Candidate Relationship Management

What You Say When You Ignore Messages Over the past three years, I’ve received literally hundreds of messages from people essentially apologizing – saying that if they had known who I was, what this community does, or even just recognized my name, they would have responded to me or helped me back then. I want to be clear: I am not upset about this at all. And this, I assure you, happens a lot. So if this happened between you and me, please don’t think I’m putting Sauron’s eye on you. This isn’t about any one person – it’s about a bigger pattern. Like so many candidates in our community, I know all too well what it’s like to go through not just months, but years of being nearly completely ghosted. I was once just a guy trying to break into the industry, then a guy trying to get back in, and even now, with all I do for this community, there are still times I’m chasing people down – trying to get them to help with our community efforts, help candidates, or place someone for a role. And if you think that means I get automatic replies even now all the time, I assure you, that is far from the case. I get messages constantly – on my work email, personal email, Blue Sky, Discord, LinkedIn, WeChat, WhatsApp, Slack, text. All of them. And I hold myself to a strict SLA: I respond to everything within 48 hours, usually within 24. Not because it’s always easy, but because it doesn’t take a lot of effort to send even a short acknowledgment. I really think people underestimate how much damage they can do when they completely ignore someone reaching out to them. And no, I'm not talking about obvious spam. When you don’t reply, you send a message – whether you mean to or not – that this person wasn’t worth even a few seconds of your time. And if you worry about being bombarded after responding, well, that’s on them. If someone takes advantage of your kindness, that’s their failure, not yours. But if you make a habit of blanking people entirely, it’s worth asking yourself why. One of the most painful things people experience professionally – especially when they’re already in a tough spot – is feeling invisible and worthless. And that’s why I always make it a priority to respond with at least something. You shouldn’t have to be famous, or have some level of notoriety, for people to simply extend you the basic courtesy of a reply.

Hot take: your "personalized" recruiting emails aren't actually personal. We just analyzed millions of outreach messages and confirmed what I've suspected for years: adding "{First_Name}" and "I see you worked at {Company}" is basically the same as sending a completely generic template. The data doesn't lie. "Somewhat personalized" messages get virtually identical reply rates as non-personalized ones.  But highly personalized messages? 73% engagement rate (shocking absolutely no one who understands how humans work). Here's the thing — top talent (especially in tech) gets bombarded with dozens of these "personalized" messages weekly. They can spot the mail-merge fields from a mile away. Real personalization means: — Referencing specific projects they've built, not just companies they've worked for — Connecting their unique experience to the actual problems your team is solving — Showing you've done more than 30 seconds of LinkedIn scanning Yes, this takes more time. That's the point. Everyone else is optimizing for speed and volume because it's easier to measure. We're optimizing for signal-to-noise ratio because it actually works. For our customers recruiting for senior engineering or leadership roles, this isn't optional — it's the price of admission. I loved what Olivia from Roblox shared: she actually sits with engineers to understand the day-to-day reality of their work, then puts those insights directly into her outreach. Not some generic "we have free snacks and WFH Wednesdays" pitch. The market has spoken. You can either be part of the noise, or you can be the signal. Your choice. (And yes, we built tools in Gem to make this level of personalization more scalable. But no tool replaces actually caring about who you're reaching out to.)

