How to Attract High-Quality Talent

Stop trying to attract tech talent with ping pong tables. After hundreds of interviews with top tech professionals, I can tell you what actually matters: 👉 Meaningful impact on real problems 👉 Clear growth trajectories 👉 Autonomy with accountability Tech talent wants to know: "Can I make an impact here?" "Will my work matter?" "Can I grow without leaving?" The perks that grab headlines are rarely what retain exceptional people. Companies spend thousands upgrading break rooms when they should be upgrading their communication about company impact. Try this instead: 1. Document and share specific examples of how technical work affected business outcomes 2. Create transparent growth frameworks that don't require moving into management 3. Give ownership, not just tasks - let people solve problems, not just implement solutions Your most powerful recruiting tool isn't your benefits package - it's your existing talent telling authentic stories about their impact. What's the most meaningful aspect of your company culture that attracts top talent? The answer might surprise you. #TechRecruitment #TalentRetention #MeaningfulWork #TechCulture #CareerGrowth

Top talent will NEVER join a company with a mediocre recruiting process. They assume the rest of your company matches that experience. Yet most leaders treat their recruiters like transactional rubber stampers — then wonder why they can't hire A-players. The reality: how you treat your recruiters gets reflected in your recruiting process. Treat them like cogs in a machine? That's EXACTLY how they'll treat your candidates. Here are 8 ways treating recruiters as strategic partners transforms your hiring: 1. Give them a seat at leadership meetings A biz recruiter pitched "we need an implementation specialist" for months. Candidates weren’t biting. Then she learned this hire would unlock a $2M contract. Changed her pitch to "we need this role to hit Q3 revenue." Filled in 2 weeks. 2. Make recruiting metrics visible company-wide When engineering managers check recruiting dashboards daily, magic happens. One team went from "where's my hire?" to "I see 3 strong candidates entering final rounds." Transparency turns recruiting from blame game to team sport. 3. Let them push back on unrealistic demands A recruiter shared w/ me why she quit her last role: "I was tired of smiling when they wanted senior engineers for junior salaries." Smart companies empower recruiters to say, "that's unrealistic." The rest lose their best recruiters. 4. Include them in offer strategy, not delivery Watched a startup land their dream candidate in 48 hours — beating higher cash offers — because their recruiter could negotiate on the spot. Most make recruiters deliver pre-baked offers like pizza. 5. Invest in their tools like engineering Teams tracking candidates in Google Sheets wonder why they can't compete. Companies investing in real recruiting tools see 4x productivity gains. Your engineers get the latest MacBooks. Why make recruiters work in spreadsheets? 6. Give them time to build relationships One Gem customer filled 70% of roles in 3 weeks. How? They maintained relationships with past candidates for YEARS. Most measure recruiters on this month’s roles they need to fill. So they spam everyone and start from zero next quarter. 7. Empower them with data "Trust me, the market's tough" doesn't move executives. "Your salary range is 25th percentile — here's the data" does. Give recruiters access to data and industry benchmarks. Watch them become business partners overnight. 8. Celebrate their wins like revenue That top 1% engineer who chose you over FAANG only happened thanks to your recruiter — celebrate them like AEs winning deals. Ring the gong. Most companies only notice recruiters when hiring stops. TAKEAWAY In this market — 2.7x more applications, 90% unqualified — the difference isn't headcount. It's whether you treat recruiters as strategic partners or paper pushers. Your recruiters are interviewing for new jobs right now. Still think they're just order-takers?

