Tom Hammer

Want to help set every candidate up for success in an interview? SET AN AGENDA AT THE START OF THE CONVO 📋 It's a simple but impactful step for a better candidate experience. So how consistently do companies do this today? We looked at 175k interviews to find out... TLDR - The range is massive! Some orgs do it in just 4% of interviews, others do it in 95%! 🤯 The avg & median org sets an agenda in 61% of their interviews. 70% of orgs set an agenda between 45% - 75% of the time Only 20% of orgs set an agenda in >75% of their interviews Here’s how agenda-setting varies across different scenarios: 🔍 BY INTERVIEW STAGE - Recruiters set agendas in 68% of interviews vs. 59% for HMs 🔍 BY FUNCTION - Eng interviews include an agenda 67% of the time vs. 44% for sales 🔍 BY GENDER: - Female set an agenda 69% of the time vs. 63% for Male recruiters - Oddly, a smaller diff for HMs, with FM HMs at 61% vs. 58% for M HMs - Agenda-setting is most common w/ F candidates paired w/ F interviewers We think setting an agenda is a small step that makes a big difference. ❓ What do you think? ❓ PS: This is one of the metrics we track in BrightHire!

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🚨 Behavior-Based Interviews Are Dead 🚨 With AI tools helping candidates craft perfect responses to behavioral questions, traditional interviews can no longer reveal true talent. Why? AI generates polished, rehearsed answers that don’t reflect a candidate's real skills. At Next Level Performers, we’re solving this with Lou Adler's performance-based hiring—assessing how candidates handle real-world challenges. Instead of scripted answers, we get genuine insights into problem-solving and adaptability. Ready to hire smarter? We’ll help you find the right fit. #PerformanceBasedHiring #FutureOfHiring #AIInRecruiting #NextLevelPerformers

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“Fractional Talent” has become a buzzword in 2024 for a good reason—it's the secret sauce for high-growth companies looking to scale efficiently without overspending. When you don’t have the time, expertise, or staff to do it yourself, Best You Talent Advisors is here to help you leverage fractional recruitment to elevate your organization. Learn more about how we can help you find top talent to help elevate your organization: https://bit.ly/4cexfHU

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🚩 Red flags to look for when building your recruiting tech stack (part 3): Friction and unrealistic expectations. What does that mean? Despite the promise of efficiency and optimization, some AI solutions may create friction and inefficiencies at various stages of the recruitment process. In turn, doing the opposite of what they were designed to do. What to look for: 🔍 Confusing and convoluted user interfaces  🔍 Lack of integration with your existing systems  🔍 Overly complex systems that overwhelm rather than help How can you combat this: 👉 Set realistic expectations. Any solution that appears too good to be true should raise red flags. 👉 Pilot each potential AI solution before committing  👉 Choose a subset of users who can test the platforms. Get the full scoop by reading our article on The Staffing Stream by Staffing Industry Analysts 👉 https://lnkd.in/eeNd2Fpi Did you miss our other red-flag articles? Check them out here 👇 1️⃣ The No. 1 red flag to look for when building your recruiting AI tech stack - https://lnkd.in/e5BN8kp3 2️⃣ The no. 2 red flag to look for when building your recruiting AI tech stack - https://lnkd.in/dCEzWm2b #staffing #recruiting #ai #hr #talentacquisition #hiring #techstack

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𝐀𝐫𝐞 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐬𝐡𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐫𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭 𝐬𝐢𝐠𝐧𝐚𝐥𝐬 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 executive recruiters? 🎯 In a recent chat I had with Bobby Gormsen, Partner at True Search and former VP of Talent at Frame.io / Etsy, he shared an important insight: 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐫𝐮𝐢𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐬 𝐭𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐤 𝐞𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐲𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐧𝐠. From your cultural fit to your mission-driven interests, and even down to specific preferences like B2B vs. consumer roles. During those key 30-45 minute conversations, they gather as much information as possible to position you effectively with their clients. This is why sharing 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐜, 𝐪𝐮𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐟𝐢𝐚𝐛𝐥𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐮𝐥𝐭𝐬 from your past roles is crucial. The clearer you are about your impact, the better recruiters can present you for top opportunities. How do you prepare for these conversations with recruiters? I’d love to hear your thoughts or experiences in the comments!

