Sarah Fay

Miro scaled from 300 to 1500+ employees in 18 months. Here are five TA tips from their Head of Tech Recruiting. 👉 TA teams should assess tools for return on investment, making sure they meet the evolving needs of the company. Tools that no longer serve their purpose should be reconsidered to allocate resources more efficiently. 👉 It's important to have adaptable processes and tools as the company scales. What works at one stage may not fit another which is why you have to iterate constantly. 👉 Miro leveraged external resources like freelance recruiters, RPO and placement agencies to hit their hiring goals. 👉 People are likely to want to hire people similar to them but hiring someone opposite brings new ideas and energy to the team which can lead to great results. 👉 Burnout is a real issue across all companies and it should never be ignored. Be transparent about how you're addressing burnout within your company. Do you have any burning questions about Miro's road to 1500+ employees? ⬇️

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One of the most important lessons I learned during scale. You need to be great at recruiting. A+ hires will elevate your team to a new level, while bad hires will bring everyone down with them. Recruiting during scale is the most challenging phase because goals require incremental headcount to hit, so quality can degrade at the cost of speed. Here are four simple tips that you can use to improve your hiring process at scale: → Don’t hire based on a gut reaction alone, but you can choose not to hire someone based on that same feeling. → Write out your top performers' backgrounds, characteristics, and values. Identify the common trends so you know what to look for. In parallel, post-mortem your hiring misses so they don’t happen again. → Create a panel responsible for assessing the traits you wrote down. The hiring manager and recruiter should be the only people looking at the candidate holistically. Others should be focused on what their specific interview assesses for (e.g., goal orientation, collaboration, etc.). → Build recruiting funnel KPIs to ensure that top-of-funnel is never an issue. Pipeline should never be a reason to miss hiring goals, and as a hiring manager, you’re always networking to find great talent. Treat your recruiting pipeline like your sales pipeline.

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Millennials and Gen Z are changing the workforce game. 🕹️ To attract top talent, HR leaders need to level up their recruiting strategies. 💬 Forget clunky emails. SMS is where it's at! 📱 It's fast, direct, and gets noticed (who doesn't check their texts?). #Syniverse and Oracle are teaming up to empower recruiters to connect to candidates instantly, from application to onboarding. What's in it for you? - More engaged candidates - Streamline processes = less admin work for HR - A better candidate experience = a stronger employer brand #SMS #Recruitment #CandidateExperience https://lnkd.in/g3_4f3Bt

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I recently listened to Zach Perret, founder of Plaid, on the 20VC podcast discussing his evolution in recruiting. His mindset shift resonated with me. Here are three key takeaways: ▶ Be yourself and do it. Cold emails and genuine curiosity unlock unrecruitable people. People love to talk about things they're passionate about. ▶ Embrace the hunt. The best founders love to compete for talent. They understand the value each person can bring and don't like losing. This skill will also translate into founder-led sales. ▶ Hire for "Spike". This is essential when building an early team. I often think of it as the shape of a "T"—someone with deep expertise in one area but is open and curious to learn and contribute in other areas outside their core strength.

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Talent acquisition is evolving fast. With AI, machine learning, and automation taking center stage, you would think the old days of relationship-driven sourcing were behind us… but guess what? We might be headed back in that direction. When I first started in this field, sourcing was all about deep connections. We weren’t just looking for anyone to fill a role. We were looking for the one. It meant diving deep, building relationships, and understanding not just skills, but motivations. It was high-value, low-volume, and honestly? It worked. But then, companies needed to scale and sourcing demands changed. More efficiency, more candidates, faster hires became the norm. Boolean searches, automated outreach, and databases ruled the day. It was necessary, but something got lost in the process: the personal touch. Now, with AI sourcing tools promising unprecedented scale, we’re seeing more of the same: tons of candidates, tons of outreach, but here’s the kicker… it’s too much. Candidates are overwhelmed with generic messages. The more we rely on automation, the more it seems we need to go back to basics. So what’s the future of talent acquisition? I think it’s a balance. The best sourcers will bring back the human element. Networking, personal outreach, real relationships. These are the things that will make us stand out in a sea of automated messages. Maybe the future of sourcing is actually… a bit of a return to the past. What do you think? How are you balancing technology with human connection in your recruiting process?

