Comprehensive Recruiting Assessment for VC-Backed Startups & Enterprises
IC2’s Talent Acquisition Diagnostic & Assessment
Identify recruiting capability gaps and get actionable recommendations in weeks—not months. Our 57-marker framework helps leaders at VC-backed and enterprise companies optimize talent acquisition before scaling, funding rounds, or during leadership transitions.
Talent Acquisition Diagnostic & Capability Assessment
IC2's Talent Acquisition Diagnostic™ is a comprehensive recruiting assessment that identifies the capability gaps holding back your hiring performance. Our proprietary 57-marker TA audit framework analyzes your current recruiting processes, team capacity, tech stack effectiveness, and employer brand strength through in-depth stakeholder interviews, quantitative data analysis, and competitive benchmarking. Designed specifically for companies going through transition or a scale-up, the talent acquisition diagnostic provides actionable insights and prioritized recommendations in weeks—not months. Whether you're preparing for your next funding round, you’re a new Chief People Officer, recovering from missed hiring goals, or planning to scale from Series B to Series D, our diagnostic pinpoints exactly where to invest your time and resources for maximum impact. Unlike generic consulting assessments that take months and cost six figures, our TA diagnostic is led by former Heads of Talent who've personally built and scaled recruiting functions. We've evaluated hundreds of recruiting operations and know what separates high-performing TA teams from struggling ones. The diagnostic delivers a clear scorecard across 14 dimensions, giving executive leadership the data-driven roadmap needed to transform recruiting from a bottleneck into a competitive advantage.
Our Talent Acquisition Diagnostic™ framework is designed to identify and address your recruitment challenges swiftly and efficiently, tailored to the speed of your business operations.
With our agile approach, you can implement improvements in real-time, ensuring that your recruitment strategy evolves as quickly as your business does.
Embrace a dynamic solution that grows with you, optimizing your hiring process to achieve peak efficiency and effectiveness.
How Our 57-Marker Recruiting Assessment Works
Stakeholder Interviews - We conduct in-depth interviews with executives, hiring managers, recruiters, and recent candidates to understand pain points, bottlenecks, and opportunities from every perspective.
Quantitative Data Analysis - We analyze your recruiting metrics (time-to-fill, cost-per-hire, offer acceptance rates, source quality) and compare them against industry benchmarks for VC-backed companies at your stage and scale.
Competitive Benchmarking - We assess your employer brand, recruiting tech stack, and talent acquisition processes against best-in-class companies competing for the same talent pools.
14 Dimensions of Recruiting Excellence
Our diagnostic framework evaluates your talent acquisition function across 14 critical dimensions, each scored using multiple markers. This structured approach ensures nothing falls through the cracks.
Each dimension includes 3-5 specific markers that drill into the details of your operation.
Equal to understanding what capability gaps exist, is understanding which gaps are having the most significant impact on business success.
The result: a clear, prioritized roadmap for improvement with the highest-impact initiatives identified.
What You'll Receive: Diagnostic Deliverables
On completion of the diagnostic (typically 4 weeks), you receive:
Executive Summary Report - Clear scoring across all 14 dimensions with tangible action and project plans to address capability gaps.
Capability Gap Analysis - Identification of the 3-5 most critical areas holding back your hiring performance, and detailed breakdown of assessment against the 57 markers.
Prioritized Recommendations - Specific, sequenced actions with estimated impact and implementation timelines.
Quick Wins vs Long-Term Investments - What you can fix immediately vs what requires strategic planning/investments.
Executive Presentation - We present findings and recommendations to your leadership team with Q&A, or prepare your TA leader to do so.
OUR PARTNERS HAVE WORKED WITH THE MOST SUCCESSFUL GLOBAL COMPANIES.
Explore IC2’s Talent
Acquisition Diagnostic™
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START SIMPLE OR GO DEEP
Tailored to your needs: choose a rapid 2-week assessment focused on your biggest pain point, or a comprehensive 4-week diagnostic covering all 14 dimensions. Add custom markers for industry-specific challenges (e.g., international hiring, high-volume recruiting, executive search).
02
PRIORITIZED, NOT OVERWHELMING
You won't get a report gathering dust. Our diagnostic delivers a clear scorecard with the 3-5 highest-impact initiatives ranked by effort and impact. You'll know exactly what to tackle first, and be able to plan a complete journey to your desired future state.
03
OPERATOR-LED, NOT CONSULTANT THEORY
Led by former Heads of Talent who've built what you're trying to build. We've personally hired 5,000+ people annually, scaled teams from 2 to 200+ recruiters, and navigated the exact challenges you're facing. This is lived experience, not textbook consulting.
When Should You Get a Talent Acquisition Diagnostic?
Most enterprise and VC-backed startups engage us for a diagnostic at critical inflection points:
Pre-Funding Round: Before Series B/C to prove recruiting readiness to investors
New HR Leader: Let us assess what you have inherited as you focus on building relationships with the LT and develop your overarching HR strategy
Missed Hiring Goals: After 2+ quarters of missing targets or high recruiter turnover
Rapid Scaling: Planning to 2-3X headcount in next 12 months
Post-Layoff Recovery: Rebuilding recruiting capability after reductions
The diagnostic gives you objective, data-backed answers to "What's working, what's broken, and where should we invest?" in weeks, not months of trial and error..