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As leaders, we strive for the perfect alignment of talent, team, and strategy. But how do we achieve it? At Caldwell, we've seen firsthand how analytics can transform talent management. Here's how: - Fit to Role: Identify candidates whose natural drives align with role requirements - Fit to Team: Build cohesive teams by understanding each member's unique behavioral style - Fit to Strategy: Pinpoint where your team is hardwired to succeed and where you might need support Analytics isn't just about numbers—it's about making informed decisions that drive long-term success. It's about putting the right people in the right roles and creating teams that truly click. Curious? Discover how analytics can revolutionize your approach to talent. ➡️ https://bit.ly/45gOHKa #Analytics #PeopleAnalytics #Recruiting #TalentTransforms

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📖 A short story on why we built peoplemetrics.fyi for startup people teams... When Adam and I started Open Org, we: 1️⃣ Ran cohorts working with People and Talent Leaders who wanted to use transparency as a lever for positive change 2️⃣ Spoke to 20+ People Leaders every week about the challenges they were facing in role ...One thing kept coming up time and time again as a top-tier problem: Influencing Execs Specifically... 👉 “how to get buy-in from the rest of the leadership team to change how we work” So we started doing some ad hoc 1:1 coaching sessions to help 🆘. We’d work on things like: 📈 Business case 📚 Story-telling 🏗️ Foundations they’d need to help bring others on the journey. ✅ Some exec teams would respond to the stories built upon internal data: Example: “Our {metric} is too high, and our exit interviews and engagement survey themes show opportunities 'abc', therefore we should pull lever 'y' and in doing so expect business outcome 'z' over time period 'x'” 😩 But the majority wanted more before they redistributed budget. They’d say things like: “OK, but your business case is based off the premise that our {metric} results are poor. I want to know how poor. I don’t know what good looks like here. Also we’re in {insert industry} and we have this {headcount} and we’re also {startup stage}. Show me market context so I can understand how far behind we are.” At first, this was kind of weird to me. 🤔 Comparison is the thief of all joy etc.... But I get it, there’s a lot of pressure when you’re making big decisions and so even a little bit of extra signal, like market context, is helpful to support a change. Anyway, we looked for this external data to try and help... 🔍 All we found were... - Outdated benchmark reports - Big company/enterprise size reports - Deloitte/McKinsey style stuff - Specific vertical benchmarks (some amazing tools out there for comp and bens) BUT... Not a lot out there for startups and scale-ups that was: - Relevant - Contextual - Recent - Broad (e.g., full spectrum of org health metrics ref: people and talent) So we decided to build a prototype, Adam on QA, me on Dev. 350 People & Talent Leaders joined the private beta and we’ve been improving the product & building the user base ever since 🚀 Here's what Startup People Leaders can NOW do that they couldn't do in 2023... 🚀 Track & Benchmark 18+ metrics vs other companies, comparable by size, headcount, funding stage (Seed > Series D) 🚀 See trends in that data across different quarters 🚀 Tell more powerful stories with your data 🚀 Build your team's data muscles Just the beginning. Excited to see where this continues to go! Startup People Leaders, hit me up if you’d like a peek at the platform 🙂

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Curious about the right time to gather candidate feedback? 🧐 You are probably thinking, "the sooner, the better." However our 2023 Candidate Experience Benchmark Report tells a different story. Our data revealed that assessing your Candidate Net Promoter Score (cNPS) too soon can lead to a biased picture. We examined the cNPS against the time passed, and it uncovered an interesting fact: candidates' responses are initially more positive, rapidly become more negative, and finally stabilize between the two. See the graph below 👇 Why does this happen? Turns out that candidates with extreme reactions- either positive or negative- are the ones to immediately fill out the survey, followed by the others. So, here’s our tip of the day: wait at least a day before collecting feedback to make sure the results are accurate. Your insights will thank you 📊✨ 📚Find our 2023 Candidate Experience Benchmark Report in the comments to learn more about cNPS! #CandidateExperience #CandidateNetPromoterScore #cNPS

