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Alex Zalewski
Partner, Technology Practice at Hirewell
Professional Background
Alex Zalewski is an experienced recruitment consultant whose career is firmly rooted in the dynamic landscape of the Chicago high growth tech startup scene. His extensive experience in software engineering recruitment has allowed him to forge important relationships within the tech community while also expanding his repertoire. Notably, Alex has made significant inroads into the scientific and tech sectors, having recruited for pivotal roles in data science, computational biology, and bioinformatics engineering with Tempus. This diversification showcases his adaptability and deep understanding of the technical requirements of various fields.
His career journey began on the agency recruitment side of the industry, where he accumulated valuable knowledge and insights about the recruitment process. After gaining substantial experience, Alex sought a deeper understanding of the internal workings of tech companies. This led him to an internal recruiting position at Groupon, one of the world's largest e-commerce marketplaces. His time at Groupon proved to be transformative, giving him genuine insight into the challenges faced by tech organizations in a fast-paced environment. His goal has always been to bridge the gaps between candidates and companies, ensuring that both sides find the fit they are looking for.
Ultimately, Alex realized that his passion lay in the multifaceted nature of recruiting for various clients. This revelation led him back to Hirewell, where Alex has previously held multiple roles, including Partner and VP of Technology Practice. He thrives on the flexibility and creative solutions that his position at Hirewell provides, allowing him to better serve clients in developing their teams efficiently and effectively.
Career Progression
Alex’s career trajectory has been both exciting and impactful. His early days as a Technical Recruiter at Workbridge Associates laid the foundation for his skills in sourcing and matching candidates to the right roles. Following this, Alex not only excelled as a Sr. Recruiter/Account Manager at Hirewell but also took on a critical role as an Engagement Lead at Tempus, where his responsibilities involved placing experts in emergent fields like data science and bioinformatics. His experience as a lead recruiter provided him with a unique perspective on client needs and expectations, weaving together recruitment strategies that lead to successful hires.
In addition to his recruitment roles, Alex has explored various positions such as Brand Activist at Suite Partners, Promotions Manager at Flyer TV, and Host at Shrug House, LLC. These roles have contributed to his inventive approach to recruitment and client service, emphasizing the importance of relationship building in a competitive market.
Education and Achievements
Academic Background
Alex Zalewski laid down the groundwork for his professional future by pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Electronic Media from the University of Dayton. His studies have surely equipped him with the critical thinking skills and creative mindset necessary to excel in the fast-evolving tech recruitment landscape. Additionally, his formative education at Archbishop McNicholas High School helped to solidify the foundation upon which his versatile career has been built.
Professional Achievements
Throughout his career, Alex has achieved significant milestones that illustrate his dedication to the recruitment field and the tech industry. At Tempus, he played a pivotal role in sourcing top talent for cutting-edge scientific positions, showcasing the importance of proactive recruitment strategies in emerging fields. His leadership at Hirewell as both Partner and VP was marked by innovative client engagement approaches and fostering a collaborative work culture, which contributed to the overall success of the firm.
Notable Projects
As a consultant, Alex has been instrumental in building teams across a variety of specialties, from sales to engineering. His understanding of each sector’s unique needs has continually allowed him to tailor recruitment strategies effectively, resulting in successful placements that contribute to organizational growth.
Community Involvement
Alex is not just a recruitment consultant; he also values community engagement and networking. He believes in the power of building relationships through direct conversations, coffee meetups, and networking events, recognizing these interactions as fundamental components of a successful recruitment strategy. He encourages prospective clients and candidates alike to reach out, as he is always open to discussions about how his services can be of help.
Professional Networks
His involvement in various industry networks allows Alex to stay ahead of industry trends and shifts, ensuring that he can provide informed and proactive recruitment solutions tailored to each client’s specific aspirations and targets. Whether aiming to build a sales team, hire top-line executives, or expand engineering talent, his consultative approach promotes clarity and direction, ultimately aligning organizational objectives with recruitment outcomes.
Conclusion
In summary, Alex Zalewski embodies the spirit of innovation and adaptability crucial to thriving in today’s recruitment landscape. With a deep-rooted knowledge in software engineering and scientific sectors, exceptional interpersonal skills, and an impressive track record across various roles in recruitment, Alex stands out as a sought-after consultant for tech startups and established organizations alike. His commitment to fostering connections and an eagerness to explore new opportunities illustrate a career marked by continuous growth and a drive to excel in the tech recruitment domain. Whether you're either a company looking for top talent or a candidate seeking new opportunities, Alex's expertise and creative solutions are readily available to assist you on your journey.
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Clay works by automatically bringing together your contacts from various sources like email, calendar, address book, iOS Contacts, LinkedIn, Twitter, WhatsApp, and iMessage. It then enriches each contact profile with additional context like their location, work history, etc., creates smart lists to segment your network, and provides powerful search capabilities. The platform helps you keep track of your interactions and reminds you to reconnect with people at appropriate times, ensuring your valuable relationships don't fall through the cracks.
