Search planning
Preparing a useful recruiting brief
Define the business need, required experience, compensation, work arrangement and interview process before starting a recruiting search.
Read the guideResources
Hiring tools, guides and perspectives.
Compare opportunities, plan your next hire and explore practical insights from Valley Search Group.
Explore tools & calculatorsInteractive resources
Tools & calculators.
Free to use in your browser. Each calculator includes a fictional example to explore before entering your own details.
Calculator
Total compensation
Compare salary, benefits, short-term incentives and five-year executive awards.
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Cost of an unfilled role
Estimate vacancy costs and see how the impact changes over different hiring timelines.
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Job offer comparison
Weigh up to three offers against your priorities for pay, culture, flexibility and growth.
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Hiring brief builder
Turn your role requirements into a brief to use with your team or Valley Search Group.
Build your briefRead & plan
Employer hiring guides.
Understand engagement options, compare fee proposals and prepare for a productive hiring conversation with Valley Search Group.
Recruiting decisions
Choosing a recruiting engagement
Compare direct hire, contract staffing, contract-to-hire, executive search and recruiting consulting around the hiring need.
Read the guideChoosing a recruiting partner
How to choose a recruiting agency
Compare recruiting agencies by relevant experience, sourcing approach, candidate qualification, communication and terms before starting an employer search.
Read the guidePlanning the engagement
Recruiting fees explained for employers
Understand what to compare in direct hire fees, retained search proposals and contract staffing rates before choosing a recruiting engagement.
Read the guideHiring decisions
When to use a recruiting firm
Compare internal recruiting, job postings, referrals and outside search support against the position and available resources.
Explore the decision factorsPerspectives
The conversation around work.
Selected writing from Dino Cotton on the forces changing how we work and what comes next.
Browse the article archiveAI & the future of work
The Prosperity Lie: What the AI Optimists Won't Tell You
Dino Cotton considers how AI could reshape economic opportunity, bargaining power and access to prosperity, and what the optimistic forecasts may overlook.
View post on LinkedInFrom the archive
Recruiting, leadership and career decisions.
Explore the writing below on LinkedIn. Earlier articles reflect the context in which they were published.
Career decisions
Pride, Visibility, and the Green Circle on LinkedIn
Why can making a job search visible feel so difficult? Dino Cotton examines pride, professional identity and the decision to use LinkedIn's Open to Work banner.
View post on LinkedInAI & the future of work
The End of Work.
A perspective on AI-driven displacement that looks beyond economics to identity, purpose and how societies might respond when work no longer defines daily life.
View post on LinkedInRecruiting & hiring
The Perfect Match: Recruiting and the Art of Finding the Impossible
An exacting wish list can make the ideal candidate almost impossible to find. Dino Cotton explores what highly specific expectations mean for recruiting and the available talent pool.
View post on LinkedInRecruiting & hiring
There’s Always a Buyer: What Junk Mail Can Teach You About Recruiting and Job Searching
An encounter with a paper salesman becomes a lesson in finding the right audience, staying persistent and recognizing opportunity in recruiting and a job search.
View post on LinkedInLeadership & collaboration
Locked Doors, Missed Opportunities: Why Cross-Departmental Communication Matters
When teams plan in isolation, organizations can duplicate work and miss shared opportunities. A reflection on communication across departments and the value of bringing decision-makers together.
View post on LinkedInRecruiting & hiring
The Human Side of Relocation: How Recruiters Can Help Candidates Thrive in a New City
A successful move involves more than a new role and a place to live. Dino Cotton considers the social connections, practical support and sense of belonging that help a transition succeed.
View post on LinkedInRecruiting & hiring
The Princess Is In Another Castle: Understanding Layoff Trends and Finding Solutions during Recession
An archive perspective on corporate recruiting during layoffs, and how a company's shift from growth to restructuring changes its hiring priorities.
View post on LinkedInCareer decisions
The Numbers Game: Mastering the Art of Persistence in Sales, Job Hunting, and Even Dating
Dino Cotton draws parallels between sales, job hunting and dating to explore how persistence, resilience and a willingness to keep trying can shape the search for opportunity.
View post on LinkedInRecruiting & hiring
The Breakup and The Counter Offer
A fictional relationship story opens a discussion of counteroffers, trust and the reasons someone considers leaving an employer.
View post on LinkedInYour next hire starts here
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