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Executive Recruiters PLEASE read: 10 ways you can do better for candidates and clients. I re-listened to Lauren Ipsen's pod with Lenny on recruiting leaders and her advice resonated with my experience as both a product leader candidate and coach for executives on the job search. Lauren is a Talent Partner at Decibel Partners and ex-General Catalyst / ex-Daversa Partners, who really knows her stuff (and I've interviewed 30+ exec recruiters and leaders at this point). The top 5 ways you can do better when handling candidates: 1️⃣ Build genuine relationships, not transactions. Think about relationships in quarters and years. "Treat people like human beings, build rapport, play the long game and gain trust. And that takes time." 2️⃣ Respect the details candidates give you: career timelines, vesting schedules, etc. "If someone says I never want to do a crypto company and I just am only shoving crypto companies down their throat, that's just insanely tone deaf." 3️⃣ Look beyond impressive resumes to assess true fit (culture, stage, and domain). A fancy title leader who's done this before is not always the best fit for 2 stages earlier at this point in their career. 4️⃣ Don't burn your best candidates by presenting them opportunities that aren't a fit. Take time to learn the candidate's needs and priorities FIRST. 5️⃣ Understand the nuances of the role and candidate background. You need to match and sell people in person, not just on paper. Failing to grasp the nuances of product leadership roles (platform, core, growth, etc.). This lack of depth is quickly apparent to experienced candidates. ⭐️ Bonus: Understand True Fit vs. Big Names "Not every single person that comes out of Stripe or comes out of Airbnb is going to be successful. And I think that's where a lot of people get caught up is they see these logos and they're like, oh, we have to have them." Great advice and I'm sure my fellow product and tech leaders would agree. Executive recruiting and candidate relationships are a long-term game. You want to build a trusted network over time on both sides to get the best results. It's very easy to get caught up in filling the role in front of you or gaining that commission/bonus, but in talking to long-time recruiters, it's very clear that multi-year long relationships with their candidate network and active listening is what separates the best recruiters from the rest. If you want to hear how to handle clients better, too...comment below.

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Check out the Cruit Group's latest episode featuring our CEO, Steven Lu, as he chats with host Ryan Levy about the impact of AI in recruiting. 🎙️ Steve dives into how Pin’s AI is transforming recruiting by automating sourcing, personalizing outreach, and giving recruiters more time to focus on building relationships with top talent. Listen to the full episode here: https://lnkd.in/eCdZ_hnt #AIRecruiting #SaaS #TalentAcquisition

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"We can’t base decisions on assumptions when we have the data to guide us—organizations owe it to themselves to make that investment." – Vivian Woo, Ph.D. 🎙 New Episode Alert! How well are we leveraging the power of people analytics? In this week's ScienceForWork podcast, our host, Matthew Lampe, PsyD, sits down with Vivian Woo, Ph.D., to explore the untapped potential of data in transforming how we manage, engage, and lead. From transforming performance management systems to uncovering the connection between employee and customer experiences and even addressing emerging technologies like AI, Vivian shares actionable insights that challenge the status quo and redefine the role of data in making work better. 📚 Research Explored: - Concepts connecting ENPS and customer satisfaction: Explore how aligning employee and customer experiences can enhance engagement and retention. - Insights into remote vs. hybrid work performance outcomes: Learn why flexible work arrangements may not hinder performance—and could even enhance it. - Responsible AI and its implications for people analytics and DEI: Discover how ethical AI can uncover insights while avoiding unintended biases. 🎧 Listen now wherever you get your podcasts! Spotify: https://lnkd.in/ghQkt3p8 Apple: https://lnkd.in/g92NCTcG iHeart: https://lnkd.in/geYqDmcT What role do you think data should play in decision-making? Share your thoughts or favorite takeaways in the comments below! 💬 #ScienceForWork #MakeWorkBetter #PeopleAnalytics #DataInformedDecisions #HRInsights #DEI #AI

