Adriano Herdman's Linkedin Analytics

🕵️‍♂️ We're looking for a contract sourcer / recruiter based in South Africa We’ve got a 3-month project kicking off (likely to extend to 6 months or more) and need someone with: - Strong LinkedIn Recruiter experience - The ability to work independently from home - A proactive approach to sourcing hard-to-find talent - Immediately available - 💥 we partner with some of the most exciting Web3, AI, and fintech companies out there. - Fully remote - Work on global searches with a supportive team If that sounds like you (or someone in your network), DM me — would love to chat.

I've observed over 110 intake calls by recruiters this year. Here are the 7 things the best do consistently. We see clear patterns in who drives great hiring outcomes. Here's what they do: 1. Frame crisply: “Today we’ll cover JD alignment, persona, pitch, process, ways of working.” Then stick to it. 2. Share strategic signals: talent pool constraints, salary realities, competitor mapping.They guide. 3. Advise on trade-offs: live pair vs. take-home, system design vs. timed tests—linked to candidate experience and validity. 4. Build “the hook” outreach, not generic “why join us.” 5. Set clear ways of working: feedback SLAs, async vs. live sync, when and how to recalibrate. 6. Communicate in confident brevity, not meandering stories. 7. Preparation, preparation, preparation The difference shows up in how hiring managers engage, how aligned the pitch is, and how efficiently the pipeline moves. We’ve built this into our training and frameworks so it’s not left to chance. What’s your best intake call signal that shows you who’s a true operator?

Recruiters, what is a ‘good’ interview question? I’ve worked with hundreds of recruiters, and most aren’t clear on how to write a good one. ChatGPT doesn’t help either. The mistakes I see 90% of the time: ❌ Leading questions: “Tell me about a time you were behind on a project, what was the context and how did you resolve it?” ❌ “ Questions that explicitly mention what you’re evaluating: “Tell me when you had multiple competing deadlines, how did you prioritise them and what factors did you consider?” Here are some principles you can use: 1. Run the 3-3-3 Exercise Write down your 3 best and 3 worst hires from the last 3 years, focusing on specific behaviours that made them stand out. 2. List key traits you’re testing for: - Ownership - Customer focus - Problem-solving 3. Use Differential Situations High and low performers behave differently in the same scenario. Your questions should surface this difference clearly. Example: Top performers find a way. Poor performers blame, or stall. 4. Use Clear, Hanging Questions Frame as: “Tell me about a time you...” Leave the question hanging: Don’t add what you’re looking for. Don’t rescue them if they pause. Don’t lead them. Why? Forces them to choose a real example. Shows how they structure thoughts unprompted. Reveals their standards and what they consider a good example. 5. Questions that reveal internal standards Questions like “What’s your proudest achievement this year?” help you judge the candidate’s bar for themselves. Score using a 1–5 scale for: - Quality of the example - Scale of impact - Critical reflection and growth mindset 6. What to Avoid Vague questions: “Are you proactive?” Hypotheticals: “What would you do if…?” Trick questions Overcomplicated, irrelevant scenarios These give you noise, not signals. 7. Why this matters Good questions: - Reveal how people actually think and act. - Show standards, problem-solving, and ownership under real conditions. - Help you identify candidates who will add value. Anything you'd add?

Heads of Talent know: you can’t fix hiring with more sourcing alone. That’s what we saw at Rarible, OK funnel, but drop-off at tech assessment and panels misaligned. We fixed the process first, then optimised the pipeline. And delivered $440k worth of Talent in 3 months (5 hires) “Top of funnel wasn’t the issue — it was getting the panel aligned and moving fast enough to land great people.” – Russell Small, Head of People @ Rarible Sound familiar? Russell brought us in when top candidates were dropping at the tech stage (80% drop-off). Panels weren’t aligned. Assessments weren’t landing. Here’s how we fixed it — and what might help if your process is full of friction: 🔧 Align the panel before sourcing. We co-designed assessments with engineering leads. Real-world, role-relevant, and less ambiguous. Signal quality and pass rates improved within two weeks. 🎯 Treat interviews as a selling process. We coached panels on storytelling, tightened feedback loops, and sped everything up. Candidates got clarity and momentum. 🎯 Deployed our Sourcing Engine Broke out the Talent Pool into 2 tiers across 4 geographic regions, and then went at it fast 💥 In 3 months: → Senior Frontend + DevOps roles: filled → 3 confidential roles: filled → Candidate experience: upgraded → Panel: more aligned than ever Video case study in comments 👇🏼 Hiring Talent? Fixing the process beats flooding the funnel. Start with alignment. Prioritise experience. Teach your team to sell. Then scale search

