Kevin D. Turner

Brand to Land: Eliminating Personal Blanding™ with the Sharpest Tools & Strategies for Your Professional Success. Branding ╽ LinkedIn Profile Optimization ╿ Trainer ╽ Career Coach ╿ Speaker ╽ ⛨ Verified Profile

To pivot, you must first prove it, and then build it into your brand! I know this to be true, as I have successfully pulled off five evolutions in my career. Transitioning from Fortune 50 Sales &amp; Marketing Management to Venture Capital (VP), to Public &amp; Private Turnarounds (CEO &amp; VP), executively leading a Non-Profit 50 internationally into 140 countries (International Director), and finally proving it to myself by turning a side gig into a 14+ year successful business (Managing Partner).Welcome to my profile; I'm Kevin D. Turner, a Managing Partner of TNT Brand Strategist, a technology and business-focused Organizational and Personal Brand Builder with deep expertise in Visioneering, Communications, Culture Building, and creating Disruptive Advantages. My passion for talent development and cultivating high-performance teams globally while profitably managing, branding, and growing organizations, has contributed to my career success.  🔘 Optimized 7K+ LinkedIn Profiles &amp; Trained 50K+ People on Best Practices since 2005 🔘 Beta Tester for Open AI since 2021 &amp; 19+ LinkedIn Features since 2005 🔘 Achieved LinkedIn 5 Star Rating &amp; 200+ Written Recommendations  🔘 Developed &amp; Led Teams of 65+ Sales &amp; Marketing Professionals 🔘 Marketed &amp; Sold $550M+ Domestically &amp; into 140 Countries  🔘 Created, Hired &amp; Managed 4 Domestic &amp; Foreign Offices  🔘 Lived in the US, Switzerland, Germany, Sweden &amp; Japan 🔘 Established International Offices, HR &amp; Payroll  🔘 CrowdSourced &amp; FundRaised $25.3M 🔘 Managed Full P&amp;L of $352MWith a Philosophy forged in Customers First, Triple Bottom Line (3PL) "People, Planet &amp; Profit" coupled with a keen Business Acumen and a Personal Resolve to Change the World, I have held Sales, Marketing, and Branding leadership roles with SONY, Stone VC, Thomas Nelson, TurneRRounD, American Teachers, American Heart Association, &amp; TNT Brand Strategist.TNT Brand Strategist – Devoted to Your SuccessHigh Touch, Confidential, Never Outsourced, &amp; Tech AwareLinkedIn Service Provider ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Top Rated Pro  🔘 Top Recommended LinkedIn Profile, Resume, Bio, &amp; Business Page Optimization  🔘 Organizational Branding, Personal Branding &amp; Brand Strategy Development  🔘 Leadership, Career, Interview &amp; Executive Development Coaching  🔘 Corporate LinkedIn &amp; Social Selling Training  🔘 Career &amp; Corporate Transition Services  🔘 Podcast &amp; Keynote SpeakerKevin D. Turner, Managing Partner &amp; Brand Strategist, TNT Brand Strategist, LLC📱 +1-214-724-9111      ✉ Kevin @ TNT Brand Strategist .com     @MrKevinDTurner

Public Speaker

Hope you enjoy checking out some of my favorite LIVE & Podcast Guest Appearances talking about LinkedIn, Social Selling, Personal Branding, Brand To Land, & Career Strategy.

If you're looking for that Competitive Advantage in your Job Search, you might want to check out Amazon's Best Seller: HIRED!3 Every Employment Method by Al Smith "the HIRED guy" & 26 Recognized Career Expert Contributors (including me).

🔘 350+ pages of Job Search help to discover what works best for you
🔘 How to position yourself on LinkedIn for top search results
🔘 Unique methods to stand out from your competitions
🔘 Full chapter on the best use of ✦AI in job search
🔘 The "3-Hour Hack" (shhhhh, don't tell)

Available in Paperback & Amazon Kindle: https://lnkd.in/eKSqVmpd

The Best Time & the 2nd Best Time to Learn, is Before you have to Apply.

