Michael Tumasian

Lately, confidence looks a little different. Tech valuations have been compressing for a while, and expectations around future growth are getting reset. That shift tends to surface in hiring behavior before it shows up anywhere else. You can see it in the numbers: ➠ Job openings down from peak levels ➠ Time-to-fill extending even with elevated applicant volume ➠ Fewer net new roles relative to backfills ➠ More reqs approved conditionally rather than outright That combination matters. When future upside feels less certain, companies slow commitments tied to longer-dated returns. Two interpretations keep coming up: ➠ Early innings of a broader pullback ➠ Or AI is compressing software value quickly enough that capital is rotating away from traditional growth stories Either way, hiring behavior adjusts before strategy decks do. Confidence rarely disappears all at once. It thins out, one approval at a time. 📌 What signals are you watching to tell which direction this is headed?

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HR isn’t about managing people. It’s about understanding them. For years, HR systems have been focused on processes. Forms, reports, approvals. But that’s not where the real leverage is. At Sloneek, we’re shifting the focus from tracking people to actually understanding them—with a new layer we call Sloneek Intelligence. It’s not just dashboards and data. It’s: ✅ Signals about engagement. ✅ Early warnings on burnout. ✅ Trends in team dynamics. All in one place. All actionable. Because managing headcount is one thing. Leading people? That takes insight. If your HR system could answer one question about your people, what would it be?

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What is one AI tool that has significantly changed the way you work, Chat GPT/Claude/Grok excluded? Bonus points if it impacts hiring/recruiting in some way. 😉

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If you're in the business of staffing early-stage tech startups, particularly those backed by top VC firms, you've likely felt the impact of the tech recruitment market's cyclical nature. Tech recruiting is unpredictable. Over the past decade, I've seen the shift from company-driven markets to candidate-driven ones, and back again. The ups and downs can leave startups struggling to balance the demand for engineering talent against tightening budgets. A few years back, the tech sector was reeling from layoffs and spending freezes. Venture capital was reserved, and expectations had to be tempered. Now, as funding surges again, startups find themselves scrambling to hire exceptional talent amidst fierce competition. The key lesson here is about preparedness. Startups should embrace the cyclical nature of the market and plan for these swings by maintaining flexible hiring strategies. They need to be nimble enough to adapt to both funding booms and layoffs, ensuring their talent strategy aligns with market conditions. Understanding and anticipating these cycles safeguards your hiring strategy and allows your business to thrive regardless of external conditions.

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Companies are losing the talent war because they're fighting with yesterday's weapons. While you manually source & screen resumes, competitors deployed AI reconnaissance that changes everything: Here's the framework that shocked me after 30 years in staffing: While you process 50 resumes a week... Well-planned AI systems analyze 5,000 candidates daily. They don't just find more people faster. They find better ones that traditional methods miss. But most companies automate the wrong parts and get garbage results. It's all in the expertise. The secret isn't more AI. It's knowing where humans add value and where machines dominate. Here's the tactical framework that works: 1. Mission Planning: Document Your Recruitment Intel Feed the system examples of your best hires from the past 2 years. Include specific skills, career trajectories, and must-have qualifications. The AI learns your talent DNA before executing search missions. Most companies skip this phase and wonder why they get terrible candidates. 2. Execute Systematic Candidate Reconnaissance Deploy an automated search across LinkedIn, job boards, and other talent pools. The system enriches profiles and scores against your criteria. Qualified targets flow directly into your engagement pipeline. 3. Establish Human Command and Control AI handles volume and initial screening. Humans maintain oversight at critical decision points. Assess performance outcomes and adjust the AI. This hybrid approach delivers consistent evaluation while avoiding AI bias traps. 4. Deploy Performance Intelligence Track time-to-hire, cost-per-hire, and retention data. These numbers tell you if your operation is winning or just staying busy. Modern AI recruitment stacks cost less than legacy tools while delivering exponentially better results. This isn't about replacing quality recruiters. It's giving your best and brightest force multipliers so they can focus on talent relationships instead of search strings and resume screening. Over 3 decades in staffing... I've watched companies struggle with talent acquisition while missing obvious tactical advantages. That's where we come in with an unbiased outsider's perspective. And help you create solutions that seem impossible from the inside.