GTM Compensation Benchmarks 2025: 46 page report 📝 A Strategic Report for Talent Acquisition Leaders️ We just published a new report built for People and Talent leaders who need clarity on what to pay, and why it’s shifting fast. WHY YOU'D CARE: - Benchmarking comp for SDRs, AEs, CSMs, RevOps, Sales Engineers, Growth marketers - Navigating equity vs. cash trade-offs based on stage and geography - Adjusting for the impact of AI on GTM roles and comp structures - Staying ahead of pay transparency laws and market-driven expectations - Making strategic GTM hires with data-backed compensation plans Get the report 👉 here https://lnkd.in/eTXtcyh6 P.S. if you drop a comment, this will increase reach and more people in the community will get this free, comprehensive report, Just comment "Grabbed it" or something ✌️

How we hired a Senior Frontend Engineer in 3 weeks: 7 key steps We break down the exact process we used to fill a high-bar role at a web3 client of ours: Here’s how we built momentum and closed fast. 1️⃣ Ideal Candidate Profile - We started with a crystal-clear ICP: mindset, context, likely objections. - Must-haves: React, TypeScript, Styled Components, Rx.js - Location: Remote GMT ±2 - Industry fit: Web3 or consumer apps, 5–7 years. - Deal breakers were clarified upfront to avoid later recalibration. 2️⃣ Profile Calibration - We translated the ICP into a clear calibration table guiding sourcing, screening, and scorecards - This reduced fuzzy preferences and aligned decisions across hiring managers. 3️⃣ Talent Pool Analysis - Mapped the TAM across 4 European regions: Tier 1: Web3 + Rx.js Tier 2: React + TypeScript. - Key insights: - Eastern Europe = strongest Tier 1 source (96 candidates) - 1,100+ Tier 2 profiles mapped. This let us remain selective while managing market trade-offs transparently. 4️⃣ Question Bank - Built a structured kit across 10 categories with: - Core questions + follow-ups - Strong vs weak indicators. 5️⃣ Messaging -Tested a 4-part email sequence: - Employer Value Prop hook Re-engagement + CTA reset - Why this job is cool (market/team context) - Final nudge with slots + urgency. - Tone: casual, confident, and engineer-focused (team, product, scope). 🤖 AI-Enabled Outreach Added automated flows (n8n + custom LLM prompts): - Personalised GPT-4 messaging in company tone. - This let every TP operate like a full-stack hiring squad, reducing manual bottlenecks. 6️⃣ Created candidate database - LinkedIn profiles, tier classification, resume notes, messaging status. This kept parallel sourcing streams flowing. - Ready to go for future hiring rounds 7️⃣ Candidate FAQs - Prepped answers for screening calls: Summary: A complex hire delivered efficiently by codifying our process and building shared tools. This is a snapshot of how we deliver across many roles when our talent partners work on an embedded project. ✌️

