Free TA Benchmarks 👉 https://trends.pinpointhq.com/
Episode 1: Joe Atkinson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/) is joined by Adam Horne (https://www.linkedin.com/in/adam-open-org/) to talk about how to actually define company culture, how to change and communicate your culture & how to build a brand on LinkedIn
- Chapters: (00:00) Intro (00:54) Defining Company Culture (02:54) Why Companies Are Becoming More Transparent (05:00) Pushbacks Against Transparency (08:21) Why Happiness & Motivation Don't Matter (12:15) Building a Personal Brand on LinkedIn (12:26) Practical Tips for Talent Acquisition Professionals (17:34) How can Recruiters Be More Transparent (22:00) Why PostHog Has The Best Employer Brand
- Links: Open Org: https://www.openorg.fyi/
Recruiting Wisdom: https://recruiting-wisdom.beehiiv.com/

Sign up to Recruiting Wisdom (for free) - https://newsletter.gopurpl.io/signup

Shiv is a former Head of Talent for high growth companies such as Multiverse and Assembly Global. She now helps founders at companies like Metaverse and Learnably hire the top 1% of talent into their high growth environments.

In this episode Shiv debunks what A-Players actually means. How to find, assess and hire top performers who thrive in a high growth environment. And some of the core differences in hiring for start-ups vs scale-ups.

Chapters

00:00 Growth Stage Hiring

02:28 Top Talent in High Growth Environments

04:55 Attracting Talent to Early Stage Businesses

06:14 Finding and Assessing Candidates

09:17 Differences in Hiring for Seed vs Series C

11:46 Why Does it Matter?

14:10 Who Can We Learn From?

Connect with Shiv: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shivbrodie/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Episode Links:

Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/

Shiv’s Website: https://found-global.co/

Key Concepts & Tools Mentioned in This Video:

• Growth-stage hiring

• Hypergrowth startups

• Identifying top talent / “A-players”

• Force multipliers in teams

• High-growth environment challenges

• Career acceleration vs. steady-state roles

• The “give and get” Venn diagram for talent attraction

• Rate of learning and growth mentality

• Winning trajectory and pattern of achievement

• Coachability (early stage vs. scale-up context)

• Critical thinking at pace

• Resilience in ambiguous environments

• Additive, challenging interview processes

• Retention challenges in startups

• Top-of-funnel ratios

Screening for soft skills vs. hard skills

Pass-through rates and data-driven hiring

Talent density in organizations (e.g., PayPal Mafia, Revolut)

Peer learning and micro-communities for TA leaders

Sign up to Recruiting Wisdom (for free) - https://newsletter.gopurpl.io/signup

Rory Mullins is a Director of Talent Acquisition and former People Director who has worked in Leadership roles at Uber, Wise, Trainline and TransferGo.

In this episode Rory shares how he recently achieved 180+ hires with 2 other recruiters in 12 months, including how to balance speed and quality.

He also gives tips to accelerate your career within talent acquisition including how to work more efficiently and adopt new technology such as AI.

Chapters

00:00 Recruitment Efficiency

04:34 Balancing Quantity & Quality

09:11 The Future of Talent Acquisition

13:49 Continuous Improvement in Recruitment

Connect with Rory: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rorymullins/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Episode Links:

Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/

Key Concepts & Tools Mentioned in This Video:

• Recruiter Intake Process

• Recruitment Automation (ATS, interview scheduling, note-taking tools)

• Offer Acceptance & Closing Strategies

• Data-Driven Recruitment (tracking time, efficiency metrics, capacity planning)

• Stakeholder Engagement in Talent Acquisition

• Agentic AI in Recruitment

• Bulk & Volume Hiring Strategies

• Career Site & EVP (Employer Value Proposition) Redesign

• Continuous Improvement in Screening and Interviewing

• Project-Based Development for Recruiters

95% of Recruiters Get AI Wrong | Tom Hacquoil, Pinpoint CEO

Tom Hacquoil, CEO of Pinpoint, reveals why most recruitment teams are missing the real opportunity with AI, and how to actually use data to drive business decisions.

In this episode:

• Why AI job description writers & CV screening tools aren't the answer
• Where the actual value of AI lies for TA teams
• How to use data to influence business decisions
• The future of recruitment tech (and why there'll only be 2 systems)
• Lessons from bootstrapping to 8-figures while prioritizing employee equity

Timestamps: 00:00 - Intro 00:54 - Data Literacy in Recruitment 02:31 - Moving Beyond Vanity Metrics 03:11 - Learning from 1M+ Applications 05:11 - Candidate Wait Time Insights 06:21 - The Real Value of AI 08:57 - What TA Teams Want 11:04 - Hidden Value in Interview Data 13:01 - US vs UK Recruitment 14:31 - The Future of TA Tech 16:02 - Organizational Design 17:22 - Bootstrapping vs VC Funding

Follow LinkedIn Leaders for weekly insights on recruitment, leadership, and talent acquisition.

