I had the pleasure of interviewing Nick Misener, IT Recruitment Lead at Venor – a leading Canadian Search Firm. Nick has a decade’s worth of experience in strategic talent acquisition and has helped VC-backed start-ups through to Fortune 100 companies solve their unique talent challenges.
Thank you so much Nick for joining us!
What motivated you to choose technical recruiting as your professional career?
Nick: It happened organically. I started my HR career working in a couple of different fields, including healthcare and CPG, before landing at a SaaS startup where my biggest focus ended up being recruitment. I discovered I had a passion for technology and got great fulfilment from helping people take the next step in their careers. I saw the potential that these tech companies had, thought I could help other organizations using what I had learned the way, and deliberately made the jump into the world of technical recruiting.
What is it that excites you about tech recruiting?
Nick: The opportunity to work with super-smart people who are literally changing the world with what they are building.
What has been your biggest challenge in tech recruitment?
Nick: Tech is ever-changing, and there’s always something new to learn. You don’t need to know the ones and zeros of how everything works (and I definitely don’t), but you need to be able to have an informed conversation if you want to engage and have credibility with the best candidates out there.
What do you think is the future of tech recruitment and what state-of-art problems do you think needs to be solved?
Nick: It’s your relationships and your brand. Tech professionals have more options than ever before. What makes you stand out from the crowd and why would someone choose to engage with you vs the many other options out there?
Technology can support and enable a more human approach. Automation of admin duties, ML/AI-powered top-of-the-funnel sourcing, intent data, and trusted/valid assessment tools can be used to accomplish this. For recruitment, all of this tech is a means to an end. Hence a lot of the pushback you see online towards ATS systems and archaic hiring practices.
If you had to share, “words of wisdom,” with a tech recruiter who’s about to start their journey in tech recruitment, what would they be?
Nick: Play the long game, even when it’s tough to do so. Do good work, take a genuine interest in helping other people, and do the right thing. Relationships are everything in recruitment, and karma will circle around to you.
How can our readers follow you on social media?
Nick: You can follow me on my Linkedin -> https://www.linkedin.com/in/nmisener/
and Twitter -> https://twitter.com/nickmise
This was very enlightening. Thank you again, Nick for joining us and sharing your wise words and deep insights to inspire all the budding recruiters.
