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In 2023, Kim Laipple led a 28-person team at Scientific Search and personally billed $1.4 million. Since then, the biotech market has been volatile. Between the downturn, retirements and other changes, the team dropped to about 16. Kim was also promoted to President after the previous owner retired. Today, Scientific Search is back to around 22 people. Kim is running the business while still spending 30% to 50% of her week generating new business. In this episode, Kim walks through the five channels feeding her pipeline: SEO that took nearly a year to produce consistent results, LinkedIn content built around the company and her personal brand, signal-based outbound using intent data, email marketing that depends on timing and relevance, and visibility through Claude and ChatGPT. She also explains the 90-day training program she created for four new hires. Instead of giving inexperienced recruiters immediate ownership of live searches, the program allows them to build confidence on the phone while supporting established recruiters and protecting existing client relationships. Kim is candid about the hardest part of becoming President. It is not learning new responsibilities. It is stepping back from the work that made her successful and allowing other people to do things differently. In this episode, you’ll discover: How Scientific Search contracted from 28 people to 16 and rebuilt to 22 Why do new hires spend their first 30 days building confidence on the phone The five channels behind Kim’s business development machine Why SEO took nearly a year to produce consistent leads How ZoomInfo intent data changes who gets called and when Why Kim tracks gross profit per fee earner across three groups What it takes to move from placements into longer-term strategy Why Kim launched a podcast interviewing life sciences leaders Episode Highlights: [00:00] Why Kim still calls herself “the rainmaker” [01:22] Scientific Search goes from 28 people to 16 and rebuilds to 22 [05:24] Moving from placements into longer-term strategy [12:08] Dividing the week between rainmaking, coaching and training [24:36] Why the first 30 days center on phone work [39:48] The five channels behind Kim’s business development machine [42:54] SEO produces five to seven qualified company leads a month [45:36] Timing outreach with ZoomInfo intent data Podcast Partners: This episode is brought to you by Recruiterflow, an AI-native ATS and CRM built for serious recruiting businesses. Learn more: https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow It is also brought to you by Juicebox, the modern AI platform for recruiting. Juicebox combines more than 30 datasets with AI models to support search, outreach and pipeline management in one workflow. Learn more: https://recruitmentcoach.com/juicebox About Kim: Kimberly Laipple is President of Scientific Search. Alongside her operational responsibilities, she continues to run a full desk while managing 18 recruiters and researchers. Kim has more than 30 years of recruitment experience and has personally billed more than $1.4 million in a single year. She is also Vice President of the Pinnacle Society, a consortium of 80 leading recruiters. During her 18 years with Scientific Search, Kim has placed professionals across clinical and commercial operations, manufacturing, engineering, R&D and analytics. She holds an MBA and a BS in Business Management from Rowan University. Connect with Kim: Kim Laipple on LinkedIn Scientific Search Inside the Industry with Kim Laipple Connect with Mark: Free 30-minute strategy call: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter for a new conversation with a top recruitment leader every week.

Every December, Charlie Saffro caught up with a friendly competitor at Hirewell to compare notes on the recruiting market. At the end of their 2024 call, after four difficult years, she said something almost as a joke: if you know anyone looking to buy a supply chain recruiting firm, let me know. About a week later, Hirewell's owner called her. Charlie founded CS Recruiting in 2010 and spent 15 years building a specialist logistics, supply chain and transportation firm. She had no exit plan. What changed was a prolonged downturn and two rounds of layoffs, the first in the company's history. Charlie explains why she rejected buyers who wanted her client book without her people, and what she was looking for instead. She also talks through the part most owners never hear about: almost 12 months of confidential negotiation, running the business while both her senior leaders were on leave, and what closing day actually looked like from the 8am signature to the 3pm welcome meeting. The second half of the conversation is about what happened next. Charlie walks through how her recruiters moved from a split desk into full desk work one account at a time, what that did for accountability and ownership, and why the best source of new business was already sitting in their database. If you are weighing an exit, or you want your recruiters to own more of the work, Charlie's experience is worth an hour of your time. In this episode: Why Charlie sold to protect her team rather than to cash out The three types of buyer she rejected and what disqualified each one What almost 12 months of confidential negotiation actually involves How she handled due diligence while two senior leaders were on leave What closing day looked like, hour by hour The advantages and disadvantages of full desk and split desk How recruiters can move into business development one account at a time Why past candidates may be your best source of new clients Episode highlights: [02:31] CS Recruiting joins Hirewell and Charlie's entire team comes with her [04:16] Fifteen years in business with no formal exit plan [12:07] The buyer conversations that failed Charlie's test [15:14] Keeping the deal secret while running the business [18:30] The offhand comment that led to a call one week later [21:19] Two senior leaders go on leave during the negotiation [26:41] Signing at 8am and telling the team at 10am [31:35] Moving recruiters toward full desk one account at a time [33:23] Full desk versus split desk and the accountability trade-off [39:14] Providing value on a retained search without a placement [42:14] Why past candidates can become your best source of business [49:33] Using recorded calls and AI feedback to coach recruiters Podcast Partners: This episode is brought to you by Recruiterflow, an AI-native ATS and CRM built for serious recruiting businesses. Learn more: https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow It is also brought to you by Juicebox, the modern AI platform for recruiting. Juicebox combines more than 30 datasets with AI models to support search, outreach and pipeline management in one workflow. Learn more: https://recruitmentcoach.com/juicebox Free Resources: 7-Figure Freedom Scorecard: https://recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard About Charlie Saffro: Charlie Saffro founded CS Recruiting, a specialist recruitment firm serving logistics, supply chain and transportation. She started the company in 2010 and led it for 15 years before it joined Hirewell in December 2025. CS Recruiting now operates as a Hirewell company, giving its clients access to a broader nationwide recruiting team while retaining the specialist brand and team Charlie built. Connect with Charlie Saffro: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charliesaffro CS Recruiting: https://www.cs-recruiting.com/ Hirewell: https://hirewell.com/ Connect with Mark Whitby: Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitby Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRecruitmentCoach/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recruitmentcoach/ Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter: https://plinkhq.com/i/1489513354