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𝗠𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝘂𝘁𝗲 ⠀ Hiring data is telling a very clear story right now. ⠀ 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗮𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝗳𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝘁𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗰𝗮𝗹 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗿𝗼𝘂𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗲𝘅𝗰𝗲𝗲𝗱𝘀 𝟰𝟬 𝗱𝗮𝘆𝘀. ⠀ For highly specialized positions, it often stretches significantly longer. ⠀ Every open role carries measurable cost. ⠀ Lost productivity. ⠀ Delayed product timelines. ⠀ Increased strain on high performers. ⠀ And in regulated industries, potential compliance exposure. ⠀ At the same time, most qualified professionals are not actively applying. ⠀ They are employed. ⠀ They are selective. ⠀ And they move when approached strategically. ⠀ That gap between “applicants” and “available talent” is where many hiring strategies break down. ⠀ Job postings alone do not solve it. ⠀ Volume does not solve it. ⠀ Speed without qualification does not solve it. ⠀ 𝘗𝘳𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘤𝘩. ⠀ 𝘐𝘯𝘥𝘶𝘴𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘧𝘭𝘶𝘦𝘯𝘤𝘺. ⠀ 𝘊𝘢𝘯𝘥𝘪𝘥𝘢𝘵𝘦 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘦𝘴𝘴. ⠀ That is what closes the gap. ⠀ At 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝘆 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴, we work exclusively in regulated, compliance-driven industries where hiring mistakes are expensive and timelines matter. ⠀ We focus on permanent placement. ⠀ And we evaluate every candidate against one standard: ⠀ Can this person walk into the role tomorrow and deliver with minimal supervision? ⠀ That standard protects our clients. ⠀ The market is competitive. ⠀ It is also navigable — with the right strategy. ⠀ Julie Grey Grey Staffing #MondayMinute #HiringStrategy #TalentAcquisition #DirectHire #EngineeringRecruitment #ManufacturingCareers #HealthcareHiring #RegulatedIndustries #WorkforcePlanning #Leadership

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Talent density is the ultimate force multiplier. Those in leadership who have tested this in the changing market know! It’s not just about AI, efficiency, hype, or headcount. It’s about what happens when you pack a team with elite operators, people who move fast, think bigger, and execute at a level most can’t touch. At Andiamo, we’ve seen it firsthand these last few months: when talent density goes up, friction goes down, leadership moves with grace, speed skyrockets, and results begin to compound. The next few quarters will show what happens when leadership alignment meets high-performance execution. Big things coming.

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If you're new to recruiting, I'm giving away the sauce here: The greatest outbound strategy for recruiting agencies remains exactly what it's been for DECADES. Pitch an MPC. For those not in-the-know, MPC stands for "most placeable candidate." The delivery method may change over time. // Cold calls // Cold email // InMail // Connection request + Message sequence // You can even post one on an open forum like LinkedIn and find traction. It really doesn't matter. It will beat out every other angle in your playbook 9 times out of 10. bc NOTHING is more "personalized" than leading with the solution to your prospect's problem. Not the claim that you CAN solve it Not the explanation of HOW you will solve it. An MPC actually delivers the goods "Here's the exact [insert job title] you're looking for." There's an art to this, of course. If the candidate, for example, hasn't given permission to submit them to that prospect, then you need to be able to highlight them in a way cuts through without revealing too much. Then, if the client expresses interest, you let them know you need to confirm with the candidate before submitting. To craft the pitch well you need to deeply understand what kind of candidates are truly MPCs in your niche as opposed to merely placeable. That all comes with reps and time. But if you master these fundamentals, you'll win. Even in the age of AI, recruiting lives or dies on fundamentals.

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Ignition K.K. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗔𝗜 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀? There’s a lot of noise about AI replacing recruiters. The reality is probably simpler — and more practical. I see two big shifts coming for large agencies. 𝟭. 𝗠𝗶𝗱𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗴𝗲𝘁𝘀 𝗿𝗲𝗱𝗲𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗲𝗱 Many middle layers today focus on reporting, KPIs, and internal oversight. But once AI has access to company data, it can instantly generate reports, forecasts, and performance insights. Much of that operational work becomes automated. So the value of managers has to shift. Less internal control. More external impact. Future leaders will need to win clients, open doors, and create opportunities — not manage spreadsheets. Rainmakers, not administrators. 𝟮. 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗹𝗼𝘄𝗲𝗿 𝗲𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘃𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗲 𝗰𝗵𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝘀𝗵𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 Sourcing, screening, and admin are increasingly automated. That likely means fewer junior and mid-tier “process” roles, and more focus on higher-value work: senior hiring, niche searches, and trusted advisory relationships. 𝗕𝗼𝘁𝘁𝗼𝗺 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 Recruitment won’t disappear — it moves up the value chain. The transactional parts get automated. The human, trust-based parts become more valuable. And if AI ever truly replaced all recruitment? It probably means it replaced most jobs too — and then there’d be nothing left to recruit for anyway. AI disruption will have essentially eaten itself and caused its own extinction...;) More likely, the industry just evolves. Agencies that adapt will thrive. Those that don’t will struggle. If you’d like to better understand the recruitment market in Japan and the options available to you, please feel free to get in touch Michael Craven #rec2rec #japanjobs #ignitionkk

