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- The Art of Candidate Profiling with Elizabeth Kennedy.
The Art of Candidate Profiling with Elizabeth Kennedy.
Elizabeth has one of our most listened-to podcast episodes this year so far so I was buzzing to team up with her on this.
Speccing CVs gets a bad rep on LinkedIn.
But the truth?
80%+ of the top recruiters I speak to still use this strategy because it works.
The difference is how you do it.
In this edition, Elizabeth breaks down the exact candidate profiling process that helped her hit $1.5M in her first year of business without waiting around for job briefs.
Letâs get into it đđ»

What does great candidate profiling mean to you?
Great profiling is really about identifying A-player candidates and doing more than just speccing them out.
Itâs deeper, more qualitative.
You're not just firing off CVs, youâre building a narrative around that person and creating real opportunities. In short, itâs about understanding top talent and going to market with purpose.
Where do most recruiters go wrong when it comes to candidate profiling?
Most recruiters are too transactional.
They âspecâ candidates with a handful of generic bullet points and send them to a massive list.
Thatâs not profiling.
Profiling is specific, curated, and intentional.
You might only be sending a profile to 20â30 targeted hiring managers, but itâs deeply thought-out.
Itâs a one-pager youâve written that actually tells a story, not just regurgitating a CV.
Here is an example of one of mine, anonymised and slightly tweaked so you can use the insights for different markets: Example Candidate Profiles.
Can you walk us through your candidate profile and workflow from start to finish?
Most of my candidates are referrals, and theyâre not always actively looking.
So the first step is a proper qualification call, understanding their experience, motivations, and what would genuinely excite them.
I ask about their top accomplishments, preferred company size, followed by industry specific questions such as whether they prefer pharma, biotech, CRO, etc.
Then I write a one-pager based on that chat, not a CV, but a profile that tells their story.
After that, I map out 20 - 25 companies that fit what theyâre looking for.
Iâll ask the candidate to rank those companies, tell me who they know there, and what they like about them.
That gives me warm intros and insight.
From there, I build a SourceWhale campaign - multi-step, multi-channel - with their profile at the center. And I follow up consistently, not just with âHey, checking inâ but with tailored outreach.
What are the key questions that you ask to uncover a candidate's real motivations and strengths?
For strengths, I always ask, âWhat makes you stand out as a candidate?â and âWhat are your top three career accomplishments?â
For motivations, I ask whatâs driving them right now - what are the three key things they want from a new role?
When it comes to creating the profile, how do you decide what to include and what to leave out?
Honestly, I just rely on the notes from my conversation and their CV.
No AI, no auto-generated fluff, I think you can always tell when someoneâs used ChatGPT badly.
I start with a strong one-liner: âBoard-certified pulmonologist with 10 years in industry,â for example.
Then I build out a story: education, training, career progression, and accomplishments.
I include bullet points if needed, but mostly itâs narrative.
I finish with a close that reinforces their value and ideal next step.
Itâs a storytelling format from top to bottom.
Once you have built it out, how do you go to market with that profile?
Iâll keep it simple. I say, âHey, weâre connected through XYZ. Iâm a headhunter focused on your space.
Iâve worked with A, B, and C. Hereâs someone whoâs expressed interest in your company.â
Then I follow up with more detail, why this person is a good fit, what problems they can solve, and how I can help.
I also name-drop where appropriate. That builds credibility.
If I can reference someone they know or another company in their portfolio, that gets attention and then I follow up smartly, not just to nudge, but to actually add value.
What common mistakes do recruiters make when trying to sell a candidate into a client?
They make it transactional.
They think, âHereâs a great candidate, do you want them?â Thatâs a pitch, not a conversation.
What I do is pivot: use the candidate to open a broader discussion, that way the conversation becomes a discovery call and that shift makes all the difference.
Last question, what is the one thing that recruiters should start doing today to get better at profiling?
Start having more conversations with A-players, even if theyâre not actively looking and even if youâre not working on a live role for them.
Thatâs how you build relationships and understand your market.
If you only speak to people when you have a job to pitch, youâll always be playing catch-up.
Profiling is about building a network that pays off long term, not just completing a transaction.
P.S. Whenever you're ready, there are 2 ways I can help you:
#1: Do you listen to my podcast? I release a weekly episode with either a top-performing recruiter or recruitment entrepreneur to find out how they achieved their success so you can learn directly from their journey Check out my latest episode and subscribe to the show.
#2: Are you tired of your teams' inconsistent performances hindering your growth? Hector (All-In-One Training Platform with 120+ Practical Courses) equips your team with actionable, step-by-step training from top-performing recruiters so you can eliminate inconsistency and drive reliable resultsâwithout the need for costly external trainers >>>> Book A Free Skills Assessment Session With Me Here to see how we can help you unlock the full potential of your team.
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