Frequently
Asked
Questions
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Our Talent Acquisition Diagnostic™ is a comprehensive recruiting assessment that includes:
57-marker evaluation framework across 14 dimensions of recruiting capability
Stakeholder interviews with key people (executives, hiring managers, HRBPs, HR leaders, recruiters)
Analysis of your recruiting data (metrics, ATS reports, candidate surveys)
Employer reputation and brand assessment
Tech stack evaluation (ATS, sourcing tools, assessment platforms)
Executive presentation with prioritized recommendations
Timeline: 4 weeks from kickoff to final deliverables.
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The diagnostic follows a 3-phase process over 2-3 weeks:
Week 1 & 2 - Discovery & Interviews
We conduct stakeholder interviews, review your recruiting policies and processes, and analyze available data. You'll be assigned a dedicated IC2 partner (former Head of Talent).
Week 3 - Analysis & Benchmarking
We evaluate your operation across our 57-marker framework, compare your metrics to industry benchmarks, and identify capability gaps.
Week 4 - Recommendations & Presentation
We deliver a comprehensive report with scoring, prioritized recommendations, and an executive presentation with Q&A.
Total time investment from your team: 10-20 hours over the 4 weeks.
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Clients who have completed the diagnostic have seen significant improvements in:
25-40% reduction in time-to-fill for critical roles
20-50% improvement in offer acceptance rates
20-35% reduction in recruiter time per hire
20-60% improvement in hiring manager satisfaction scores
Clear prioritization of recruiting investments (tech, headcount, training)
Learn here how One Series D fintech client improved engineering hiring by 1,000% (10X) while reducing interviewer time per hire after implementing our diagnostic recommendations.
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Absolutely! Our diagnostic framework is adaptable to various industries and can include custom markers specific to your company’s sector and operational needs.
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Visit our website to schedule a consultation with one of our talent acquisition experts. We will guide you through the next steps tailored to your specific needs and objectives.
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Three key differences:
Operator-Led, Not Consultant Theory.
Our diagnostics are led by our Partners former Heads of Talent—not junior consultants reading from playbooks. We've built what you're trying to build.
Proprietary 57-Marker Framework
We've codified 200+ years of combined recruiting leadership into a structured assessment that catches issues generic consultants miss. You get scored evaluation, not subjective opinions.
Speed & Efficiency
4 weeks vs 2-3 months for traditional consulting engagements. We know what to look for and how to find it quickly. No expensive discovery phases or scope creep.
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The best times to get a diagnostic:
Before Series B/C/D funding - Prove recruiting readiness to investors and board; identify gaps before you need to scale 2-3X.
New Head of People - Get a baseline assessment and clear roadmap.
After missing hiring goals - When you've missed targets 2+ quarters or have high recruiter turnover, a diagnostic finds root causes
Planning rapid scale-up Before scaling from 50 to 150+ employees in 12 months
Post-layoff recovery - Rebuilding recruiting capability after reductions.
Cost of waiting: Missed hires, burned-out interviewers, failed scaling attempts. The diagnostic pays for itself if it prevents even one bad executive hire or failed growth quarter.
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The best times to get a diagnostic:
New Chief People Officer ramp
While a new CPO dives in to build key relationships understand the business and develop the broader People strategy, we can dive deep on talent and quickly deliver an action plan, that moves hiring delivery and strategy in the right direction.
TA Tech stack pivot
New technology investments can be futile if the underlying capability gaps are not addressed. Get your house in order before you write big checks.
AI implementation catch-up
If you feel like you’ve fallen behind on reaping the benefits of AI, either by failure to utilize investments or failure to have a strategy to invest in, a diagnostic will lay the foundation for the right investments that will stick.
Ready to Transform
Your Hiring Process?
Take the first step towards optimizing your recruitment strategy with IC2’s Talent Acquisition Diagnostic™. Connect with our experts today and begin tailoring your approach to meet the unique challenges of your business. Click below to schedule your personalized consultation and start building a more effective and efficient hiring process.
Unlock Expert Insights
on Recruitment with one of our
Free eBooks
Dive into the essentials of crafting a superior recruitment strategy with our exclusive eBook, “Laying Down the Tracks for Effective Recruiting: A Guide for CXOs” by Neil Davies. This guide is designed specifically for top executives who are looking to streamline their recruitment processes and achieve outstanding results. Gain valuable insights and practical tips that will empower you to lead your team to success.
Download your free copy today and start transforming your approach to talent acquisition!
If you're a Head of Talent Acquisition, Chief People Officer, or VP of People at a growth-stage company, you're facing a critical question: How mature is your AI adoption—and where should you invest next? While 85% of TA leaders plan to use AI for recruiting in 2026, most are stuck at Level 1 maturity, where AI assists but doesn't act. The gap between early adopters achieving 87% resource savings and organizations paralyzed by legal uncertainty (55.7%) or budget constraints (38%) has never been wider.
The AI Maturity Brief for TA Leaders 2026 is the definitive benchmark report that reveals exactly where you stand—and how to advance. Based on a comprehensive survey of nearly 100 Heads of Talent Acquisition, this report provides the data, frameworks, and playbooks you need to accelerate your AI journey with confidence.
