🔀 They push for necessary changes while respecting your existing culture and achievements. They don't aim to change everything to make their mark but analyze what really needs to change & whats good to keep. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: ask them about 2 things they would change and 1 thing they would keep, if they got the job. (7) They Point Out Blind Spots. 🚫 Look for independent thinkers who challenge your perspectives and highlight things you hadn’t considered yet. 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: Let them perform a mini-audit of a certain area of your business. (8) They Bring the Fun.🥳 There’s mutual energy and enthusiasm. You should feel genuinely excited about spending time with them! 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲: invest in spending quality time together during recruiting — dinner, sports, a walk — and make it your mission to know something new and personal about them by the end. 🌠 𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗴𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂’𝘃𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗮 𝗯𝗮𝗿-𝗿𝗮𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗿? 📸 Lina Retzlaff (big big love!) #hiring #startup #recruiting #companyculture #femalefounder

Top talent will NEVER join a company with a mediocre recruiting process. They assume the rest of your company matches that experience. Yet most leaders treat their recruiters like transactional rubber stampers — then wonder why they can't hire A-players. The reality: how you treat your recruiters gets reflected in your recruiting process. Treat them like cogs in a machine? That's EXACTLY how they'll treat your candidates. Here are 8 ways treating recruiters as strategic partners transforms your hiring: 1. Give them a seat at leadership meetings A biz recruiter pitched "we need an implementation specialist" for months. Candidates weren’t biting. Then she learned this hire would unlock a $2M contract. Changed her pitch to "we need this role to hit Q3 revenue." Filled in 2 weeks. 2. Make recruiting metrics visible company-wide When engineering managers check recruiting dashboards daily, magic happens. One team went from "where's my hire?" to "I see 3 strong candidates entering final rounds." Transparency turns recruiting from blame game to team sport. 3. Let them push back on unrealistic demands A recruiter shared w/ me why she quit her last role: "I was tired of smiling when they wanted senior engineers for junior salaries." Smart companies empower recruiters to say, "that's unrealistic." The rest lose their best recruiters. 4. Include them in offer strategy, not delivery Watched a startup land their dream candidate in 48 hours — beating higher cash offers — because their recruiter could negotiate on the spot. Most make recruiters deliver pre-baked offers like pizza. 5. Invest in their tools like engineering Teams tracking candidates in Google Sheets wonder why they can't compete. Companies investing in real recruiting tools see 4x productivity gains. Your engineers get the latest MacBooks. Why make recruiters work in spreadsheets? 6. Give them time to build relationships One Gem customer filled 70% of roles in 3 weeks. How? They maintained relationships with past candidates for YEARS. Most measure recruiters on this month’s roles they need to fill. So they spam everyone and start from zero next quarter. 7. Empower them with data "Trust me, the market's tough" doesn't move executives. "Your salary range is 25th percentile — here's the data" does. Give recruiters access to data and industry benchmarks. Watch them become business partners overnight. 8. Celebrate their wins like revenue That top 1% engineer who chose you over FAANG only happened thanks to your recruiter — celebrate them like AEs winning deals. Ring the gong. Most companies only notice recruiters when hiring stops. TAKEAWAY In this market — 2.7x more applications, 90% unqualified — the difference isn't headcount. It's whether you treat recruiters as strategic partners or paper pushers. Your recruiters are interviewing for new jobs right now. Still think they're just order-takers?

🚨 95% of cyber leaders say we need to up our game in recruiting cybersecurity talent. And it's no wonder: with nearly 4 million unfilled cyber positions globally, the skills gap is a ticking time bomb for businesses. The Cybersecurity Skills Gap: Your Business is at Risk ⚠️ Here's the reality: - 71% of organizations are struggling to fill cybersecurity roles. - 52% of public organizations cite a lack of skills as their biggest challenge in cyber resilience. - Cyber attacks are on the rise, and your business could be the next target. But it's not all doom and gloom. By understanding the problem and taking action, you can protect your organization AND create opportunities: 1️⃣ Rethink Recruitment: It's not just about tech skills. Look for problem-solvers, critical thinkers, and those with a passion for learning. 2️⃣ Invest in Training: Upskill your existing workforce and create pathways for new talent to enter the field. Partner with educational institutions and training programs. 3️⃣ Cultivate a Cybersecurity Culture: Make cybersecurity everyone's responsibility. Raise awareness, promote best practices and reward vigilance. 4️⃣ Partner Up: Collaborate with other organizations, share insights, and pool resources to tackle the skills gap collectively. My Take: The cybersecurity skills gap is a serious threat, but it's also a massive opportunity. By investing in talent and fostering a culture of security, we can not only protect our businesses but also build a more resilient digital future. Let's connect! How is your organization addressing the cybersecurity skills gap? What strategies have worked for you? Let's share our experiences and build a stronger cybersecurity community together. #cybersecurity #skillsgap #talent #recruitment #training #cyberresilience