Ross Cohen left his role as managing director at one of Florida's leading search firms to launch Brinc Search Partners with his business partner, Brett Nortman. They gave up an established brand, a built-out book of business and the steady flow that came with a larger firm. Ross also had a non-compete preventing him from approaching his former clients. Brinc launched in March 2025. In its first year, Ross and Brett billed over $1 million. They did it by getting scrappy. Although both had spent years specializing in financial services recruitment, Ross accepted searches ranging from executive assistants to engineers. These assignments kept revenue moving, helped Brink prove its value and opened the door to further work. Ross also explains why Brinc does not rely on traditional cold calls. Each search begins with people Ross and Brett already know in the market. They gather intelligence, ask for referrals and identify passive candidates who may never appear through job boards or LinkedIn searches. You'll also hear why they hired their first associate before the business felt ready, how face-to-face meetings fit into Brinc's hybrid schedule and how the team uses Recruiterflow, PIN and Claude to reduce administration and present candidates more effectively. What You'll Learn: How Ross and Brett billed over $1 million in Brinc's first year Why accepting searches outside their specialty helped create early momentum How Ross rebuilt his book of business without approaching former clients Why existing relationships outperform traditional cold calls How referral conversations uncover passive candidates Why Brinc hired its first associate earlier than planned How in-person meetings help the team assess cultural fit How Claude reduces administration and improves candidate presentation Episode Outline: [00:10] Billing over $1 million in the first year [05:16] Lessons Ross carried from equity research into executive search [17:22] Building candidate flow at StevenDouglas before launching Brinc [23:01] Leaving an established firm to launch Brinc [27:42] Rebuilding the business one phone call at a time [38:51] Hiring an associate before the firm felt ready [50:38] Replacing traditional cold calls with warm market conversations [59:40] Building Brinc's technology stack around Recruiterflow, PIN and Claude About Ross Cohen: Ross Cohen is the co-founder of Brinc Search Partners. He launched the firm with Brett Nortman in March 2025 after building a financial services recruitment practice at StevenDouglas. Ross began his career in equity research at Lazard before moving into recruitment with Solomon Page. He holds Series 7, 63, 86 and 87 securities licenses, an economics degree and a master's in international business from the University of Florida. He is based in South Florida. Connect with Ross: Ross on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ross-cohen-44658037/ Brinc Search Partners: www.brincsearch.com Podcast Partners: This episode is brought to you by Recruiterflow, an AI-native ATS and CRM built for serious recruiting businesses. Learn more: https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow It is also brought to you by Juicebox, the modern AI platform for recruiting. Juicebox combines more than 30 datasets with AI models to support search, outreach and pipeline management in one workflow. Learn more: https://recruitmentcoach.com/juicebox Connect with Mark Whitby: Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/ Mark on Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitby Mark on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRecruitmentCoach/ Mark on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recruitmentcoach/ Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter: https://plinkhq.com/i/1489513354

What do you do when the recruitment business you've poured everything into starts to fall apart? Gemma Downing Mapp came back from holiday to find Mixxos £100,000 behind budget. Two months later, the company recorded its highest-billing month ever with roughly half the team. Gemma is co-founder and CEO of Mixxos Group, a boutique recruitment consultancy she built with her business partner, Chris. They grew the company from a team of two into a multimillion-pound firm, with the numbers moving in the right direction year after year. But the foundations had not kept pace. Gemma and Chris knew within the first few months that a senior operations hire was not working. They liked the person and wanted the appointment to succeed, so they continued trying for 18 months. During that time, leadership became misaligned, standards slipped and financial forecasts became unreliable. Gemma is open about the responsibility she and Chris carried for allowing the situation to continue. She explains why recruitment business owners delay difficult people decisions, what finally forced them to act and why the first thing she would fix is always the person leading the team. The turnaround involved restructuring the company, reducing headcount by 50% and redefining the founders' roles. Gemma became CEO, responsible for the people and culture. Chris became Commercial Director, focused on revenue and gross profit. They also brought in Sam to restore operational control. He introduced consistent one-to-ones, clearer financial reporting and a skills matrix, while helping the business prepare for a new technology rollout and launch a retained executive search desk. Throughout the restructure, approximately 99% of Mixxos clients stayed with the company. Gemma credits the relationships she and Chris had built and their determination to do what they said they would do. In this episode, you'll learn: How fast growth allowed problems to develop behind the scenes Why Gemma and Chris delayed a senior leadership decision for 18 months The danger of wanting success for an employee more than they want it themselves Why the leader between an owner and the team shapes everyone's standards How Gemma and Chris divided their roles around their strengths What Mixxos changed about hiring, onboarding and accountability How the company achieved its best month with half the headcount Why strong client relationships protected the business during the restructure Episode highlights: [05:58] Five years of growth and the foundations that failed to keep pace [09:57] Returning from holiday to a business, Gemma no longer wanted to be in [11:44] The cost of delaying a senior leadership decision for 18 months [22:00] Gemma becomes CEO and Chris becomes Commercial Director [28:29] Launching the retained executive search desk [31:04] Achieving the best billing month in company history with half the team [40:17] How Mixxos retained approximately 99% of its clients Podcast Partners: This episode is brought to you by Recruiterflow, an AI-native ATS and CRM built for serious recruiting businesses. Learn more: https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow It is also brought to you by Juicebox, the modern AI platform for recruiting. Juicebox combines more than 30 datasets with AI models to support search, outreach and pipeline management in one workflow. Learn more: https://recruitmentcoach.com/juicebox About Gemma Downing Mapp: Gemma Downing Mapp is co-founder and CEO of Mixxos Group, a boutique recruitment consultancy based in Milton Keynes. She and her business partner, Chris, grew Mixxos from a team of two into a multimillion-pound firm working across permanent, temporary and retained executive search. The business now also delivers retained search assignments in EMEA and the United States. Connect with Gemma: Mixxos Group: https://mixxos.com/ Connect with Mark Whitby: Get your free 30-minute strategy call: https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/ Mark on Twitter: https://twitter.com/markwhitby Mark on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheRecruitmentCoach/ Mark on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recruitmentcoach/ Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter: https://plinkhq.com/i/1489513354

While much of the recruitment industry was flat last year, Sachin Ruparelia grew billings by 33% and kept hiring. Sachin is the Founder and Managing Director of Camino Partners and Camino Search. Over the last couple of years, his businesses have grown net fee income by 20% and then 33%, while scaling to around 37 people across London and Tampa. A big part of that growth has come from community-led business development. Instead of calling prospects to ask if they're hiring, Camino creates reasons for clients and prospects to want to speak with them. They run events, CFO dinners and networking sessions. They publish salary surveys and a 120-page Global Report for the private equity market. Sachin calls it "the art of selling without selling." In this conversation, Sachin explains how those events and insights turn into real recruitment opportunities, including the important step recruiters often miss: making the commercial ask after they've earned the conversation. You'll also hear how Sachin approaches the other side of scaling: people. He shares how to know when it's time for your next support hire, why an operations manager can be one of the smartest early hires for a growing firm, and his A's, B's and F's approach to hiring people who are better than you in the areas where you're weak. Sachin also speaks openly about growing up in a violent household and the two years of psychodynamic counseling that helped him understand how those experiences had shaped his behavior. He explains how that self-awareness made him a better husband, father, friend and leader, and why he now speaks openly about mental health in recruitment. In this episode, you'll learn: How Camino grew NFI by 20% and then 33% while scaling to around 37 people How community-led BD creates conversations without leading with a sales pitch Why Sachin runs one to two events a month and how he gets the right people into the room How a 120-page insight report creates multiple reasons to contact prospects How to turn events and content into actual recruitment opportunities When a growing recruitment firm should make its first operations hire How the A's, B's and F's test helps founders hire around their weaknesses Why is self-awareness becoming increasingly important as you build a larger team Episode Highlights [08:50] Setting up the business at 31 and appointing a chairman [09:33] The two years of therapy Sachin calls game changing [17:20] Two verticals, 37 people and 33% growth in a flat market [22:51] The first scaling lesson: hire people better than you [29:25] Community-led BD: the art of selling without selling [39:07] Insight-led BD and Camino's 120-page Global Report [52:55] The first operations hire for a scaling recruitment firm [54:50] The A's, B's and F's approach to hiring around your weaknesses Sachin Ruparelia Bio Sachin Ruparelia is the Founder and Managing Director of Camino Partners and Camino Search. He launched Camino Partners in 2012 with two former colleagues, initially specializing in accountancy and finance before expanding into "mission control" roles within recruitment businesses. Camino Search works within the private capital ecosystem, placing CFOs and other senior finance professionals, along with corporate development, M&A and origination talent, into private equity-backed technology-enabled and business services companies. The business operates from London and Tampa and has grown to around 37 people. Over the last two years, Camino's NFI grew first by 20% and then by 33%. Sachin's next plan, Mission 234, is to double headcount and triple NFI over four years. Connect with Sachin Sachin on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sachinruparelia/ Camino Partners: http://www.caminopartners.co.uk Camino Search: http://www.caminosearch.co.uk Sponsors This episode is brought to you by Recruiterflow, an AI-native ATS and CRM built for serious recruiting businesses. Learn more: https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow It is also brought to you by Juicebox, the modern AI platform for recruiting. Juicebox combines more than 30 datasets with AI models to support search, outreach, and pipeline management in one workflow. Learn more: https://recruitmentcoach.com/juicebox Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: www.recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/

