Navigating the Modern Recruiting Market With Y Combinator Head of Leadership and Executive Talent Brendan Browne
In today's episode, I sat down with Y Combinator's head of leadership and executive talent, Brendan Browne. I was excited to discuss Brendan's career path and growth in recruiting, his move to venture capital and what he learned, his thoughts on the current recruitment landscape and his advice for first-time heads of people working with early-stage founders.
Brendan studied communications and Spanish in college. He wasn't necessarily looking for a job in recruiting, but —like most remarkable things that happen— he fell into the industry. When a family friend recommended him as a headhunter, Brendan was intrigued but had no clue what that was. After meeting people in the industry and finding a mentor, he experienced early success and discovered his calling.
"I had some immediate, pure-luck success, and I got a few placements, that kind of thing. It just happened to be, and that put some wind at my back, and that I never looked back at that point," he shares.
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Modern Recruiting Practices
The recruiting market has changed in the past few years, and today’s market is unlike anything that recruiters and HR professionals have ever seen. That said, Brendan has an exciting vantage point by virtue of being in the venture capital world.
He’s found that people are raising more and more money to put into early to mid-stage companies, reflecting on the headcount and increasing need for more recruiters. While this supply-and-demand dynamic isn’t unheard of, it’s created an opportunity for top talent to stand out.
“The people who are strong can really differentiate themselves through these experiences,” Brendan shares, especially if they “take the biggest opportunity you can, one that scares you a bit.”
Now is the time for people with potential and curiosity “to take on as much experience as you can because that’s the ingredient for transformation,” he says.
How to Navigate This Space
Transformation and adaptability are buzzwords for growth in every industry. By taking advantage of the current opportunities in the recruiting process, Brendan guarantees that "you will be a different professional."
The dynamics have driven up compensation, but it's essential for recruiters to "stick to your knitting" when navigating the space. Brendan shares that to be successful, professionals should find three things—a value-based company that aligns with who they are, a company with a sizable total accessible market (TAM), and a great mentor.
Some companies that professionals join won't become the next big trend. However, Brendan says, even those experiences “can accelerate you years beyond where you're at" while giving you a better understanding of the market.
Being a 10X Recruiter
The concept of a 10X worker is common within engineering, and Brendan believes that the same concept applies to the recruiting space. If you are working with a great partner but have no sense of urgency, it's more likely that the work that needs to be delivered won't.
It's about creating a dialogue with that person to generate that sense of urgency and deliver better results. Brendan says this dialogue should center on boosting speed and sticking to language such as, "I'm concerned with the pace we're going here."
Recruiters that are 10X are the same ones who have the tenacity to consistently create a sense of urgency to keep up with industry demands. For example, if a person says that they will have a project done by a specific time and it's not, it's OK to call out the individual. "Recruiters out there, there's nothing to apologize for, ever, when it's in the name of delivering business results," Brendan says.