Recruiting in an Employer’s Market? Stay Humble—and Stand Out Today’s job market? It’s an employer’s market. Great talent is in demand, cautious about changing roles, and rightly so. Many are staying put in stable jobs, and candidate experience has become more valuable than perks alone. So if you’re trying to win talent, don’t lead with swagger—lead with substance. 1. Don’t be arrogant. Candidates are wary of empty promises. Research shows nearly 53% face misleading hiring practices, and 47% want clear salary info up front. When you over-hype perks without transparency, you lose trust—and lose them. 2. Know your unique differentiator. What makes your workplace truly different? Is it: A skill-first culture (not credentials‑first)? By 2025, hiring is shifting to recognize practical skills over degrees. A genuine Employee Value Proposition (EVP) that extends beyond salary, growth, values, flexibility, community—that’s been shown to attract more committed hires? 3. Articulate a real EVP. Your EVP isn’t just buzzwords. It needs to answer: “Why should a talented professional leave a stable, safe job to come here?” Share specifics: Career acceleration: mentorship, transparent feedback loops, skill‑building budgets. Purpose woven in: “We X through Y.” Be concise and authentic. Culture markers, such as mental wellness days, remote-first, and open-source mindset, should be supported by data, including turnover rates and survey results. 4. Prioritize candidate experience. 66% of applicants accept offers because of a positive hiring process; 26% reject offers due to a lack of communication. That’s right—how you treat people now can be the deciding factor. Keep them informed. Clear, timely communication beats flash perks. Give them feedback—even if they don’t get the job. 79% would apply again if they got constructive insight. Make the process efficient and respectful: avoid long application forms, impersonal chatbots, or drawn-out rounds. 5. Embrace realism, not spin: Many top performers see switching jobs now as a risky move. If your narrative overpromises—saying “join us and skyrocket without effort”—you’ll be ignored. Instead: Be honest about where you’re headed as an organization. Show them someone like them thriving inside your team. Offer a clear roadmap of what career progression looks like. *Ask why it matters. *Lead with humility. *Avoid hype, default to openness. *Highlight real differentiation. *Invest deeply in candidate experience. *Communication and feedback increase acceptance rates. *Offer clarity, not fantasy. In today’s employer market, it’s not about waving the biggest carrot—it’s about walking the walk. If you’re genuinely fostering growth, transparency, care, and purpose in your organization, say it clearly, show it consistently, and candidates will listen. Let’s elevate recruitment together. Aspire Talent Advisory!

Three mistakes companies that want to hire "top talent" are making: 1. Down leveling instead of hiring talent on the rise Talented people who consistently deliver like to be challenged and want their moves to represent growth in responsibility, impact, compensation, etc. If they're happily employed, there's no reason to consider an opportunity that doesn't offer growth. If they're unemployed or unhappy at work, they might take it. But they'll move on once a more right-sized opportunity comes along. Instead: If you want to hire people who consistently deliver exceptional results, make sure that your offer represents career growth for them. 2. Taking advantage of their employees because of the market. A lot of employers are expecting their employees to do less with more, and many in environments that feel completely unstable. People are expected to adapt to 5 managers in 6 months, monthly layoffs, new software, etc. while also working towards higher goals because half their peers are gone? A lot of employers seem to believe that because people have fewer options, they can take advantage of their workforce. But some of their best talent is going to move on to employers who are still taking care of their people. And the others will pay the price when the market turns around and they realize their employees aren't loyal or invested in their success and they see the Great Resignation 2.0. Instead: Recognize that if you want to build and retain a high performing team, you need to treat your employees like high performers and show them that you're invested in them and their growth. 3. Asking people to jump through hoops to work for you Whether it's in hiring or once people work for you, many employers are raising the bar and in doing so, driving away top talent. Performance tasks that take 10+ hours to complete or 6 interviews for a job that pays 90k? People who know their worth may not go through all of that. If you're expecting your high performers to fully do their next role for a year before you offer them the title and compensation, by the time they get that promotion, they're going to be resentful and ready to take that new title on to their next employer. Instead: Recognize that every barrier you put up is going to push people away - some may be the right people that you're not looking to hire anyway, but some will be exactly who you're looking for. Build hiring and promotion processes that value talented people and send them the message that you want them instead of forcing them to prove their worth to you at every stage. Even in a market that people think of as an "employer's market", operate as if it's an "employee's market" - because it is for really talented people. Great talent is still getting multiple offers within a few months of starting their search. They're still getting poached for better opportunities. If you want to hire and retain great talent, treat them like great talent.

