Welcome to The Hero 🗞️. This is approximately a 3-minute read.

You source 200 candidates.

You send the same message to all 200.

And…

You get 4 replies.

Then you start to blame the market.

Your messaging wasn't the problem.

Your target candidate was…

All candidates are not equal.

They're not…

Some are locked in. 

And some are actively miserable.

In fact, only 18% of employees say they're extremely satisfied with their employer.

People are unhappy but frozen… 🥶

The full breakdown is just below - don’t miss it!

Here are some of the best links I’ve found since last time I emailed you: 

Passive Candidate Recruitment: How to Succeed in 2026 (link)

 Top Strategies to Source Passive Candidates in 2026 (link)

15 Recruitment Marketing Strategies for 2026 (link)

Recruitment Marketing: Your Guide to Attracting Top Talent in 2026 (link) 

Building a Bridge to Talent: 10 Candidate Engagement Strategies (link)

11 Candidate Experience Best Practices To Elevate Your Recruitment in 2026 (link)

7 Talent Acquisition Trends You Can’t Ignore in 2026 (link)

Before a candidate ever updates their LinkedIn status to "Open to Work," they leave a trail:

Most never look for any of this.

Yet, when you target candidates showing "likely to move" signals, response rates will double compared to cold outreach to people without these signals.

But here's what separates good from great:

Single signals are useful.

Stacked signals are lethal 😎

A candidate whose company just did layoffs AND who just earned a new certification AND who started posting on LinkedIn this week?

That's not a cold lead.

That's someone waiting for the right message…

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Here's what it tracks - and how we use it:

10+ signals that tell you someone's open to the right move:

Not all signals are equal…

A layoff at their company converts 3–5x better than a job anniversary.

Stack two or three signals together, and that candidate moves to the top of your outreach list immediately.

A signal detected on Monday loses value by Friday.

The window is small.

Reach out within 48 hours of the signal - or someone else will.

The message for someone whose company just announced layoffs is completely different from the message for someone who just shipped a major project.

Match the angle to the moment.

That's why it works.

The difference between a 2% and a 25% reply rate isn't the copy.

It's who you're sending it to - and when.

Read the signals and reach the right people, at the right time.

Let everyone else keep blasting into the void.

Your candidates are already telling you when they're ready to move.

Most just aren't paying attention.

Be the one who is.

There are a few ways:

Or you can just reply to this email.

I reply to absolutely everyone who writes me back 🙂