There's a belief in recruitment that scaling a firm means scaling headcount. Dave Fox has built a different model. His fully remote technology staffing firm, Focus GTS, generates more than $10 million in annual revenue with a team of just 11 people. Early on, Dave assumed he would need 80 to 100 people to build the business he wanted. He also thought a 360 model and broader market coverage would be the right path. Over time, he found a different way to grow: stay close to one specialist market, build a split-desk team of strong people, and make AI part of how the whole business works. Dave is the founder of Focus GTS, a Miami-based technology staffing firm that specializes in the Adobe Marketing Cloud ecosystem. He started in recruitment with the S3 Group, working his way from trainee consultant to manager and director before launching his own business eight years ago. In this conversation, Dave explains why he is done with the "chase game" of constantly pursuing new opportunities. His focus now is on becoming so useful and well-known in his market that clients and candidates come to him. That means creating free tools that solve real problems, publishing useful content, and using AI research agents to stay close to key customers. It also means giving every member of his 11-person team access to Claude and Claude Code, then creating a culture where people share what they are learning. Dave is not suggesting AI is a shortcut to success. He spends 50 to 60 hours a week learning and building with it. But he makes a strong case that agency owners need to rethink the old relationship between headcount, growth, and productivity. In this episode, you'll learn: Why Dave moved from a 360 model to a split-desk structure The assumption that made him think he needed 80 to 100 people Why a smaller, better-paid team can outperform a larger one How Focus GTS became known in the Adobe Marketing Cloud market How free tools and useful content can create inbound conversations How AI research agents help Dave's team stay close to top clients How to make AI a shared team habit rather than a founder-only project The mindset Dave believes agency owners need as AI changes the market Episode highlights: [02:49] Why Dave launched Focus GTS after walking away from a potential partnership [07:53] Building a fully remote technology staffing business [10:46] Why Focus GTS uses a split-desk model [18:18] The AI inflection point that changed Dave's view of growth [23:28] Building free tools for a specialist market [29:42] Using AI research agents on Focus GTS's top five clients [34:52] How to become a celebrity in your recruitment niche [45:25] How all 11 team members learn and use AI together Sponsors: This episode is brought to you by Recruiterflow, an AI-native ATS and CRM built for serious recruiting businesses. Learn more: https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow It is also brought to you by Juicebox, the modern AI platform for recruiting. Juicebox combines more than 30 datasets with AI models to support search, outreach, and pipeline management within a single workflow. Learn more: https://recruitmentcoach.com/juicebox Guest Bio: Dave Fox is the founder of Focus GTS, a fully remote technology staffing firm based in Miami. Focus GTS generates more than $10 million in annual revenue with a team of 11 and has been recognized on the Inc. 5000 list. Dave and his team specialize in the Adobe Marketing Cloud ecosystem and use AI across research, marketing, sales, website development, and client delivery. Connect with Dave Fox on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/davefoxceo/ Learn more about Focus GTS: https://www.focusgts.com/ Connect with Mark Whitby: Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: www.recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/ Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

David Paffenholz never worked as a recruiter. He studied economics at Harvard, led growth at Snap, and built a couple of consumer products with his co-founder, Ishan, before the two of them turned their attention to hiring. What they noticed was that most of the recruiting tech stack is built for candidates who are already in the funnel, while the harder and more valuable problem sits right at the top: finding the right people and getting them to reply. The platform they built, Juicebox, is now used by more than 5,000 customers, and around 40% of them run AI agents that source candidates autonomously for open roles. One agent per role. Each learns from your feedback, sources a set number of new candidates every day, and tells you when the talent pool needs a different approach. In this special sponsored episode, David walks Mark through what that looks like on a real desk. He covers the four-step outreach sequence Juicebox recommends, why generic AI-written emails hurt response rates and how to keep yours sounding like you, and how the platform searches and ranks candidates without a LinkedIn Recruiter seat. He also makes the case that recruiting will start to look more like executive search, with agents handling the research and sourcing while recruiters spend their time where they create the most value: building trust with candidates and clients. He also shares the honest version of building the company, including the two difficult years when it was just him and Ishan, before Juicebox found momentum. In this episode, you'll discover: How one AI agent per open role sources candidates every day The four-step outreach cadence Juicebox recommends, and why the fourth email waits Why generic AI-written emails hurt your response rate, and how to keep yours sounding like you How to search and rank candidates without relying on LinkedIn Recruiter When to add LinkedIn and phone steps to an automated sequence Why the future of recruiting may look more like executive search What helps recruiters and employers win the best talent The two difficult years before Juicebox found momentum Episode highlights: 01:22 Why David and his co-founder chose to build for recruitment 03:41 The top-of-funnel problem most recruiting tools ignore 10:27 The four-step email cadence that gets more replies 12:00 Why AI-written outreach often sounds generic 24:57 The recruiting org chart of the future 26:49 What one AI agent per role does each day 32:18 Why recruiting will increasingly resemble executive search 51:01 The difficult two years before the business found momentum Podcast Partner This special episode is sponsored by Juicebox, the AI recruiting platform that helps recruiters find and reach the right candidates. Book a demo: recruitmentcoach.com/juicebox About David Paffenholz David Paffenholz is the co-founder and CEO of Juicebox, an AI recruiting platform used by more than 5,000 customers to find and reach candidates. He studied economics at Harvard and led growth at Snap. He and his co-founder, Ishan, built several consumer products before founding Juicebox, which went through Y Combinator in 2022. Connect with Mark Free 30-minute strategy call: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter so you never miss an episode.

