This Week, In Recruiting - Issue 58

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Open Kitchen:?The Viability of Brainfood (As a Digital Nomad)

Some of you might know that I've been in Australia for the past 3 weeks, traveling to three big cities (Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane) and a host of smaller towns, beaches, bars and hikes in between in support of the return of in-person recruiting events, which were coming back after an enforced hiatus of two and half years. Events are so important to the health of our industry ecosystem and I strongly believe that without in-person connections coming back to the level that they were pre-pandemic, we will all likely be worse off, with smaller individual networks and weaker ties amongst us than would otherwise be the case. 'Network Value' is probably a topic worth exploring in a future Open Kitchen, but as I've just landed back in London this morning and have now only 2 hours to get this essay done, so its more appropriate to address the other major project which was running concurrently and in the background to event support these past 3 weeks - a stress test on how viable it is to 'do brainfood' whilst on the road.

A few discoveries....

1. Fixed vs Fluid

Brainfood content generally comes out at fixed points in the week - Recruiting Brainfood at Sunday 7.30am, This Week, In Recruiting on Monday 1pm, CrowdCast analytics mailer (Wed 12pm), the odd LinkedIn / Twitter postings throughout the week, Brainfood Live on Air (Friday 2pm). I'm a huge believer in the 'relentless regularity', as it creates a sense of trust for the community, that these events will always happen, come what may. And it definitely helps to build an audience by establishing a cadence of the output.

However, this fixed schedule is optimised for in a work-from-home scenario, as you are have full control over the work environment at home. It is as precarious as heck on the road. Basic stuff like needing to be in a certain place at a certain time in order to make the next connection, of course spotty wifi in pretty places, loss of battery power, missing power cables, need to figure out places to eat, drink etc. All of these issues become variables when you're travelling around. In fact, they become variables as soon as you step out of your front door. And variables are challenges to fixed cadence.

It was extremely tough to stick to schedule; in fact, I missed a Brainfood Live, abandoned the Weds Analytics updates and did nothing much at all on LinkedIn or any social media. Only the Sunday and Monday newsletters were 'unaffected', though in truth what I did was do a great deal of the work earlier in the week for both than I usually would do, in order to give myself as much buffer as possible, in case 'random sh1t' got in the way.

You can do a lot with scheduling and delegation but one of the things the recruiting brainfood community appreciates is the currency and authenticity of the conversation that is being had. You know it's me doing it - and generally speaking - I am doing it close to real time. I suspect its a big reason why my (frequent) mistakes are tolerated by the community, because there is awareness that brainfood is basically just a guy with a laptop and an Internet connection.

I got away with it (just!) but digital nomadism is not tenable long term for brainfood unless the following trade offs were considered.

2. Accept A More Fluid Cadence?

This option accepts the inevitability of an interrupt to fixed schedule as the reality of being on the road, and therefore withdraws from an absolutist position on it. Send the newsletters when they are ready to be sent, not according some time stamp on a calendar. I suspect most content creators and curators have a more flexible schedule than mine, which is usually to the minute, and so perhaps I can afford to relax it a little?

Counterpoint: slippage is a failure of discipline and will inevitably result in abandonment!

3. Hire & Delegate?

Brainfood operates as a super high margin business because basically there is no cost other than me - and I mainly eat ramen noodles. It definitely runs at a strong enough profit margin to hire a couple of people who could be delegated additional tasks to counter the variables that occur in the fluid state of being on the road. So this option is about sticking to Fixed Cadence and having extra hands on deck to make sure it happens.

Counterpoint: building a company contravenes the foundational axiom of brainfood as a 'go-it-alone' venture!

4. Substitute

Don't get help, get a temporary replacement - a substitute to take on at least some part of the Fixed Cadence. This seems to be a popular option for solo creators / curators - I've seen guest editors for newsletters, guest hosts for podcasts etc. Likely, I may try to do this the next time I am away (May 20th - get ready Adam Gordon). Also, this option has been suggested by Clair Bush, amongst others. It's not tenable as a long term solution though, more a case of holiday break, which isn't what this is.

Counterpoint: it's definitely not as good. And this is not on the substitute, who may in fact be objectively 'better', but it is more a matter of audience expecting one thing and getting another. Will it lead to attrition?

Lots to think about on this. The past three weeks has shown me how optimised Brainfood is for work from home, to the extent where it might not be do-able under any other circumstances. So I am going to have to have a look at 2,3 and 4 - and maybe the fifth option - getting a robot in.

