Welcome to The Hero 🗞️. This is approximately a 2.5-minute read.
🔍 Why most bad hires trace back to an intake call that went wrong
⚠️ The five questions that separate order-takers from real recruiters
🚶 How to spot a req that isn't worth taking - before it wastes everyone's time
TL;DR
46% of new hires fail within 18 months
Most failures start at an intake call that was rushed, skipped, or treated like a formality
Some reqs aren't worth taking. The intake call is how you find out which ones
🛑 Don't Source Candidates Until You've Done This
Your hiring manager sends you a job description.
You skim it, ask a few questions, and start sourcing.
Three weeks later…
Every candidate rejected:
"Not quite right."
"I'll know it when I see it."
“wrong fit.”
Not because the candidates are wrong.
But because nobody aligned on what "right" actually looks like.
Leadership IQ studied 20,000+ new hires. 46% failed within 18 months.
89% of those failures came down to attitude, not skills.
82% of managers admitted they saw the warning signs and ignored them.
That's not an interviewing problem.
That's an alignment problem ☠
And alignment starts - or dies - on the intake call…
The full breakdown is just below - don’t miss it! 😉
Links of the Day:
🔗 Best Links
Here are some of the best links I’ve found since last time I emailed you:
🗺️ Sourcing
21 Creative Sourcing Strategies To Find and Attract Top Talent (link)
8 Talent Sourcing Strategies That Work in 2026 (link)
🔎 Candidate Experience
11 Candidate Experience Best Practices To Elevate Your Recruitment in 2026 (link)
Candidate Experience in Recruitment: Key Insights, Trends & Strategies (link)
🤖 AI Recruiting Tool
Best AI Sourcing Tools for Recruiters in 2026: A Proof-Based Shortlist (link)
The Best AI Recruiting Tools for 2026 (link)
📰 News
Future of Recruiting: 10 Predictions to Redefine AI and Hiring in 2026 (link)
🍟 Stop Order-Taking
Most recruiters treat the intake call like order-taking.
The best ones treat it like a pressure test.
A great intake doesn't just clarify the role - it tells you whether the search can actually succeed before you burn a single hour sourcing.
In other words, does the hiring manager know what they want - or are they going to reject ten candidates while they figure it out on your time?
⚠️ Five Questions That Tell You Everything
"What did the last person in this role get wrong?"
This tells you more than any JD ever will.
What does success look like at 90 days?"
If they can't answer, they haven't thought through the role enough…
"Who makes the final call?"
Committees don't hire. They stall.
"Can you commit to feedback within 24 hours?"
Get the yes on the call. Not after you've already lost two candidates to silence.
"Is this comp competitive for what you're asking?"
Come with market data. You're the market expert - act like it.
These questions don't just give you information - they give you a signal.
And sometimes the signal says stop.
😬 You’re Reqs In Trouble…
When your hiring manager can’t answer these questions, you're recruiting for a moving target.
Offer red flags 🚩
Salary is 20% below market, won't budge.
No feedback commitment.
Can't define what "good" looks like.
No ultimate decision-maker.
Roles been open for six months.
Job description keeps changing.
Hire isn't internally approved yet.
To Sum It Up…
A bad intake meeting guarantees wasted weeks.
A great one sets the search up to close before you've sourced a single candidate.
And To Wrap It Up…
Stop taking orders.
Start running the call like the search depends on it - because it does.
HOW WE CAN HELP?
There are a few ways:
Or you can just reply to this email.
I reply to absolutely everyone who writes me back 🙂
