Reference · The Signal Index
The Recruiter Signal Index.
Specialist recruiters act on public evidence: a paper, a mandate, a credential, a fund close. Nobody names those types, so nobody acts on them consistently. This is the reference we work from, with the next move and the decay window for each one.
Signal types
8
Niches worked
9
Reading rules
4
Maintained by
HOLI
How to read it
Four rules keep this usable.
Every signal carries its source
If you cannot name where it came from, it is a rumour. Holi keeps the source line attached from capture to draft.
Signals decay
The half-life column is the point. A signal acted on late reads worse than one never acted on at all.
The same signal means different things per niche
A publication signal in life sciences is a trial readout. In creative it is a case study. The type is shared, the vocabulary is not.
One signal, one next move
The index is not a reading list. Each type maps to a single next action, which is what makes it usable on a Tuesday.
The index
Eight types, one next move each.
- 01
Publication signal
Someone put their thinking on the record: a paper, a case study, a repo, a talk.
Next move. Open on the specific piece, not the person. The line writes itself when you have actually read it.
Half-life · Two to six weeks. After that the congratulation reads late.
- 02
Movement signal
A person changed seat, or told the market they are thinking about it.
Next move. Log it against every mandate the person touches, then wait for the settling window rather than reacting on day one.
Half-life · Days for the approach, years for the memory.
Where it surfaces
- LinkedIn updates
- Trade press moves columns
- Registers and directories
- 03
Mandate signal
A role, a brief, or a team build became visible before it reached a job board.
Next move. Match against your longlist first, contact the person who owns the outcome second.
Half-life · One to three weeks before the mandate is contested.
Where it surfaces
- Board announcements
- Sector job feeds
- Framework and tender awards
- 04
Capital signal
Money moved, which means headcount plans move a quarter later.
Next move. Diary the build, not the news. The hiring conversation lands after the money is deployed.
Half-life · One quarter. The signal ages into a plan.
- 05
Credential signal
A qualification, chartership, licence or registration completed or lapsed.
Next move. Reopen a conversation you parked. The credential is the reason to come back, not small talk.
Half-life · Six to twelve weeks while it is still news to them.
Where it surfaces
- Professional registers
- Credentialing bodies
- Regulator lists
- 06
Restructure signal
A team, desk or function is being resized, merged or spun out.
Next move. Treat it as a map, not a list. One restructure moves several people in a sequence you can predict.
Half-life · Four to eight weeks, then the shape has settled.
Where it surfaces
- Internal memos made public
- Trade press
- Public posts by insiders
- 07
Opinion signal
Someone said what they actually think, on the record, in public.
Next move. Use it for fit, not for flattery. Opinion tells you whether the next mandate is right for them.
Half-life · Months. Taste changes slowly.
Where it surfaces
- Podcasts
- Long-form interviews
- Public review threads and RFCs
- 08
Recognition signal
Third-party recognition landed: an award, a ranking, a named appointment.
Next move. Congratulate on the specific work, then ask the question you actually want answered.
Half-life · Two weeks. Recognition is loud and short.
Worked examples
The same types, in nine vocabularies.
Each example below is a real signal shape from the niche pages we publish. The type is shared. What counts as evidence is not.
Healthcare
Journal alert
A consultant published in The Lancet last week, the topic matches a search you ran.
NHS Jobs feed
A new consultant post just opened at a trust your candidate trained at.
LinkedIn post
A locum is asking about CESR support, a flag that they are exploring permanence.
Creative
Awwwards
A portfolio you saved just won Site of the Day. Time to congratulate, on the specific piece.
LinkedIn
A creative director posted about leaving in-house. The trigger you have been waiting for.
Behance
A junior in your network shipped a new case study, four months of growth visible.
Executive Search
Board announcement
A FTSE 250 just lost its CFO. Two of your long-listers are at the right stage to consider it.
Earnings call
Strategic pivot announced. Three executives in your network are the right shape for the new chapter.
Long-form interview
An exec you have tracked for two years went on record about being open to next chapter.
Finance
Bloomberg piece
A new fund just closed, the PM is someone you placed three years ago. Talent build cycle starts now.
Industry tracker
Desk restructure at a bulge bracket, names you know are reportedly affected.
LinkedIn
A research analyst posted about going buy-side. The moment to reach out, on their specific coverage.
Technology
GitHub
A senior IC at a hyperscaler just open-sourced a tool in your search area. Time to reach out on the specific commit.
Conference talk
A talk at NeurIPS by a candidate you tracked. The right line to open with.
RFC reply
An engineer left a strong opinion on a public RFC. A clue to taste, and to readiness for a new chapter.
Legal
Law.com
A magic-circle partner just moved laterally. Their whole team is now in play.
Chambers announcement
New silk appointment in a set you cover, worth a congratulatory approach on the specific case.
LinkedIn
A GC posted about a restructure, a signal they may be sizing a new team.
Sales & GTM
LinkedIn
AE posted a President's Club win. Bonus lands in six weeks, the classic move window.
Funding news
Series C closed at a portco you cover, they will build a new segment team.
Podcast
A CRO on the record about their motion, a clue to how they hire the next VP.
Life Sciences
ClinicalTrials.gov
Phase II readout posted at a sponsor you cover, the trial lead is now visible.
FDA calendar
PDUFA date in six weeks. Regulatory lead is the person to reach, not the recruiter contact.
Journal
A first-author paper in Nature Medicine by a scientist you longlisted last year.
Construction & Engineering
Planning portal
A £300m scheme just cleared planning at a tier-1 contractor, project directors are being lined up.
ICE register
A candidate's chartership just came through, the moment to reopen the conversation.
Trade press
Framework award announced, the winning contractor will build a delivery team fast.
Questions
What people ask about signals.
What is a recruiter signal?
A signal is public evidence that someone or something in your niche moved: a paper published, a mandate opened, a credential completed, a fund closed. It is not a lead list, and it is not private data. Signals sit outside your CRM, which is why they get lost.
How is this different from market intelligence?
Market intelligence describes a sector. A signal describes one person or one mandate at one moment, with a source you can quote back. The index names the types so you can act on them consistently rather than by instinct.
Why does the half-life matter?
Because relevance is the whole advantage. A congratulation two months after an award, or an approach a week after a restructure was contested, both land badly. Naming the decay window makes timing a decision rather than an accident.
Does Holi collect these signals for me?
Holi reads the sources you already read, files what matters against the people and mandates on your desk, and drafts the next move with the source line attached. You choose what goes out.
The index is the map
See it running on your desk.
Bring one signal from your own week. Holi reads it, files it against the person it belongs to, and drafts the next move with the source line attached.
Twenty minutes. One reply within a working day. No card.
No card, no follow-up sequence. One reply, within a working day.