Links:

- Pinpoint's FREE Recruitment Benchmarks: https://trends.pinpointhq.com/

- Connect with: Joe (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/) & Tom (https://www.linkedin.com/in/tomhacquoil/) - Newsletter: https://recruiting-wisdom.beehiiv.com/

Free TA Benchmarks 👉 https://trends.pinpointhq.com/

Episode 5: Joe Atkinson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/) is joined by Andrew Lewis (https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-lewis-31104559/), Head of Talent Acquisition at Worldly. He reveals how his personal branding approach generates 7,500 applications per quarter. How to evolve from a reactive recruiter to a strategic business partner and build a high-performance recruitment engine. And how to develop a better mindset this year.

Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:32 Recruiter Brand vs Employer Brand 03:51 Content Creation Strategy 06:44 Measuring Content Success 08:16 Becoming a Strategic Partner 11:31 Common Recruiter Mistakes 13:42 Learning from Other Industries 16:18 Cross-Industry Innovation 18:47 Building a Growth Mindset

💡 Key Takeaways:

1. Why people follow people, not brands 2. How to move from order-taker to strategic advisor 3. Learning from sales, marketing, and product leaders 4. Building content that converts followers to candidates 5. Developing a continuous learning mindset

Links: Recruiting Wisdom: https://recruiting-wisdom.beehiiv.com/ #Recruitment #TalentAcquisition #RecruiterTips #LinkedIn #PersonalBranding #HR

Free TA Benchmarks 👉 https://trends.pinpointhq.com/

Episode 4: Joe Atkinson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/) is joined by Brandon Jeffs (https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandohires/), Director of People & Talent at TLDR, to challenge conventional recruiting wisdom and reveal what actually works in startup hiring. From debunking the "A-player" myth to sharing practical tips on employer brand and for early-stage recruiters.

Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:45 LinkedIn's AI Assistant 02:18 The Problem with "A-Players" 06:02 Pattern Matching in Recruitment 09:18 First Principles Thinking 10:17 Why Startups 14:37 Building a T-Shaped Skill Set 16:07 Employer Branding Done Right 17:40 The Truth About Community 20:35 The Future of Recruiting

💡 Key Takeaways: - Why "A-player" language hurts your job descriptions - How to use pattern matching for better hiring - The real value of startup recruiting experience - Building authentic employer brands - Creating genuine talent communities

Links: Recruiting Wisdom: https://recruiting-wisdom.beehiiv.com/

Free TA Benchmarks 👉 https://trends.pinpointhq.com/
Episode 3: Joe Atkinson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/) is joined by Oana Iordachescu (https://www.linkedin.com/in/equalopportunity/), former Senior Recruiting Leader at Wayfair and Zalando, now founder of Fair Cultures. They explore the future of multi-generational workplaces, global team dynamics, and practical inclusion strategies for modern organisations.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:20 Multi-Generational Teams 02:05 Hiring Gen Z 04:13 Adaptive Communication Strategies 05:40 Working in Global Teams 10:42 Inclusive Hiring Practices 13:35 Candidate Experience 14:44 Hiring Training & Development 16:56 Founder Journey
💡 Key Takeaways: - How to bridge communication gaps between different workplace generations - Phil Knight' & Nike's decade-long lesson on cross-cultural business - Practical tips for building trust in global teams - Latest insights on AI tools in recruiting - Building effective training programs for hybrid teams
Links: Fair Cultures: https://www.faircultures.com/blog Recruiting Wisdom: https://recruiting-wisdom.beehiiv.com/
#Leadership #Recruitment #WorkplaceCulture #GlobalTeams #genz #TalentAcquisition #HR #LinkedIn

Free TA Benchmarks 👉 https://trends.pinpointhq.com/
Episode 2: Joe Atkinson (https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/) is joined by Corey Archard (https://www.linkedin.com/in/corey-archard/) to discuss exclusive insights from interviewing Steven Bartlett, building high-performance cultures through sports psychology, and the future of remote work. Plus, practical advice for talent leaders building elite teams.
Chapters: 00:00 Intro 00:37 Steven Bartlett Interview 04:29 Candidate Experience 07:35 Return to Office 12:03 Sports Psychology in Business 18:03 Talent Acquisition Advice
💡 Key Takeaways:

- Why top CEOs spend 70-80% of time on hiring - The "1% rule" for exceptional experiences - How sports mindset transforms corporate culture - Building trust in hybrid workplaces
Links: Recruiting Wisdom: https://recruiting-wisdom.beehiiv.com/
#StevenBartlett #Bumble #Leadership #Hiring #TalentAcquisition #HR #LinkedIn #recruitment

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Matt is a former Meta Sourcer, responsible for sourcing, attracting, and engaging with Senior-to-Lead Machine Learning Engineers across Europe.