Over 20 years of running companies, I’ve seen three traits that consistently separate the top salespeople: volume of activity, personalized outreach, and delivering value in every interaction. In a world of AI and automation, these things are more important than ever. Volume of activity There is a strong correlation between the number of calls, emails, and LinkedIn messages a salesperson sends and the number of meetings they book. That was true 20 years ago and it’s true today. At my first company, we didn’t have dialers. Reps manually punched in every number, I know… old school. One rep asked for a headset so he could move faster. He instantly doubled his daily dials and exceeded every goal we set. Today, there are more channels, more tools and more noise than ever, but the best reps know how to leverage automation to consistently execute a high volume of activities against the right accounts. Personalized outreach This is important because just pure volume isn't going to do it. You need to have strong personalization to your outreach to get people's attention because so much is being written by AI, is templated, etc. The best reps do real research on their prospects and use it to tailor their message. This might include referencing a shared connection, a recent announcement, or even a personal interest (I’ve seen reps find crazy stuff about prospects with some basic internet stalking). One of the best outreaches I ever received came from a rep at a bank who had been trying to get my attention. He sent a package with a framed New York Times article I was featured in, along with a handwritten note about why it resonated with him. He showed me I wasn’t just a name on a list. I had to take the meeting. Value in every interaction High activity and personalization go a long way, but the best reps consistently bring value to every conversation. That might mean sharing relevant trends, customer stories, or internal research. Most reps forget that even if they’ve never done the job their prospect does, they speak to more people in that role than most practitioners ever do. Sometimes it means connecting prospects with people or ideas they wouldn’t otherwise access, like the rep’s CEO or a high-profile customer. One of my top reps had a gift for becoming a kind of therapist. She would listen closely, reflect what she was hearing, and share examples of others facing similar challenges. It helped prospects feel understood. But all of it has to tie back to the value your company and product can deliver. When reps get this right, prospects actually look forward to their calls. The most interesting thing is that I have been saying this for many years to every rep I work with and only a very small portion will actually do these things. The truth is that none of this is easy. It takes time, effort, and discipline. But these are the three things that set the best apart.

Your prospect has 147 unread emails. Yours just got added to the pile. What makes them open YOURS instead of the other 146? After sending thousands of cold emails and generating over $700M in sales throughout my career, I've identified the #1 mistake destroying most cold outreach: ZERO RIGHT PERSONALIZATION. Most reps "spray and pray". Sending the same generic template to 1,000 prospects hoping something sticks. Then they wonder why their response rate is 0.5%. Here's the cold email framework that consistently gets 20%+ response rates:  → Make your subject line about THEM, not you. Use recent news, achievements, or common pain points to spark curiosity. Example: "Your Inc 5000 ranking" or "Austin expansion" 1. Keep your email so simple it doesn't require scrolling. It MUST be mobile friendly, as 68% of executives check email primarily on their phones. 2. Use this 3 part structure:  → Personal opener: "Hey [Name], [specific personalization about them]"  → Show understanding: "In chatting with other [title] in [industry], they're typically running into [pain point]"  → Soft CTA: "Got a few ideas that might help. Open to chat?" 3. Research these personalization sources: • Company website (values, mission page) • Press releases • LinkedIn activity • Earnings transcripts (for public companies) • Review sites The hardest territory to manage isn't your CRM. It's the six inches between your prospect's ears. They don't care about your product. They care about THEMSELVES. Recently, one of my clients was struggling with a 1.2% response rate on cold emails. We implemented this framework, and within 2 weeks they hit 17.4% - with prospects actually THANKING them for the personalized outreach. Find your sweet spot on the personalization spectrum. You can't do hyper personalized video for everyone, but you can't blast the same generic template either. — Hey reps… want another cold email strategy? Go here: https://lnkd.in/gKSzmCda

The most memorable candidate I spoke to yesterday didn’t just apply. She did something smarter - and it got her to the top of the list. Jacqueline Dighton left a thoughtful comment on one of my LinkedIn posts. Then applied for a role. It wasn’t a salesy DM or a cold application - it was an interaction. A spark of communication before the CV arrived. I called her first. Not because she flattered me. But because she felt human. Engaged. Already in conversation with me, in a way that stood out from a busy inbox. When we spoke, she said something I won’t forget: “If you can’t have old school manners, you’ve got no business being in business.” That hit home. In her opinion, why should you expect someone to do something for you, if you can't take the time to add some value to them or introduce yourself in a way that stands out. And she’s right. Most recruiters want to be contacted. But not all messages are equal. A thoughtful comment that shows you’ve read and understood what someone’s about? → Stronger than a DM explaining your suitability for a role. A bit of value before an ask? → More effective than chasing without context. I get thousands of messages and applications a week. But this one stood out - and taught me a new way to stand out. Lesson: Don’t just apply. Engage. → Before you hit send on your CV, hit “comment.” It’s a small gesture - but it builds real connection. And in a people business, that still matters.