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This is a great to the point, shocking John is direct ;-) , article that every TA leader and HR leader should read

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Recruiting is such an interesting function as we are the *only* career in tech without a direct path to executive leadership. Sure, if you pivot your career into HR you can achieve a CPO title but for those of us not interested in HR our options are extremely limited - at best a VP title. So what do you do? How do you strategize your career to maximize your ambitions and outcomes? What things can you do early on to make you an invaluable asset? How can you navigate the murky waters of career navigation in a role that has no explicit career trajectory? Last week at Syelo we hosted a panel conversation with Senior Advisors Perry Borgert and Steve Mair on Career Development for Recruiting Leaders. It was an absolutely incredible conversation learning from two GOATs in the space. A few key learnings I took away: 1) Become an expert in whatever business you join. 2) You should find a new job every 3-4 years. 3) Don't chase titles or compensation, think of each new position as a strategic learning experience that gives you/refines skills you didn't necessarily have before. 4) Know what you're good at. Know what you suck at. Some recruiters are incredible at going from 0-1 and building early stage startups but would suffer going from 1 to IPO (lol I fall under this bucket) - that's OK, OWN IT and build a career around it.

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TA is often thought of as a cost center, so the burden is on TA Leaders to demonstrate their value, and shift this perception. Some ideas for how: The best TA Leaders think like business owners. They aren't just worried about missing their hiring goals and looking bad, they're worried about the broader biz impact of not filling those roles on time. The best TA leaders realize:  - if they can't hire enough enterprise AEs, the biz isn’t going to hit their revenue targets (lower revenue).  - if they can't hire the warehouse workers they need on time, warehouse production will literally grind to a halt (lost revenue).  - if they can't hire the FT nurses they need, they're going to need to spend 2x salary per year on traveling nurses ($50M+ for some of our customers !!!).  - if they can't hire the top-tier technical talent they need, they'll never be able to succeed @ digital transformation (looming existential risk for every large enterprise out there needing to reinvent itself as a tech company) The key is to leverage data & build a business case to show the rest of the organization your impact. Proactively advocate for the resources you need to be successful. If you’re reactive, the C-Suite will feel the negative impact after you've missed your hiring targets or when it's clear you're about to. At that point, it's too late, and your job may be on the line. If you‘re proactive, you’ll start to be seen as a strategic business partner, and slowly but surely, your organization will start to realize that TA is so much more than just a cost center.

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I’m thrilled to launch Dover Recruiting Partners – our biggest update yet to how startups can hit their hiring goals and hire the best talent. Over the past 5 years, Dover has helped 1500+ companies like Stripe, Scale AI, OpenSea, Benchling, and Vanta attract and hire top talent. Now, we’re introducing our most flexible and full-service hiring solution for startups: vetted fractional recruiters who can work as an extension of your team. We only accept the top 2% of recruiters. 💫 What's special about Dover Recruiting Partners? 1. On-demand expertise: Get help from experienced recruiters when you need it, without the overhead of a full-time hire. Perfect for startups and companies with variable hiring needs. 2. Flexible pricing: Ramp up or down based on your hiring needs – pay only for the hours you use. 3. Tech-enabled efficiency: Recruiters can use Dover’s ATS, Sourcing Extension, and other tools so they can focus on strategic work and keep their costs low. 4. Transparent metrics: We share cost-per-hire and fill rate for our recruiters before you hire them, so you can find the perfect recruiter for you. 👥 Who are our Recruiting Partners? Our network includes some of the most experienced recruiters in the industry. Here's a glimpse at a few of our partners: Michael Sanders: 10+ years VC/big tech talent acquisition | formerly Senior Principal at Human Capital and tech recruiting at Uber, Google | Specializes in technical sourcing for seed/pre-seed startups Courtney (Zotos) Mistretta: 9 years technical recruiting | formerly Technical Recruiting Manager at Uber and led hiring for Uber's Self-Driving Division | Expertise in ML, CV, data science, and engineering roles Michelle Shen: 5+ years recruiting across growth stages | Engineering & GTM team building | formerly Technical Recruiter at JustWorks, Revel, and other startups | Focus on candidate experience optimization … and dozens of others. 💰 How much does it cost? Most companies have an average spend of $80 per hour, depending on the services they use. Cost per hire across the platform varies, but usually ends up being between $2-10k. 🚀 How do I get started? Head to https://lnkd.in/eUUxZUXi and click "Match with a Recruiter". We'll set you up with a free consultation to understand your needs and match you with the perfect Recruiting Partner. Read more about how we got here on our blog: https://lnkd.in/eDJsQeBa Let me know what you think!