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The AI takeover is reshaping the interview process. The tools, the sourcing stack, the screening layers - all evolving fast. Many organizations are struggling to standardize how their leaders should adjust their interview process accordingly. I don't pretend to have all the answers, and the landscape is still shifting... But over the past year we've found success with our 𝟯 𝗖𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗧𝗼 𝗘𝗳𝗳𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗹𝘆 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝘂𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗔𝗜 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗛𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀:   The key is asking these questions organically and informally, ideally when candidates aren't fully prepared for them. That's how you uncover a true baseline of understanding. 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗖𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗲𝘀:   The key is knowing these core principles of your craft, your industry, your level, your domain - cold. 𝗕𝗲𝗰𝗮𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗺𝘂𝗰𝗵 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝗹.  𝗔𝗜 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗵𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗹𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝘀𝘁 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗮𝗰𝘁-𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗮𝗹 𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴.  𝗠𝗲𝗮𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗹𝗹 𝗯𝗲 𝗺𝗼𝗿𝗲 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗷𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁, 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗴𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝗻𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 - 𝗣𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗶𝗰𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿𝗹𝘆 𝗮𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗻𝗲𝘄 𝗔𝗜-𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗳𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁'𝘀 𝗮𝗹𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗱𝘆 𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲.  Here are the three principles we've been using.

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Opening a third or fourth office is supposed to create leverage. In reality, it often creates chaos. I have seen it happen more times than I can count. The processes start to drift. Candidates stay stuck in one location. And the client experience quietly changes depending on which office picks up the work. When things break at scale, it is almost never about effort...I mean teams are working hard. So, what is missing is coordination. In this piece, we break down the operational pressure points that show up as firms expand and the frameworks that help leaders move from constant firefighting to controlled, repeatable growth. If you are growing beyond a single office, this is worth a read before the cracks get louder. Link in comments. #ScalingWithIntent #NewburyPartners   First Comment: Build the operational backbone that allows growth to stay controlled as you scale ➡️ https://lnkd.in/g5bxJMyS

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As the U.S. labor market shows tentative softening 📉, your Q4 hiring strategy needs to be sharper, not quieter. Here’s what to audit now: 🔑 Role priority Which positions absolutely must be filled to support revenue, safety, or growth? Delay everything else. 📊 Pipeline stress test Do you have deep-enough passive pipelines? How many solid leads per role right now? 💰 Budget & approval clarity Uncertainty kills deals. Confirm all decision-makers are aligned, budgets are earmarked, and sign-off paths are short. ⚡ Offer flexibility Build modular offers (bonus + learning + ramp incentives) so you can adjust on the fly. 🛠️ Process friction removal Where have candidates historically dropped off? Fix scheduling, feedback loops, turnaround times. 📣 Communication cadence Even when nothing changes, periodic updates keep candidates engaged and reduce “ghosting.” ⏳ Time is your asset in Q4 — a faster, more adaptable process beats waiting for perfect conditions. 👉 At Industrial Pro Recruiting, we help employers act quickly and strategically — building pipelines, eliminating bottlenecks, and securing top talent before competitors even start looking. Ready to finish Q4 strong? Let’s talk. #HiringStrategy #Recruiting #TalentAcquisition #JobMarket #Q4Hiring #IndustrialJobs #Leadership #WorkforceStrategy #RecruitSmarter #IndustrialProRecruiting

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I'm currently implementing Humanly.io for a client, evaluating a platform migration for my own team, and using AI to build a custom layer that fills gaps no off-the-shelf tool covers. So I spend a lot of time thinking about recruiting tech. Here's what actually matters when you're evaluating it: *Does it reduce friction or just move it somewhere else? *Does it fit how your team actually works or does your team have to change to fit it? *Does it give you clarity or just more data to manage? Most tools are sold on features. The real question is whether it simplifies the decision making that happens between the features. The best tech I've used disappears into the workflow. You stop noticing it because it just works. The worst tech becomes the workflow. Suddenly you're managing the tool instead of managing the search. That's the only evaluation framework you need.