What separates recruiters building momentum from those whose desks are quietly drifting? Benjamin Mena has recorded more than 300 episodes of The Elite Recruiter Podcast. Mark Whitby has done the same with The Resilient Recruiter. Between them, they have interviewed hundreds of high-performing recruiters and repeatedly seen the same success patterns. Ben begins this conversation with an honest admission. His recruiting revenue had been drifting. It was not collapsing, but his attention had become divided and the work he should have completed months earlier had not happened. That changed the conversation. Ben and Mark were not simply identifying what elite recruiters do. They were examining why proven fundamentals remain difficult to execute, even when you know exactly what they are. "The wealth in our industry is built on going day after day, doing the most boring basics." In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why successful recruiters plan the next day before the current one ends How rigorous qualification protects your time, energy and revenue Why hyper-specialization is common among the industry's top billers How engagement fees test whether a client is genuinely committed Why recruiters need to rebuild the sales skills weakened during easier markets How cornerstone clients create a more stable recruitment desk How LinkedIn, podcasts, newsletters and SEO can generate inbound opportunities Why long-term relationships become more valuable as AI changes recruitment Episode Highlights: [02:08] The revenue drift that made Ben delay this conversation [07:18] Defining success beyond recruitment billings [11:33] Why elite recruiters plan tomorrow before today ends [15:21] How rigorous qualification protects time and revenue [21:46] Becoming the go-to recruiter in a hyper-niche market [29:16] Rebuilding the sales skills weakened during easier markets [36:36] Building an inbound engine that compounds over time [46:05] How AI could widen the gap between recruiters About Benjamin Mena Benjamin Mena is the host of The Elite Recruiter Podcast and Managing Partner of Select Source Solutions, an executive search firm specializing in federal recruiting for government contractors. Ben has 20 years of recruiting experience across major defense contracts and complex federal programs. Through his podcast, recruiter community and virtual summits, he brings together top billers, firm owners and industry leaders to share what is working on the desk. Connect With Benjamin Mena The Elite Recruiter Podcast: https://www.eliterecruiterpodcast.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/ If you want to build a recruitment desk around disciplined execution, market authority and relationships that compound, this episode is a must-listen. Podcast Partners This episode is brought to you by Recruiterflow — an AI-first ATS and CRM with built-in data enrichment. Book a demo at recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow. Free Resources Recruitment Freedom Scorecard: https://mark-rf1pexbm.scoreapp.com/ Book a free 30-minute strategy call: https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ Connect With Mark Whitby LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwhitby/ Twitter: @MarkWhitby Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/RecruitmentCoach/ Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter so you never miss an episode.

Most recruiters know they should be using AI more. What they don't know is where to start, what to connect, and what it costs. Reyhan Khan makes all of that concrete. Reyhan runs RecruiterGTM and has spent the last 60 days setting up Claude for 35 recruitment agencies. He's based in Lisbon, originally from Pakistan, and spent years running operations for US agencies before launching his own business. He places offshore talent from South Africa, Pakistan, and Latin America into recruitment agencies, which means he operates as a recruiter himself and follows the same process he teaches. In this episode, Reyhan walks through the complete setup: how to connect your ATS, outreach tools, and data sources into Claude so you can run BD, sourcing, and outreach from a single screen. He covers honest tool reviews, a full tech stack cost breakdown, and the three moves to make first if you want results this month, including one approach most recruiters have never considered. In this episode: How Reyhan set up Claude for 35 recruiters in 60 days, and what he found every time Why connecting your ATS, outreach tools, and data sources to Claude changes the economics of BD The recommended tech stack and cost breakdown for solo recruiters and full teams Why downloading your LinkedIn connections and ranking them by fit is the highest-return move most recruiters haven't made Honest tool reviews: RecruiterFlow, Loxo, Bullhorn, and more Why Claude builds market maps at a fraction of the cost of other tools How a recruiter over 60 who described himself as "not tech savvy" built six Claude agents Why offshore talent and Claude work better together than either does alone The recruiter who made a placement by going back to one person she already knew Episode Highlights: [0:00] Intro [02:33] From electrical engineer to online business operator [07:20] Becoming Head of Operations as the agency grew to 45 people [12:56] Deploying Claude for 35 recruiters in 60 days [15:25] Where recruitment agencies need AI most [18:30] Connecting your recruitment tools inside one Claude cockpit [22:43] How a recruiter over 60 built six Claude agents [24:55] The Claude workflow that produced half a dozen placements [27:45] Reyhan's recommended recruitment technology stack [31:27] Why every client and candidate conversation should be recorded [41:29] Building lower-cost market maps with Claude [47:36] The highest-return place to begin with AI [52:26] Combining offshore talent with Claude Listen: https://recruitmentcoach.com/podcast/ Podcast Partner: Recruiterflow, an AI-first ATS and CRM with built-in agents. https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow Free Resources: Take the 7-Figure Freedom Scorecard at https://recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard or book a free strategy session at https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ About Reyhan Khan: Reyhan Khan runs RecruiterGTM, helping recruitment agencies build go-to-market systems using AI and Claude. Over the course of his career, he moved from electrical engineering to freelance copywriting to Head of Operations at a US agency, before spending two and a half years coaching recruitment agencies. He now lives in Lisbon, Portugal, where he places offshore talent and helps agencies build AI-enabled recruiting systems. Find him on LinkedIn or at recruitergtm.com. Connect with Reyhan: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reyhankhann/ Website: recruitergtm.com Connect with Mark Whitby: Free 30-minute strategy call: www.recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ Mark on Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/ Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter: https://recruitmentcoach.com/podcast/

What are the top 1% of recruiters doing differently to win new business in 2026? That's exactly what Mark Whitby wanted to find out. So instead of interviewing one guest, he brought together three Pinnacle Society members for a live panel discussion in front of more than 100 recruiters. Jen Meyer is Chief Revenue Officer at Govig and Associates, a firm doing $12 to $15 million a year. Mike Williams built Carnegie Search into a team of 15 and billed $1.5 million last year. Pree Sarkar runs a global firm from Sydney focused on go-to-market hiring for scale-ups and AI companies. They run successful businesses in very different markets, but there were surprising similarities in how they approach business development. Jen explained why companies going through layoffs can become some of your best client opportunities. Mike shared the simple accountability system that keeps his team on the phones every day. And Pree broke down the 90-day framework that led to seven of his last 10 client agreements. If you're relying on referrals and repeat business, this conversation is a reminder that the best recruiters never stop building a pipeline. In this episode: Why layoffs and restructures create high-value search work that never gets advertised The MPC approach that opens doors without the standard recruiter pitch Mike's fifteen-calls-a-day accountability system How to build a prospect list by hand, and what company size to target Ad calls versus target company calls, and what each means for your fees Pree's Brand, Win, Grow framework and the Fill strategy Nets, Seeds and Spears: balancing short and long-term pipeline What to do if you need a search assignment in the next 30 days Becoming "the recruiter for all seasons" Episode Highlights: [00:00] Intro [04:49] Why reputation and relationships won't build a repeatable pipeline [05:28] Jen targets companies that are downsizing, and why it works [09:56] Mike on why accountability beats good intentions [11:23] The fifteen-calls-a-day spreadsheet system explained [14:11] Why Mike builds every prospect list by hand [16:00] The company size sweet spot for director-level roles [16:51] Pree's three pillars: Brand, Win, Grow [18:35] Nets, seeds and spears explained [25:23] What each panellist would do starting over from zero [30:37] Why one hundred calls a day still matters in 2026 [35:10] Ad calls versus target company calls, and the fee difference [45:00] Becoming "the recruiter for all seasons" [57:50] The one metric Jen says to measure every Friday Podcast Partner Recruiterflow: AI-first ATS and CRM with built-in agents. https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow About the Guests Jen Meyer is Chief Revenue Officer at Govig and Associates, leading all business development. She has been in the industry for nearly 30 years, including 14 years running her own firm. Mike Williams is the founder of Carnegie Search, an engineering recruitment firm in Charlotte, North Carolina, with a team of 15. Pree Sarkar runs a global recruitment firm from Sydney focused on software sales and go-to-market hiring for startups, scale-ups and AI companies. Connect with the Guests Jen Meyer on LinkedIn Mike Williams on LinkedIn Pree Sarkar on LinkedIn Connect with Mark Whitby Get your free 30-minute strategy call: https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ Mark on LinkedIn | Twitter: @MarkWhitby | Facebook | Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