[in]quiring Minds Want To Know: 
What's your Job Seeker or Career Builder Competitive Advantage? 

Go Grand, Never Bland, Brand to Land &
#KeepRockingLinkedIn!
Kevin
On a Mission to Eliminate Organizational & Personal Blanding™

PS: My apologies for my one take video Product Review 

#JobSeekers #JobSearch

Kevin D. Turner 

Eliminating Personal Blanding™, Executive Personal Branding & Outplacement Services, Optimized 7K+ Profiles, 4K+ Resumes, Trained 50K+, Globally Recognized Personal Branding & LinkedIn Growth Expert.

It's here: the 7th Annual #NEWLinkledInFeature(s) Captured [in] the Wild for 2026, kicking off with 10 today, & special Capture Creds going to Gillian Whitney, Brenda Meller🥧 & Tony Restell. 

Thank You to all the Eagle-Eyed and Sharing-Hearts who help make this the ultimate list of NEW LinkedIn Features and changes, without you, this resource could not be possible. 

United We Are Believers [In]: Share the Knowledge, Set Others Free & #KeepRockingLinkedIn!
Kevin
On a Mission to Eliminate Organizational & Personal Blanding™

#NewFeatures #LinkedInExpert #JobSeekers

View newsletter: Keep Rocking Linked [In]!

Welcome to the 7th Annual edition of the NEW LinkedIn Features Captured [in] the Wild for 2026. Updated 02.20.2026 Captured [in] the Wild = 22+ Thank 

Open article: #NEWLinkedInFeature(s) Captured [in] the Wild 2026! by Kevin D. Turner • 10 min read

#NEWLinkedInFeature(s) Captured [in] the Wild 2026!

Today my Eagle-Eyed & Sharing-Hearts [in]nies bring you 3 #NEWLinkedInFeature(s) & changes, 
bringing us to 22+ Captured [in] the Wild for 2026. 

Let's Dive [In]:
____________

💀 RIP [Website link] FKA [Custom link] disappears from Top card and can't be re-added in edit mode (not to be confused with Business Premium +'s [Custom button] that follows us around [in]).

The ability to add a [Website link] in the Top card that rolled out on 4.23,2023, if you didn't already have one, was removed 07.01.2025. 

Since 07.01.2025 trying to edit your [Website link], unless you had Business Premium +, made it go away. 

[Website link] was originally a Creator mode feature and thats why Members of all Levels who added it originally, may still have it, until it rolls off their account based on this 💀 RIP. 

Co-Captured with Kenneth Nel

02.18.2026
_____________________________


▲ (3rd) level network Filter added back into the ✦Al-powered people search filters and Reset moves to the bottom of the (All filters) menu. 

We lost the (3rd) network level Filter when AI-powered People search began its rollout 11.13.1025,

02.18.2026

_____________________________

▲ [Search appearances] relabeled as [Profile appearances] in Activity menu. 

This relabel was part of the rollout of Premium Business+ [Profile Engagement] on 02.08.2026 but now seems to be rolling out to all accounts. 

Co-Captured by Jeff Young & Mic Adam 

02.12.2026

_____________________________

Thank You to all the Eagle-Eyed and Sharing-Hearts who help make Captured [in] the Wild the ultimate list of NEW LinkedIn Features and changes, now in its 7th year, without you, this resource could not be possible.

Please let us know what New LinkedIn Feature is your new favorite. 

Share the Knowledge, Set Others Free &
#KeepRockingLinkedIn!
Kevin @ TNT Brand Strategist LLC
On a Mission to Eliminate Organizational & Personal Blanding™

Since 2005, TNT Brand Strategist, LLC has optimized 7K+ Profiles / Company pages plus 4K+ Resumes with access to internal tools to increase rankings, drive Recruiter contact, generate 24/7 exposure, maximize ROA (Return On Application) and accelerate transitions to dream careers. Most clients get recruited for their dream opportunities shortly after & directly related to their Resume & LinkedIn Profile Optimization. 

