Hiring insight from
the people doing it
Notes from live searches — what is actually working in hiring right now, written by the recruiters running the roles.
Why your best candidates drop out at week three
Slow feedback loops cost more offers than salary ever does. Here is the data from 400 live searches, and the three changes that fix it.
Vikki Bond
Sep 8, 2026
Salary & marketWhat Series B engineering salaries actually look like in 2026
Offer data from 180 placements across the US and Europe — not scraped job-ad ranges.
Vikki Bond · Sep 2, 2026The four-stage loop that stops good candidates walking
Anything past four stages costs you more than it filters. Here is the structure we recommend.
Vikki Bond · Aug 26, 2026When to run a retained search instead of posting the role
A practical test: if the strongest five people are not applying, an advert will not find them.
Vikki Bond · Aug 19, 2026How to read a startup job ad for what it is not saying
Comp bands, equity language and team size all leak information about the reality of the role.
Vikki Bond · Aug 12, 2026Inside TrustyRecruitWhy we stopped charging anything upfront
We moved our fees into the 90-day guarantee period. Here is what changed for clients and for us.
Vikki Bond · Aug 5, 2026Scorecards beat gut feel — the evidence from 1,000 hires
Structured scoring predicted performance two to three times better than interviewer instinct.
Vikki Bond · Jul 29, 2026One hiring note a fortnight
Real numbers from live searches — salary movement, drop-off rates and what candidates are actually asking for. No newsletter filler.