Toby Babb’s Post

To build a future-ready team, it's crucial you stay ahead of the hiring trends. Here are some key things I'm seeing that are shaping the way people are hiring in 2024: 🛠️ Tech Stack Familiarity: With the pace of technological evolution increasing, hiring candidates who are not just tech-savvy but well-versed in the latest tools and technologies relevant to your industry is essential. 🎯 Client-Centric Mindset: Client relationships are crucial to success. Hiring candidates with a robust client-centric mindset can help you understand your client's needs, empathise with their pain points, and bring a strategic vision for enhancing client satisfaction and loyalty. 💡 Adaptability and Innovation: Change is the only constant, and leaders who thrive are those who embrace it. Look for candidates who have a proven track record of adaptability and innovation. They should be able to drive change initiatives and introduce innovative solutions- the fundamental aspects of effective leadership. 📊 Data-Driven Decision-Making: Data-driven decisions are crucial for success. Hire candidates who can analyse data, draw meaningful conclusions, and use data to drive strategic decisions. Leaders who harness the power of data are better equipped to navigate complexities and drive success. These trends are not just checkboxes but guiding principles for building high-performing teams that drive innovation and success in 2024. How are these trends resonating with your hiring strategies? Share your thoughts or connect with me to chat about navigating talent acquisition in 2024. #FutureReadyTeam #HiringTrends2024 #TechSavvyHiring #ClientCentricMindset #DataDrivenLeadership

I get asked all the time about the tech market. Here's the answer: It sucks. People who are highly qualified and experienced are struggling to find jobs. Rejection left and right. Lots of frustration. The pain is real. But you know what? All it takes is one person, one opportunity, one encounter to change your trajectory. When people refer to the "Market", they are talking about a macroeconomic trend. The reality is that companies are always hiring, even when the market sucks. Sometimes it is luck, but you have to create opportunities for that luck to occur. I was recruiting for my client and I went to a networking event where I met someone who became my clients first full time hire. Was there some luck involved in terms of us meeting? Yes But the reality is, that this person had put themselves in a position to get hired by: - Going to the event - Having a unique skillset that was extremely valuable to employers - A great portfolio showcasing her work - A growth mindset and enthusiasm Maximize your "Luck Surface Area" --> keep putting yourself out there, take risks, do things that make you uncomfortable. Think outside the box. Be resourceful. That opportunity you deserve will come.

There are two types of hires: The first type is a replacement hire, which is when an employer replaces someone, who may have left, retired etc The second type of hire is a growth hire, which occurs when an employer is hiring because it plans to grow, and is confident of doing so... In the news today, business confidence is picking up. When businesses are confident, they're more likely to hire for growth, i.e., spend money on hiring people in the hope and intention that they will get payback in revenue growth. If they're not confident, they tend not to hire. ➡ We can expect employers to be increasingly confident about making growth hires. This is good news for all of us, as we emerge from a series of economic setbacks: ➡ Covid ➡ Inflation increases ➡ Interest rate rises ➡ Ukraine ➡ Supply chain re Ukraine and Suez Canal Happy Friday.

I am worried (but honored to be welcomed by businesses to help them plan for what I see as a certain future). I see the convergence of multiple individual elements of Bad that when combined, become greater than the sum of their parts. Peeking out over the horizon: 1. Businesses are preemptively assuming the utility, usability, and applicability of AI-based solutions in their business, pushing out human labor forces for the true equilibrium is met. We're still very much in the hype phase and not yet stabilized, nor do we understand the long term efficacy of these tools in our customer interactions. (Eg it doesn't do any good to lay off say, your phone support staff and replace them with AI/LLM models if all those models do is annoy the customers *even if the workflow and answers are the same*. The human touch matters!) 2. "Real jobs" numbers seem to diverge from what is discussed in new jobs reports. Anyone that's been searching for a new role is often put through crazy ordeals, given pittance for new salaries, or outright ghosted. You should follow Robynn Storey to keep a great pulse in this area. It's not all doom and gloom, but there is certainly a lot of pain and shenanigans happening in hiring nowadays. 3. Corporate and commercial real estate continues to decline in value, and in many places significantly. (Anyone want to split a 44-story former headquarters office building in Saint Louis? We could each have 10 floors for separate evil genius lairs!) 4. The M1 and M2 money supply graphs are simultaneously flat after dropping significantly over the last few years. This is bad as it means that people have stopped saving (M1 = cash, checking, and other easy "liquid" money objects and M2 = M1 PLUS more-difficult to access money such as savings accounts, CDs, money market accounts, and other time-based investments.) Having these two lines flat means that people are spending everything that's coming in the door. 5. Credit card balances are also increasing per the Fed. So people are now spending MORE than what's coming in. I see how this can impact businesses (and their employees!) and if you're not anticipating the convergence of these issues? You better get started. I'd love to hear what others' crystal ball says and more importantly, how you are all responding to the signals whizzing around next to us. Do you have a plan? Do you see different signals that indicate the opposite? From a business standpoint, not sure what to do or are looking for input on your situation? Feel free to reach out. #ai #economy #recession #hardlanding #softlanding #crystalball #layoffs #silverlining