Anyways, we're late already, so out of the kitchen, onto the lounge ??

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What's in the News?

Oyster raise $150 Million Series C round at $1 Billion valuation

Is there a more frenetic segment in. HR tech investment than payroll? Answer is no there isn't as this is a race for market share, with the top 3 big players raising round after round. Oyster HR, the latest to join the unicorn club. Folks interested in what Oyster do and how they do it, have a watch of my interview with CEO Tony Jamous here. Want to learn more about this raise, check out the PR here

PredictiveHire Rebrand to Sapia

So the official press release is coming out later today, but seeing as CEO Barb Hyman has already posted about the name change and rebrand, I'm going to talk about it a little bit more here ;-). Sapia - as a portmanteau of homo sapien + AI, the new name and look augurs in some exciting product developments. In Barb's own words, here

Zubale raise $40 Million Series A

The changing relationship between work and workers is being supported and enabled by tech platforms which fulfil responsibilities previously performed by employers or government. Mexico based Zubale connects independent workers with ecommerce providers , whilst guaranteeing income for previously much more precarious work. Techcrunch with the report here.

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 Offer?

SOSUTech - 10% discounted tickets, Ukrainian citizens go for free.

One of the best - maybe 'the' best - sourcing conference around, SOSU is back this time with a focus on Tech Talent. Incredible list of speakers on the show - all practitioners with lived experience of hiring for engineers in tough-as-hell market. Three offers on this event - BRAINFOOD10 for 10% discount on paid tickets, 20% of all sales revenue to go humanitarian relief efforts in Ukraine, whilst no charge for any Ukrainian recruiters who want to attend. It's not as if you needed any other reasons to register folks - get to it, its one of the best.

If you are a recruitment service provider or recruitment technology vendor have any?exclusive?offer for the community,?comment below?with your offer in order to be included in next week's edition of This Week, In Recruiting. Make sure to @ mention me so that I see it.

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What's Going On?

Top 3 Reasons Why Candidates Apply, then Drop Out, Weds 27th 2.00pm GMT

10,000 candidate data points from Screenloop's platform is the basis of this discussion I'm having with?Annie Jackson, Head of Talent Acquisition (Cleo),?Anne Roe, CPO (Mind Foundry) and Dave Richardson, Director of Recruitment (Monzo), moderated by the one and only?Anton Boner, Co-founder (Screenloop). Pretty much essential viewing for any recruiter in 2022. Register?here and see you Wednesday!

New Perspectives - Unbiased Day 2022, Thurs 28 April, 8.15 - 11.30

Huge credit to TNG for putting on this annual event on DEIB. I won't claim any expertise in this space, but I will be outlining the pro's and con's of the remote first world when it comes to diversity and inclusion. We know by now that there are pro's and con's right? Going to be a great series of talks in this half day event. Register?here

Vitality/Viability/Vulnerability A-Maze 2022 Transformation Passport, Fri 29th, 12.00AM AEST

Two of my great friends - Elizabeth Lembke and Garry Turner are involved in this one hour virtual workshop on how to compartmentalise disaster and make sure that you can still operate in today's chaotically changing world. Part of the Transformation Passport concept, these events are for anyone interested in Personal and Life development. Register here

Brainfood Live On Air - Ep152 - The Career Ladder to Chief People Officer, Fri 29th April, 2pm BST

Long time since I've been this excited for a Brainfood Live - the career ladder to Chief People Officer. Been thinking about this one for a long time, and kind of waiting for a few friends to finally step into the big role before doing it - how to reach the top job in the TA / HR game. We're with Layla Kidwai, VP People, (Funding Circle), Antonio Arias Lopez, CPO (QuoIntelligence), Becs Beslee, CPO (Dice FM) & Leslie Kivit, Founder, (The People Lab). Must attend for anyone with ambition for the top job. Register here

Become a Modern Agency Talent Wants to Work With, Tues 3rd May, 10.00am EDT / 15.00pm BST / 16.00pm CEST

The boom times of a candidate short market can often disguise the under-the-surface challenges to recruitment agencies, especially when the market turns. How can agencies position to emerge stronger from this period? Is the focus on candidates or on clients? What is the price of spending too much time on either or both? Speaking wtih?Gerald Hetrick?, VP of Talent Experiences at Bulhorn. Register?here

Founder's Focus - Ep25 - Up close and personal with Alex van Klaveren, CEO of KANDIDATE, Wed 4th May, 12pm BST