#CapturedInTheWild

SWEET 16 #NEWLinkedInFeature(s) & changes Captured [in] the Wild for 2026. Today we bring you 6. 

Let's Dive [In]:
____________

✰ [Profile Engagement] shows Business Premium and above how each major section of their profile is performing by either (Impressions per section) or (Clicks per section)
Desktop & Mobile:

Captured [in] the Wild by LIAM DARMODY
02.08.2026
________________________________________________

▲ [First name] & [Last name] edits will now restrict use of any Special Characters (accept - . ), Emojis, or Numbers.
[Additional name] does not have the same restrictions.
 
Captured [in] the Wild by Brenda Meller
02.05.2026
________________________________________________

▲ Featured [Document]s no longer offer Full Screen, Download, Page indicators, Zoom, Title with total Pages, Accessibility mode, and Page progress meter.

Captured [in] the Wild by Jeff Young
02.05.2026
________________________________________________

▲ [Top Voice] badge in Profile Top card has changed location and visually from a light blue button ([in] Top Voice) bellow the Headline to a dark blue [in] next to the Golden Premium [in].

Captured [in] the Wild by Jane Jackson
02.02.2026
________________________________________________

▲ [Top Voice] has added a Top Voice Nomination Form: Link in main Article.
02.02.2026
________________________________________________

✰ New [Contact LinkedIn Support] no longer takes us through the maze of help page options and allows us to provide details of what we are making contact about. Link in main Article. Contact options:
·      Request my personal data on LinkedIn
·      Delete my personal data on LinkedIn
·      Rectify/change my personal data on Linkedin
·      Object to the processing of my data on LinkedIn
·      Transfer my personal data on LinkedIn to another data controller
·      Managing my account and/or privacy settings
·      Close my account
·      Regain Access to My Account
·      Close/Merge Duplicate Accounts
·      Other

Perfect for requesting that missing data download file
02.02.2026
________________________________________________

Thank You to all the Eagle-Eyed and Sharing-Hearts who help make Captured [in] the Wild the ultimate list of NEW LinkedIn Features and changes, now in its 7th year, without you, this resource could not be possible.

Please let us know what New LinkedIn Feature is your new favorite. 

Share the Knowledge, Set Others Free & #KeepRockingLinkedIn!
Kevin @ TNT Brand Strategist LLC
On a Mission to Eliminate Organizational & Personal Blanding™

Since 2005, TNT Brand Strategist, LLC has optimized 7K+ Profiles / Company pages plus 4K+ Resumes with access to internal tools to increase rankings, drive Recruiter contact, generate 24/7 exposure, maximize ROA (Return On Application) and accelerate transitions to dream careers. Most clients get recruited for their dream opportunities shortly after & directly related to their Resume & LinkedIn Profile Optimization. 

#CapturedInTheWild

✰ [Automated comments detection] helps [in] Detect, Restrict & Remove Automated Comments (& perhaps the Commneter) submitted via a browser extension, script, or third party tool, without human action involved in clicking the “comment" button. These types of automated comments are not allowed on LinkedIn.

On detection of an Automated Comment, [in] will do the following: 
1️⃣ the comment will be removed from the (Most relevant) section, 
2️⃣ then possibly removed from outside the commenters network, 
3️⃣ and finally if the Member continues to use Automated Comments they may be restricted from using [in].

This process should allow authentic comments to get the proper exposure they deserve and perhaps spark more genuine conversations.

Many of those Automated Comments may also be a systematic tell tale for Members using PODs (Post Optimized Deception) or the latest PODs By Proxy (where the 'author' doesn't directly join a POD, so they have plausible deniability, but they pay a service who has POD accounts, often Fake or Hi-Jacked Profiles, that (Share without comment) the original post, triggering their PODs automated Comments on the original post. 

Detecting and Stopping the Automated Comments is a great step towards eliminating PODs & PODs By Proxy, allowing authentic content and engagement to survive & thrive once again, here on [in].

