This Week, In Recruiting - Issue 10

Remember: Recruiting Brainfood for ever green, deep dive curated recruiting + HR content. Subscribe ??

Sponsored by our friends at Gem

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Open Kitchen - LinkedIn Cover Stories

For those who are new to this newsletter, Open Kitchen is the segment where I share my thoughts on what I'm doing, as I'm doing them. If you want to get to the community segments - scroll down to What's in the News and go from there.

LinkedIn Cover Stories

I mentioned in Recruiting Brainfood yesterday that was going to share some thoughts on the latest LinkedIn feature I've recently become aware of, LinkedIn Cover Stories. This is relatively new feature (released March 30, but I think now universally rolled out to all users as of last week) which allows users to record 30 seconds of mobile video and attach to your profile.

It's the first major social network of any type to do this, so kudos for LinkedIn for taking the plunge, and the more I think about how they might be used, the more I think that every network will soon follow and implement this feature. Here are some reasons why:

Why it is going to be useful

1. Builds trust - the biggest barrier for any connection in the digital world is trust or lack thereof. We rightly distrust people who don't know much about (dangerous world out there folks etc). Now 30 seconds is not a long time to change this feeling, but it is a significant upgrade on having nothing at all. For jobseekers, it's a valuable way to differentiate from other job candidates; for recruiters, an essential way to humanise an image which might otherwise carry negative connotation.
2. Verifies ID - how do we know an account is real? Bots, spam or fake accounts plague LinkedIn like every other social network. LinkedIn Cover Stories inadvertently add authentication value to an account, because you have the account holder actually speaking to you on it! Now of course you can fake this also but the effort involved to do so has just gone up significantly - perhaps to the point where it becomes practically difficult for the fakers to justify. For anyone involved in work which has attracted distrust on veracity of identity, this feature could go some way toward redressing that balance.
3. Communicate information - there may be legit value in the message you might want to send. 30 seconds is not a lot but as we've seen on TikTok it is perfectly possible to condense valuable information on short form mobile video. This might especially become the case if LinkedIn expand the video enhancement options available, which given the implementation that is already there - the emoji suite and various text formats - suggests that it plans to do just that.
4. Subliminal messaging - there potentially could be lots going on in the video, other than the creator talking to camera. There is nothing stopping anyone from product placement, brand anchoring or even straight up m-commerce style sales-demo's-to-the-camera. Additionally, there is no technical reason why the camera should be pointed at your face when shooting the video, so could just as easily be facing somewhere else. Could we see LinkedIn Cover Stories adapted to showcase something else? I would not particularly welcome it but some people might, so it is inevitably other people are going to try it.
5. Repurpose for Mini-vlog - if the history of social media tells us anything is that users will repurpose a feature for their own use, regardless of original design purpose. As there is no limit to the number of edits on LinkedIn Cover Stories, we might soon see users repeatedly update their video messages in order to tell episodic stories or communicate over an extended period of time. Must confess I was tempted to do just that, though right now updating Cover Stories does not trigger notifications to network, so will likely have limited reach. Once it does though, expect the mini-blogging experiment whether conducted by myself or someone else to happen.
6. Set expectations on you prefer to be contacted - we all have preferences on how we like to addressed or if we want to be contacted at all, and if so, how that contact would ideally take place. LinkedIn have already introduce a number of features to support a more positive 'first contact' experience - name pronunciation, preferred pronouns - LinkedIn Cover Stories could equally be used as a complement, supplement or even replacement for any of those.

How to Set Your Own LinkedIn Cover Story

Pretty straight forward though you can only do it on LinkedIn mobile app - so this is perhaps another way to separate the casuals from the committed ??. Just fire up your mobile app, view your own profile, press on your face, and record. I've recorded a quick loom for those who want to see what the results looks like ??

Or if you went to my profile here (on Chrome desktop), you should be able to see the orange hoop and play it.

All said, I'm going to recommend you try this feature - early days but it seems to be me that the potential upside fair outweigh the downside. From a marketing POV, imagine how powerful it would be to get your CEO to do this, or from a recruiter POV, imagine if your hiring managers had a message recorded for job applicants you aim to submit for their team. And for recruiters ourselves, why not use it to communicate your current urgent needs or the value prop of working at your employer? It only takes 30 seconds.

PS: I am conducting 'Brutal Reviews' of your LinkedIn Cover Stories. So if you set yours and wish to receive my condemnation, comment below with a link to your profile.

Alright, out of the kitchen folks, into the lounge ??

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What's In The News?

Stepstone acquire San Francisco based conversational AI, Mya. The idea of conversational interface as a fundamental upgrade for candidate experience compared search has been accepted in HR tech - everyone is buying or build a solution here. Not sure how many independent chatbot providers are left - any ideas? Stepstone PR here

Not to be outdone, PandoLogic, the market leader in programmatic job advertising, join the conversational AI party, acquiring San Francisco based Wade & Wendy Automation on both sides of the transaction here - programmatic job advert placement, conversation AI candidate engagement. Lots of innovation converging in recruiting tech - exciting developments in our space.

