Finding the Talent That Doesn’t Apply

Thoughts on curiosity, connection, and the human side of recruiting.

One of my favorite parts of recruiting is the conversation someone wasn’t expecting to have.

They may be happy where they are. They may have quietly started wondering what comes next. Or they may never have considered that their experience could translate into a different kind of opportunity.

I pride myself on finding the talent that doesn’t apply. That starts with being curious enough to look beyond a title—and thoughtful enough to give someone a reason to talk.

After more than 20 years in recruiting, that curiosity still keeps me interested.

Start with what you need to understand

A resume gives us a place to begin. It tells us where someone has worked, the roles they’ve held, and the accomplishments they’ve chosen to share.

There is usually more to understand.

What did they inherit, and what did they build? What resources did they have? How did their responsibilities change as the company grew? What kind of work would they like to do more of?

Those questions help me understand the person behind the experience. They also help me distinguish between something a candidate hasn’t done and something we simply haven’t discussed yet.

A missing detail deserves a question before it becomes a conclusion.

Understand the opportunity just as carefully

I bring that same curiosity to hiring leaders.

Before I can connect someone with an opportunity, I need to understand what success actually requires. What does this person need to accomplish? Which skills must they bring on day one? Where is there room to learn? What support will they have?

A familiar title can describe very different jobs. An account executive joining an established sales team faces a different challenge from one building pipeline and helping a founder figure out what sells.

Those details shape who I look for—and how honestly I can describe the opportunity.

Good recruiting requires clarity on both sides.

Give technology a useful job

I’m a curious techie. I enjoy exploring tools that help me research, organize information, map talent, and ask more informed questions.

There is real value in making that work easier. More time spent untangling information means less time available for meaningful conversations.

My approach is to give technology a clear purpose and examine what it produces. If a tool suggests a candidate, I want to understand why. If it flags a gap, I want to see the evidence. If the information is incomplete, I want that uncertainty to remain visible.

I’m especially interested in how AI can help us notice experience we might otherwise overlook. Its usefulness depends, in part, on our willingness to question its recommendations and keep learning from the people in front of us.

Make the conversation worth having

Reaching someone is only the beginning.

I want a candidate to understand why I contacted them, what I see in their background, and what we still need to explore. I also want them to feel comfortable telling me that the timing, role, or direction isn’t right.

A useful conversation can clarify what someone wants—even when it doesn’t lead to an interview.

That matters to me. So do honest updates, thoughtful feedback, and following through. Those everyday interactions shape whether someone trusts us enough to pick up the phone again.

Connecting people with possibilities

That phrase captures what I love about this work.

Sometimes the possibility is a new role. Sometimes it’s a hiring leader seeing relevant experience in someone they might have overlooked. Sometimes it’s a person recognizing that the work they’ve done has prepared them for something they hadn’t considered.

My recruiting philosophy keeps coming back to a few habits: stay curious, ask specific questions, check assumptions, and treat people’s time and decisions with care.

The next meaningful connection might begin with someone who wasn’t looking—and a conversation worth having.