Remember: If it’s Not [in] the Approved Partners lists, We Must Resist.
⫸ Full platform:
https://lnkd.in/gsSw_cKv
⫸ Sales Navigator:
https://lnkd.in/giv8aXBQ
⫸ Recruiter:
https://lnkd.in/gcFhVu9q

Here's the Video from Gyanda Sachdeva VP of Product Management at LinkedIn.

Share the Knowledge, Set Others Free & #KeepRockingLinkedIn!
Kevin
On a Mission to Eliminate Organizational & Personal Blanding™

#NEWLinkedInFeature #POD

✰ [All-in-One] 'AiO', a NEW Premium offering 10+ Features focused on supporting SMB (Small Business Marketplace) Leaders Sell, Market & Hire on [in], officially launches today (FKA: the Premium Business Suite BETA).

'AiO' offers a blend of unique features [in]spired by Business Premium, Sales Navigator lite, Recruiter Lite and Marketing Campaign.

'AiO' BETA Testing began back in June 2025 (I joined the BETA/Early Preview (my 19th on [in]) in August 2025).

During the Premium All‑in‑One onboarding process, an ✦AI-assisted tool reviews your profile, company page, and website to understand your business and targets. You can also manually edit the target criteria to get tips and suggestions that fit your business needs.

 $99 a Month For 10 Competitive Advantages 
 ‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾‾
1️⃣  $50 POST BOOST Credit Monthly including target (Client audience) filter
2️⃣  $50 JOB PROMO Monthly or $600 Credit immediately with an annual plan 
3️⃣  15 [Daily prospect suggestions] based on your target criteria. (like Sales Nav but is limited 15 daily, saving up to 40 Profiles, without notes and does not offer the custom post feed by prospects)
4️⃣  [Unlimited search with advanced filters] helps you quickly find prospective clients with search filters for job function, seniority, location, headcount, and years of experience
5️⃣  [Prospect insights] identifies signals like recent company changes, mutual connections, and more to help you connect with new clients
6️⃣  [✦AI-assisted message drafts] to help you connect with prospective clients
7️⃣  [Trending posts with prospects] shows you the posts your target audience is engaging on
8️⃣  [Auto-invite to follow] grows your following faster by automatically inviting people who engage with your content to Follow your profile
9️⃣  [Company spotlight] showcases your Company page in your Profile Featured section
🔟  [✦AI-assisted message drafts] to foster hiring by easily drafting personalized messages to qualified applicants based on profile insights, your company details, and your open jobs

LinkedIn Premium All-in-One:
https://lnkd.in/e6ZpefyT
https://lnkd.in/e2hcPiTf
https://lnkd.in/ejJ3b4Fv

Premium All-in-One early subscribers are seeing: 
🔘 57% more followers, 
🔘 40% more profile views, &
🔘 61% increase in messages with replies from suggested prospects.  

Let me know if you'd like a 2 Month Free Trail (as I may have access to a limited amount to gift and can only gift them to Members who are 1: not a Premium subscriber yet or 2: on Career Premium., No current Business Premium, Sales Nav or Recruiter Members can receive this gift).

United We Are Believers [In]: Share the Knowledge, Set Others Free & #KeepRockingLinkedIn!
Kevin
On a Mission to Eliminate Organizational & Personal Blanding™

#NEWLinkedInFeature #SMB

NEW LinkedIn Discoverability Signal Captured [in] the Wild for 2026:

If you read LinkedIn’s new 'Skills on the Rise' list that just released, you may have realized it's not just a skills list, it's a discoverability map for how Job Seekers and Career Builders should position their Profiles now.

My Takeaway: Don't think “I'll just add a few AI buzzwords” and be found. Think its time to show what you can do, where you create value, and how you help teams win moment and back it with proof.

What LinkedIn is Signaling is a Stronger Mix Proof Backed:
🔘 Technical Capability
🔘 Business Application
🔘 Communication & Stakeholder Influence
🔘 Leadership & Execution

After optimizing over 7000+ Profiles that is exactly where most break down.

Too many profiles still read like:
 “Here is my title, my years, and my responsibilities.”
But the market is moving toward:
 “Here is what I improve, how I do it, who I do it for, and the outcomes I drive.”