Startups keep making the same hiring mistake. They recruit in waves—hiring when they need someone, then stopping until it’s an emergency. Suddenly, they need a key hire yesterday and scramble to find the perfect person in a tiny, competitive talent pool. This approach doesn’t work. If you want to attract top talent, recruiting has to be a constant priority. Here’s how: 1️⃣ Build relationships before you need them Make connections now, not when you’re desperate. Send messages, ask for intros, and check in with people regularly. Play the long game. The moment a great candidate is open, you should already be top of mind. 2️⃣ Create a culture people rave about Your best hires will come from your team’s network. If your employees love where they work, they’ll bring their best people with them. Make it easy for them to refer others by building a culture worth talking about. 3️⃣ Refine your pitch Why should someone choose you over the 10 other opportunities they have? Your messaging needs to be clear, compelling, and aligned with what your ideal candidate actually wants. If it’s not landing, tweak it until it does. 4️⃣ Be loud about your wins People want to join teams that are going places. Share your milestones, showcase your team’s work, and let people see the momentum. The best candidates aren’t just job hunting—they’re looking for the right story to join. Great companies are always recruiting. If you’re waiting until you need someone, you’re already behind.

The Allure of the Ordinary Tech talent flocks to the shiny and new. But what if that's not where the real opportunity lies? We discovered something counterintuitive: Our "boring" business became a magnet for top innovators. Why? Because in the overlooked, there's room to make waves. In the established, there's a chance to truly transform. The next frontier of innovation isn't always where you expect. Sometimes, it's hiding in plain sight. Here are 5 smart strategies to make your business a magnet for top tech talent: 1 𝗕𝘂𝗶𝗹𝗱 𝗮𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗻𝗼𝘃𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗛𝘂𝗯 💡 Create a tech-focused division with startup-like agility. Give them freedom to experiment and innovate. 62% of tech pros are motivated by working on cutting-edge projects (Deloitte). 2. 𝗢𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗲𝗿𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗲-𝗟𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗲𝗱 𝗜𝗻𝗰𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝘀 💰 Introduce substantial bonuses tied to project success. It's not stock options, but it aligns rewards with results. 3. 𝗥𝗲𝗶𝗺𝗮𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗬𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗰𝗲𝘀𝘀 🎯 Host hackathons or coding challenges. Make hiring engaging and fun. Showcase your innovative spirit from day one. 4. 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗚𝗿𝗼𝘄𝘁𝗵 📈 Emphasize your company's legacy and long-term career prospects. 85% of tech employees favor companies with strong learning and development programs (LinkedIn). 5. 𝗗𝗲𝘀𝗶𝗴𝗻 𝗙𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗶𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝗮𝗿𝗲𝗲𝗿 𝗣𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘀 🗺️ Create personalized development plans. Show commitment to individual growth. 53% of developers consider company culture before accepting an offer (Stack Overflow). 𝙒𝙝𝙮 𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙈𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨: - Differentiate your company in a competitive market - Address what truly motivates tech professionals - Boost both attraction AND retention of top talent Did you know? 70% of IT pros prefer companies offering remote work (Gartner). How are you adapting your policies to meet evolving expectations? Even traditional businesses can become tech talent hotspots with the right approach. What creative methods have you used to attract tech talent? Share your experiences below! 👇

86% of executive leadership candidates research company leadership online before accepting interviews... .... yet only 14% of HR leaders strategically leverage their expertise to attract top talent. The shift from generic thought leadership to strategic insight leadership is transforming how HR leaders win the war for leadership talent. I've been thinking deeply about how we can help HR leaders excel at this, and in my conversations with Joseph Prakash. A, we've identified several key approaches that are working exceptionally well. Last week at AI ALPI, we analyzed how top-performing HR executives convert their specialized knowledge into executive recruiting advantages: → Companies whose HR leaders share authentic expertise attract 3.7x more qualified executive applicants than competitors with silent HR leadership → When HR executives build credibility through insight leadership, time-to-accept for C-suite roles drops by 52% due to enhanced leadership brand perception ↳ This represents a direct reduction in executive vacancy costs of approximately $127,000 per leadership hire → HR leaders with established insight credibility close top leadership candidates 2.8x faster than those relying solely on compensation packages While 89% of executive leaders cite "quality of leadership team" as a top-3 decision factor when considering new opportunities, LinkedIn data shows only 7% of HR leaders consistently share leadership development insights that would attract these candidates. The new playbook for attracting leadership talent requires HR executives to extract their authentic expertise on leadership culture, build credibility through strategic positioning, and implement efficient distribution systems that reach high-value candidates before they're actively searching. Most HR leaders struggle with consistency—posting generic leadership content without a framework that showcases their unique organizational leadership philosophy and executive development approach. The difference between traditional HR recruiting content and strategic insight leadership? One advertises job openings; the other creates a leadership talent magnet that pulls elite candidates toward your organization. Joseph and I are working on developing frameworks that make this systematic approach accessible to more HR leaders. We believe that by elevating how HR communicates its leadership philosophy, organizations can dramatically improve their ability to attract exceptional talent in this competitive market. We'll be sharing more about this soon, so stay tuned! 🔥 Want more breakdowns like this? Follow along for insights on: → Getting started with AI in HR teams → Scaling AI adoption across HR functions → Building AI competency in HR departments → Taking HR AI platforms to enterprise market → Developing HR AI products that solve real problems