How we’re hitting a 3-week time-to-hire for senior software engineers without cutting corners. Here’s a breakdown of how we filled a high-context senior frontend role at Web3 scaleup Rarible using the same system that’s now delivering 3-week TTH across our portfolio. Hiring high-bar engineers in Web3 isn't just about reach. It’s about rigour. We created an AI-enabled, go-to-market hiring campaign: The process (built for speed + quality) Clear ICP We mapped must-haves, dealbreakers, and likely objections up front, not after wasting 2 weeks. → Must-haves: React, TypeScript, Rx.js → No consultancies. Remote, GMT ±2. Web3/consumer background. Calibration table Turned the JD into a decision-making framework for screening, scorecards and syncs. → “Must-have vs. nice-to-have” clarity → Evidence > vibes → Helped the hiring team say yes/no faster, with less debate. Market mapping We broke down the talent pool into Tier 1 & Tier 2 across Europe. → 2,200+ profiles analysed → 96 Tier 1 engineers in Eastern Europe alone → Gave the client hard numbers + sourcing strategy options Structured interview kit → 10 categories → Scoring guidance for strong vs. weak answers → Reduced noise + sped up decision making Email outreach (that engineers actually respond to) → 4-part drip sequence (value prop, re-engage, product context, final nudge) → Personalised via GPT-4, signed off by the hiring lead → Tone: casual, confident, clear AI-enabled workflows → Automated outreach via n8n → Our Talent Partner operated like a full-stack squad Notion sourcing tracker → Per region: LinkedIn links, tags, message history → Fast async syncs with the client. No crossed wires. Prepped FAQ answers → Role, team, onboarding, tech stack, roadmap → Helped candidates convert Boolean done properly → Targeted for Rx.js + Web3 → Excluded low-context profiles → Localised by region The result ✔️ Fast, high-quality close ✔️ Happy hiring manager ✔️ Clean, repeatable system we now run across clients Hiring engineers in SaaS, Web3, fintech, or AI? This is the level of precision that gets results. DM me or connect if you want support.

Capacity planning for Talent teams can be a nightmare, right? Here’s how we break it down so you don’t have to guess. Getting this right helps us understand exactly what you need, and benchmark how efficiently we’re delivering. We factor in: T – Time spent on recruiting (as % of working hours) E – Efficiency (based on tools, automation, experience) A – Active requisitions per recruiter C – Conversion rate (reqs-to-hire) H – Hiring speed (based on time-to-fill) R – Effort per hire (normalised) P – Process drag (internal delays, approvals, misalignment) The formula: RCap = (T × E × A × C × H) ÷ (R × P) Yes, it’s a bit nerdy, but it works. 🎯 Working on v2 now—and I want your input I’m especially curious how AI is shifting the efficiency multiplier (E). If you're a Talent Leader, we’ll give you: ✅ A benchmark: how many hires per recruiter you should be hitting ✅ Where you’re leaking capacity (and how to fix it) ✅ What to plan for if you’re scaling up (without burning out the team) You’ll get it all wrapped in a clean, CFO-ready Notion page. DM me if you’re up for it.

I built a Custom GPT to evaluate interviews. Here’s how I did it (and what I learned). We’ve been testing using a Custom GPT to score interview transcripts from Gemini. It’s sped up our calibration, removed noise. It analyses intake meeting role plays, data analysis task and interview answers for talent partners STEPS 1. I set the objective. - I wanted the GPT to score interview transcripts consistently so we could save time. Considerations were: - Do I need 100% nuance accuracy, or is speed more important? - Where will this live? (We chose Notion + Sheets for tracking.) 2. Added evaluation framework to GPT instructions. - I listed clear criteria for each section (intake, scenario, funnel). - Decided on a 1–5 scoring system. - Added non-negotiables (e.g., “If they don’t explain trade-offs, cap at 3.”) - clarified what “good” looks like for each criterion. 3. Had to balance structure with brevity. - GPTs get waffly if you’re vague and hit character limits if you’re too detailed. - I rewrote the criteria in clear bullet points so the GPT would stay on track. 4. Drafted the instructions. - Context (“You are an interview transcript evaluator...”) - The detailed criteria and scoring guidance - Output instructions (Markdown tables work best for Notion) - How to handle missing data 5. Define the output format. - I asked the GPT to give: An Overall Score (e.g., 60/75) - A short Overall Summary - Section totals (e.g., “Intake: 40/45”) - Clean, sectioned Markdown tables ready to paste 6. Tested it with real interview transcripts. - I ran 2 transcripts I knew well. Helps to go ‘best’ and ‘worst here - checked where the GPT was over-scoring or missing nuance. - I adjusted instructions until the outputs felt aligned with our bar. N.B. STUFF TO WATCH OUT FOR - Custom GPTs tend to over-score unless you explicitly instruct strict scoring. - They may ignore score caps (e.g., not awarding >3 if a condition isn’t met) without a clear reminder. - Long-winded answers can be misread as strong unless you penalise for lack of structure. - You hit character limits inside Custom GPTs instructions if you overload detail. - Your GPT does not “learn” dynamically. It repeats patterns until you edit instructions - JSON output is only valuable if you plan on automation. Markdown tables are cleaner for Notion/Sheets workflows. - Don’t expect perfection on first try - Lots of trial and error needed you’ll still need to check and edit at times. Anyone else testing Custom GPTs for structured evaluation? Always keen to swap notes on what’s working (and what’s not)