For Job Seekers & Career Builders, that means this is a great week to refresh your: Headline, About summary, Skills, & Experience.

Here's a few examples of this language shift:

Instead of:
 “Experienced marketing manager”
Try:
 “Marketing Operations Leader improving GTM execution, workflow efficiency, and cross-functional alignment”

Instead of:
 “HR leader with 20 years of experience”
Try:
 “HR / People Leader focused on talent development, stakeholder communication, and scalable people operations”

Instead of:
 “Project manager with strong organizational skills”
Try:
 “Program / Project Leader driving stakeholder communication, standards compliance, and delivery execution”

LinkedIn says this year’s list looks at year-over-year growth in both skills added to profiles and growth of those skills among people who were hired. That is a strong reminder that your profile language is not just branding, it's about visibility and relevance. 

My advice to career builders:
►  Do not just list skills
►  Translate your skills into capability signals & back'm with proof
Examples:
º improved workflow speed
º aligned stakeholders across functions
º strengthened reporting quality
º supported revenue growth
º led teams through change
º reduced risk / improved compliance

That kind of brand signaling is where discoverability and credibility start compounding.

If you are actively Job Seeking or Career-Building, what is one capability you want your profile to be found for in 2026?

Go Grand, Never Bland, Brand to Land &
#KeepRockingLinkedIn!
Kevin
On a Mission to Eliminate Organizational & Personal Blanding™

#SkillsOnTheRise #LinkedIn #JobSearch #CareerGrowth #CareerBuilder #LinkedInProfile #PersonalBranding #Discoverability #ExecutiveBranding #OpenToWork

This [Document post] element (AKA a Carousel) was made with the assistance of ChatGPT Plus (& I gave up early and posted anyway).

LinkedIn New Discovery Signal Captured [in] the Wild

Digital Marketing and Technology Recruiter @ Knak Digital | Fractional Talent Acquisition | Hitting Hiring Roadblocks? I can help 🙋🏻‍♀️ Job Search Advisor & Myth Debunker | Baltimore & D.C. 🔊 (Riv-Knack)

Are you struggling to hire tech and marketing talent to keep up with your organization’s growth?

Maybe your internal applications are jammed with tons of inbound resumes, but very few that are actually on target. Meanwhile, your team is buried, deliverables are slipping, and the right roles stay open way too long.

That’s where I come in.

I’m Kelli Hrivnak, a Marketing & Tech Recruiter, who helps hypergrowth companies fill critical roles faster than traditional methods.  For nearly two decades, I've been a trusted ally to small to midmarket businesses in DC, Virginia, and Maryland, building teams that boost revenue, innovation, and collaborative success.  

My background in hospitality and outside sales taught me the art of relationship building and high-pressure, often intense, decision-making skills that translated to the recruiting world.  That experience shaped how I recruit.

Hiring Hurdles Impacting my Clients:

✔️ Speed to hire.   A vacant position is slowing down your project deliverables and product development.
✔️ Hiring surge and internal recruitment/TA team is swamped.
✔️ Burned by past mis-hires and unsuccessful track record of hiring
✔️ No time to review resumes or screen candidates thoroughly.
✔️ Job Postings that result in 100's of applicants with no time to review
✔️ Underlying need to replace underperformers, confidentially
✔️ Skills gap and the relentless competition for the same pool of talent

Knak Digital Solutions:

Placement & Sourcing:
✔️ 30,000+ vetted tech and marketing contacts in our proprietary database
✔️ 100% dedication to networking, sourcing, and interviewing for faster fill times
✔️ Tailored recruiting approach that fits your team’s culture
✔️ Project-based consultants when you don't need full-time specialists

Embedded Recruiting Support:
✔️ On-demand, flexible recruiting help that scales with your needs
✔️ Extra capacity during hiring spikes so your team doesn’t get overloaded
✔️ Alternative model to project-based searches, especially when hiring 3 or more roles.