The best founders do one thing brilliantly... Hire. Here’s how we think about finding & attracting A-players for our portfolio companies: Most owners hire like they're running a restaurant. They think more cooks = faster service. Instead, they get a kitchen full of people bumping into each other, burning food, and blaming everyone else. That’s why hiring isn’t a numbers game. You don't need more people. You need the RIGHT people. It’s impossible to build a worthwhile business with mediocre talent. Over the years, we've developed a framework to find, attract, and close the top 0.001%. I call it the 4 C's to Top-Level Talent: 1. CURATE Start hiring before you start hiring. Follow smart people in your niche on Twitter. Connect on LinkedIn. Bookmark stuff that makes you say, "Damn, I wish I wrote that." Treat talent like a portfolio. Study first, invest later. The best hires happen when you're NOT desperately hiring. 1. CULTIVATE Engage without being weird. Compliment their stuff. Comment. Ask smart questions. Send them ideas. The best talent moves when THEY'RE ready, not when you need them. Plant seeds early. Water them consistently. 3. CLOSE When it's time to close the sale, go HARD. Fly them in. Meet their spouse. Pay more than you're comfortable with. I wasn't even looking for a company President when I met Marc. I wanted a CRO. But after one conversation, I knew he was our guy. So I changed the org to fit HIM. That's how good hires work. They change you. Don't squeeze top talent into your current structure. Bend your business around exceptional people. 4. CONTINUE Top performers won't always stay forever. That's okay. Even when they leave, keep them close. My old Head of Content now runs a 7-figure business. We still trade notes. They send better talent than any recruiter ever could. As someone who’s hired 100s of people, take it from me: Your best hires won't walk in the door with a resume in hand. They're already working somewhere else, crushing it. It’s your job to go find them. Hiring the right people is one of the most powerful growth levers for any business. If you want to see exactly how we attract and retain top-tier talent across our portfolio, I’ll be breaking it all down in an upcoming workshop. This is just one of several proven scaling strategies we’ll cover— more info here: https://lnkd.in/e4xUbkV9

Q2: We’re officially in bonus season aftermath, and you know what that means... We’re already seeing a surge of talented professionals entering the job market now that their year-end bonuses have hit. And they’re not just browsing. They’re ready to make a move. So why are they looking? ➡️ Lack of growth or upward mobility ➡️ Poor or uninspiring leadership ➡️ Burnout from unrealistic workloads ➡️ Compensation that’s no longer competitive ➡️ A desire for more flexibility or remote options ➡️ Cultural misalignment ➡️ Simply... ready for a change If you're hiring this quarter, here's how to attract top-tier talent: ✅ Streamline your interview process. SPEED matters ✅ Offer clear growth paths and development opportunities ✅ Be transparent with compensation. Candidates ARE comparing offers ✅ Showcase strong, people-first leadership ✅ Offer flexibility: hybrid or remote options are still high value ✅ Share your company culture authentically. People want to "belong" ✅ Don’t lowball. Strong candidates know their worth Top candidates are out there right now, but they’re not going to wait around. If you’re planning to build your team this quarter, now’s the time to be intentional, competitive, and candidate focused. Now is NOT the time to play foolish games. Monarch Talent Solutions