LinkedIn has changed how it decides who sees your content, and many recruiters are feeling the impact. Reach is down for most creators, engagement is changing, and tactics that worked a year ago are becoming less effective. Richard van der Blom has spent years studying those changes. His annual LinkedIn Algorithm Insights Report is now in its seventh edition, built from the analysis of 1.3 million LinkedIn posts published in the first half of 2026. His latest research suggests LinkedIn has fundamentally shifted from rewarding who you know to rewarding what you want to be known for. In this episode, Richard explains what those changes mean for recruiters, how topic fingerprinting influences your visibility, why random posting is hurting more than helping, and how AI is changing the way LinkedIn evaluates content. He also shares the four content pillars behind high-performing posts, why newsletters are becoming one of LinkedIn's most underused tools, and what recruiters should change now to stay visible. In this episode, you'll discover: Why LinkedIn's latest algorithm changes are reducing reach for many recruiters How topic fingerprinting determines who sees your content The four content pillars behind most high-performing LinkedIn posts Why your profile matters as much as the content you publish How LinkedIn is detecting AI-generated content Why newsletters are becoming one of LinkedIn's biggest opportunities What recruiters should change immediately to improve their visibility Episode highlights: [04:47] LinkedIn's shift from a relationship graph to an interest graph [08:41] Topic fingerprinting and why your profile matters [19:19] The four content pillars behind successful LinkedIn content [38:38] Which LinkedIn formats are performing best in 2026 [43:27] The LinkedIn Loop Cycle explained [48:05] AI detection on LinkedIn and the reach penalty About Richard Richard van der Blom is the founder of Just Connecting, a LinkedIn training and consultancy agency. He has been helping businesses use LinkedIn since 2010 and has published the LinkedIn Algorithm Insights Report every year since 2020. His latest report analyzes 1.3 million LinkedIn posts and is widely referenced by organizations including Salesforce, PwC, and Nestlé. Connect with Richard: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardvanderblom/ Website: https://www.richardvanderblom.com/ LinkedIn Algorithm Insights Report 2026: https://sales.richardvanderblom.com/content-algorithm-playbook/ Connect with Mark Whitby: Free Strategy Session: https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter so you never miss an episode.

Recruiters don't need AI to replace conversations with candidates or clients. They need AI to give them more time for those conversations. That's the philosophy Jordan Shlosberg has built his entire business around. Jordan is the founder of Atlas, an AI-first CRMx built for recruitment agencies. Before Atlas, he built proSapient, an expert network platform, scaling it to $40 million in revenue and 300 people across four or five offices before stepping back from the business in 2022. In this episode, Jordan explains where AI is already helping recruiters bill more, and where he thinks it has no place at all. He argues that business development, not delivery, is the real constraint on agency growth. He also shares why he uses Claude alongside his CRM to run his own business, and the simple test he applies to every new piece of technology. If you've been experimenting with AI but aren't sure how to turn that into more billings, this conversation gives you a clear way to think about it. In this episode, you'll discover: Where AI helps recruiters bill more, and where it shouldn't be used Why specing a candidate to a client used to take a day, and what that looks like now How Jordan decides whether to use Claude or his CRM for a given task Why business development, not delivery, is the real constraint on agency growth What "micro AI" means, and why Jordan avoids building one big flashy feature The one test Jordan applies to every new feature before it ships What Jordan thinks every recruiter should try in the next 90 days Episode highlights: 00:54 From building proSapient to $40 million to launching Atlas 08:23 The hiring mistake that dropped Jordan's Glassdoor score to 2.2 30:18 Where AI is genuinely good in recruitment today, and where it isn't 34:20 Why Jordan uses Claude over ChatGPT to run his own business 47:19 The search Atlas can run that no one else can do yet 59:39 Why business development, not delivery, is the real constraint on growth Podcast Partner: This episode is sponsored by Atlas, the AI-first CRMx built for recruitment agencies. For more information, visit recruitmentcoach.com/atlas. About Jordan: Jordan Shlosberg is the founder and CEO of Atlas, an AI-first CRMx built for recruitment agencies. He previously founded proSapient, an expert network platform, which he built to $40 million in revenue and 300 people across four or five offices before stepping back from the business in 2022. Connect with Jordan: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanshlosberg/ https://recruitwithatlas.com/ Connect with Mark: Free 30-minute strategy call: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter so you never miss an episode.

Emily Audibert billed $1.29 million in 2025. She did it while eight and a half months pregnant with her third child, living in a 750-square-foot cottage for six months during a home renovation with her husband, two young boys, and a 70-pound dog. Emily is the founder of EA Associates, a search firm specializing in go-to-market roles. The year before, she'd billed $800K. She knew she was capable of billing seven figures, but a bad RPO client was quietly eating the difference. She came home from a conference determined to make some changes, fired the client, worked with her sister, Amanda, to overhaul her processes and technology, and by spring had landed a major new contract. In this episode, Emily walks through that whole sequence, along with the early years of her career, including five failed attempts at the same CPA exam before she ever considered recruiting, and the moment she stopped copying her trainer's script and started sounding like herself on the phone. Today, she's off the phone by 4:30 most afternoons to be with her kids, and she explains exactly how her business is built to make that possible. In this episode, you'll discover: How to tell a good RPO from one that's quietly draining your business Why the type of contract you sign never fixes a role that's hard to fill What changed when Emily brought her sister on as her operations partner Why she spend nearly her whole day on the phone and almost nothing else The three things that took her from $80K to $390K in her second year Why a softer, more personal approach outperformed a memorized script The daily habits she leans on to stay calm during a demanding week How half her breakthrough year came from work she was already doing Episode highlights: 02:26 Life with three kids under five 08:13 How 2025 became her breakthrough year 09:01 The RPO client she fired 14:41 Failing the CPA exam five times before finding recruitment 21:54 From $80K to $390K in year two 26:46 Finding her own voice on the phone 46:04 Why hiring her sister as integrator changed everything 52:43 A great RPO versus one you should fire Podcast Partner: This episode is brought to you by Recruiterflow, the AI-first ATS and CRM built for recruitment agencies and search firms. recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow Free Resources: 7-Figure Freedom Scorecard: https://mark-rf1pexbm.scoreapp.com/ Book a Strategy Session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ About Emily: Emily Audibert is the founder of EA Associates, a search firm specializing in go-to-market roles across marketing and sales. She began her career at Hobson Associates, trained under Danny Cahill, and has spent nearly 10 years in recruiting. She was inducted into the Pinnacle Society in 2025. That same year, she billed $1.29 million, up from $800K the year before. Connect with Emily: https://www.linkedin.com/in/emilyaudibert/ https://ea.associates/ Connect with Mark: Free 30-minute strategy call: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter so you never miss an episode.