Cammio release Cammio Clips - record and send personalised video messages to your candidates. Download the chrome extension here. See it in action with Cammio's Marketing Manager Annie Burkhardt here, or with CEO Walter Hueber here

Mysolution acquire OnRecruit, adding more assets in its plan to build a total recruitment solution for customers in the Dutch and European markets. Congratulations to all the OnRecruit team, especially my buddy Rene Bolier who now also joins Mysolution as CCO. PR here

Odro raise ￡5.2million to accelerate the internationalisation of the service, with offices opening up in Austin, TX and Sydney Australia. Congrats to Ryan McCabe, Dougie Loan and crew for running a great business - Odro are going to be one of the few Scottish HR tech businesses to really break it big - count on it. Awesome product, built by an awesome team.

If you are a recruitment service provider or technology business and have any news to share, comment below, this is your application to get into next week's addition of This Week, In Recruiting. Make sure to @ mention me so that I see it

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What's On?

Mastering Speed and Agility for the return to recruiting business as usual, 26 May, 1pm

Part of the Future of Work summit by our buddies at Oleeo, this session is focusing on what recruiters need to do to hit the ground running now that we are clearly entering the next phase of the pandemic era. Free folks, so register here

inclusive.hiring 21, 26-27 May, 2021

Outstanding event by our buddies The Recruitment Events Co. Few event organisers are able to pull together a two day line up like this. See world renowned DEIB experts including Torin Ellis, Chikere Igbokwe, Farrah Ekeroth and the one and only Bill Boorman. Can't miss this folks - register here

You Can't Afford to Sacrifice DEI, 27 May, 10am PST

Gem's TA Leadership series continues this Thursday with a focus on how top tier TA teams are integrating DEI in their hiring strategies. Tune in to learn how teams like Glassdoor, Microsoft, and others are doing it. Register here!

Brainfood Live On Air - Ep110 - Recruiting In Middle East, North Africa, 27 May, 10.00 BST GMT+4

Brainfood is on virtual tour folks! In our interest in hearing from recruiters in different parts of the world, we're speaking with John Dudley, MENA Recruitment Leader at EY and Melissa Sumner, Global Head of Talent Acquisition at William Grant & Sons on the challenges and priorities of hiring in the Middle East. Must watch for anyone who hires in MENA or wants to understand how diverse recruiting challenges are when confronted with local conditions. Register here

If you have an event, webinar or podcast going on next week and want it featured on next week's newsletter, comment below with the link and event details. Don't forget to @ mention me so that I see it

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Who's Hiring?

Senior Technical Recruiter, Zwift, Remote USA

Contract Recruiter, Zwift, Remote USA

Senior Technical Sourcer (Contract), Zwift, Remote USA

Recruiter, McKinsey & Co, London, Amsterdam, Lisbon, Wroclaw, Madrid or Munich

Technical Recruitment Lead, Financial Times, London, UK

Talent Acquisition Manager - Business (m/f/d) (German speaking), Personio, Munich, Germany

Senior Talent Acquisition Manager (m/f/d) (German speaking), Personio, Munich, Germany

Talent Sourcer (m/f/d) (German speaking), Personio, Munich or Remote Germany

Talent Acquisition Manager - Product & Analytics (m/f/d), Personio, Munich or Remote Germany

Talent Acquisition Manager Engineering (m/f/d), Personio - Munich or Remote Germany

Senior Recruiter, Vistaprint, Dublin, Remote Ireland

Senior Recruiter, Vistaprint, Munich, Remote Germany

Senior Recruiter, Vistaprint, London, Remote UK

Senior Recruiter, Vistaprint, Barcelona, Remote Spain

Recruiter - G&A & Marketing, Datadog, New York City, NY/NJ, USA

Senior Tech Recruiter, Datadog, Paris (France) or Madrid (Spain)

Payroll Specialist, Datadog, Tokyo, Japan

Technical Recruiter, Datadog, New York City, NY/NJ, USA

Head of Marketing, Candidate-ID, Glasgow, Remote UK

Recruitment Business Partner / TA Consultant - 6mnth FTC, KPMG, Glasgow, UK

Senior Tech & Product Sourcer (m/f/d), HomeToGo, Berlin, Germany

Senior Talent Acquisition Manager - Product (m/f/d), HomeToGo, Berlin, Germany

Senior Talent Acquisition Manager - Business (m/f/d), HomeToGo, Berlin, Germany

Business Development Representative, Proactive Talent, Cedar Park, TX or Remote USA

Content Strategist, Proactive Talent, Cedar Park, TX or Remote USA

On-Demand Technical Recruiter, Proactive Talent, Cedar Park, TX or Remote USA

On-Demand Recruiter, Proactive Talent, Cedar Park, TX or Remote USA

Technology Implementation Consultant, Proactive Talent, Cedar Park, TX or Remote USA

Lead Consultant, Employer Branding, Proactive Talent, Cedar Park, TX or Remote USA

Lead Strategist, Recruitment Marketing, Proactive Talent, Cedar Park, TX or Remote USA

Lead Consultant, Hiring Services, Proactive Talent, Cedar Park, TX or Remote USA

Chief People Officer, Funnel, Stockholm, Sweden

If you want your job freely promoted in this newsletter next week, comment below with the link to the job. No third party jobs or links to third party sites. Don't forget to @ mention me so that I see it

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Who's Available?

