Adrienne Whelan

TA teams are getting hammered right now. Fake resumes, bots, and “Easy Apply” spam are flooding inboxes, and even the best teams are feeling it. We spoke last night with one of the top SaaS platforms in the U.S. Their brand is strong, their TA team is elite, and their hiring process is tight. They posted one role. 978 applications. Zero matches. Not bad candidates, just not the right ones. That’s when they called us. They needed proactive outreach, not another pile of resumes. No ads, no noise, just trusted candidates from our network who actually fit. As end-of-year hiring ramps up, this is where specialist recruiters earn their keep, cutting through the noise and finding the people who actually move the needle. 🚀

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The best way to solve workforce coverage problems isn't scheduling - it's the Per Diem Model.  Here are 5 KEY tactics you can learn and leverage with Per Diem: 1️⃣ Per-Diem staffing creates deliberate overcapacity Healthcare facilities try to maintain qualified talent pools 150-200% larger than their daily needs. 💥 Simple Math: Maintaining a flexible talent bench costs less than understaffing or unfilled absences.   The real cost lies in the work that isn’t getting done when you can’t fill an absence. 2️⃣ Per-Diem leverages “Pre-Qualification” at scale Per Diem is not just about having “extra people”, it is critical that those “extra people” must be verified, ready-to-deploy talent. Healthcare per diem agencies: - Complete all credentialing upfront - Verify skills and certifications beforehand - Handle regulatory compliance proactively 📌 Imagine your manufacturing operation with a pool of 50 pre-trained assemblers, fully onboarded, ready to work with one tap on an app.  Sounds pretty good, right? 3️⃣ The best Per-Diem staffers are masters of Technology-Enabled Deployment Modern per diem platforms allow healthcare facilities to fill 15 unexpected vacancies in minutes. It's mobile-first infrastructure that: - Instantly broadcasts shift needs to qualified workers - Enables one-click acceptance - Verifies arrivals in real-time - Automates payment processes 📌 Question for you: Why is your facility still making 25 panic calls when people don't show up when an app could solve this for you? 4️⃣ Per-Diem leverages incentive alignment Per diem models create win-win scenarios:  Three wins actually. a) Workers get genuine flexibility and premium rates. b) Facilities pay slightly more but eliminate coverage gaps c) Quality improves because workers choose shifts they want 5️⃣ Per Diem is based on Market-Based Pricing 📌 Critical shifts fill faster because the market determines appropriate compensation rather than basing rates on arbitrary pay bands. The best Per Diem staffing platforms use dynamic pricing based on: - Urgency - Difficulty - Historical fill rates TLDR: Every industry with shift-based operations can implement the Per Diem model (or some hybrid version of it) tomorrow. And be better for it! _________ Hey there, I’m Bryan. Head of Product at StaffUpApp. If you need help building an app for your staffing agency to get started with the Per Diem model - let’s talk.

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Best practice: Be proactive, not reactive. Sounds obvious, right? Yet in recruiting, too many companies operate reactively instead of planning ahead. Build your pipeline. Build your network. Build out headcount plans. Build your “what if” scenarios. Build playbooks so the team is aligned before the need arises. Invest in the right tools and the right people! Partner with the right people. (empowERIN Talent has got you!) When you prepare in advance, your odds of finding and securing the right talent increase dramatically. Proactive hiring isn’t just smart…it’s a competitive advantage. You’ve got this!

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🏎️ When recruiters shift from agency to corporate, the biggest change isn’t the tech, the titles, or the org charts — it’s the rhythm. Agency recruiting thrives on velocity. The work is fast, dynamic, and fueled by constant movement. You’re supporting multiple clients, responding quickly, and operating in an environment where momentum is everything. Corporate recruiting moves with a different kind of energy. Stakeholders are balancing broader priorities, collaborating across teams, and aligning on long‑term goals. Approvals involve more voices. Scheduling requires coordination across calendars. The pace reflects the complexity of the organization. Both environments demand skill, partnership, and adaptability — they just operate on distinct tempos. #CorporateRecruiting #RecruitingStrategies

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4 Steps for recruiting passive talent... 1) Start with a personalized InMail or email 2) Follow up with a cold call 3) Send a second, value-driven message 4) Call again and make it count. What's your favorite cadence to get in touch with top talent?