How many search assignments have you turned down because they were outside your niche, outside your geography, or you simply didn't have the capacity? In this special sponsored panel episode, Mark Whitby is joined by Heather Gardner, Jeff McGraw, and Jen Anderson from NPA Worldwide to discuss how split-fee partnerships help independent recruiters make more placements without taking on more clients. Heather made six split placements in her first year with NPA Worldwide. Jen has completed more than 55 split placements over the past decade. Jeff has been making split placements since 1994. Together, they explain how split fees work, how to build trusted recruiting partnerships, and how collaboration has helped them fill searches they would otherwise have declined. What You'll Learn: How a standard 50/50 split fee works, including the fee paid back to the network What questions to ask before agreeing to work on someone else's job order How Jeff brought a partner onto an intake call and filled an optics engineer role he couldn't have qualified alone How Jen builds trust with a new partner by copying them on every email with the client and candidate How Heather turned six split placements into a steady first year with NPA Worldwide What separates a partner worth working with from one worth turning down Timestamps: 00:00 Why recruiters turn away good search assignments 07:45 How split fee partnerships work 10:43 Heather's first year: six split placements 22:16 Jeff's optics engineer success story 26:10 How to qualify a split opportunity 28:57 The university client Jen won with a partner's help 37:39 Why collaboration beats competition 45:57 What makes a great split recruiting partner Guest Panel Heather Gardner is the owner of High Sierra Talent in California and made six split placements during her first year with NPA Worldwide. Jeff McGraw is with William Charles Search Group in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and has been making split placements through NPA Worldwide since 1994. Jen Anderson is the owner of Prestige Recruiting Firm in Clearwater, Florida. She has been an NPA Worldwide member for 10 years, has completed more than 55 split placements, and currently serves on the NPA Worldwide Americas Board. If you've ever turned down work because it sat outside your specialty, this conversation will change how you think about the next one. This episode is sponsored by NPA Worldwide, a global, member-owned network of independent recruiters built around split fee placements. Learn more about NPA Worldwide: https://npaworldwide.com Mark Whitby: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwhitby/ The Resilient Recruiter: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/podcast/

Michael Chambers didn't come into recruitment through the usual route. Before becoming a recruiter, he spent eight years running a bakery with his mother in Charlotte, North Carolina. Then his father passed away from cancer, leaving behind a recruiting business that had barely gotten started. Michael decided to take it over despite having no recruiting experience. A few years later, after navigating Covid, relocating across the country, and completely changing niches, Michael relaunched his business in manufacturing and battery recruitment across the Southeast United States. By month two, he was billing $100,000 a month as a solo recruiter. His business development strategy is unlike anything we've featured on the podcast before. Michael combines the Dream 100 methodology with personalized market intelligence reports, handwritten notes, LinkedIn videos, voice messages, phone calls, and in-person visits. In one campaign discussed on the show, 25 personalized mailers generated 15 responses and 10 booked conversations. He even shows up at target companies with cakes featuring their logo printed in icing. In this conversation, Michael breaks down exactly how the system works, why he went all-retained after Covid, how he built a niche in the Southeast Battery Belt, and why giving away value before asking for anything has become the foundation of his business. What You'll Learn • How Michael went from bakery owner to a six-figure monthly recruiting desk • Why he switched to a retained-only business model • The complete Dream 100 campaign and follow-up sequence • How personalized market intelligence reports open doors with target clients • Why physical mail still works in a digital world • How AI helps him create highly customized reports efficiently • The thinking behind his two-year replacement guarantee • How he became known as a specialist in battery manufacturing recruitment Timestamps [1:24] Michael's unusual route into recruitment [8:23] Taking over his father's recruiting business [15:21] Starting in 2019 and navigating Covid [17:47] Going all-retained and becoming more selective [21:51] Sending market intelligence before pitching anything [28:14] Relocating and relaunching in the Battery Belt [29:38] Billing $100K/month from month two as a solo recruiter [39:28] Why physical mailers outperform digital outreach [47:22] Dream 100 campaign breakdown: 25 mailers, 15 responses, 10 conversations [53:09] Showing up unannounced with a logo-printed cake [58:59] Inside a 30-page market intelligence report [1:00:38] The two-year replacement guarantee About Michael Chambers Michael Chambers is the founder of The Chambers Group, a retained search firm focused on manufacturing, operations, aerospace, and semiconductor recruitment across the Southeast United States. He entered recruitment in 2019 after taking over the business his father had started before his passing. Today, he specializes in helping manufacturing organizations hire critical leadership and operational talent across the Southeast Battery Belt. Connect with Mark Whitby Free Strategy Session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session 7-Figure Freedom Scorecard: recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

David Jenyns had 15 people on his team when he realized his business still couldn't function without him. Every client wanted him personally. Every escalation came back to him. He was working long hours and couldn't switch off. When he thought about taking time off to be present for the birth of his first child, it filled him with anxiety rather than excitement. "It was a little bit scary when I realized, hey, if I'm not working, the business isn't working." David is the founder of SYSTEMology, a three-times bestselling author of Authority Content, SYSTEMology, and Systems Champion, and a TEDx speaker. He has built and exited multiple businesses and, in 2016, systemized himself out of Melbourne SEO Services by documenting the business, hiring a CEO, and stepping away from day-to-day operations. He has since personally coached 223 businesses across 48 industries and 27 countries. In this conversation, David and Mark explore why founder dependency is so common in recruitment businesses, why it often gets rewarded in the early stages, and how agency owners can break the cycle. David explains the Critical Client Flow, the knowledgeable worker concept, the Systems Champion role, and why documented processes have become even more valuable in the age of AI. In this episode: Why the traits that help build a recruitment business can eventually limit its growth The Critical Client Flow and how to identify the systems that matter most How to distinguish between the work that requires your expertise and the work that doesn't Why key person dependency creates risk beyond just the founder How to capture the knowledge inside your team's heads before it walks out the door The Systems Champion role and how it drives systemization from within How AI can turn recordings into first-draft process documentation Why businesses with documented processes are getting the most out of AI right now What happened when ChatGPT disrupted a quarter of David's business almost overnight Episode Highlights [2:08] Why David's agency became dependent on him despite having 15 team members [4:15] The catalyst: finding out his wife was pregnant [9:03] Why founder dependency gets rewarded in the early stages [13:16] Systemize everything around the magic [19:58] The Critical Client Flow: where to start [25:32] The knowledgeable worker concept [27:41] The Systems Champion role [38:40] Building a Systems Hub for your intellectual property [47:03] How ChatGPT disrupted David's business overnight [49:06] Why process documentation is now the foundation for AI adoption About David Jenyns David Jenyns is the founder of SYSTEMology and a three-times bestselling author. His books, Authority Content, SYSTEMology, and Systems Champion, have been endorsed by Michael Gerber, Gino Wickman, and Allan Dib. A TEDx speaker and serial entrepreneur, he has personally coached 223 businesses across 48 industries and 27 countries. He also hosts the podcast Business Processes Simplified and runs systemHUB, a platform for business process documentation. Connect with David: LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/david-jenyns SYSTEMology: systemology.com systemHUB: systemhub.com Podcast Partner Recruiterflow is an AI-first ATS and CRM built for modern recruitment agencies. Book a demo: recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow Free Resources Seven Figure Freedom Scorecard: recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard Free Strategy Session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Connect with Mark Free 30-minute strategy call: www.recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Twitter: @MarkWhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter: https://plinkhq.com/i/1489513354