He’s now a leading Sourcing Trainer, helping recruitment teams build scalable and efficient sourcing functions as well as finding & engaging with niche talent.

In this episode we focus on Matt’s sourcing principles that can make every recruiter more productive, regardless of what tools they have access to.

Chapters

00:00 Intro to Sourcing Principles

01:14 Narrow Then Wide

04:46 Critical Thinking

08:44 Iterative Processes

11:23 80-20 Rule in Sourcing

15:45 Deep Work and Focus

22:35 More, Better, New

Connect with Matt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matthewmercer-elgenia/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Episode Links:

Matt’s Website: https://www.techtalentdelivery.com/

Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/

Resources Mentioned in This Video

Books & Concepts:

• Deep Work by Cal Newport: Learn how to cultivate focus and achieve high productivity through deep, uninterrupted work.

• Pareto Principle (80-20 Rule): The concept that 20% of inputs often yield 80% of results, applied to sourcing and recruitment efforts.

• Attention Residue by Sophie Leroy: A concept explaining the impact of task-switching on focus and productivity.

Techniques & Sourcing Strategies:

• Narrow First, Then Wide: A sourcing strategy that prioritizes precision before expansion to maximize efficiency.

• Keyword Analysis: A method to refine Boolean searches by analyzing existing candidate profiles for additional terms.

• Implicit Search: A technique to uncover candidates who don’t explicitly list skills by searching for contextual clues.

• Iterative Sourcing Process: A continuous loop of research, review, sourcing, and feedback to refine and improve results.

• More, Better, Before New: A framework for maximizing the impact of existing tools and processes before investing in new ones.

Creators & Thought Leaders:

• Glenn Cathy: A sourcing thought leader known for his work on Boolean search techniques and implicit search.

• Alex Hormozi: Entrepreneur and investor who coined the phrase “More, Better, Before New” to optimize processes and outputs.

Platforms & Tools:

• Google Scholar: A valuable research platform for finding candidates in research-heavy roles.

• LinkedIn Recruiter: A widely used tool for sourcing candidates, with advanced search and filtering capabilities.

Sign up to Recruiting Wisdom (for free) - https://newsletter.gopurpl.io/signup

Giovanni Di Felice is the Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Statista. He previously held leadership positions in the Delivery Hero and Zalando recruitment functions.

This episode we focus on how to work effectively with business leaders, senior executives and founders as a recruitment professional, something Giovanni helps mentor and upskill his teams on regularly.

Chapters:

00:00 Senior Stakeholder Engagement

01:38 How to Build Trust

03.19 Partnering with Busy Execs

06.40 Balancing Process and Flexibility

08.50 Measuring Hiring Manager Experience

10.40 Where Recruiters Go Wrong

Connect with Gio: https://www.linkedin.com/in/giovanni-di-felice-berlin/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Episode Links:

Gio’s Article: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/5-stakeholder-management-tips-in-house-recruiters-giovanni-di-felice-nosxf/

Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/

Sign up to Recruiting Wisdom (for free) - https://newsletter.gopurpl.io/signup

Dave Owen is the former Global Head of Talent Acquisition at Dyson and Talent Strategy Consultant at The BBC. He now advises on workforce transformation, organisational design and preparing workforces for AI.

He’s therefore perfectly positioned to advise recruiters and talent acquisition professionals on what they should be doing to prepare for the future. In this episode we cover what skills you should start to build now and how to get to grips with new technologies.

Chapters:

00:00 The Future of Talent Acquisition

02:10 Learning New Technology

06:34 Efficiency in Talent Acquisition

12:23 Skills for the Future of Recruitment

17:47 Embracing Change

Connect with Dave: https://www.linkedin.com/in/dave-owen-ta/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Episode Links:

Dave’s Website: https://www.dawntalent.co.uk/

Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/

Sign up to Recruiting Wisdom (for free) - https://newsletter.gopurpl.io/signup

Ben is currently Global Employer Branding Lead at Boosky. He previously worked in leadership roles at IBM, Tesco & Hootsuite.

He’s an award-winning EVP, employer branding and talent marketing leader with experience across recruitment, culture transformation, learning / leadership development, and consumer marketing.

In this episode we focus on tactics for early-stage and growth companies when it comes to Employer Brand & Recruitment Marketing.

