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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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