Scott Simmons

An interesting silver lining in this job market for people looking to hire: Cold, passive candidate response rate is through the roof. And while there are a lot of people between roles, it goes much further than that. Along with the amount of transition and instability present in tech, the lack of coherent messaging internally has *dramatically* increased the amount of passive interest among people who'd normally be inclined to sit tight. For people hiring with a strong ability to research and cold source, if you have a hiring process that can convey stability as well as sane and cohesive culture, you're in a really good spot. This market does not favor an inbound pipeline for highly specialized roles because you're left with an overwhelm of submissions, the majority of which aren't qualified or relevant for the role. This is exacerbated by the fact that you're probably running on a tight budget with a message from your funding network to do more with less. That means the likelihood you're gonna pull *the* resume from that pile is low, and the process of finding it is labor intensive.... And you are either early enough that you don't have a recruiter or you laid your recruiter off. I'm biased because I've always shown strong results through highly targeted, outbound, research driven and referral/relationship-oriented sourcing.... But I've never seen a market where it was more effective than today.

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Syelo invests exclusively in early stage companies building recruiting software (not to be confused for HR tooling). Every company we have reviewed is building for internal recruiting teams never external. Why? With respect, the complexities, nuances, strategy, and day-to-day tasks are entirely different from one another. An internal teams core value is to systematize and uphold processes that scale. An external team is focused on filling head count. Recruiting Agencies have a TAM of $47b. Recruiting Software has a TAM of $300m. So why are so many founders hyper fixated on building software for companies? Pain. It is a lot harder to sell to agencies. A recruiting agency needs very little software/tooling to be effective and what currently exists works. They also have really tough margins (at scale) so convincing them that a product will 10x their output needs to be clear and effective. Businesses building recruiting departments have a variety of needs and nuances that complicates standardized processes so niche products/solutions find a fit in an already saturated market. In our humble opinion if you are looking to build a next generation company in the TA space you should be building for external recruiters first and foremost.

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❔ Laid-off? Busy yet boring job search? Lots of free time? 👉 What to do while laid-off that could help you get hired. While being laid-off there is a tendency to “go inwards” and do things within your personal span of control rather than “looking outwards” from yourself to collaborate with others. I know since myself and my clients have been there. One way to “look outwards” and productively use your free time while laid-off is to volunteer at a non-profit organization you are passionate about and aligns with your profession/skills. The benefits of this approach include: (a) While laid-off our professional skills tend to atrophy. However, volunteering enables you to practice and keep some of your tech skills fresh for upcoming job interviews. (b) Volunteering may also help with career development and allow you to add more skills to the “Skills” section of your resume. (c) You can meet new people and expand your professional network. (d) Being out of work for more than a few months can wear on your confidence. However, performing recent, professional work that others appreciate builds your confidence. That confidence is what you need during a job interview. (e) Volunteer work shows initiative. Recruiters and hiring managers are curious how you managed your time while laid-off. I shared the advice and benefits above with a client who was out of work. He volunteered at a local charity. He also listed his volunteer work on his resume. During his job interviews he could speak about his volunteer experience. His volunteer work wasn’t the only factor, but he got hired by a great company. You might ask, "So, where do I find these volunteer opportunities?" Simply search the web for opportunities at charities, non-profits, etc. that have a cause you are passionate about and will give you an opportunity to continue using your current professional skills. Also, there might be opportunities to volunteer at professional association events. 📨 Feel free to share. Ready to discuss more ways to expand your career? Schedule your free and confidential one-on-one career coaching call. Discover more at https://lnkd.in/gQjGDaZH #laidoff #careertips #jobinterviews

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