How many times have you logged on to Linkedin and found yet another email that starts with: "Hey [First Name]," followed by a generic pitch that does not concern your interests or needs. Sound familiar? We've all been there. And it's frustrating. As a fractional CMO/Consultant, I've seen this happen repeatedly. Businesses think they're doing personalization right but need to do better. It's not enough to use someone's name or company. 👉🏾 True personalization is about understanding their challenges, goals, and needs. For example, on LinkedIn, scroll through their feed and see what they post, talk about, like, and comment on. This helps as a starting ground on how to approach them and what to discuss. So, instead of sending a LinkedIn message that says: "I'd love to connect and learn more about your business," try something like: "I noticed you're working on [specific project]. I have some ideas on how you could [achieve a specific goal]. Would you be open to a quick chat?" See the difference? It's not just about being personal; it's about being relevant. And when you're relevant, you're not annoying — you're helpful. 👉🏾 So, think about this the next time you craft a personalized outreach campaign. →"Would I find this message valuable? →Does it address my specific needs and interests?" If the answer is no, it's time to return to the drawing board. 👉🏾 Also, tools like Crystal Knows help you fine-tune your message and tone when reaching out to maximize the impact of every conversation. Let's aim for genuinely helpful messages, not just another annoyance in their inbox. What do you think about personalized outreach? #b2bmarketing #demandgeneration #leadgeneration #ABM

Most weeks I’ll get messages on LinkedIn that simply say: “Hi, have you got any opportunities?” I understand the intention. Someone is hopeful, ready for a change, trying to open a door. But here’s the part most candidates don’t see from inside Talent Acquisition, especially in a large corporate environment. I’m not searching the market to find roles for people. I’m hiring for roles that already exist, with defined skills, levels, and team needs. And while there maybe opportunities somewhere in the organisation, I can’t map you to any of them without knowing what you actually want. A message like that unintentionally puts all the responsibility on me: to guess your direction, interpret your experience, work out where you might fit, and try to align you to a team, without any context at all. I genuinely want to support people, but with so little information, it becomes incredibly difficult to do anything meaningful. Because here’s the truth: I can’t advocate for you if I don’t understand you. I can’t map you to a team if I don’t know your strengths. I can’t guide you if I don’t know what “good” looks like for you next and I can’t help you get on our radar if I don’t know what you’re aiming for. Here’s how you can make your outreach land in a way that actually helps me help you and gives you a far better chance of being seen. ✅ Share your direction: the roles you’re exploring, the level you’re targeting, and the type of work you want more of. ✅ Give a short snapshot: your core skills, industries you’ve worked in, and the environments where you do your best work. ✅ Show you’ve done some research: mention a current opening you’ve seen, a business area you’re curious about, or something you’ve read about how we operate. It tells me you’ve already started connecting the dots. ✅ Explain the relevance: share how your experience could add value to the teams you’re interested in. Even one line helps me understand your angle. ✅ Add your “why now”:  what’s prompting the move and what you’re hoping to grow into. ✅ Ask something specific: it could be about the team structure, the hiring process, or where your profile might align. This kind of message changes everything. It turns a cold “any jobs?” into a real conversation. It shows intention and effort. It shows you’re thinking about where you fit, not just where you can apply. It helps me support you in a way that’s actually useful, not guesswork. #CareerConversations #CandidateTips #TalentInsights

🙋🏼♂️ How Many Roles is "Too Many" ? If you ask 10 TA leaders and you’ll get 15 different answers. Some swear by high req loads: “Recruiters can run 20–30 roles at once if the process is tight.” Others argue that anything over 10 starts to erode candidate experience especially in tech. It's often a question I've heard when interviewing for roles in the past and always wondered the best way to answer, as it will really vary depending on the context. Here’s the reality (at least from what I’ve seen): 👉 Not all roles are created equal. A junior software engineer search doesn’t require the same depth of sourcing, stakeholder alignment, or market calibration as a Staff Data Scientist. 👉 Not all recruiters are at the same place. A seasoned recruiter who’s filled dozens of roles in a domain can handle more. Someone newer to the business or hiring in a new region needs space to learn and build muscle. 👉 Most in-house teams don’t have dedicated sourcers and in some cases even co-ordinators. That means top-of-funnel and scheduling can be on us. And sourcing well especially in competitive tech verticals takes time. A lot of it. 👉 Roles at different stages of the process will require different levels of attention. For example a role that has just been kicked off will need much more time and focus than a role that has a strong pipeline of talent progressing through to second and final interview stages. Some benchmarks I’ve found helpful: • 12–15 open roles per recruiter tends to be the upper limit before quality suffers. • 8–10 is where depth, partnership, and candidate experience thrive particularly on complex searches. • 5–6 is a sweet spot for early-career recruiters ramping up or owning high-complexity hiring. 🔄 TA leaders: how do you balance req distribution across your teams? 📉 When does a “full recload” tip into unsustainable? �� Does anyone have any data driven ways of reporting and measuring this within their teams/individually? #talentacquisition #recruiting #techrecruiting #inhouseTA #recruiterload #hiringstrategy