Chapters:

00:00 Understanding Employer Branding for Startups

04:49 Tactical Approaches for Recruiters in Early-Stage Companies

10:32 Balancing Strategy and Immediate Needs

15:22 Flipping the Script on Messaging

20:06 Measuring the Effectiveness of Employer Branding

23:30 Resources for Learning and Upskilling in Employer Branding

Connect with Ben: https://www.linkedin.com/in/the-real-ben-phillips/

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Episode Links:

Ben’s Website: https://www.revealthereal.co.uk/

Joe’s Website: https://gopurpl.io/

Daisy is a 2× award‐winning TA Specialist, keynote speaker, and workplace strategist. She hosts the Realistic Happiness Podcast interviewing experts in careers, wellbeing, neuroscience, and psychology to uncover what actually makes people feel engaged, valued, and happy at work

In this episode why discuss why 81% of employees are considering leaving their job, how to avoid burnout and find meaning in your work & the biggest lessons from interviewing 60 experts on workplace happiness.

Chapters:

00:00 - Job Market Trends

02:22 - Burnout

09:29 - Layoffs and Job Security

14:20 - Meaning and Purpose at Work

17:55 - Biggest Lessons from Experts

Connect with Daisy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/daisy-ilaria

Connect with Joe: https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

Free learning newsletter for recruiters: https://recruiting-wisdom.beehiiv.com/

How to Grow a LinkedIn Personal Brand | Anna Bertoldini

From 0 to 30,000+ LinkedIn followers - Nielsen IQ's Senior Brand Manager reveals her complete framework for building a personal brand while working fulltime.

In this episode, learn:

• How to safely build your brand as an employee
• The exact framework for growing LinkedIn followers
• Why most people fail at content creation
• Converting LinkedIn views into opportunities
• The three statements every creator needs

Timestamps:

00:00: Why Personal Branding Matters 01:17: Anna's Journey to 30K Followers 02:36: Employee Personal Branding 05:31: Getting Company Buy-In 08:11: Finding Your Content Voice 11:04: The Power of Comments 12:09: Storytelling Secrets 15:18: Common Creator Mistakes 17:07: Building Your Mission 19:04: Advice for Recruiters

Connect with Anna: linkedin.com/in/annabertoldini

Connect with Joe: linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1

Subscribe to Recruiting Wisdom: recruiting-wisdom.beehiiv.com

The Startup Hiring Playbook | Harriet Ball, SuperSeed

Harriet Ball shares her journey from Senior Talent roles at Uber & L'Oreal to Head of Talent in Venture Capital with SuperSeed VC. We cover what life is like as a Talent Partner at a venture capital firm, PLUS Harriet shares her guide to early-stage hiring.

In this episode, learn:

What a VC Talent Partner actually does (and how to become one) The key differences between corporate and VC recruiting roles How VCs assess founders' hiring decisions The complete framework for early-stage hiring success When startups should (and shouldn't) make their first key hires

Timestamps: 00:00 - Why VCs Need Talent Partners 01:03 - The SuperSeed Approach 04:07 - Transitioning from Corporate to VC 11:02 - The Truth About Early-Stage Hiring 13:49 - When to Make Your First Sales Hire 16:13 - Building the Perfect Process 20:37 - Working with Time-Poor Founders

Connect with Harriet: linkedin.com/in/harriet-ball Connect with Joe: linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1

Subscribe to Recruiting Wisdom: recruiting-wisdom.beehiiv.com

Recruiting vs Sales: What 240 Leaders Taught Me | Adam Gordon (Founder at Poetry)

In this interview I'm chatting to Adam Gordon. Adam has successfully built and sold HRTech companies and is currently building his next venture, Poetry

After 240+ interviews with TA leaders, Adam reveals why he believes recruiter enablement is the future...

⏰ Timestamps: 00:00 The Problem with Recruitment Tools 00:48 Learning from Sales Teams 04:01 Creating a New Category 06:21 240 TA Leaders Speak Out 10:13 Training vs Enablement Revolution 15:56 Game-Changing Solutions 20:35 The Future of Recruiting 25:39 Essential Skills for 2025 28:37 Why Job Apps Won't Exist

🔗 Connect with us: Adam - https://www.linkedin.com/in/adamwgordon/ Joe - https://www.linkedin.com/in/joe-atkinson1/

📧 Subscribe to Recruiting Wisdom: https://recruiting-wisdom.beehiiv.com/

Some things we cover:

1. The #1 reason recruiters are drowning in tools 2. What sales teams know that TA teams don't 3. Why SharePoint is killing recruiter productivity 4. The shocking future of job applications 5. How to prepare your team for 2025

Some key Insights:

1. Why top companies are switching to enablement 2. The hidden cost of recruiter inefficiency 3. What 240 TA leaders really think 4. The tools that actually work 5. Future-proofing your recruitment team

#RecruiterEnablement #FutureOfWork #TalentAcquisition #Recruitment #HR #RecTech #Hiring #HRTech #RecruitmentStrategy #TalentStrategy #RecruiterLife #LinkedInRecruiting #RecruitmentTools #HiringTips #RecruitmentTechnology #RecruitmentIndustry