Talent Consulting:
✔️ Discreet searches for underperformers, leadership changes, and succession planning
✔️ Employer brand support to improve candidate attraction
✔️ Market intel on competitors, salary trends, and talent movement

Ready to break through your hiring bottlenecks?  Let's start a conversation. 

📧 Email: kelli@Knakdigital.com

Search job listings here ▶ https://jobs.crelate.com/portal/knakdigital

Kelli Hrivnak

Recruiting can often be a thankless career.

I mean, there’s an entire Reddit sub dedicated to it #recruitinghell

Kudos to the real ones out here who prioritize candidate experience.  This will continue to be the differentiator, especially as those human communication skills are top value.

If you’ve worked with a stellar recruiter, let them know.  Happy Friday 🎉

graphical user interface, text, application, chat or text message

Another meaningful session volunteering with the Arc of Frederick last week.

One program member came back this time with a visual resume, a huge improvement from our last session.

I also worked with someone new who's pursuing a mechanic position. He moved smoothly through most interview questions, paused on one that caught him off guard, and we skipped ahead. After answering the next question, he circled back to address the skipped one.

This is actually good interview practice for anyone. Taking a sec (or two) to think is ok. If you need more time to process a question, embrace the pause. (This is exactly why time accommodations exist in some interview settings.)

During our conversation afterward, he mentioned working on cars as a hobby.  This is exactly when hobbies ARE relevant.  If any side projects translate to the target job, these experiences are well worth talking about.

If you’re curious about getting involved with the Arc of Frederick or supporting adults with developmental disabilities, I’ll drop the link below.

A few resume tips I keep repeating lately, so I’m just going to put them here. 

1️⃣ Add a company descriptor if the brand isn’t widely known.

Example:   Strategist, XYZ Company (MarTech Series B startup, ~$15M ARR, ~75 employees)

2️⃣ AI. Yes, I know. Barf.   But modern resumes should be showing how you are integrating AI into your day-to-day workflows, research, productivity, etc.  This can also include ethical guardrails, workshops, and training.

 3️⃣Don’t be humble if you’re not under an NDA.   Name the product you built, the campaigns you supported.  If you are a consultant, can you list client/customer work specifically?  These fine details show scope and depth, plus some logos can trigger that industry alignment/appeal.

Any resume questions?  I'm stuck on a flight for the next three hours.  Let it rip.

Feels relevant on this Friday the 13th.

Looking at the handful of people who just landed job offers, I can say they earned those roles because they were the best candidates in the pool.  They crushed their assignments in the interview, prepped for those calls, and asked the right questions when it came to an offer.

No doubt, luck comes into play here and there.  Referrals being one.  But luck can only get you so far.

When you outreach to a Yahoo address thinking it’s inactive…and it delivers.

And they actually write back.  #recruiterwin

IYKYK.

Sunday job search tips.....

1️⃣ If the role is hybrid, your location matters.

If you’re applying from out of state and the resume says nothing about relocation, that's going to be a rejection from me. I will not be reaching out to everyone individually to clarify that they understand the in-office requirements. 

If you are relocating, define this in the resume. If you’re self-funding the move, even better. In high-supply roles, companies are not stretching on geography unless they have to.

2️⃣ All this "reverse recruiting" talk.  Take a tip out of what should be their playbook and track your search.  A simple spreadsheet with company, role, date applied, and traction.

PS. You know what signals organized? When a candidate immediately references their job search data during a screen.

3️⃣ Get clear on your positioning.  I hear people considering a few job tracks.
 “I could do Customer Success or Account Executive.”

Okay. But can you back that up? Revenue growth. Sales targets. Expansion metrics. Implementation ownership. Relationship management.  Audit your tasks and outcomes first, then engineer if those can be proof to your target job tracks.

Would you pay someone to find you a job?

I’ve been approached numerous times in the past by job seekers in my networking, offering that they would pay me a fee to find them a job . Aka,  the recently coined “reverse recruiting” services.

For the record, I do NOT offer this.  I'll get into why...

But the WSJ article caught my eye this week, covering job seekers paying to be “recruited” because the market feels brutal right now.