🌐 Are Your Networking Messages Going Unanswered? Here’s How to Change That! 🌐 If you’re reaching out to people and not hearing back, you’re not alone. Many job seekers experience this—but here’s the thing: Networking isn’t just about sending messages; it’s about building genuine connections. Here’s how to get responses and turn your outreach into real opportunities: 1️⃣ Shift from Cold Outreach to Warm Introductions The “cold message” can often be met with silence. Start by reaching out to people who already know, like, and trust you—your power circle (friends, past colleagues, or even family members). They’re more likely to introduce you to someone in your target company, turning a cold connection into a warm introduction. 👉 Example: Message a former coworker: “Hi [Name], I’m exploring roles in [Industry] and thought of reaching out to you for advice. Do you know anyone at [Company] who might be open to a chat?” 2️⃣ Make It Easy for People to Help You Be specific about the kind of help you’re seeking. It’s easier for someone to assist if they know exactly what you’re looking for! Provide a shortlist of companies or roles to give them direction. 👉 Example: “I’m currently focused on roles at [Company A, Company B, Company C]. If you know anyone there who could offer insight, I’d appreciate any connection or advice you might have!” 3️⃣ Personalize Every Message Generic outreach messages are easy to ignore. Show you’ve done your research by referencing something specific about the person’s work, recent achievements, or shared connections. Personal touches help your message stand out from the crowd. 👉 Example: “Hi [Name], I saw your post about [Topic], and I really appreciated your insights. I’d love to connect and learn more about your role at [Company] as I explore similar opportunities.” 4️⃣ Focus on Relationship-Building, Not Immediate Favors Networking is more than just reaching out with a request. Engage with your connections over time by commenting on their posts, sharing resources, or offering help where you can. When you nurture relationships, people are more willing to help when the time comes. 👉 Example: “I noticed you’re speaking at [Event]. Congrats! If there’s any way I can help promote it, let me know.” Showing support without asking for anything in return builds goodwill. 5️⃣ Follow Up, but Don’t Be Pushy People get busy, and your message may have slipped through the cracks. A polite follow-up can remind them without feeling intrusive. Give it at least a week before sending a gentle nudge. 👉 Example: “Hi [Name], I just wanted to circle back in case my last message got buried. I’d still love to connect when you have a chance. Thank you!” 💡 Final Thought: Networking isn’t a one-time outreach—it’s an ongoing relationship. Build trust, offer support, and be specific in your asks. This approach won’t just get your messages noticed; it’ll help you grow meaningful connections over time.

Hiring is hard. Rejecting well is harder. It’s your brand on the line. Most hiring processes obsess over how candidates show up. Very few pay attention to how the business exits the conversation. But candidates remember rejection far more vividly than interviews. A slow fade, a generic template email, or worse, silence. That experience doesn’t disappear when the role is filled. It turns up later. When that candidate talks to peers. When they see your next job ad. When they decide whether your business feels worth engaging with again. Here’s the part many hiring managers miss. The majority of candidates you reject today are still part of your future talent market. Some will be better suited in 12 months. Some will refer someone exceptional. Some will become clients, suppliers, or senior leaders elsewhere. How you reject tells them exactly who you are when there’s nothing to gain. Clear communication, timely closure, and genuine respect for the effort candidates put in all signal professionalism, not politeness. None of that is about being “nice”. It’s about being professional. Good hiring builds capability. Good rejection protects reputation. And in a tight market, reputation compounds. P.S. If you want to improve your hiring outcomes, start by fixing the parts candidates experience when they don’t get the job. That’s where most brands quietly lose trust.