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Every company we are talking to right now is going through some TA transformation or replacing some part of their TA tech stack. Smart and proactive budgeting is a critical exercise in this process. But budgeting for TA is a complex and requires balancing the needs of the recruitment process with the broader financial constraints of the organization. According to our latest report with Paradox, TA leaders face more challenges with budgeting than they did a few years ago. •       1 in 2 TA Leaders face challenges this year with getting budgets approved. •       72% of TA Leaders stated that there are more key stakeholders involved in their decisions. •       Only 38% of TA Leaders feel confident in building a business case for technology. •       64% of TA Leaders fear that they will lose budget. •       Less than half of TA Leaders can show ROI. This report is one of my favorites that we have published (I included a link to download in the comments). It sets the stage of a successful TA Transformation journey. Aptitude Research Josh Zywien Kyle Lagunas Tim Sackett, SPHR, SCP Joshua Secrest Adam Godson

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Should ZipRecruiter reassess leadership? -->> https://lnkd.in/eHf6wemw In this episode, we dive deep into: - Paradox Innovation Day - VONQ's US Departure - CV Wallet / Resume Wallet's Triumph - Vangst, acquisition and its implications for the #cannabis #job market - Veritone Hire's Road Ahead - A critical view on ZipRecruiter, Nike, and Bayer's leadership mishaps. - Who'd You Rather? with Take2 AI and Paraform Expect a snarky blend of analysis, insight, and entertainment as we dissect brand consolidation, #AI's growing role in #recruitment, and the nuances of navigating the cannabis market. -->> https://lnkd.in/eHf6wemw #ChadCheese #RecruitmentPodcast #FutureOfWork #InnovationInRecruitment #Leadership #AIRecruitment

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BrightHire just made a major move—and it’s a total game changer for skills-based hiring! For the first time ever, teams committed to hiring for skills have an end-to-end platform to actually make it happen. Before now, scaling this approach was like trying to herd cats. You could have all the skills taxonomies, question banks, and rubrics in the world, but getting interviewers to consistently run skills-based interviews? Nearly impossible! No more flying by the seat of your pants in interviews. No more head-scratching over what "great" really looks like. No more wondering if you actually asked the right questions. That changes today. 🎉 Watch Ben's video to see these transformative features described! #SkillsBasedHiring #HRInnovation #FutureOfWork #BrightHire #HiringTransformation #AIinHR

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Interesting question! While rescheduling can be disruptive, we're seeing AI-driven interviews emerge as a solution. They allow candidates to interview at their convenience, 24/7, eliminating scheduling issues entirely. Candidates seem to prefer this flexible approach, and it ensures everyone gets a fair chance to showcase their skills. Thoughts on how this might change the hiring landscape?

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Job Alert! Our established martech (marketing tech) startup client is hiring a Director/Senior Director Engineering. This is a hybrid role based in the Greater Los Angeles area, salary + bonus, leading remote and hybrid technical/product teams, reporting to the GM of the company, favoring a strong innovator who knows how to motivate and build a positive, inclusive culture. Dreamore is a recruiting and advisory firm for startups, since the 90s. We conduct targeted search and leverage our deep relationships to fill crucial needs, typically in leadership, across all functions. I won't always post what we're working on, since our searches are often so targeted that there's no benefit except "unnecessary volume" to post jobs online. But at least when I share something here, you know it's real 😃 Also while we're talking... I am no longer a working manager doing my own recruiting, but I've assembled a stellar team and likely will hire more next year. Not looking to partner with other agencies so PLEASE don't fill my inbox with those inquiries. If you have someone in mind or feel qualified yourself, I will pass it along to my team. If you are also hiring, or planning for it next year, and we can support your success... let's talk soon. For the rest of you.... here's a recent beautiful sunset from Dreamore, the 10 acres we're breaking ground next year. Besides the services aspect of our business, we've always had physical locations in California to support the startup community, build authentic relationships, and have fun doing it! Please reach out if that resonates with you (our next event here is Nov 17th) #inspiration #hiring #recruiting #womeninbusiness #womeninleadership #engineeringjobs #techjobs #founders #startups

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After scaling several startups earlier in my #talentacquisition career, I realized stability in TA was going to be elusive so I started HireScale in 2018. The idea was to create stability by embracing the instability. Many hiring peaks and valleys later, I’m proud to have created a platform for the TA community riding the waves with me 🌊 🏄 Its not perfect and there's still a lot of work left to do, but experimenting with the programs, pricing models and technology concepts have been worthwhile challenges since starting this journey. Although, I can’t change the extreme hiring fluctuations we see in tech, I can bring awareness, solutions and most of all--help support TA mobility in the #futureofwork. The goal hasn’t changed. Until I turn instability into stability, I’ll just be over here riding the waves, creating, helping others, bringing awareness and solving recruiter mobility. One recruiter. One FTE. One gig. One wave. One smile at a time😊 Are you #hiring in TA or #OpenToWork? We need #recruiters and TA leaders on both sides of the equation to join the HireScale mission 🚀