Your first 90 days as a Head of Talent Acquisition aren’t about big wins. They’re about building trust. Ben Chung, Director of TA at Dialogue, joined us on Open Source Hiring to break down how he approaches those first months and what builds trust fast (hint: it’s not big wins). His 3-pillar approach: 🧠 Ask questions constantly “I parked myself by the coffee machine and booked as many 1:1s as I could. You don’t get the first 90 days back.” 🍽️ Meet everyone “Lunch with a different team each time. That trust is built in casual conversations.” 📈 Structure your leadership 1:1s Ask: – What’s been your experience with hiring? – What’s your biggest challenge this year? – How do you see us working together? And one habit that sets you apart? Close the loop. “Tell them what you’ll do. Do it. Then report back. Most people skip the last step—that’s how trust erodes.” We also dig into: – How to hire great recruiters (and avoid the common traps) – Mock intake calls and scenario-based assessments – TA market signals and how his team stays lean and effective 🎧 Full episode in comments

Talent Acquisition cheat sheet. How to calculate your Total Addressable Market (TAM). Most TA teams “do sourcing.” Few know how big their talent pool actually is, or how to work it systematically. Tier 2: Pool of candidates with the necessary qualifications that could be a fit. Tier 1: Strong fit, match ICP and are at relevant orgs and domains Why does it matter? 1. Sets clear goals for outreach 2. Enables real capacity planning 3. Empirical sourcing, not guesswork 4. Improves your offer before you hit send 5. Gathers intelligence for future hiring, not just this search 6. Hugely beneficial when speaking with hiring managers, helping them understand pool is finite and that Tier 1 candidates need to be nurtured. If you’re a TA / People leader that wants a sourcing engine that actually maps, works, and reports on your market, this is the system we run for our partners. P.S. TA pros, would love your thoughts on this

What sets successful candidates apart in interviews? It's not how smart they are. It's how well prepared they are! Here are 21 interview questions & answers you really need to know! We've repurposed this awesome one-pager from Ben Henley at Cord What it covers: The structure of a strong answer, not vague advice 21 of the most common interview questions, + Ideal answers Sections split into  - Behavioural & Personality - Skills & Experience - Motivational & Goal-Oriented - Problem-Solving & Critical Thinking Practical phrasing you can adapt without sounding robotic Built to cut fluff and help you focus on what interviewers actually want to hear. Save this for your next interview. Use it to refresh your memory and be as prepared as possible.

“Tell me about yourself.” It sounds simple, but it’s actually one of the highest-leverage moments in an interview. Most candidates share a full career history when what hiring managers are really listening for is: ✅ Why this role? ✅ How will you help us solve problems? ✅ Will you fit this team? Even strong candidates can miss the opportunity to frame their answer as a value pitch. We repurposed this top tire one-pager that resonated with me from Ben Henley. Thanks Ben ✌️ It breaks down: – A simple “Focused 3” formula to shape your answer – Example scripts you can adjust easily – Practical tips to stay confident and clear under pressure It’s designed to help you turn “Tell me about yourself” into a moment that moves you forward in the process.

