How to work with talent partners

“I’ve been surprised how few legit senior candidates are building relationships with talent teams at VCs.” Top GTM Recruiter

The key role talent partners play

Talent Partners work at VC and Private Equity firms and play a critical role in helping their portfolio companies find the best talent. Talent Partners can help you with:

• Company Introductions: If you find a portfolio company you want to get into (even if they don't have a role), getting connected through the talent partners is a great strategy as a) they get credit for making the introduction b) the company interprets the introduction as an endorsement from their investor.

• Connections to Recruiters: Talent Partners have deep relationships with recruiters and know which are seeing the best roles / run the best searches. Top recruiters get >40% of their clients from talent partner referrals so they will always welcome candidate referrals.

• Unposted Roles:  They work closely with portfolio companies and know all current (and upcoming) executive roles at these companies.

"Every VC has a job board but be aware that they typically don’t list exec roles. These boards are most often just pulled from their portfolio company job boards. True executive roles are rarely posted." VC Talent Partner

How talent partners work

Most talent partners were recruiters in a past life!. Read our article on recruiters first as many insights also apply to talent partners. Here are some other things you should keep in mind when thinking about how to leverage talent partners in your search:

• High bar for talent: Similar to recruiters, talent partners have a quick eye for backgrounds. They are looking for top 10% talent and if you don’t have the right background, talent partners may not be a channel you should spend a lot of cycles on.

• Rarely run searches: While most talent partners come from executive search, few of them actually run searches themselves. Talent partners' role is generally as a talent advisor and connector for their portfolio. They guide on how to run searches and make introductions (connecting their portfolio to great candidates and recruiters).

• Focused on the top 10-20% of their portfolio: Given most talent partners are stretched for time, they generally know much more about their top growing portfolio companies. If you are asking about a portco that is later stage/IPO or a slower-growing one, the talent partner might not have as strong connections.

• A tight-knit community: There are ~75 firms with talent teams. All of them are in a Google Group together;). They know each other well so, if you can build a strong relationship with one, they will often introduce you to the talent teams at other firms. Unlike recruiters which can be more competitive (since they are competing for placements) talent teams are focused on helping their portfolio companies find the best talent.

Tactics when meeting talent partners

You need to come prepared when you meet with talent partners. They are busy and have hundreds of conversations each week so you want to be clear in your focus and memorable.

• Be clear on your niche: Don't be vanilla. Be memorable and clear with what you do, the companies you fit for and the value you bring.

• Have a list of target companies: Many firms source talent for existing portfolio companies AND hot companies they are trying to invest in, so talent teams may be aware of opportunities beyond their portfolio too. However, don't expect talent partners to be able to connect you to company leadership when roles don't exist. For that you will need to network directly to companies.

• Focus on the right stage firms:  Early stage talent teams help their portfolio recruit founding engineers and AEs while late stage ones are focused on exec talent. See article on company stages to understand this focus. Whispered Pro members can leverage our investor database to target the right firms.

• Do your homework: If you have a call scheduled with a talent partner, make sure to research their portfolio. You can use the Whispered Company Insights for this (filter by Investor). Know the companies that are aligned with your focus and come prepared to share why you are interested in them.

• Always have an ask: In addition to specific companies in their portfolio, talent partners have deep relationships with recruiters and know which are seeing the best roles. They can be an excellent way to connect with recruiters. At the end of a good call with a talent partner, try asking “are there any recruiters/talent partners you think highly of who I should meet?”

“Don't underestimate the power of talking to the talent team on Monday afternoon after the partner meeting. That's when all the problems in the portfolio companies are discussed and the talent team has new projects/priorities.” Talent Partner

Connecting with talent partners

We don't recommend cold-invite/emails to Talent Partners, they are swamped. Here are the best ways we’ve found to get connected with them (in order):

1 - Investing Partner

Talent partners respond quickly to the investing team as that is what pays the bills. If you are close with an investing partner use this channel

2 - Portfolio Company CEO

Talent partners are there to help their portfolio. If you know a CEO who is in their portfolio this is a surefire way to get connected. Although if the company is one of the ones that isn't doing well this channel may not be as effective. Also another reason to always network / meet CEOs;)

3 - Talent Partner at Another Firm

Many talent teams collaborate (see above) so don’t be afraid to ask if they know other great talent teams.

4 - Whispered Introduction

Whispered has deep relationships with many talent partners. For pro members we can make introductions to top talent partners. And when members share a role, we reach out to talent partners we know to help spark connections

5 - Fellow Exec

If you know an exec who has a relationship with a talent partner, this can help that exec nurture their relationship too! Any specific context / hook can make that easier (i.e. already talking to a company in their portfolio)

6 - Cold Outreach

If all else fails you can try cold outreach but if you aren't a clear "A" candidate you will see a low response rate.

How to stay in touch with talent partners

Once you have a great conversation with a talent partner, work to stay on their radar. Here are some great ways to do that:

• Ways you can help talent teams: Talent teams don’t just help their portfolio with placements. They also help them up-level their understanding of functions, roles…. These opportunities won’t be ones you create but when asked, I strongly recommend being responsive for these opportunities as they builds your relationship with the talent teams and helps you meet great new executives.

  • Subject Matter Expert: Talent teams often get asked to help a C-level leader at a portfolio company get smarter (i.e. understanding how to hire RevOps, improve their pricing model….). If they ask, take advantage of these opportunities.

  • Content: Talent teams can leverage world-class content as resources to share with their portfolio and also may be asked to put together panels which you can contribute to/lead.

• Let talent partners know about hot companies raising! This helps them share valuable information with their investing partners

• Engage them when talking to their portfolio: Even if you are connected via recruiter, checking in with talent partners to share this and ask for their insights on the company is a great way to deepen your relationship.

💡 Get Endorsed by a Talent Partner: One of the best ways to get noticed by new talent partners/recruiters in Whispered's Executive Directory is to have endorsements from them! If you know a talent partner who doesn't have access to the Executive Directory yet, we love introductions via partner@whispered.com

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