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📣 PSA: High-growth companies don’t slow down hiring end of year. They Double Down. The most strategic TA teams treat this time as an opportunity to strengthen their recruiting engine by tightening capacity planning, optimizing processes, and addressing gaps that require training so they can accelerate confidently ahead of 2026. Here are a few critical questions worth reexamining ahead of next year: • Are we hiring the right talent for the roles that are critical to the business? • Are recruiters operating in a way that supports both hiring velocity and quality? • Are there gaps that require training across recruiters, coordinators, or hiring managers? • Are hiring teams aligned, calibrated, and equipped to make consistent decisions? • Is our interview process designed for rigor and equity in how we assess candidates? These adjustments you make now will compound into stronger performance, better hiring outcomes, and a more resilient TA organization in the year ahead. At ModelExpand, we partner with growth-minded companies to build hiring systems that scale. Depending on your needs, we can: 🔹 Support your full recruiting function through our embedded recruiter and sourcer model. 🔹 Audit the interview process for roles that aren't being filled quickly enough 🔹 Lead targeted projects to strengthen processes and systems (ATS RFP, implementation and optimization, capacity planning, interview plans). 🔹 Provide interim TA leadership to guide your talent strategy in preparation to meet 2026 hiring goals Recruiting shouldn’t be a bottleneck. Let’s make sure your hiring engine is built for momentum when January begins in the new year. 📧 Contact us: hello@modelexpand.com 🌐 Learn more: www.modelexpand.com

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Choosing the right recruiting model is one of the most important decisions a growing company makes. Contract support and full-time recruiting both work, but they’re built for very different goals, timelines, and hiring realities. In this week’s insight, we break down the core differences, speed, cost, ownership, and scalability, so you can choose the structure that aligns with your 2026 growth plan. Whether you need rapid traction, long-term consistency, or a hybrid model that adapts with your business, the key is choosing intentionally. 👇 Swipe through the carousel 📘 Read the full guide (link in comments) #HiringStrategy #TalentAcquisition #PeopleAndCulture #RecruitingExcellence #Scaling

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𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚—𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙌𝙪𝙞𝙘𝙠 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙪𝙞𝙩 𝙞𝙨 𝙡𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙌-𝘼𝙄 𝘾𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 In the fast-paced world of staffing and recruiting, initial candidate screening via phone calls can eat up hours—sometimes days—of your team's time. What if you could automate those calls, get instant feedback, and slash costs by 50%. Enter Quick Recruit's AI Calling, our premium feature in the AI-powered all-in-one hiring platform designed specifically for staffing firms. 𝗥𝗲𝗮𝗹-𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗹𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀: 𝗦𝘁𝗮𝗳𝗳𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗙𝗶𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗶𝗻 𝗜𝗻𝗱𝗶𝗮 Across multiple staffing firms in India, we saw a common pattern: nearly 70% of firms were screening more than 200 candidates every week, creating major bottlenecks in their hiring pipelines. As volumes increased, turnaround times slipped and costs climbed—yet most firms were reluctant to expand recruiter headcount or take on additional fixed salary costs. Quick Recruit's Q-AI Calling stepped in: AI auto-dialed, asked tailored questions (experience, availability), scored fits instantly (e.g., "85% match"), Result? Screening time dropped 70%, costs halved, hires doubled—all without adding headcount. This isn't about replacing recruiters; it's about supercharging them. AI Calling handles the repetitive screening grunt work, so your team focuses on building relationships, closing deals, and scaling hires. 𝗛𝗼𝘄 𝗔𝗜 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗪𝗼𝗿𝗸𝘀: -Seamless Integration: Upload candidate resumes or shortlists directly into Quick Recruit. AI auto-dials from your approved numbers—no extra setup. -Smart Conversation: AI asks tailored questions (e.g., "Tell me about your experience with Python? Availability next week?"). -Instant Insights: Get instant feedback in seconds—e.g., "85% fit: Strong skills, available immediately"—plus full call recording. -Human Handoff: Recruiters review top scorers (only 20-30% of calls) for personalized follow-ups. No more cold-calling everyone. -Pay-as-You-Go: Costs deduct automatically per call—scale up during peak seasons without fixed overhead. "AI Calling didn't replace my recruiters—it made them superheroes. We're hiring twice as fast without doubling headcount." – Priya R., CEO, ScalingScreen Talent Agency 𝗪𝗵𝘆 𝗔𝗜 𝗖𝗮𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 + 𝗥𝗲𝗰𝗿𝘂𝗶𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘀 = 𝗨𝗻𝗯𝗲𝗮𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗯𝗼 -Speeds Everything: Automate 70% of screens, freeing Recruiters for strategy. -Scales Effortlessly: Handle volume spikes without panic hires. -Builds Trust: Recordings ensure compliance and easy audits. Ready to make screening simple? Quick Recruit's AI Calling is your premium edge—unlock it today and watch your firm thrive. https://quickrecruit.com/ #AIRecruitment #StaffingAgencies #AICalling #RecruitmentTechnology #QuickRecruit #FutureOfWork