If you manage recruiters, here are 8 things worth remembering: 1. Recruiting is hard. It’s a daily mix of rejection, timing, pressure, and puzzle-solving. 2. Tenacity beats talent. The best recruiters don’t quit. They push through when others pause. 3. Ownership is everything. When a recruiter owns the outcome, performance changes fast. 4. There’s no secret sauce. No silver bullet, no magic tool. Just iteration, learning, and sharp judgment. 5. Coachability is a cheat code. The ones who grow? They ask, apply, adjust. Repeat. 6. The skill set is shifting. AI, automation, candidate expectations. Staying sharp means staying current. 7. Recruiting isn’t one job. It’s sales. It’s marketing. It’s consulting. It’s data. All at once. 8. Watch for funnel blockers. Rigid process, slow comms, risk averse. All kill momentum. What would you add?

RPO evaluation scorecard: 2025 Evaluate suppliers using 40 individual criteria within 10 categories! Heads of People and Talent, evaluating a recruitment partner? We’ve built a scorecard to help teams assess suppliers across the things that matter: 🟡 Ways of working 🟡 Sourcing strategy 🟡 Candidate experience 🟡 Hiring manager enablement 🟡 Commercials and more Designed to help you; - Compare apples with apples - reduce bias in selection - make sure you’re asking the right questions If you're evaluating RPO partners (or planning to soon), this will come in handy Want the scorecard? (No email capture) 1- Comment "SCORE ME" 2- I'll DM you the scorecard✌️

⚠️ UPDATE - ACCESS HERE ✌️ https://lnkd.in/e6-pCkji 📚 Resource Drop: Talent Acquisition Leaders Hub Built over 6 months! Playbooks, frameworks & tools to scale high-performance Hiring It’s a practical library covering strategy, tooling, ops, GTM, and recruiter enablement — all in one place. Here’s what’s inside: Strategy – Talent Acquisition Maturity Model (Survey) – TA Strategy Checklist – Fixing Hiring at the Root: A Practical Guide Metrics – Quality of Hire: A Practical Framework – Measuring QoH (Scorecard) – Key Recruiting KPIs: Intro & How-To – TA Metrics Leadership Actually Cares About Tooling & Infra – Careers Page Checklist – Quality of Hire Framework (also listed in metrics) - Tactics quadrant - ATV Evaluation scorecard - RO Evaluation scorecard Recruiter Enablement – Recruiter Battle Cards – Intake Meeting Overview – Talent Acquisition Manager Capability Matrix – How to Nail an Interviews Talent Attraction – The TA GTM Framework – How to Identify Your TAM – Philosophy of Sourcing: From Gut Feel to Engine NB, this is for TA Leads, Heads of TA, Heads of People 👉 Want the notion resource? comment 'LEADERS HUB' And I'll share access!

Many talent acquisition teams try to fix recruitment by turning up the volume more job boards, better tooling, fresh outbound campaigns. But when hiring stalls, the real problems usually sit much deeper. It’s not that tactics don’t matter—they do. But without a clear strategy, defined Ideal Candidate Profiles, strong value propositions, and tight processes, even the best tools won’t save you. We mapped it out in the “4 Layers of TA Problems” framework to help teams spot where the true blockers often live. 👉 Most businesses focus on Layer 1. 🔍 The real issues are often hiding in Layers 3 & 4. Start deeper, not louder.

TA alignment framework: Drove 18+ engineering & 11 GTM hires with an average TTH of 21 days We’ve just open-sourced part of our hiring strategy. It’s what we use to get Hiring Managers and our team aligned before roles go live. What’s inside: - Tooling we use for automation - Intake meeting template - Prompts to create hiring assets - Profile calibration sheet - ICP template with Firmographics It’s designed for speed, clarity, and minimise wasted interviews. If you'd like the notion guide, comment "ALIGNMENT and I'll send it to you ✌️