Dubai attracts recruiters from all over the world. Louise Vine has spent the last 18 years learning how the market really works. Louise is the founder of Inspire Selection, a specialist finance and accounting recruitment firm based in Dubai. Over the last 13 years, she has built a fully remote business operating on a commission-only model while navigating a market where fee pressure is intense, cultural differences shape every interaction, and jobs can disappear without warning. Last year, 70% of Louise's assignments were either canceled or put on hold. Louise covers the challenges that catch Western recruiters off guard, why agencies charging 8% fees have changed client expectations, and how she introduced engagement fees to protect her team's time. She also explains how her commission-only model works, why only a small percentage of recruiters are suited to it, and what she has learned about hiring, accountability, and building culture in a fully remote business. If you're considering Dubai, exploring commission-only recruitment, or looking for a different way to build a recruitment business, this episode is worth your time. In this episode: How Louise went from Robert Half in the UK to building a recruitment business in Dubai What recruiters need to understand about the realities of the UAE market Why nationality-based salary bands still exist in some organizations How fee pressure impacts recruitment firms across Dubai Why 70% of Louise's jobs went on hold or were canceled last year The engagement fee strategy that changed client behavior The pros and cons of a commission-only recruitment business How to manage performance without micromanaging Building culture and accountability in a remote team Episode Highlights: 00:00 Intro 02:17 Growing up in Yorkshire and how it shaped Louise's resilience 15:51 The Facebook photos that convinced Louise to move to Dubai 17:25 Becoming top biller in her first quarter in Dubai 22:37 Nationality-based salary bands and what they mean for recruiters 27:06 Why 70% of jobs went on hold and how the engagement fee changed things 37:43 The commission-only model: 60-80% payouts, fully remote, no base salary 44:07 The hidden cost of commission-only, most owners don't see coming 46:18 How Louise manages performance without micromanaging 56:30 Why finding the right person for a commission-only model is harder than it sounds 1:03:07 How Louise builds team culture with everyone working from home About Louise Vine Louise Vine is the founder of Inspire Selection, a specialist finance and accounting recruitment agency based in Dubai. She moved to Dubai from England 18 years ago and launched Inspire Selection 13 years ago. Today she leads a team of nine billers and three support staff, all working remotely on a commission-only model. Connect with Louise: Louise on LinkedIn, inspireselection.com Podcast Partners Recruiterflow is an AI-first ATS and CRM built for modern recruitment firms. Find email addresses and phone numbers directly from LinkedIn profiles and manage your entire recruitment workflow in one platform. Book a demo: recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow Free Resources: Take the Recruitment Freedom Scorecard: recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard Book a free Strategy Session with Mark: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Connect with Mark Whitby LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter for weekly interviews with recruitment business owners and search firm leaders.