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The Talent Acquisition Struggle is Real! New research from The Josh Bersin Company shows that 60% of TA leaders grapple with skills gaps, while also being pressured to improve recruiting efficiency (58%). At Filtered, we're here to help! Our AI technology identifies crucial skills and optimizes your hiring process. We've even helped clients reduce interview rounds from 5-7 to just 3! Looking to find top talent faster and more efficiently? Let's connect! #talentacquisition #recruitinginnovation #hrtech #airecruiting

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Let's be honest: choosing a talent intelligence platform is overwhelming. - Multiple vendors to evaluate - Countless features to compare - Complex implementation considerations - Significant investment at stake And the stakes are high - the wrong choice could mean: 💸 Wasted budget ⏰ Lost implementation time 😤 Frustrated employees 📉 Poor adoption rates That's exactly why we created our Talent Intelligence Platform Buying Guide. Inside, we share: 💡 How to identify your true organizational needs (before talking to vendors) 💡 The critical questions to ask during demos 💡 Red flags to watch for in the evaluation process 💡 A practical framework for comparing solutions The best part? This guide isn't about pushing you toward any specific platform. It's about helping you make the right choice for YOUR organization. (Yes, even if that choice isn't us.) Because we believe every organization deserves to make an informed decision about their talent technology investment. Download the free guide: https://hubs.la/Q02Y7Mg30

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I was interviewing someone to fill the role of a tech HR, and I asked her about utilizing external agency expertise for a fast-growing startup. Here's what she said that got her hired: External teams can cover skills gaps or handle different parts of the stack, complementing your internal team’s strengths. It is a great addition. Bringing new ideas and processes, such as agile methodologies, can boost efficiency and team morale. Encouraging collaboration between internal and external teams creates a more cohesive and productive work environment. When I asked her how she would go about implementing it, she outlined a simple 3-step process: → Conduct a skills assessment to identify gaps and areas for external support. → Introduce agile methodologies to streamline workflows and improve team collaboration. → Facilitate open communication between internal and external teams to ensure smooth operations.

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“Stay adaptable and open to exploring new ways AI can support and elevate your recruiting efforts. The future of recruitment is here, and with tools like ChatGPT, you’re well-equipped to navigate it with confidence and success.” #JunoTips #TheUltimateConnectors #EmployerInsights #TalentAcquisition #AI #ChatGPT #Recruiting

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An interesting moment...I was recently offered a VP People role. I declined bc I'm happily obsessed with building Included. But the offer is on trend: what tech companies really want in HR leaders is the founder's obsession with measuring everything. They were after my ability to track people metrics – so here's what tools I would use in my first weeks as an HR leader to start measuring: 1. Calendar data - a secret weapon. The magic number? 30% cross-functional meetings. Less than that? Your teams are working in silos. Leverage this early signal as a conversation starter with leader - get transparent about where the info came from to demonstrate early data-driven signals. 2. Survey data & the one metric matters most. Teams with >15% engagement gap from company average in growth scores. Those are your problem spots. Begin bonding with the top layers of execs in those teams right out of the gate to enable early visibility. 3. HRIS data - it's hiding retention triggers: 18 months without a promotion + comp below market rate = resignation risk. Get to the info fast and act as a "retention guru." Over the next 3 days I'm going to break down how to implement each of these. • Bite sized action plans • Tool recommendations • Easy hacks to metrics Follow along if you want to level up your people analytics game 📈 or...if you want to get scouted for an HR leadership role! 🙃 #PeopleAnalytics #HR #Leadership #CHRO #First90days #VPHR #AI #AIforHR #Worktech #HRTech #Femalefounder #WomeninAI #HiringStories

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