My favourite thing to do is back - 1-2-1 interviews with recruitment business founders, who, rather than complain about how bad recruitment is, have actually set about doing something about it. Alex is the classic example - General Manager at startup who encountered repeated issues in hiring for his business - deciding to set up a tech focused recruitment business to help others scale. Leadership lessons and entrepreneurial tips to learn - get to it and register here

Greenhouse Open Day, 24-25 May, Javits Center in NYC

Tickets have actually been booked for this (kudos for Greenhouse event organising btw, superbly smooth experience), so it looks like I'm committed ??. Thanks to?Dinah Alobeid?and?Carin Van Vuuren for the invitation, I think I am going to be moderating a panel but may be around to do more. Let me know, in fact, whether you want me to do anything else whilst I'm in town. Love to see you there if you can make it - register?here

Hired!bcn, Thursday 16 June, Hotel Alimara, Barcelona, Spain

Alright, so I am behind on organising the Madrid event, but Lauren I promise you I will get on it as soon as I land back in the UK! Excited to spend a little time in Spain, a country which I do not know nearly well enough. Hope to be there for 2 weeks folks, so might do a mini tour, ending with a talk at Hired!BCN, the premier recruiting event making it's return after a two year hiatus. Got to pay some, but it's worth it. 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?

Manager - Recruiting Operations, McKinsey & Co, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Manager - Recruiting, McKinsey & Co, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist - Technology, Jet2.com, Leeds, UK

Head of People, Tender Foods, New York, NY/NJ, USA

Talent Consultants, TQ Solutions, Remote Global

Tech Recruiter, WeAreKeen, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Mid-Senior Tech Recruiter, WeAreKeen, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Business Recruiter, WeAreKeen, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Tech Recruiter, WeAreKeen, Berlin, Germany

Business Recruiter, WeAreKeen, Berlin, Germany

Senior Recruitment Advisor (Dutch speaker), Cielo Talent, Wijk bij Duur, Netherlands

Senior Tech Recruiter, Sequence, Remote EU

Partner, Life Sciences - SE Asia, Horton International, Remote Global

Principal Consultant, Life Sciences, Logistics - SE Asia, Horton International, Remote Global

If you want to get your job featured, post jobs on the Brainfood Jobs Job Board?here

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Who's Moving?

Amanda Cantor rejoins Andreesen Horowitze as People Partner, after a 4 year stint at Lerer Hippeau, having first stated with AH as Talent Partner in 2015. No better signal of quality of hire other than a boomerang hire, great to see this type of 'retain the relationship' approach from forward thinking employers.

Alex Horner joins Activision Blizzard has Director of Global Talent Brand, after leading the EB function at Mars for the past several years. One of the big jobs in the EB field, repairing brand reputation after a tough period is where EB professionals really earn their corn. Congratulations Alex and good luck. PS. Might be a good one to do a Brainfood Live at some point.

Irina Stogova joins green search engine ecosio as Head of Talent Acquisition after spending time leading TA at companies like SmartRecruiters, Quandoo and CrossEngage. Can there be a legitimate search engine alternative to Google? There have been many attempts, but I sense that maybe the time has come, lets see how ecosia do.

Ian Lee (who I believe I might have met in Dubai in 2017?) joins the marvellously named The Entertainer, a digital agency specialising in creating impactful experiences for consumers. He is going to be the Director of People & Culture, building on the experience he has gained in similar roles at Kitopi

Finally, a load of promotions to celebrate: Raya Kolchakova moves up to Director of Demand Generation at Phenom People, following the acquisition of Tandemploy, Nicola McCarthy moves up to Director of Content and Production at SocialTalent, Meghna Singh is promoted to Senior Manager, People & Talent Management at McKinsey & Co and Dan Shone gets promoted to Technical Recruitment Business Partner at Podpoint - congratulations all!

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?

Alison Eastaway launches Cavewoman Wines, switching careers as a leading TA practitioner to that of being a leading merchant of wine. Bittersweet to see great people leave our industry, but fantastic to see people pursue their passions. Hope somehow Alison will find a way to stay connected with us in recruiting....a recruitment + wine tour event? Surely a winner....

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

Alright, so I am going to power through today, as I reckon I've got enough shut eye during that massive 24 hour flight to be rested up enough to slide straight back into BAU. As ever with long holidays, you come back with a better mind / worse body, so I am going to be working on both for the next 3 weeks and get a new regime installed before the next wave of traveling starts end of May.

Hope everyone has been good since I have been away and look forward to chatting with you all throughout the week here on Linkedin!

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.