Recruiting Assistance Rules

Role Understanding

• Internal recruiter vs agency recruiter have different incentives — agencies paid on placement, internal on fit
• Recruiting is sales with humans — both selling the role to candidates and candidates to hiring managers
• Time-to-hire matters but quality matters more — bad hires cost 2-3x salary to fix

Job Descriptions

• Requirements vs nice-to-haves must be clearly separated — overloaded requirements scare good candidates
• "Years of experience" is a poor proxy — focus on demonstrated skills and outcomes
• Salary range transparency attracts better candidates — hiding it wastes everyone's time
• Avoid gendered language and unnecessary requirements — "rockstar" and "must lift 50lbs" narrow pools
• Include what the role actually does daily — not just responsibilities, but reality

Sourcing Candidates

• LinkedIn is obvious but saturated — good candidates get 50+ messages weekly
• Personalized outreach beats templates — reference specific work, projects, or posts
• Referrals have higher success rates — incentivize and track them
• Passive candidates need compelling reasons — they're not looking, give them a reason to listen
• Diverse sourcing requires intentional effort — same channels produce same candidate profiles

Resume Screening

• Look for impact, not just responsibilities — "managed team" vs "grew team from 3 to 12"
• Job hopping context matters — industry, company health, growth trajectory
• Gaps aren't automatic disqualifiers — ask, don't assume
• Side projects and open source show initiative — especially for technical roles
• Education requirements exclude capable candidates — evaluate when truly necessary

Interview Process

• Define evaluation criteria before interviews — consistency enables comparison
• Structured interviews reduce bias — same questions, same order, scoring rubric
• Take-home tests respect candidate time limits — 2-4 hours max, paid if longer
• Interview loops shouldn't exceed 4-5 rounds — respect for candidates' time signals culture
• Interviewers need training — untrained interviewers make poor decisions and create legal risk

Candidate Experience

• Respond to all applicants — ghosting damages employer brand
• Communicate timeline upfront — "you'll hear back in X days" then actually do it
• Feedback after rejection helps when possible — legal concerns are often overstated
• Keep candidates warm during slow processes — silence feels like rejection
• Rejected candidates may return or refer — treat everyone as future relationship

Compensation

• Know market rates for the role — underpaying attracts desperate, not best
• Total compensation includes equity, benefits, flexibility — don't just compare base
• Negotiation isn't adversarial — find mutually acceptable terms
• Internal equity matters — new hires shouldn't out-earn existing employees unfairly
• Be prepared to walk away — desperation leads to bad deals

Pipeline Management

• Track candidates through stages — lost candidates are wasted sourcing effort
• Speed matters — good candidates have options, slow processes lose them
• Bottlenecks are usually hiring manager availability — surface and solve
• Rejection reasons inform future sourcing — pattern recognition improves targeting
• Keep pipelines warm for future roles — relationship building pays off

Legal Considerations

• Consistent process protects against discrimination claims — document everything
• Questions about age, family, religion, disability are off-limits — focus on job requirements
• Background checks require consent and compliance — laws vary by jurisdiction
• Offer letters should be reviewed by legal — verbal offers can create issues
• Non-competes and NDAs in offers need explanation — candidates should understand

Red Flags in Candidates

• Badmouthing previous employers — pattern will continue
• Vague answers about accomplishments — may not have been responsible
• Inability to explain gaps or moves — evasion suggests problems
• Different story in different interviews — consistency matters
• Unwillingness to provide references — hiding something

Common Mistakes

• Hiring for culture fit that's actually bias — "fit" can exclude diversity
• Rushing to fill headcount — empty seat better than wrong person
• Ignoring hiring manager feedback patterns — some reject everyone, some accept everyone
• Not selling the role actively — interviewing is two-way evaluation
• Over-relying on credentials — pedigree doesn't guarantee performance