The playbook for building high talent density teams | Adam Ward, Head of Talent at Cursor

Adam Ward: I've yet to be in a company where recruiters are making hiring decisions. So these things are in conflict. Hiring managers or leaders or committees are making hiring decisions. And I feel like the recruiters goal is really about helping provide confidence to that hiring manager to make the right decision. They're a confidence engine. They're not a decision-making engine... And so no one should care more about a hire, no one gets the joy or the pain of a good and bad hire than that hiring manager and that team. So why then is a recruiter or recruiting organization holding that accountability when they are actually don't they don't have the decision-making let alone the benefits or or pain or cost of a good or bad hire.

Adam Ward: So how we think about this like relentless pursuit is you'll often reach, you know, one step is just getting them into a conversation, getting a response, getting some kind of engagement. Um, but most people will tell you if you get them, it's like not good timing. Here's all the reasons I can't do it. And you're like, 'Hey, I'm not asking you to interview. I'm not asking you to consider a role. I'm asking for a next conversation.'... Let's say it is true they can't join till late fall, that doesn't mean you're not connecting them and having conversations on a weekly basis and working that piece... By doing nothing and actually talking to them in the late fall, at best, you get them even if they're still interested then or someone else has them grabbed them. So we think about this continual touchpoint approach to them to getting them into process. Um, but that could again, we're willing to do that over days, weeks, months, and sometimes years.

Adam Ward: I think the mistake though, and that's not that's an obvious point, but the mistake that most companies make is they'll say, 'Hey Lenny, who's the best uh product engineer you know?' That is the worst question you can ask. The better question to ask is, 'Hey, Lenny, of all the product engineers you worked with, who stands out to you as the person who's most collaborative with designers? Or who can translate a framework into a product better than anyone you've ever seen?' You got to have to put these very specific characteristics or skills or needs for your team, and then that's way easier for you to conjure up people that way than like this broad question of who's the best person.

Adam Ward: We can care more about that candidate than anyone else. That's in us... when you look at candidate satisfaction scores, the number one thing that's always there is the company generally wanted me. They generally like like they made it feel like I belonged there. And so, the more that we can care for our candidates and demonstrate that, I think it's an unfair advantage and it's in all of us... I remind my team like we're trying to hire one person for this role here, not 10. So don't get caught up in the 10. Get focus on the one.