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Most executives do not get blindsided by layoffs. They get blindsided by runway shortening. Runway is the distance between stability and forced adjustment. Directors and VPs feel it before it becomes visible. --> Capital approvals slow. --> Hiring pauses. --> Board language shifts from expansion to efficiency. --> Risk tolerance narrows. Nothing dramatic happens. But optionality quietly shrinks. By the time labor reductions become public, leverage has already shifted. The executives who move best are rarely reacting. They positioned themselves while runway was still long. - Preparation during stability feels unnecessary. - Preparation during compression feels late. Timing is not about panic. It is about preserving leverage before it narrows. #ExecutiveLeadership #MarketPositioning #LeadershipStrategy #CareerLeverage #ExecutivePresence

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The top 10 Talent Acquisition plays of 2025 (based on conversations with 75 leading TA operators) Most of the gains this year didn’t come from shiny new tools. They came from executing fundamentals with real rigor. Here’s what moved the needle 👇 1. Persona-based candidate messaging Teams that interviewed real employees and built messaging around actual motivations consistently outperformed generic outreach. 2. Email sequencing (done properly) Not “send one nice message and hope.” Structured, multi-touch sequences that compound over time. 3. Firmographic market mapping Using tools like Dealroom or Crunchbase to understand who you’re really hiring from before sourcing even starts. 4. Centralised messaging + A/B testing High-performing team leads provided frameworks, tested messages, and scaled what worked. 5. Recruiter battle cards Prepared responses for common objections, grounded in real value propositions. 6. Candidate experience as a competitive advantage Forward-looking, thoughtful feedback that creates goodwill, even for candidates you reject. 7. AI as a multiplier, not a role replacer AI taking admin, triage, and prep work, recruiters focusing on judgment and relationships. 8. Systemised AI use across teams Not “everyone experimenting in isolation,” but shared workflows, prompts, and standards. 9. Sourcing as a strategic intelligence function. Top teams treat sourcing as a way to gather market data, signal shifts, and inform strategy. 10. Hiring like a GTM motion Clear ICPs. Tiered effort. Measurable funnels. TA borrowing discipline from sales and marketing. The pattern? Nothing here is magic. It’s about systems, clarity, and execution quality. 2026 won’t reward teams that do more. It’ll reward teams that do the right things, consistently. Which ones have you experimented with?

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𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗚𝗧𝗠 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. That’s how we see it—both as former operators and through the lens of our recruiting work. It’s not just about scoping features, setting timelines, or gathering user feedback. 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝗠𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱. They understand how the product drives acquisition, retention, and expansion. They’re involved in go-to-market strategy—sales calls, pricing discussions, messaging alignment. And frankly, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽) 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣&𝗟. So if you’re a PM candidate prepping for interviews, ask yourself: 👉 Can you clearly speak to the impact you’ve had on revenue, margins, or retention? 👉 Do you understand how your product decisions shaped business outcomes? If all you can talk about is how “cool” the features were or how many users “liked” it, you’ll be seen as someone who builds interesting things—not someone who builds products that 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