Sales folks, take note! Spamming a target company's employees with your services and requests for meetings will result in your company making its way onto a buyer's blocklist. As a buyer in the localization industry, I receive dozens of emails and LinkedIn requests every single day from vendors looking to showcase translation, AI, QA services, and more. It's not humanly possible to give personal replies to every outreach. When vendors can't get through to me, they often reach out to everyone on my team... and sometimes to many others across my company. I'd love for this practice to stop. It wastes valuable company time and makes a vendor appear desperate and non-strategic. Here's what to do instead: 1. Appeal to ego! Invite a target company’s decision-maker to a panel, or start a vlog series and ask buyers to appear and discuss industry topics. It’s also a great opportunity to reposition your company as a thought leader. 2. Offer genuine insight, not just services. Share a case study, white paper, or benchmarking data that’s actually useful to the buyer’s role, and do it without a sales pitch. 3. Build a reputation before you build a pipeline. Comment thoughtfully on posts. Contribute to community conversations. If you consistently show up with value, you’re far more likely to get noticed. 4. Target smarter, not broader. Don’t shotgun your message to an entire company. Learn the org. Understand the buyer’s scope. Then send one well-researched, personalized note that shows you actually did your homework. 5. Focus on mutual value. Can you help solve a known pain point or offer perspective on something changing in the market? Frame your outreach around collaboration, not consumption. 6. Use timing to your advantage. Keep tabs on when companies are hiring for roles associated with your offerings, launching in new markets, or attending conferences. That’s when buyers are more receptive to new solutions. 7. Lead with generosity. Offer a no-strings-attached resource, intro, or suggestion that doesn’t benefit you directly. Reciprocity is a powerful trust builder. And please! Don't ever ever call me on the phone! ;)

35+ Recruiters looked at my LinkedIn profile ...but didn't call me in for an interview. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was making 5 huge mistakes. Here are the changes I made that started landing me interviews: 1️⃣ HEADLINE Your headline is your first impression. Before a recruiter even clicks on your profile, they read your headline. 👉 There's a simple format to write a good one: Target title | Skill #1 | Skill #2 | Skill #3 | Achievement Example 👉 Content Marketing Manager | GTM Strategy | B2B | SEO | Increased marketing-influenced pipeline by 135% in 6 months. 2️⃣ ABOUT & EXPERIENCE This is your chance to tell your story. Your resume should be short (350-550 words) but your LinkedIn should be longer. 💡 Use the "Core 4" About framework: ↳ I am a {title} who... (3 skills) ↳ I launched my career at...(early career story) ↳ I then moved to...(2 mid-career achievements) ↳ Currently I am... (your most recent role) 3️⃣ ACTIVITY Posting on LinkedIn is scary, but it matters now more than ever. That's because LinkedIn shows "active" profiles higher in search results. 💡 To be considered "active" you just have to comment 3x/week (you can start by commenting on this post 😉 ) 4️⃣ KEYWORDS Add keywords throughout your Job Titles AND your skills section. Recruiters don't search for "Chief Happiness Officer" they search for "Director of Customer Success." 💡 Change your previous job titles to reflect what you actually did. You DON'T have to use the title your company gave you. 5️⃣ PHOTO & HEADER Check your privacy settings! Many LinkedIn profiles default to not showing your profile photo publicly. ‼️ A missing photo is a huge red flag to recruiters, make sure yours is set to public! Before you send even one more application, check these 5 parts of your profile. 👉 It's better to do the work up front than to send more applications and getting ghosted "for some reason." 👉 P.S. I just sent my "Guide To The ATS" to everyone who commented on my last post. If you missed it, just follow my profile and drop a comment below and I can send it to you too. _ #resume #hiring