Once again...no one?

PS: would you hire this man?

I suspect we're going to have to retire this segment due to lack of use. I set it up to amplify folks in the community who were looking for work but it could well be times and market have changed! So, in what may the last ever, I am going to make myself available for hire - as truth is - I think I am. With 21 days mandatory quarantine, I am sure I will have spare time. So, if anyone needs any help on anything (within reason) - comment below, let me know - I volunteer 1 hour worth of work to anyone who asks.

If you are on the market or available for extra work, comment below with the ideal type of job you are looking for (job title, type of company, contract type, location). Don't forget to @ mention me in it so that I see it

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Who's Moving?

Cinzia Ricciardone, joins SmartRecruiters as Product Director. Previously with Cognism and Broadbean Technology, few in the business know more about leading product teams in the staffing space. SmartRecruiters hiring a lot of smart people in 2021.

Eva Zils steps into a new direction with a full time job with the city of Offenburg, as Senior Digital Communications Facilitator. Those who know Eva will tell you that she has been one of the most prominent creators of community for the HR / Recruiting space for the past decade, not least the organising the amazing HR Hackathon event in 2016 (in which I -outrageously - placed second). Our industry loss is the Offenburg's gain. Fascinating to see the emergence of these types of roles and Eva perfect fit for it.

Graham Moody joins JobAdder as Chief People Officer this week. Graham brings a wealth of experience with previous experience in leading the people functions at Genius Sports, Ansarada and Auth0. Based UK, before the relocating to company HQ (and better weather) in Australia later this year. Congrats on the move!

Brian Fink joins Twitter as Senior Technical Recruiter, moving across from Amazon Web Services. Brian has been (and still is) such a great contributor to the recruiting community. Look forward to see what new challenges and solutions he comes up with in the new role.

Lee Harding joins JOIN Talent has Head of Enablement. Incredible growth from one of the newer recruiting scale ups coming out of the UK - from 3 employees in 2019 to over 60 today. Congrats to my mate Katrina Hutchinson-O'Neill on this rapid progress.

Marcin Hordyniec joins Resi as Talent Acquisition Manager, after 2 years with iTech Media. Massively experienced recruiter, and another who is such a huge supporter of the brainfood community.

Finally, Proactive Talent continue to be proactively hiring talent for themselves (!) signing up Andy Williams, who joins as Lead Consultant for the Hiring Services Division focused on Recruiting Optimization and Technology Integration, and Angela Schmitt who joins as Lead Consultant in our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion division, after serving as Director of DE&I at Postmates.

If you have made a senior exec appointment to your business, and feel the wider community needs to know about it, comment below with the details and see it featured in next weeks issue. Don't forget to @ mention me in it so that I see it

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What Are You Doing?

Jan Alexander Jedlinski has a new product addressing a problem we may not have realised was there - how we submit or rather - share - candidate information with clients. Check out Candidately, some great potential here to differentiate as a recruitment supplier

Nicola Kleinmann is looking for recruiters to join her on an associate model, for either 3 days or 5 days per week, for the next 4-8 weeks. Ideally with experience of working with Greenhouse or Workable ATS. Work is here folks, so if you're looking or otherwise available for extra, get in touch with Nicole directly here

Maria Mezher, starts her entrepreneurial journey after year in the tech startup / scale up scene. Contact Maria if you are interested in getting expert support for your HR / EB / Company culture initiatives.

If you are doing something new, comment below with what it is and share a link to where you want people to go. Don't forget to @ mention me in it so that I see it

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End Notes

That's it for another week folks - thanks for making it this far.

I've really been enjoying writing this newsletter and I hope it's adding value in some way to the community at large. Been thinking about the timing of the Brainfood channels and maybe coming up for a major shift. Might move RB to Friday, Brainfood Live to Wed and keep TWIR on Mondays. You might have to prepare yourself for another poll folks....but do let me know what your thoughts are, on the cadence and spread of these channels - totally open for open feedback.

Finally, if you want inclusion for any of the categories for next issue, comment below. This is the way that I can centralise the requisitions and make sure everything that needs to go, does not get missed.

Til next week folks

Hung

Hung Lee is the curator of Recruiting Brainfood, and now This Week In Recruiting. Subscribe to both if you are into recruiting or HR or just interested in world of work.