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Job candidates are going off the rails on this crazy AI recruiting tech train. So are recruiters and hiring managers. Employers have to figure out how to use AI in selection ethically, with compliance guardrails and “brakes” in place, and work with their vendors to help ensure that selection bias is reduced as much as possible. They also need to clean up and optimize their tech stack more than they’ve ever done, apply for their own jobs and experience their own processes, to prevent the brand-busting train wrecks to come. #recruiting #hiring #candidateexperience The CandEs Survale, Inc https://lnkd.in/gscfRd2G

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Why I would NOT trust Eightfold AI... Eightfold's Ashutosh Garg's Class Action lawsuit response: "Data sources: We (Eightfold) use information applicants choose to submit and data authorized by our customers under contract. We do not scrape social media and the like to assess an applicant’s fit for a specific role." NOW, check out the patent below, starting with the box entitled "PUBLIC DATA".

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Hiring patterns point to a good year ahead! Here’s what I’m seeing in the recruiting market right now: 👉Our Q1 is booked Companies are moving forward with conviction; not just planning, but actively investing in critical hires. 👉AI remains in the lead Hiring is concentrated in Product and Engineering, especially Machine Learning, as teams push to build, refine, and scale real functionality. 👉Products are still being perfected There’s significant growth and innovation still needed across AI platforms. As companies focus on monetization and ROI, competition for this talent isn’t slowing down. 👉Security is on simmer Cybersecurity talent is in steady demand as new systems, data models, and AI-driven products continue to evolve. What’s especially interesting is where this work is happening; much of it behind the scenes, in infrastructure and automation beyond consumer-facing LLMs. Concero has been partnering with AI product companies for over six years, long before this space hit the mainstream. We’re all-in, with embedded teams supporting the technology shaping what’s next. #AmysMarketGauge #Q1 #Hiring #CyberSecurity #AI #ROI #ConceroSearch #Recruiting

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Why do some agency recruiters have a low hit rate (25-40%) while global top billers have a 85-90%+ accuracy submit to placement ratio*? *This ratio means that 85-90% of candidates submitted RESULT in becoming placements. The answer is usually a derivative of this common issue: Your agency is FORCING you to hit submittal KPIs or YOU feel pressure to deliver up a submittal in order to generate interviews (another KPI) Fear and desperation is probably the BIGGEST root problem causing terrible submits. In other words: You feel this pressure from your firm to submit candidates because they create this really aggressive environment requiring you to do so. Or You just don't have a lot of candidates so you personally feel bad. Thus, you just have to submit so ANYONE will do and bam! there goes a known terrible submit out the door. That's one way to live life. However: I am not bragging when I say this. The reason why I became a global top biller is that basic logic disallowed me from ever thinking along those lines. Genuinely. I wouldn't submit a single candidate that at least isn't worth getting an interview period. Why? Because I will put in the hours until I get that candidate I can submit proudly, knowing that they're worth at least a vetting call from the client. So then begs the question, WHY don't most recruiters do this? It's because it takes TIME, EFFORT, and ENERGY to dig out the call-worthy candidates. This is why. It's easier to just submit shitty candidates bc they're more plentiful and easier to access. That's just it. So as a headhunter, very early on, you have to pick your strategy. Is it gonna be high volume, low hit rate? Btw you ruin your rep when your candidate quality is low. Or lower volume (Still a shit ton of work to find those golden gooses btw), high hit rate? The answer is pretty clear in my eyes which strategy is a better one. #r2r #rec2rec #headhunter #sales #agencyrecruitment #agencyrecruiter #recruiters #headhunters #recruiting #recruiterlife

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🚀 AI in Recruiting: Game-Changer or Just Hype? The truth: Most “AI” staffing tools are just shiny add-ons… they promise efficiency but often create more bottlenecks. At Traba, AI isn’t a feature — it’s the foundation. ✨ Predict worker churn risk 👀 Live-monitor shifts with Sentinel ⚡ Day-of backfilling with Dynamic Shift Fill All running on one integrated platform → no blind spots, no fragmented tools. 💡 The result? Real data. Real visibility. Real outcomes.

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Are you still manually juggling interview times? If so, you could be wasting valuable hours and risking frustrating candidates. Automating scheduling not only saves time but also creates a smoother, more professional candidate experience – critical in today’s competitive tech market. From tools like Calendly’s simple interface to AI-powered platforms like Rooster, organisations can streamline hiring and reduce no-shows with automated reminders and timezone syncing. Embracing these solutions means less admin and increased likelihood of finding the right leaders. 🔸 Key benefits:  • Saves recruiter and candidate time  • Improves candidate engagement and experience  • Reduces scheduling errors and no-shows  • Supports global, multi-timezone hiring See the best automatic interviewing tools of 2025: https://heyor.ca/qjsjKR #RecruitmentTech #InterviewAutomation #CandidateExperience #TechHiring

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