After 7 years of navigating sales and leading teams in price-sensitive markets across Southeast Asia, I've broken down my experience into these 10 lessons: 1. Leverage real-world examples: When addressing prospects' questions, anchor your responses in actual experiences with other clients. This illustrates social proof without sounding boastful. 2. Showcase intimate understanding: While discussing your product, be tactical, not theoretical; see #1. Display an in-depth understanding of the problem and the client's workflow. 3. Demonstrate first, ask second: Highlight the efficacy of your solution without pushing clients into an immediate commitment. Consider giving consultations, hosting workshops, delivering event talks, or writing articles. 4. Engage, don't oversell on LinkedIn: Stay active on LinkedIn, but refrain from frequent direct selling. Instead, genuinely engage with prospects' content and assist them. Ideally, they shall approach you first. 5. Outbound sales done right: If reaching out, ensure you a) contact 3 to 4 individuals within target organizations, b) A/B test email content and subjects, and c) follow up 3 to 4 times. Rinse and repeat. 6. Emphasize social proof: Populate your digital channels with client testimonials. Create a prominent “Wall of Love” on your website to host all testimonials and case studies, then distribute these across emails, ads, website, social media, blogs, and onboarding materials. 7. Build a lot of social proof: Consider the following to gather more testimonials: a) Offer to draft them for your client, b) Provide services at a reduced/no cost initially, and c) Incentivize the sales team not just for closing deals but also for acquiring testimonials/case studies. 8. Experience on the ground matters: Invest time in your target markets. Begin pitches by sharing personal anecdotes and what you cherish about that particular country. 9. Optimize commission structures: Continually refine your commission structures. Experiment until you find the sweet spot where the team is incentivized optimally for maximum output. 10. Streamline your deck: All supplementary slides should be in an appendix, displayed only if required. The deck structure I like follows this: a) introduce you and your company b) the as-is state c) why existing solutions are not effective d) requirements for the new world e) your solution f) demo g) social proof h) next steps What have I missed?

HR Director asks COO: "How do we ensure our top talent doesn't leave after we've invested in their development?" COO: "The real question is: How do we survive if we don't develop our people and they decide to stay?" Insight: Elevate your team's skills to world-class levels. Then create an environment so inspiring, they wouldn't dream of leaving. 𝟭) 𝗜𝗻𝘃𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝗣𝗲𝗼𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗜𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝗻-𝗡𝗲𝗴𝗼𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 Development is crucial for: ↳ Company growth ↳ Innovation ↳ Competitive edge Stagnation is the real threat, not attrition. 𝟮) 𝗖𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗿𝗿𝗲𝘀𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 Foster an environment with: ◦ Continuous learning opportunities ◦ Clear growth paths ◦ Recognition and rewards Culture is your strongest retention tool. 𝟯) 𝗕𝗮𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 Combine skill growth with: ↳ Meaningful work ↳ Autonomy ↳ Purpose-driven goals Engaged employees are less likely to leave. 𝟰) 𝗘𝗺𝗯𝗿𝗮𝗰𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗱𝘀𝗲𝘁 View development as: ◦ An ongoing process ◦ A mutual benefit ◦ A competitive advantage Growth-oriented cultures attract and retain top talent. 𝟱) 𝗟𝗲𝗮𝗱𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽'𝘀 𝗥𝗼𝗹𝗲 𝗶𝗻 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 Leaders should: ↳ Model continuous learning ↳ Provide mentorship ↳ Create growth opportunities Leadership sets the tone for development and retention. Remember: The risk of losing developed talent is far less than the certainty of retaining undeveloped employees. Ask yourself: Are you creating an environment where top talent not only grows but also wants to stay and contribute? ------------------------------------------------- Follow me Dan Murray-Serter 🧠 for more on habits and leadership. ♻️ Repost this if you think it can help someone in your network! 🖐️ P.S Join my newsletter The Science Of Success where I break down stories and studies of success to teach you how to turn it from probability to predictability here: https://lnkd.in/ecuRJtrr