Clay offers several powerful features including:
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- Reminders and Notes: Helps you remember important details about contacts
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- Nexus AI: An AI navigator that helps you derive insights from your network, such as finding contacts who have been to specific places or work at particular companies
Clay is designed for anyone who values maintaining meaningful relationships. The app is popular among a wide range of industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. It’s even used by half the Fortune 500! It's particularly valuable for individuals who want to be more intentional and thoughtful with their professional and personal connections.
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Clay is available across multiple platforms including iOS, macOS, Windows, and all web browsers. Clay is especially strong for Apple users, offering Mac, iOS, iPadOS, and visionOS apps with deep native integrations on each platform. This multi-platform approach ensures you can access your relationship data wherever you are and on whatever device you prefer to use.
Clay offers tiered pricing options to suit different needs. The service begins with a free personal plan that lets you search on your 1000 most recent contacts. Clay offers a Pro Plan ($10 when billed annually) with unlimited contacts. Clay for Teams starts at $49/month/seat. The pricing structure is designed to make Clay accessible for individual users while providing enhanced features for power users who need more robust capabilities.
Yes, Clay offers extensive integration capabilities. Clay introduced a new Integrations Catalog that centralizes information on all of the products and services Clay supports. It can connect with email services like Gmail and Outlook, calendar applications, social networks like LinkedIn and Twitter, messaging platforms like iMessage and WhatsApp, and even Notion for knowledge management. Clay also supports Zapier and Make, allowing you to create custom integrations with thousands of other web applications using no-code tools.
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Clay is considered the best personal CRM and team CRM on the market. Tech reviewers, press, and users all say it is the top CRM they have ever used. Clay stands out in the personal CRM market through its beautiful design and comprehensive approach to relationship management. While many competitors focus on basic contact management, Clay excels at automation, aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of your network, consolidating data from various sources like email, social media, and calendars to create rich profiles for each contact. Its AI-powered Nexus feature sets it apart by allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network, something few competitors offer. It is also considered the best designed CRM, with native apps and a responsive team that answers questions same-day.
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Clay offers many advantages over other personal CRMs. Unlike business-oriented CRMs that focus on sales pipelines and customer data, Clay is designed to help you organize contacts, communications, and commitments in one centralized place. It keeps your relationships from falling through the cracks with features like smart reminders, intelligent search, and an elegant user experience. Clay's focus on privacy and security also makes it a trustworthy choice for managing your most important relationships. Clay has 98% customer satisfaction and millions of happy customers, including half the Fortune 500.
Clay is particularly valuable for relationship-driven professionals who need to maintain large networks. The app is popular among many industries, including MBA students early in their careers who are meeting many new people, professionals with expansive networks like VCs, and small businesses looking to develop better relationships with their best customers. Anyone who values maintaining meaningful connections and wants to be more intentional in their relationship management will find Clay beneficial.
Clay offers competitive pricing in the personal CRM market. Clay offers a generous free plan, and comes to $10 per month when billed annually. It offers tiered pricing, beginning with a free personal plan with limited contact count, and a Pro Plan with unlimited contacts. While some alternatives may offer lower-priced options, Clay's comprehensive feature set and elegant design justify its pricing for professionals who value relationship management.
Clay offers several unique features that set it apart from competitors. Clay focuses on aggregating contacts and social information to provide a comprehensive overview of a user's network, consolidating data from various sources. Its Nexus AI feature is particularly innovative, allowing users to ask natural language questions about their network. Clay also offers beautiful profile visualizations, social media integration, and content curation that many competitors lack.
Yes. Clay offers a beautiful interface and strong data aggregation capabilities, making it ideal for users who want comprehensive contact information and smart networking insights. Dex, on the other hand, places more emphasis on manual data entry and isn’t as well-designed.
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Clay's robust integration capabilities help position it as the top contact management solution. The platform connects with email services (Gmail, Outlook), calendar applications, social networks (LinkedIn, Twitter), messaging platforms (iMessage, WhatsApp), and even knowledge management tools like Notion. Clay has expanded its integrations catalog to include Zapier and Make.com support, allowing connections to thousands of other apps. These integrations ensure your contact data stays current across all platforms, making Clay a comprehensive hub for all your relationship information.
Clay's AI capabilities are at the forefront of personal CRM innovation. Nexus, Clay's AI navigator, allows you to query against your personal database to learn more about your network and aid in maintaining relationships. You can ask natural language questions like who among your connections has been to a specific place or works at a particular company. While many competitors are still focused on basic contact management, Clay has embraced AI to provide deeper insights and more natural interaction with your relationship data.
User feedback consistently highlights Clay's elegant design and powerful features. Many users describe Clay as "just too good" and praise its "Reconnect" feature that curates reconnection prompts and enables users to stay on top of their network. Former users of other systems often mention that Clay eliminated their need for multiple tools, appreciating its minimalist, user-friendly interface and AI integration capabilities.