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H-1B panic on your feed? Breathe. Here’s the signal, not the noise. The new $100,000 fee targets new H-1B applications, per the White House. Existing H-1Bs and renewals aren’t charged—that’s the official line issued yesterday to calm confusion. Yes, policy whiplash is real. Companies paused travel and scrambled because early statements were messy, then clarified. Expect a bumpy few weeks. What this means (simple): If you already hold an H-1B, today’s change is not a fee on your renewal or re-entry. If you’re aiming for a new H-1B, budgeting and timelines just changed. Don’t doomscroll. Do this. - If you’re a current H-1B holder (US or traveling): - Verify with your employer counsel before changing travel—don’t rely on forwards.  - Keep docs handy (I-797, paystubs, letter of employment). - Avoid self-disqualification—keep LinkedIn/resumé dates, titles, and pay records consistent; BGV friction kills momentum more than policy noise. If you plan to file next cycle: Model the new cost reality with your employer; hiring plans may shift from volume to fewer, higher-ROI petitions.  Bloomberg - Raise your ‘must-hire’ score: lead with outcomes (₹ saved, revenue lifted), not tool lists. - Portfolio > pedigree: a 2–3 slide proof-of-work beats another certification in this climate. If you’re India-based and exploring options: -> Build a 12-month war chest—cash + skills beat headlines. -> Aim at hot domestic lanes (GCCs, BFSI analytics, EV/renewables) while volatility plays out. -> Keep Plan B/C: remote contracts, GCC roles, or short on-site stints—optionality is insurance. Early-warning mindset for a volatile world Policies, tariffs, elections—these swing fast. Your defense is optionality: cash runway, exportable skills, visible proof, and warm networks. The goal isn’t fear; it’s being hard to dislodge no matter who signs a proclamation. Small nudge for the week: “Seatbelt baandho, and enjoy the bumpy ride.” Strap in, skill up, and keep moving with facts—not forwards.

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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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If you work in tech, and you are looking for verticals and types of companies that can give you growth, some stability and a runway then check these out: Where is tech actually growing right now? (Not job titles, but sectors.) 1️⃣ AI Infrastructure + Applied AI Not just model companies but vertical AI, copilots embedded into SaaS, AI agents replacing workflows, and the tooling layer (evaluation, observability, data infra). This is a platform shift, not a feature upgrade. 2️⃣ Cybersecurity (AI + Identity Driven) As AI expands attack surfaces, security budgets are becoming non negotiable. Zero Trust, compliance automation, fraud prevention, deepfake detection: This category keeps compounding. 3️⃣ Fintech 2.0 (Embedded + Infrastructure) The growth isn’t flashy neobanks anymore. It’s embedded finance, vertical fintech, cross-border payments, RegTech, and monetizing financial rails inside software platforms. 4️⃣ Climate & Energy Infrastructure AI data centers alone are driving energy demand. Grid modernization, battery storage, carbon accounting, electrification. This is long cycle, infrastructure-backed growth. 5️⃣ Prediction Markets + Decentralized Financial Infrastructure Event-based trading, tokenized assets, on chain exchanges. Information is becoming increasingly "financialized." If you zoom out, three macro themes are driving most of this: • AI replacing labor layers • Infrastructure modernization (energy, finance, security) • Markets becoming more data-driven and financialized Now this is just my opinion of what I'm seeing and reading. So please, as always do you own research also. It doesn't mean there are not other areas of growth. For me, when I talk to people I do stress with them that I think it is important when they are looking at companies to go to the one that gives you the best chance at a long runway. The days of 2020-2023 of being selective for "mission driven" orgs that you want to work for are fewer and far between (for now). #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #Fintech #CyberSecurity #PredictionMarkets #Growth #Stability

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AI is becoming a bigger part of everyday recruiting work. That shift is putting more weight on relationships. As automation embeds deeper into workflows, trust shows up everywhere it matters. 🌟 Between leaders + teams. 🌟 Recruiters + candidates. 🌟 Clients, partners, + the platforms they rely on. On the Full Desk Experience, Kortney Harmon shares a grounded perspective: trust has to come first. Before new systems scale. Before adoption sticks. Before growth holds. This episode explores how recruiting organizations intentionally build trust while technology accelerates. 🎧 Full episode, "Eight Signals Redefining Recruiting Leadership in 2026" in the comments.⤵️ Where does trust matter most inside your firm right now? #FullDeskExperience #FDE

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