Behind the Search

This episode's guest: DanniPart 2. Same question, other side of the table.In this second half of our two-part series on Behind the Search, we flip the lens and talk to Danni — serial founder, ex-CTO, and hiring manager — about what it actually looks like to be challenged well.That's why we're diving into: 👉 What hiring managers actually want from recruiters (hint: it's not just volume) 👉 Why explicit expectations beat guessing every time 👉 The trade-offs behind niche tech stacks, seniority, and remote hiring 👉 Retainer vs. success fee — and why neither gets incentives fully right 👉 Why trust has to be earned, but respect is the starting pointDanni has built and hired for startups from the ground up, working with recruiters on both sides of the table — and has strong opinions on what makes that relationship actually work.If you missed Part 1 with Abhay, start there — then come back for the hiring manager's take.Join our LinkedIn group Behind the Search to stay updated on future episodes and conversations.

This episode's guest: AbhayRecruiters sit on more data, market insight, and talent intelligence than most hiring managers realize. The real skill isn't pushing back—it's using that to influence.In this first part of a two-part series on Behind the Search, we sit down with executive search expert Abhay to talk about what it takes to build real trust and impact with hiring managers.That's why we're diving into: 👉 Influencing hiring managers with data instead of opinions 👉 Running dual intake meetings to calibrate expectations early 👉 Knowing which battles to fight (and which to let go) 👉 Rolling out evidence-based hiring across a resistant organizationAbhay has spent over a decade across sourcing, TA leadership, and executive search—from mapping org charts in Dubai to building recruitment engines from scratch.If you've ever walked into a hiring meeting unsure how to make your case—this episode is for you.Part 2 drops in a month, when we flip the lens and talk to a CTO about working with recruiters from the other side.Join our LinkedIn group Behind the Search to stay updated on future episodes and conversations.

This episode’s guest: Daniel DudekTech recruiting is dead. Or at least, the way we’ve been doing it is.In this episode of Behind the Search, we go deep into what’s actually changing in Talent Acquisition—and what it takes to build a scalable, data-driven TA engine in 2026.That’s why we’re diving into:👉 What has actually “died” in tech recruiting👉 How to move from ad hoc hiring to a repeatable TA engine👉 Which metrics matter (and which to stop tracking)👉 How to align TA with real business outcomes👉 Where AI helps—and where it’s just noiseNo fluff. No buzzwords. No “just post and pray.” Instead, a practical, no-nonsense conversation about how to turn recruiting into a function that actually drives impact.Daniel Dudek works with Next-Gen Talent Acquisition at HOME of Recruitment, helping companies move beyond gut feeling and into structured, scalable hiring.If your recruiting still feels reactive, messy, or stuck in the past—this episode is your reset.Join our LinkedIn group Behind the Search to stay updated on future episodes and conversations.

This episode was live streamed on Match 12th 2026. Join our LinkedIn group⁠⁠ Behind the Search⁠⁠ for access to the video version of this and more episodes!This episode's guest: ⁠Sofia BrobergerRecruiters today juggle automation, inbox chaos, LinkedIn fatigue, and the eternal question: How do we scale outreach without losing the human touch.That's why we're deep diving into:👉 How do you build sourcing workflows that are truly candidate-first👉 Use automation without becoming robotic👉 Explore channels beyond LinkedIn👉 And still make it all fit into an already overloaded week?No theory. No buzzwords. No “10 tools you must buy tomorrow.” Instead, a practical, no-nonsense conversation about smarter and deeper connections.And for this, we’re thrilled to welcome the master of creative efficiency Sofia who has been in recruitment since 2013 and is driven by one recurring thought: “There must be a better way.” And she’s made it her mission to find it.If sourcing has started to feel louder, busier, and less effective — this session is your reset. Join our LinkedIn group⁠ Behind the Search⁠ for access to the video versions of our episodes.

This episode's guest: Kim LokenbergMost sourcers open LinkedIn before they truly understand the job. Kim says that's where everything goes wrong — and she's been fixing it for years.Kim is a talent sourcing strategist with a deep background in advertising — which, it turns out, is exactly the right training ground for sourcing. She brings a briefing-first methodology to every search, blends OSINT with Boolean thinking, and has trained sourcers from scratch across multiple markets. She co-founded Boolean Results before building her current practice — and she's spent years making the invisible logic behind great searches visible and repeatable.What you'll hear:Brief before boolean — why Kim treats every intake like an ad agency briefing, and why most job descriptions are useless to a sourcer without a proper deep-dive conversation with the hiring managerSourcing vs. talent identification — a sharp argument for renaming the discipline entirely, and why searching for "sourcing" vacancies in the Netherlands returns product sourcing jobsLive sourcing with hiring managers — Kim's method of running 5 test profiles in real time with the hiring manager to calibrate the search before scaling itData that nobody's using — how response rates, interest rates, and pool size data can explain exactly why a search is hard — and why 90% of TA teams aren't measuring itAI as a thinking partner, not a replacement — why prompting badly gets you "I hope this message finds you well," and how Kim trained her own AI agent to write outreach that sounds exactly like herThis is what sourcing actually looks like when someone's been doing it seriously for years. Join our LinkedIn group Behind the Search for access to the video versions of our episodes.