Andy Pittman

𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝘁 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗮𝗴𝗲𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗶𝘀 𝗮 𝗚𝗧𝗠 𝗳𝘂𝗻𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻. That’s how we see it—both as former operators and through the lens of our recruiting work. It’s not just about scoping features, setting timelines, or gathering user feedback. 𝗚𝗿𝗲𝗮𝘁 𝗣𝗠𝘀 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘂𝗲-𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗱. They understand how the product drives acquisition, retention, and expansion. They’re involved in go-to-market strategy—sales calls, pricing discussions, messaging alignment. And frankly, 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝘆 𝘀𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗹𝗱 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝘆 (𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘀𝗼𝗺𝗲 𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽) 𝗼𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗣&𝗟. So if you’re a PM candidate prepping for interviews, ask yourself: 👉 Can you clearly speak to the impact you’ve had on revenue, margins, or retention? 👉 Do you understand how your product decisions shaped business outcomes? If all you can talk about is how “cool” the features were or how many users “liked” it, you’ll be seen as someone who builds interesting things—not someone who builds products that 𝗴𝗿𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝘂𝘀𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘀𝘀.

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The top 10 Talent Acquisition plays of 2025 (based on conversations with 75 leading TA operators) Most of the gains this year didn’t come from shiny new tools. They came from executing fundamentals with real rigor. Here’s what moved the needle 👇 1. Persona-based candidate messaging Teams that interviewed real employees and built messaging around actual motivations consistently outperformed generic outreach. 2. Email sequencing (done properly) Not “send one nice message and hope.” Structured, multi-touch sequences that compound over time. 3. Firmographic market mapping Using tools like Dealroom or Crunchbase to understand who you’re really hiring from before sourcing even starts. 4. Centralised messaging + A/B testing High-performing team leads provided frameworks, tested messages, and scaled what worked. 5. Recruiter battle cards Prepared responses for common objections, grounded in real value propositions. 6. Candidate experience as a competitive advantage Forward-looking, thoughtful feedback that creates goodwill, even for candidates you reject. 7. AI as a multiplier, not a role replacer AI taking admin, triage, and prep work, recruiters focusing on judgment and relationships. 8. Systemised AI use across teams Not “everyone experimenting in isolation,” but shared workflows, prompts, and standards. 9. Sourcing as a strategic intelligence function. Top teams treat sourcing as a way to gather market data, signal shifts, and inform strategy. 10. Hiring like a GTM motion Clear ICPs. Tiered effort. Measurable funnels. TA borrowing discipline from sales and marketing. The pattern? Nothing here is magic. It’s about systems, clarity, and execution quality. 2026 won’t reward teams that do more. It’ll reward teams that do the right things, consistently. Which ones have you experimented with?

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🚚 Why Work at a Startup Like Toro TMS? Because You’ll Help Move an Industry Forward (Literally) At Toro TMS, we’re building tech that transforms how bulk trucking companies move goods across the country. But we’re also building something just as important: a team of curious, driven people who want to grow fast and make a real impact.If you’re early in your sales career and looking for more than just a job title, here’s why joining a startup like ours might be your best move yet:   You’ll Learn by Doing From day one, you’ll be part of real conversations with customers, sales leaders, and product teams. You won’t just shadow—you’ll contribute. Your Voice Matters We’re small enough that every idea counts, and bold enough to try new things. Whether it’s a new outreach strategy or a better onboarding flow, you’ll help shape how we grow. Growth Is the Goal We invest in our people. You’ll get mentorship, hands-on training, and the chance to level up fast—in sales and beyond. Culture Is Human First We care deeply about building an inclusive, supportive workplace. One where early career talent feels seen, heard, and set up to succeed. Impact Happens Every Day At Toro, you’ll help solve real problems for real customers—and you’ll see the results of your work in motion. We’re hiring Sales Development Representatives in Chicago right now. If you’re ready to learn, grow, and help build something from the ground up, let’s talk. #StartupCareers #EarlyCareerTalent #SalesDevelopment #TechForLogistics #ToroTMS #ChicagoJobs #WeAreHiring

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“Don’t buy into all the hype” Logan Marsh head of talent acquisition at Calendly breaks down why we need to be careful in how we think and talk about AI. Yes, there will be shifts and evolutions in jobs but completely replacing people, he’s not sold yet. We discussed how to be more human in TA, how to upskill with AI, and whether tech is still a good industry to be in and so much more in the latest episode of Recruiting Is No Joke. (link in the comments) If you’re an internal talent leader and want to be on the show, reach out!

