This Week, In Recruiting - Issue 60

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Open Kitchen:?20K Subscribers

I checked the subscriber stats on this newsletter and noticed that we have gone over 20,000 subscribers at some point this past week. Now this number is neither particularly impressive, nor particularly significant, but we do like round numbers so I might as well make this some kind of milestone - and more importantly - as an excuse to share some data I've collected on TWIR and some theories as how LinkedIn newsletters work.

It might be useful for other newsletter writers, anyone who is trying to build an audience on LinkedIn and perhaps regular readers who might want to know how I am (trying!) to measure performance.

1.Where Do We Stand?

Firstly, let's place TWIR into some context. 20,000 subs is not insignificant, but it is certainly not a big deal. It still makes the top 2000 newsletters on LinkedIn, though very much buried into the fat middle of this group, and nowhere near the top echelons.

[Image: Jens Polomski ]

The data compiled by Jens is little out of date (update last in Nov 2021) but given what I think is generally the case with subscriber growth on LinkedIn Newsletters - that post launch, subscriber growth is slow and incremental - the ranking is still likely to be useful. What's noticeable immediately about the top ranking newsletters is how important the identity of the author is - almost everyone who is in the Top100 are named personalities who achieved fame in another arena before porting their celebrity to this medium. This is the first important lesson on channel / audience growth - once you have achieved some sort of recognition in one place, it becomes much easier to acquire an audience in an other. Hence, personal branding ahead of corporate branding.

2. Biggest Growth Is At Launch

TWIR acquired 10,718 subscribers on Day 1. It has taken 59 further newsletters to acquire the remaining 10,000. Whilst every newsletter is different, I suspect the pattern is broadly the same for most authors here - the biggest moment of subscriber acquisition is when you actually first launch it. Thereafter, it becomes a matter of very small incremental gains, obeying the rule that on-channel promotion does not actually grow that channel.

[Image: TWIR Tracking Data]

I share the data on this rather unimpressive growth curve so that nobody else feels depressed at what might appear to be the slow growth of their channels. LinkedIn Newsletters don't seem to go viral (if you have an example, please share!) and typically just accrue a few new subscribers every time you post. The lesson here should be clear - you only get one chance to launch, and you have to make the most of that single moment. On LinkedIn, this means building your network of 1st degree connections first, launching your newsletter on it second.

3. View Count As Proxy to 'Open Rate'

This is not email so there is no such thing as 'open rate' on LinkedIn newsletters. The closest measurement we have is 'View Count', which is the number used to measure LinkedIn Articles, which is what an issue of your LinkedIn Newsletter really is.

[Image: TWIR Tracking Data]

You can see from the tracking data here that View Count generally at the 7,000 to 9,000 market, let's say that this is roughly 45% of the subscriber base, which is generally considered market average OR for email newsletters - so basically OK. There are a few aberrations here, notably Issue 19 and Issue 57, which I will need to investigate further, but I suspect these will correlate to individual circumstances outside of the norm - Issue 19 was sent as a non-newsletter Article at first, forcing a withdrawal and a subsequent second send out, whilst Issue 57 I was in Australia and likely posted on a time zone where the majority of my audience was asleep. LinkedIn newsletters probably need a scheduler - that would be handy.

There were also some issues which outperformed the average - Issue 2 at 12,600, Issue 36 at 10,816 and Issue 46 at 11,063. Having reviewed them, I really can't see why they performed better than average - maybe timing on the day? I haven't tracked this, so I don't know.

4. Engagement Matters (But We Can't Tell How Much)

We should all know how the LinkedIn newsfeed algorithm works by how - content (posts, articles, newsletters, livestreams...) is shown to a sample audience of first degree connections / followers / previous engagers first in order to test it's potential virality. If enough people engage on post and appear to spend time reading it (dwell time), then it will boost it to another, larger sample of connections and re-run this test. It then repeats this loop until it reaches an audience which doesn't sufficiently care whereupon it will stop boosting it and begin to decay the content. So engagement matters

[Image: TWIR Tracking Data]

With all of this in mind, I've been tracking engagement events on every issue of this newsletter in effort to see the value between comments, likes, shares and so forth. The greater the engagement, the greater the chance LinkedIn amps the issue, the greater the eventual reach of the issue. However, it seems that this may be wasted effort as I cannot see any correlation at all (!)