The FinTech & Energy/ Commodities Technology markets have changed massively in the last 5 years! It’s almost unrecognisable, we’ve had Brexit, Covid, remote working, an evolving cloud technology stack and Gen AI. ⏫ Before - the largest hirers in the Financial & Commodities Technology space used to be the Investment Banks, Asset Managers, and Global Financial Technology firms essentially institutional customers. The way these types of companies operate is completely different to the VC-powered modern tech firms. ⏫ Now the big movers and shakers are Start-Ups and Scale-Up who are proportionally hiring more now than ever. Why is this important? 🤔 I increasingly see a mismatch of skills of what’s required/requested from new style FinTechs and EnergyTechs, compared to the experience gained in the market from professionals who gained much of their experience in an IB, Asset Manager, Exchange etc. The tech companies today are lean, cost-conscious, unstructured, and increasingly agile not hindered by legacy tech and bureaucracy while using the latest technologies. So, what’s the issue? 🤔 Well, the tech firms don’t seem to be hiring experienced people with domain knowledge….. well not at the same rate as the old regime 😁 Tech firms love hiring in the 2 – 5 year experience range, but I’m here to remind you, that you’re missing out on a wealth of talent and experience, who could probably help you spot a few bumps in the road ahead before you get to them! Mini rant over! 😤 Happy Monday, have a great week!!! 👍

Now, I understand why big companies have hiring biases on School Universities and Colleges. Turns out, there are schools that tolerate submissions beyond deadlines, and lame excuses when a student missed a major exam. No wonder they brought the same habit as a professional. I, too was not spared from this experience. It's now hard to find talents who can do the bare minimum of meeting deadlines. So for those who are messaging me asking if I can outsource a few email copy work... Make sure to let me know the last 3 schools you attended. You don't have to be a graduate. I just want to know what kind of culture you grew up with.

Was it the plan or is it the performance? In 2023, it dawned on many that the plan and the actuals were prizing apart But, was it that the plans were wrong? Or, was it a performance issue? Were the assumptions in the plan real, hopeful, statistically sound? Did they account for trending? Was that level of performance achievable? And, how soon were we able to see that the worlds were headed in different directions? For some, maybe it came before lots of hiring or new territories being launched For others, it may have been after 2024 enters. Will we have learned? Or will many go through 1/2/3 major re-plans? How soon will we see the worlds prizing apart? With many business putting cash position goals front and centre, I hope so, I hope not, and I hope soon

Which metrics most likely reflect future success as a consultant? It's generally a bad idea to begin hiring staff once you have more work than you can handle. The reason for this is simple. It might be a lucky blip. Imagine what happens if you have a tremendous month (or quarter), hire staff to satisfy the increased demand, and then have a couple of regular months afterwards. You’re going to wind up either laying off staff you just hired (tech companies in the post-pandemic era know this well) or paying staff to do non-essential activities. This is what’s known as low staff utilisation. This is why you need to measure not just the outcome but the antecedents of that outcome. What other metrics are you observing that show this is a sustained increase in the quantity of work vs. a random lucky blip? e.g. It’s one thing if the phone rings tomorrow and Microsoft want to hire you. That’s lady luck smiling upon you that month. It’s another thing entirely if you’re seeing growth throughout the sales pipeline. That’s your hard work paying off. Most importantly, you don't just want to know if the pipeline is full. You want to know if the pipeline is sustainably FULLER than in the past. That's the point you might want to begin hiring more staff. Yesterday I shared: → What our sales pipeline looks like → The one metric that I care about the most. → What to focus on to drive long-term growth. You can find it all here: https://lnkd.in/eiKhY_um

Remember the days?   When companies announced they were hiring.   -People were excited -People were hopeful -People were ready to work hard   Well those days don’t exist anymore!   The news now is terrible.   It’s almost only about firing.     AI is eliminating jobs by the second.   Companies are laying off people every day.   People are lost and confused.   This is why building your personal brand here is critical.   It’s more important now than ever to start today.   This will give you control of your future.   So you can build your dream life.   Trust me on this one.

Hiring the right talent, especially in a startup, can be a challenging journey. Here are 3 tips to attract top-tier professionals: 1. Inspiring Vision: Define your startup's vision for the future. Showcase how your company shapes the industry and makes a lasting impact. Talented individuals are drawn to a vision aligned with their career goals. 🌟 2. Competitive Perks: Provide competitive salaries, equity, and flexible work arrangements. Highlight unique benefits that make your startup an attractive workplace, offering a fulfilling career experience. 🌐 3. Growth Opportunities: Prioritize professional growth with training programs and clear career pathways. Emphasize mentorship and development opportunities to foster a culture of learning. Success for your team translates to success for your company. 📚🚀 How can we help? 🌐 Vast Talent Network: Leverage our significant network of SaaS professionals to save time and reduce frustration in your hiring process. Let us help you connect with the best talent! 💪