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Recruitment shouldn’t feel like juggling—Shazamme’s seamless integration capabilities with your CRM, ATS, and other recruitment tools make managing data and workflows effortless. From applicant tracking to candidate engagement, everything syncs perfectly, meaning less time switching between systems and more time focusing on finding the best talent. With easy plug-and-play integrations, you can connect your favorite tools and manage the recruitment process from one central hub. Efficiency and simplicity are just a few clicks away. Nicole Clarke Vishal Gupta Chloë Wedgwood Paula Mogg Hariz Merican Nicole Jenkins Manuel Hernandez 💻 Project Manager Mark Anthony Alfon SHAZAMME - The Best Recruitment Websites Globally ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ #Shazamme #recruitmentwebsite #staffing #website #recruitment #design

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You owe your candidates transparency. 👋 Here's a quick tip you can use in < 3 min Before every AE interview at Motion (Creative Analytics), I send candidates a personalized Loom video. Why? Because I believe in arming potential team members with as much info as possible upfront. Here's what I cover in that video: → What Motion does and the problem we solve → Our goals and recent funding → Our approach to hiring (hint: we value culture add over culture fit) → Sales team specifics (who our buyers are, ACV, sales cycle, close rate) The result? 1. Candidates come to the intro call armed with knowledge, allowing us to dive deeper into their experience and aspirations. 2. It shows we value their time. No bait and switch here - we lay our cards on the table. 3. It builds trust from the get-go. We're not just assessing them; we're inviting them to assess us too. 4. It dramatically improves the quality of our conversations. Instead of surface-level chit-chat, we're having substantive discussions about fit and potential from minute one. Remember: The interview process isn't just about finding the right candidate. It's about finding the right match. And that starts with open, honest communication. 👋 P.S. We're hiring AEs at Motion! Details on our careers page. Get your FREE ticket to Motion's Creative Strategy Summit 👉 https://bit.ly/3ywOYN9

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Are you a People leader who is nervous about applying AI to optimize your HR and Recruiting software? Many thanks to David Hanrahan who shared what he's nervous about and what he has done to learn more! Below are 3 tips that you can do to leverage AI at your company: 💡 1) Demo, demo, demo: Demo your current software vendors to find out which AI features they have rolled out and ask to be part of "product betas" to try out new features that are still in development. ❔ 2) If you're not happy with your current software, connect with your peers to find out alternatives. Some of my peer groups are PeopleTech Partners and StartupExperts. Let me know if there are other useful ones! 🔤 3) Want to uplevel your application of AI, take a course and/or subscribe to newsletters or groups that can help you advance your AI toolkit. I am a member of Women Defining AI, am enrolled in one of their modules, and have found their members to provide useful feedback on my AI-related presentations. 💻 BONUS TIP: If you're a People leader and want to attend a Power 30-minute "virtual office hours" session on AI and Performance, DM me to share info / listen to feedback on AI features that cover performance, and I'll invite you. In the future, we'll do an AI and Benefits session and more!

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This was me getting schooled by one of the most respected TA leaders on the planet - from a $50B+ company - a few weeks back. 📚 But in the best possible way. 😁 I'd finished walking through BrightHire at a high level and they offered some friendly feedback: "I'm sure you've given this a lot of thought, but..." Uh oh, where was this going? "... when you hear Interview Intelligence platform, I don't know, it doesn't do justice to the whole thing... this is equity, consistency, structure, quality, speed." She nailed it. We're known for "interview intelligence" and AI interview notes, but the most common reaction I get from demos is: "Wow, this is SO much broader." Last Friday it happened again. I was again speaking with one of the sharpest TA leaders around from a >$20B company - he hadn't seen the platform in 6 months. His reaction was similar: "Wow, I’m not usually at a loss for words - this is really impressive. I can’t believe how much you’ve built - this isn’t a product, it’s a platform. This solves a range of problems and use cases." My takeaways: 1) Hugely proud of the amazing BrightHire team and what we've built! 2) We need to 2x down on how we convey our value to the market Being a buyer is hard - you have limited time to understand solutions - and often everything in a category can seem the same from the outside. That means it's on us to step up our game. 👊 Also, we are not the same as everyone else. 🚀

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