This was puzzling to me in the first instance as surely the more engagement = more reach?But it turns out to be more complicated than a simple equation. The reason for this I think, is that not all engagement events are worth the same. LinkedIn is a social network, and how heavily networked a person is on this platform will determined the weight of their engagement. Simply put, a person with 30,000 connections making a comment on your post will have greater impact than a person with 3,000 connections. The lesson here is pretty straightforward - if you want greater reach, engage with people who themselves have large audiences. This should increase the chances of your content being seen by them and consequently of your content being amped.

5. What Next?

I am going to keep doing this newsletter - I enjoy doing it and I get enough signal back from you lot to tell me that it's of value in some way. Not every part works though, and I'm thinking I need to shift out the parts which don't and maybe create new space for stuff that might work better.

The above table shows the information architecture of TWIR. There are some obvious elements to keep (Sponsor Message, Open Kitchen, What's going on, Who is hiring), and some others which are less clear in value (Who's story, What's on offer). In the main, I wanted to make this channel a space where community members could amp their own stories / news / stuff, but not enough people take advantage of it, probably because the urgency waxes and wanes based on everyone's different circumstances.

Probably no element will be removed without a replacement element being found, so a question for you lot - what else would you like to see in this space? I'm thinking a AMA segment (maybe collate subscriber / follower questions once per week and try and answer them), Poll-of-the-week, Chart-of-the-week etc. Let me know in comments below if you have any ideas on how this newsletter can improve.

Anyways, out of the kitchen, onto the lounge ??

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What's in the News?

JobandTalent secure $250 million debt financing

More fundraising from European Worktech, this time from perhaps the biggest recruiting story to come out of Spain, Jobandtalent. Only 6 months after raising a $500 million Series E round, another 250 million comes in the form of debt financing from the likes of Citi, Goldman Sachs and Anacap Financial Partners. This could be race to IPO, rush before the market turns. Have a read here

Private Equity firm TA Associates takes stake in iCIMS

“Over the last three years, we’ve scaled iCIMS from a North American talent acquisition solution provider to the global leader in talent technology that empowers the enterprise to transform the hiring process,” said Monti Saroya, Co-Head of Vista’s Flagship Fund and Senior Managing Director. “We have partnered with TA on several occasions, and we are eager to leverage our combined value-add capabilities to enhance iCIMS’ unique market position and realize additional growth.”??

Private equity firm TA Associates take on 'equal economic ownership' with previously lead investor Vista Equity Partners. Interesting times for the WorkTech, which has been on a tear for the past 18 months. Have we all been growing for a globalised future that no longer exists though? iCIMS blog on the deal here

Charthop celebrate their new rebrand with the release of Charthop Basic

Charthop provides the first dynamic organisation visualisation service - for free - with the release of Charthop Basic. Great to see the freemium model still have a place in the world of work - give it a shot here , and read about the rebrand 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?

Do you use Greenhouse or Lever? Intrro CEO Nasser Oudjidane is offering to open an Intrro account for you for free without any limits until you make your first 2 hires.

Seems like a no brainer to me - get in touch with Nasser directly and cite 'BRAINFOOD' to claim the account. Referrals are the way to folks, especially for the highly skilled, in-demand!

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?

Founder's Focus - Ep26 - Up close and personal with Markellos Diorinos, CEO of Bryq , Tues 10th May, 12pm BST / 2pm EEST

I've known Markellos Diorinos for probably longer now that we both might initially think. It's always been a pleasure dealing with him but we've never really had the chance to properly to get to know each other. This is our chance in Founder's Focus, where we get up close and personal with the business leaders changing the way we work today. Register here folks.

