Michelle Volberg

founder @withtwill | hiring, recruiting + building a company | interviewing HR leaders from Google, Stripe, Uber, Snowflake each week on Call HR 🩷

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

everyone talks about time-to-fill. how fast can you close the role.

nobody talks about time-to-productivity. and that's the number that actually matters.

i've watched referred engineers ship on day 2. literal day two. meanwhile the job board hire is still asking where the documentation lives in week 3.

referred hires ramp faster, stay longer, and cost less. that's not opinion. founders tell me this every week.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

candidates who sit back after the first interview and wait to hear back almost never move forward.

the ones who send a mock-up, a strategy doc, something tangible within 1-4 days? they're the ones getting second rounds.

stop telling. start showing.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

the job market isn't bad. you're just on the wrong side of it.

if you're relying on cold applications and hoping your resume does the work, yeah it feels brutal.

but candidates who do these 4 things are getting multiple offers:

1. tell your story for THIS job. 2 minutes max. every sentence connects to why you're the missing piece.
2. look like you care. good lighting. clean background. it's not little stuff.
3. follow up like you're already on the team. not a generic thank you. send something that adds value.
4. activate your network. a warm intro from a mutual connection changes everything.

the market isn't the problem. how you're showing up might be.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

15% of college papers are now flagged as 80%+ AI-generated. five times higher than three years ago.

and yet the smartest hiring managers i talk to are more excited about this graduating class than any before.

why? because the ones who actually used AI to learn, not just to cheat, developed a skill set that didn't exist two years ago. and companies are desperate for it.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

a founder called me on an engineer's second day.

"they've already rebuilt everything and shipped."

that doesn't happen with job board hires. it happens when someone who knows the team says "this person will fit."

referral hires don't need ramp time.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

the interview doesn't end when you walk out.

that 1-4 day window after round 1? most candidates lose right there. generic thank you, then silence.

the ones who advance send something real. a work sample. a solution to something discussed.

showing beats telling.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

this might be the best thing ive ever seen.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

https://t.co/EhzWiyWWoT

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

this might be the best thing ive ever seen.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

@askOkara in theory sounds cool. dashboard is easy to follow but no real action items to take. the tweet that okara suggested my company post was marketing for okara.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

@mal_shaik Don’t stop talking to existing customers. They’re more important than new ones

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

If you’re wondering whether AI will replace recruiters, the answer is yes to mediocre recruiters. Today, I interviewed a leader on my pod at a major tech co that told me AI teammates are already replacing ppl.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

when a comment gets more impressions than the post

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

Nobody owes you a response. Not the recruiter. Not the hiring manager. Nobody.

1,200 people applied for that role in 48 hours. She's not ghosting you because she's rude. She's ghosting you because math exists.

Stop blaming the game. Learn to play it better.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

Hiring managers have heard every script.

What stands out? Specifics. Real examples. Honest answers.

You don't need to be perfect. Please stop being perfect.

You need to be real.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

Things candidates say vs. what hiring managers actually hear:

A thread 🧵

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

"𝗜'𝗺 𝗮 𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳-𝘀𝘁𝗮𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗿."

Translation: You don't like being managed. At all.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

"𝗜 𝗱𝗼𝗻'𝘁 𝗵𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝗮𝗻𝘆 𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀."

Translation: You stopped caring about this interview 15 minutes ago.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

"𝗜'𝗺 𝗼𝗽𝗲𝗻 𝘁𝗼 𝗮𝗻𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴."

Translation: You're desperate. And we can tell.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

"𝗜'𝗺 𝗹𝗼𝗼𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗮 𝗰𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗮𝗯𝗼𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗻𝘃𝗶𝗿𝗼𝗻𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁."

Translation: Your last manager micromanaged you into oblivion.

[Michelle Volberg @MichelleVolberg]

"𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘄𝗮𝗻𝘁 𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗮𝗻 𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗮𝗰𝘁."

Translation: You're going to ask about equity in round two.