HIRE
Stop Waiting. Start Sourcing.
Posting a job and waiting is a strategy. Just a crappy one. We've often seen it drain tens of thousands in just months before our team gets the call.
The candidates applying right now are mostly people who need a job. The ones you actually want aren't scrolling Indeed or LinkedIn on a Tuesday. They're employed, reasonably happy, and not looking. You have to go find them.
The best hire you'll make this year likely doesn't know you exist yet. Here's how to change that…
What Good Sourcing Looks Like:
- Start with your JD: The role description tells you exactly who you're looking for. Keywords, titles, industries, and companies. Use it as a search guide, not just a posting.
- Search don't just post: Most major platforms have sourcing tools beyond the job board. Use them to find people who match the profile, not just people who applied.
- Personalize the outreach: A generic AI message gets ignored. A specific, well-crafted note explaining why that candidate should take a look gets responses.
- Be patient and persistent: Good sourcing takes time. It's not a one-day task. It's a daily habit.
Great people exist at every comp level. Sometimes you just need a little help finding them or the bandwidth to go after them. That's what we're here for.
LEAD
Return to Office. The Three Words Nobody Agrees On.
RTO is a hotter topic than politics (most days). Leaders pushing for it and employees dreading it. Our team plays on both sides at Crafted and for our partners.
Truth = both sides have a point. In-person has real advantages for collaboration, training, and culture. And remote work got/gets abused. Multiple jobs, serious Strava swagger, household chores, vacations while still checking email, all on the company's dime.
Leaders let it happen because measuring output can be hard and uncomfortable. Most don't even know what to measure. That's OK..and fixable.
The Fix: Tie location to results, not policy.
- New hire or struggling: In office. Structure, visibility, real-time feedback.
- Proven and delivering: Hybrid. Earned flexibility for earned trust.
- Consistently excellent: Full autonomy. When someone brings more value than they take every single day, the where stops mattering.
Disclaimer: some industries and roles don't have this choice. This framework is for the ones where location is actually optional.
Location is an earned perk. Results are the job.
GROW
Results Over Resumes. Welcome to Meritocracy.
Full disclosure: I used to think a degree from a certain school or a stint at a Fortune 100 company meant something. I got schooled.
Tenure isn't performance. A degree isn't output. Pedigree is what you put on a resume when you don't have results yet.
Meritocracy is simple: reward, retain, and promote based on what people actually deliver.
Why Leaders Get This Wrong:
- Tenure bias: Longevity gets mistaken for value
- Pedigree bias: Credentials get confused with contribution
- Conflict avoidance: Promoting the newer person over the veteran is uncomfortable. So leaders don't. And people notice.
How to Get It Right:
- Define what winning looks like for every role
- Review performance on results, not effort or time served
- Promote and reward accordingly, regardless of tenure or title
- Have the honest conversation with whoever isn't keeping up
Defining what winning looks like for every role is where we start. Everything else follows.
HOW WE HELP
Still burning thousands on job boards and waiting? Still debating office days instead of tracking results? Still promoting the wrong person because it's easier? We can help with all three.
Book a free 15-minute chat →