Brainfood Live On Air - Ep154 - Solving Recruitment: Strategic Workforce Planning , Friday 13th May, 2pm BST

There is a reason why the experience of recruiting is 'too much, all the of time'. We operate in firefighting mode as default, and yet, does it have to be this way? Why can't we give ourselves a longer runway and better chance of success with strategic workforce planning? Crucial topic with big brained guests Perry Timms , Founder (People & Transformational HR), CJ Green , Founder (Brave Goose) & Danny Hodgson , CEO (Foresight). Register here

HR Berlin Spring Fling 2022 , Thurs 19 May, 16.00 - 21.30pm, HRpepper Management Consultants, Tempelhofer Ufer 11, 10963 Berlin, Germany

Flights are booked and I am definitely there. This looks like the first mega event in Berlin this year and what a crew that is being assembled by a collaboration between the three big HR / TA communities in Germany - The Secret HR Society, HR Leaders Berlin, and The Purple Squirrel Society! I'm going to arrive mid way and do a fireside chat, so there's that too. Free to attend so register?here ?and see you there!

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

Excited to finally make it to Greenhouse Open - I had planned to visit just prior to pandemic and it's taken 3 years for me to make the corrective. The good news is that there are tons of great speakers at this event, plus a lot of folks I know in the US are going to be there too. Paid for event but - you know what - I think I might be able to swing you a 30% discount as I'm officially a speaker here. Comment below if you want this code - I will make sure you get the best price! Or you can pay rate card, by registering?here ....

How to Attract Talent with Flexibility , Wed 1 June, 11.00AM BST

It is pretty clear by now that candidates (and employees) are looking to retain the flexibility they have experienced over the past 2 years. Employers who are rolling back to the office as if Covid never happened need to be steeling themselves for an entirely different hiring environment. This collaboration and data share between Molly Johnson-Jones of Flexa Careers and Marie Evart of RecruitLab promises valuable insight into the candidate sentiment. Register here

Hired!BCN - The Talent Acquisition Conference, Thu 16 June, Barcelona, Spain

There are handsome people in this gallery, which reminds me that I need to get a new profile photo. In any case, I am looking forward to visiting Barcelona again for this superb conference - perhaps the best 'grass roots' conference in Europe. I'm going to be debuting a new talk on 'What Do Recruiters Want?' - a belated sharing of that massive survey I asked you all to do last year. 2571 responses, finally crunched down into digestible form.....Don't miss this one folks - get your ticket 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?