One platform mentioned claims access to students from 20 “top-ranked” universities along with partnerships with 2,000+ companies. I have not personally seen this platform show up in real hiring workflows, and I have to wonder how engaged those hiring teams actually are in reviewing these "referrals."

If you are considering any reverse recruiting or apply-on-your-behalf service, ask these questions first:

🔹 What exact actions are they taking on my behalf?
 🔹Am I reviewing and approving every submission, or am I trusting them blindly?
 🔹 How are they answering open-ended questions about my background, gaps, or career moves?
 🔹Do they understand my experience well enough to actually market me?
🔹 Will I get a full report of where they applied, when, and the status of each role?

The core reason I would never take this on is that I would never want to guarantee that I could lock down a job for anyone, as market demand and how one interviews is beyond my control.  I encourage anyone to understand the mechanics and KPI's behind any service representing you to employers.

Scammers will come out of the woodwork, especially when the job market pendulum has swung in their favor.

Curious to hear of anyone's experience with these type of services?

Open article: Job Hunters Are So Desperate That They’re Paying to Get Recruited by wsj.com

Job Hunters Are So Desperate That They’re Paying to Get Recruited

Toggling from tech to GTM recruiting, there is one interesting difference.

In some tech searches, fraud is an issue.  As in bait and switch, deepfakes, or just fraudulent profiles in general.

In GTM, I haven't come across this (yet).   The only deception is the interpretation of results.

Quota numbers.  Millions worth of business.  Strong pipelines.  But the nuance of not knowing team dynamic, support, and strength of territory can change things.

A few weeks ago, I was talking through this exact problem with a sales leader, specifically how to sniff out BS.  So how to get past the actual numbers and understand what a candidate actually did to drive them. 

Because any outcome is only meaningful with context around strategy and process.

Anyone can put those important numbers in a resume.  It's the story behind the numbers that is a differentiator.

What questions are you asking to gain clarity around metrics in a resume?

Attention to my lady community interested in building apps!  

In honor of International Women's Day, Lovable is offering free usage of its platform for 24 hours on March 8th.   Anthropic is throwing in $100 worth of API credits, too.

If you have time next Sunday, this could be a good opportunity to bring an idea to prototype.

Open article: SheBuilds on Lovable for International Women's Day by shebuilds.lovable.app

SheBuilds on Lovable for International Women's Day

Mark Cuban says SAAS is dead.  

Instead, hello "service as a software."

I get the take.  On every social platform I am on, I read about people spinning up apps with Claude Code, Replit, or Lovable.  Sometimes, within a matter of hours.  

In theory, everyone can be their own product managers now.  Problem solvers are everywhere.

But I'm just not convinced we are all problem understanders.  Let me give an example near and dear to my little recruiter heart:  The ATS.

There are dozens and dozens of applicant tracking systems. All have their nuances, with different audiences like Enterprise, SMB. Internal TA or Agency.  What's rarer is finding a recruiter who uses one and adores one platform.

🔸Business development workflows are clunky
🔸Tagging and rediscovering talent is complicated
🔸Reporting dashboards aren't tracking the data you want.
🔸The UX is terrible.

And yet, new ATS tools continue to ship and recruitment teams continue to demo them, hoping to discover the one that understands how *that* team moves through their day.

The barrier to building software has crumbled.  The barrier to diagnosing and recognizing the legitimate pain point has not.  

Duplicating an existing product may decrease subscription services for some businesses, but for new custom software--there isn't a guarantee for a product-market fit. 

I'm also not even addressing the maintenance and scaling piece of it... 

Curious to hear everyone else's thoughts here.  Is accessibility really the game changer here?

AI DOES need us.

Who caught RentAHuman.AI?

Alexander Liteplo launched the site this past Monday, a platform where AI agents can rent out humans to complete tasks they aren't able to do.

Within 48 hours, the platform had 73K rentable "meatwads."

What type of tasks are outsourced to humans?