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Don’t pretend everything is fine when it’s not. Employees aren’t daft. They can sense when something’s off. And when leaders pretend otherwise? ⛓️‍💥 Trust breaks. 💧 Engagement drops. 🐌 Performance lags. ✌🏻 Turnover spikes. 📉 Revenue dips. Transparency isn’t just a “feel good” concept. It’s a strategy. You can’t always say everything. But you have to say something. The respect you’ll earn is most important than the momentary disappointment you may cause.

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The war no one talks about in recruiting: PRICE. An organization has challenges identifying, recruiting, or retaining top talent. A recruiting partner presents a solution that directly addresses those issues. The organization agrees… Then asks for that solution at the same rate as the underperforming provider. Hard stop. That’s not a partnership — that’s a race to the bottom. In recruiting, discounted fees don’t support proper sourcing, screening, or long-term fit. The result? The same problems… just with a different résumé. I saw this play out just this week and chose to step away. An organization’s most valuable asset is its people — and it shows in how they invest in finding them and keeping them. Curious how others are navigating this. Have you seen price-matching actually solve the problem… or just delay it? #AceEveryHire #Recruiting

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Hiring looks different in 2025 — but the momentum is still there. Our new report at Mercury, The New Economics of Starting Up, found that 61% of early-stage companies are actively hiring, despite rising talent costs. As someone who thinks daily about how teams are built, that stat really stuck with me. Growth is good, but growth done thoughtfully is what really lasts. The best companies aren’t just scaling — they’re scaling with more intention than ever: raising the bar on talent, being selective with tools, and balancing full-time hires with flexible talent models. If you’re building a team, this report is a worthwhile read. It’s full of data on how founders are growing, spending, and adapting to a changing market. 👇 Link in comments.

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If you're a TA leader feeling overwhelmed by AI options, this approach will change everything. Three months ago, I sat in a room with TA leaders discussing automation, AI and the future of TA. The same comment kept coming up: "We need an AI playbook. We need a roadmap." That's when it hit me - by the time a playbook exists, the technology would already be obsolete. But here's what would work: a way for leaders to assess their current TA org, then identify exactly where to focus, what to pilot, and how to unlock efficiency gains specific to their setup. So we have built an AI-first TA maturity model. Instead of generic advice, we take a step-by-step approach where we: ➡️ Baseline your current TA operations and capabilities ➡️ Identify your highest-impact efficiency opportunities ➡️ Recommend the right automation and AI moves for your context We developed this from months of working with TA teams across different company sizes and stages. Each team had different pain points, different AI readiness levels and different needs. This makes our offering comprehensive in solving for a range of TA contexts. We also showcase the work we have delivered for companies like bunq, DataSnipper and The HEINEKEN Company so you can see how we delivered tangible results. The companies making progress in unlocking efficiency and effectiveness through AI aren't waiting for perfect clarity. They're assessing where they are, picking the right first moves, and learning as they go. Doeke Geertsma and I released our first version of the TA maturity model last October. Collaborating with him is always a joy! It has been great to put our heads together once again to elevate that thinking further, this time placing AI front of centre in the model. If you're curious about where your TA org stands and what moves make sense for you, then click the link in the first comment to access our AI-first TA maturity model ⤵️

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Both in-house and outsourced finance leaders are being asked to grow faster, with fewer people, and tighter margins. Our recent Preferred CFO write-up breaks down the software stack high-growth companies are using in 2026 to keep finance running at full speed—without sacrificing control or accuracy. You will learn how leading teams are: ➡️ Replacing spreadsheet-heavy workflows with integrated FP&A tools ➡️ Using real-time dashboards for cash flow, unit economics, and scenario modeling ➡️ Automating close, billing, and revenue recognition to keep up with scale ➡️ Building a finance tech roadmap that supports fundraising and transaction-readiness Read the full article here: https://lnkd.in/gTAMMWkq If you are a CEO or founder feeling the strain of growth on your finance function, this piece is a practical guide to what a modern, scalable finance stack should look like; and how to get there without overbuilding or overspending. What’s one area of your current finance tech stack you’re least confident in: reporting, forecasting, or cash flow visibility? Let us know in the comments. #FinancialSystems #CEOInfo #CFO #FinancialStrategy #SaaSFinance #ScaleUp #FPandA #FP&A #FinancialSoftware #PreferredCFO

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