Technology Talent Search Partner(Zurich or Prague) , Join Talent, Remote Global

Talent Search Partner (Fully Remote InHouse) , Join Talent, Remote Global

Technology Talent Partner (Zurich Focus) , Join Talent, Remote Global

Talent Search Partner(Fully Remote, Zurich Focus) , Join Talent, Remote Global

GTM Talent Partner(German Market) , Join Talent, Remote Global

GTM Talent Partner(Turkey) , Join Talent, Remote Global

Senior Executive Recruiter , JLL, Chicago, IL, USA

Recruiter , JLL, Miami, FL, USA

Human Resources Generalist , JLL, Chicago, IL, USA

Director, Compensation , JLL, Miami, FL, USA

Human Resources Business Partner , JLL, Atlanta, GA, USA

Global Talent Sourcing Leader , Vaia Talent, Remote EU

Technology Solutions Consultant , Cielo Talent, Remote EU

Senior Recruiter , Cielo Talent, Berlin, Germany

Recruiter , Cielo Talent, Plymouth, UK

Lithuanian Tech Talent Partner , Join Talent, Remote Global

Talent Sourcer EMEA , Microsoft, Remote EU / UK

EMEA Recruiter , Microsoft, Remote EU / UK

Recruitment Coordinator , Join Talent, Remote Global

US Tech Talent Partner , Join Talent, Alamo, TX, USA

Tech Talent Search Partner , Join Talent, Remote Global

Global Lead of Employer Brand and Loyalty , Getir, Amsterdam, Netherlands

Sales Recruiter , JLL, Atlanta, GA, USA

Talent Acquisition Sourcer - Technology , JLL, Miami, FL, USA

GTM/Sales Recruiter , Stream, Remote USA

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

Manager - Recruiting , McKinsey & Co, Amsterdam, Netherlands

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

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

Recruitment Relationship Manager , Allegis Global Solutions, Paris, France

Change Manager , Allegis Global Solutions, London, UK

Talent Sourcing Specialist (f/m/x) , Bonial International, Berlin, Germany

Recruiter (f/m/x) , Bonial International, Berlin, Germany

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

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Who's Moving?

Iker Jusue joins Microsoft as Senior Talent Sourcing Manager, after nearly 2 years as Director of Talent Acquisition (Sourcing) at IQVIA. There are a few recruiters who get to a point in their careers where capability and reputation perfectly match, and they end up becoming the most sought after candidates in the market. Congratulations Iker - and congratulations Microsoft!

Zoe Morin joins WorkStep as VP of Customer Experience, after 5 years as a senior exec with Workable. I first met Zoe in Australia I believe, in what might've been a crazy market development tour down under. Great to see this progression and even better to see that its going to be staying in industry.

Lesa Molinari joins Taylor Wimpey as Head of Resourcing & Employer Branding, having previously led the TA and EB functions at Colt Technology, BlueYonder and Three. It was great to meet Lesa properly at Recfest last year - what an impressive exec she is. Need to get you back on Brainfood Live, redo your debut.

Simon Young is finally persuaded to go permie, officially joining Claire's as Global Talent Acquisition Director, having completed 6 months interim at the same role. Simon has been on the interim market for nearly a decade leading TA at the likes of The Body Shop, Toluna, Collinson Group, Balfour Beatty and Dixons Carphone. Must be a compelling offer to convert!

Ryan Broad joins Publicis Groupe as Global Talent Acquisition and Executive Search Director, EMEA after nearly 3 years as Group Director Director of Talent at GroupM. With previous TA leadership experience at companies like Shazam, Vodafone, Just Eat Takeaway, and Burberry, few people have the executive experience like Ryan. Great hire - lets see how Publicis do.

Kathryn Brown joins Microsoft as Executive Recruiter after 4 years working in Cybersecurity with Orange Cyberdefense. Interesting to see how the recruiting skills for infosec translate to search ...I think actually very strongly.

Emeric Bellenguez joins Meta as EMEA Talent Sourcer, after 2 years as Sourcing Recruiter at Amazon Web Services. Some great experience being built up here - is there are a club for those who end up working for the FAANG?

Claire Babbage goes up to Senior Director, People Operations at fintech insurer Rhino, Eszter Farkas moves to EMEA Talent Management & Diversity, after 2 years in Early Careers at BlackRock, Lewis Wootton goes up to Senior Talent Acquisition Partner at Tanium, Alan Hines-O'Callaghan goes up to Head of Centra, HQ & Technology at Zapp,

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?

Not much it seems!

Let me know if you have any personal initiatives, plans, campaigns or such like that you want the community to know about.

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

So last week a recruiter friend of mine asked me for help in finding a job. This hadn't happened before in 2022 and perhaps not since mid 2021. It is only a single case but I wonder whether this was something of a canary in the coal mine, a sign that the market has indeed shifted from being entirely candidate dominant, to one where jobs once again become rare commodities to competed over by motivated candidates.

Record inflation, high energy prices, overly-long candidate short market, hostile de-globalisation, de-prioritisation of climate control mitigation, still unknown outcome and consequences of pandemic .....are all significant inputs into a global system which few seem committed to maintain.

Might need to double down on some economics

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.