🔹Pick up a package
🔹Attend a meeting
🔹Verify a physical location
🔹Exist anywhere outside a browser

A random bounty:  Post a photo of yourself holding a sign reading “AN AI PAID ME TO HOLD THIS SIGN.”

Humans are paid out through crypto.

Not sure how legit it really is with tons of tasks still open with dozens of "bids."   It's giving Black Mirror.

I'll drop the link below.

Some hiring managers don't see what goes into a search.  Here is what is happening in my day when leaders are focused on scaling business:

🔹Researching the landscape first, before a single outreach goes out. This is mapping competitors, understanding the skill sets, and finding those gems that are adjacent and could be overlooked.  (Yes, there are AI tools that can help, but they don't always pick up nuance.)

🔹Fielding and engaging in emails, texts, calls, and video conversations with prospects.  This can consume hours on end per day.

🔹Creating and maintaining a running list of these targets. In an ATS or even a simple spreadsheet.  Tracking who's a miss and why (comp misaligned, timing off with a growing family, skill set not quite there)

🔹Gathering real-time comp data, not what's published on Level.Fyi.

🔹Learning WHY talent is passing.  This is the intel to bring back to hiring teams when time-to-fill exceeds the usual TTF.

🔹Hearing where your brand resonates and where it doesn't.

Every prospect who passes is still giving data.  Hesitations on equity, comp, benefits, team structure, title inflation, or off-leveling.

Some of those things just can't be changed, period. Budget or onsite needs. But bringing those market realities back to a hiring team, with legit intel instead of gut or opinion, is where that advisory piece comes in.   

 At the end of the day, a search is the outbound strategy. Inbound is dandy, especially when it attracts solid talent, but it's not JUST the plan.

Are you validating your hiring strategy with real candidate feedback?

"You have a great read on people and the experience we look for.”

A client recently gave this feedback after we wrapped up a successful search.

Just another reminder that a talent advisor is not just a keyword-matching, 7-second resume scanning, doesn't know what experience they are screening for gatekeepers.

Sourcing and recruiting is not JUST pattern recognition.

It's understanding context and nuance behind the words on a resume or LinkedIn profile.  Because a job title at one company does not automatically translate to the same scope or influence at another.

Different team structures.  Different resources.  Different technical expectations.

Can a tech tool pick up those reads and find full alignment?  #nah

I'm up for the debate.  Change my mind.

Returning from a week semi off the grid.

Watched a Super Bowl with targeted ads for Alka-Seltzer and Meneparol Plus as opposed to the Levi's, Google, and Lays ads here in the States.  A different experience to say the least....

The only AI conversation I overheard was a man saying he just discovered ChatGPT last month and saying “what a game changer it is.” 

Huge thank you to a client partner who gave me grace to take a beach bum video call.

Playing catch up now--please hit me up if I missed your DM or email.

(Good news is that it looks like it may reach over 50+ degrees this weekend and finally melt the snow away).

Attrition.  There tends to be two waves.

The first wave could be a single employee departure on a team or a mass RIF.  

The second wave is one I think most should anticipate but often don't:  the people who stayed.

The disruption of the team dynamic can stir up a feeling of instability and uncertainty.  And some can power through.  In some cases, a toxic employee peaced out, which can improve the dynamic among the standing soldiers.

The adverse?  Workloads are reshuffled and reporting lines are changed.  Teams could be understaffed and overworked.    Just the catalyst for those still on the team to start thinking and planning for options outside the company.   Typical in M&As.

If you're hiring right now for a replacement role or just leading a team through it, pay attention to who's still standing and check in on them.

taplio

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Kelli Hrivnak

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taplio

The Battle

Kevin D. Turner

Kelli Hrivnak

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Posts

Engagements

Likes

Performance Score.css-goub6s{font-size:var(--chakra-fontSizes-md);font-weight:500;color:var(--chakra-colors-gray-600);display:block;margin-top:var(--chakra-space-1);}Kevin D. Turner's LinkedIn Performance

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Ready to grow your LinkedIn presence?

Performance ScoreKevin D. Turner's LinkedIn Performance