Rich Rosen is having a strong year. But he's quick to point out that it hasn't come easily. In his words, he's working twice as hard for those results. Rich has completed more than 1,200 placements, been recognized by Forbes as one of America's Top 50 Recruiters for seven consecutive years, and continues to bill over $1 million annually. He also spends more time testing recruiting technology than almost anyone in the industry. Yet despite all the AI tools available today, Rich still spends four to six hours a day speaking with clients and candidates. His concern is that many recruiters are approaching AI the wrong way. Either they use it as a distraction, spending core hours building automations instead of talking to people. Or they save time with AI and then fail to reinvest that time into the activities that actually generate revenue. Rich's view is simple: AI should help recruiters become more productive. The real question is what you do with the time it gives back. In this conversation, Rich shares how he runs his desk in 2025, what's in his tech stack, why disciplined phone time still matters, and what he's learned from producing results in a market he describes as genuinely tough. In this episode: Why are many recruiters getting distracted by AI rather than becoming more productive because of it The one question every recruiter should ask after saving time with automation Rich's current tech stack: Pin.com, Ren Systems, Cluely, Gemini Deep Research, and more How he plans his day the night before, so he's calling from minute one Why does he fire bad clients even in a difficult market and what happens when he does How to identify the clients worth keeping and the ones worth walking away from What the Pinnacle Society conference revealed about where the market really is right now Episode highlights:  [10:03] Why perseverance was the dominant theme at Pinnacle Miami [11:46] Rich's take on AI hype and what companies are actually doing with it [17:57] Why recruiters burn out from underappreciation, not hard work [21:29] How to identify the clients worth keeping and the ones worth walking away from [32:44] The mistake recruiters make after saving time with AI [35:18] His current tech stack and the tools generating the most value [46:38] How AI has changed the workflow of a million-dollar desk [54:17] Why he still spends four to six hours a day on the phone [59:57] Is AI making recruiters more productive or just creating new distractions? About Rich Rosen: Rich Rosen is the founder of Cornerstone Search Group and one of the most accomplished recruiters in the technology sector. Over the course of his career, he has completed more than 1,200 placements and been recognized by Forbes as one of America's Top 50 Recruiters for seven consecutive years. Rich specializes in software sales, sales leadership, sales engineering, and executive-level searches for technology companies ranging from startups to enterprise organizations. He is also a longtime member of the Pinnacle Society, the premier consortium of top-performing recruiters in North America. Connect with Rich: Rich Rosen on LinkedIn Cornerstone Search Group Connect with Mark: Free 30-minute strategy call: www.recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Sam Johnstone has never worked for a recruitment agency. He spent three and a half years selling video technology to agency owners. Then he decided to go and do it himself. Four years in, he has a portfolio of repeat clients and inbound leads from LinkedIn. All built from a cabin on the Scottish coast with a few thousand pounds in the bank. Sam is the founder of Real Recruit, a specialist sales recruitment firm based in Glasgow. He built his entire business around video - using it to prospect for new clients, market roles, screen candidates, and deliver shortlists. It's his single biggest differentiator for winning clients over every other agency they're talking to. In this episode, Sam breaks down his complete video process from first outreach to final shortlist. He explains how a 30-second personalised video and a five-minute callback rule consistently gets prospects to take his call. He explains how filming video job adverts inside client offices builds relationships that standard agencies can't match. And he shares the hiring day model that compresses weeks of interviews into a single afternoon. Sam also covers the harder lessons. A hiring day that cost him money. A client who took 180 days to pay. The payment term changes he made after that. And the monthly recurring revenue model he built to create more predictable income. In this episode you'll discover: The 30-second video formula that gets cold prospects to pick up the phone Why Sam sends personalised videos to multiple decision makers at the same company on the same day How filming a video job advert on-site at a client's office wins repeat business The hiring day model and how to run one Why a client who haggles on your deposit is a red flag How Sam rebuilt his payment terms after a client took 180 days to pay How Clay, SourceWhale, and Claude Cowork replaced LinkedIn Recruiter in his tech stack Episode highlights: [1:18] What a video-first recruitment agency actually means [15:15] The BD routine: personalized videos, watch notifications, calling within five minutes [17:54] The 30-second video formula [22:29] How a Rangers fan story turned into Sam's first big retainer [25:16] Why Sam works on deposit - and what clients receive in return [32:42] The hiring day model explained [43:55] The hiring day that cost Sam money and what he learned [49:32] Getting paid 180 days late - and the changes that followed [1:08:16] Clay, SourceWhale, and Claude Cowork replacing LinkedIn Recruiter If your outreach isn't getting responses, this episode will give you a completely different approach to winning clients. Connect with Sam: LinkedIn: Sam Johnstone Website: realrecruit.co.uk Connect with Mark: Free strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Recruitment business owners are being pitched new tools every single day. Most of it gets bought based on fear of missing out, not because there is a real problem that needs solving. Nitin Sharma is the founder of Rectools IO, an independent directory of recruitment technology, and the host of Rectalk, the most followed recruitment podcast on YouTube with over 100,000 subscribers. He speaks to more recruitment technology companies than almost anyone in the industry while staying completely independent. Before all of that, Nitin built a recruitment agency to 15 people and close to 5 million pounds in revenue. Then it failed. Sitting with an insolvency practitioner, being asked why he did not know the answers to basic questions about his own business, was the moment that shaped everything he does now. In this episode, Nitin shares why most recruitment businesses are buying technology in the wrong order, how to work out what you actually need, and the one question every business owner should ask before spending anything on new tools. You will hear why your business finances almost always mirror your personal finances, the three conversations to have before buying any new tool, how to audit what you already own before spending anything new, and why a CRM with strong back office functionality is the one thing every recruitment business genuinely needs, regardless of size or model. Nitin also breaks down where AI will genuinely replace recruitment work first, how to spot a GPT in a wrapper before you buy it, and why legacy recruitment software is under more threat than most people realize. Episode highlights: 2:19 Building to close to 5 million pounds in revenue and the collapse in December 2023 6:17 The real reasons the agency failed 15:56 Why business finances mirror personal finances 25:47 How Rectools IO and Rectalk became the industry's biggest YouTube channel 31:13 What recruitment business owners should be doing on LinkedIn 46:47 Why legacy recruitment software is under threat 48:10 The recruitment work AI will automate first 49:06 How to spot a GPT in a wrapper 50:53 The one question to ask before buying any recruitment tool 53:38 How to check what you already have before spending anything new 59:48 Why a CRM is the one non-negotiable Connect with Nitin: LinkedIn: Nitin Sharma Website: rectools.io YouTube: Rectalk Podcast Connect with Mark: Free strategy call: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Seven Figure Freedom Scorecard: recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Adding more people is how you grow a recruitment firm. Michelle Lownie spent years believing it. Then she watched it go wrong. Michelle is the CEO and co-founder of Eden Scott, one of Scotland's leading recruitment firms. She started in recruitment in 1989, filing documents and making tea at Melville Craig on a six-week summer contract. She stayed 15 years. In 2003, she co-founded Eden Scott alongside Guy Martin and Chris Logue. Today, Eden Scott generates approximately £25 million in annual revenue with 38 consultants across Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Glasgow. At its peak, the business had nearly 70 people. In this episode, Michelle talks through what it took to rebuild around a smaller, higher-performing team - and how that decision changed everything about how the business runs today. She covers the hiring process Eden Scott uses to find recruiters who don't need managing, why they've stayed on the 360 model for 23 years while everyone else splits desks, and what keeps recruiters at Eden Scott for years in an industry known for high turnover. She also shares what the last 18 months have looked like on the ground in Scotland - and why relationship-led recruitment still matters more than ever. In this episode, you'll learn: How Eden Scott rebuilt from 70 people down to 38 - and what changed How COVID became an opportunity to rebuild around the right people The hiring process - including why interviewers never discuss candidates between stages What Michelle is actually looking for when she makes a hiring decision How their commission and retention structure works, including sabbaticals at 5, 10, and 15 years How the 360 full-desk model still produces a £25 million business What consistent business development actually looks like in practice Episode highlights: [13:39] How COVID forced a complete rethink of the business [17:51] Why Michelle has no interest in scaling back to 70 people [26:29] Why Eden Scott has stayed on the 360 model while others split desks [35:30] The hiring process - and why interviewers don't discuss candidates between stages [45:11] The retention strategies that keep consultants at Eden Scott for years [52:18] Why good recruiters don't need to be pushed This episode is sponsored by Recruiterflow - an AI-first ATS and CRM built for recruiters who want to spend less time on admin and more time on relationships. See it in action at recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow. About Michelle Lownie: Michelle Lownie is the CEO and co-founder of Eden Scott, one of Scotland's leading recruitment firms with annual revenue of approximately £25 million. She began her career in 1989 at Melville Craig and co-founded Eden Scott in 2003 alongside Guy Martin and Chris Logue. The firm operates across Edinburgh, Aberdeen, and Glasgow with 38 consultants. Connect with Michelle: LinkedIn: Michelle Lownie Website: edenscott.com Connect with Mark: Free 30-minute strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markwhitby Follow on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Sourcing frustration is usually diagnosed as a volume problem. Not enough candidates in the funnel. Not enough searches. Not enough outreach. Steven Lu thinks it's the opposite problem. Steven is the co-founder and CEO of Pin.com and the founder of Interseller, a recruiting outreach platform that helped place over 40,000 candidates before being acquired by Greenhouse in 2021. After two years inside Greenhouse studying the top of the recruiting funnel, he launched PIN to solve a specific, persistent problem: the candidates most worth finding are the ones current sourcing tools miss. In this episode, Steven explains why 30% of top talent is essentially invisible in LinkedIn searches. He breaks down how PIN's shadow resume technology rebuilds candidate profiles from external data to surface people who've never described themselves online. He also shares the outreach approach that generates 30 to 40% response rates, the exact sequence he recommends (3 emails and 2 LinkedIn touches), and the four most common mistakes that quietly destroy deliverability. The bigger picture matters for every recruiter working in an increasingly noisy market. The era of high-volume outreach is coming to an end. Email providers are measuring engagement signals. Spam filters are getting sharper. The recruiters who win over the next two or three years will be the ones who source fewer candidates, make each one count, and treat every outreach like it's going to the one person who can fill the role. This is a practical conversation about what's changing in sourcing and how to address it. In this episode, you'll learn: Why the most qualified candidates rarely appear in standard keyword searches How PIN's shadow resume makes unfindable candidates findable What PIN's autopilot mode does and how to set it up with just two inputs Why you should cap your outreach sequence at five steps The four most damaging outreach mistakes recruiters make Why including a Google Doc link beats pasting the job description every time How to structure omnichannel outreach across email and LinkedIn Why the top 1% of billers operate from a very short candidate Rolodex Episode highlights: [3:49] From Interseller to Greenhouse to PIN - Steven's journey [9:34] The talent curve: why top candidates don't show up in search [13:36] PIN's North Star KPI: 7 out of 10 candidates accepted [27:32] Autopilot mode: 50 candidates sourced for you every weekday [37:34] Why volume sourcing is running out of road [44:57] The four outreach mistakes killing your response rates [49:50] The 5-step sequence Steven recommends [1:04:12] How the top 1% of billers think about their candidate pipeline Guest bio: Steven Lu is the co-founder and CEO of Pin.com. He previously founded Interseller, which helped place over 40,000 candidates before being acquired by Greenhouse in 2021. He spent two years at Greenhouse before launching PIN in December 2024. Steven is based in Brooklyn, New York. Connect with Steven: Pin.com - book a free demo or start a free trial Connect with Mark: Free 30-minute strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Follow on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

What does it take to build a search process that has a VP of HR saying they've never seen anything like it? Darwin Shurig built a $2.5 million medtech recruiting firm with $1.2 million in personal production. Then in one quarter, eight of his nine top clients stopped using external recruiters. Revenue collapsed. His team disappeared. His 17-year marriage ended in the same period. What he built on the other side changed how he runs every search. His process replaces the standard job description with a short video interview between the recruiter and the hiring manager. Qualified candidates see the role in the manager's own words before a single formal interview is scheduled. On the hiring side, the manager receives the candidate's personal why on video, written samples, and personality profiling. Both sides walk into the first conversation already informed. A VP of HR, after seeing it, told Darwin his firm had just paid $97,000 for an executive search and received resumes and scheduling. "We didn't get anything like this." In this episode, Darwin breaks down the collapse, the lessons, and the process he built from scratch — including two specific things every recruiter can use this week with no software required. In this episode, you'll discover: Why eight of nine clients can vanish in one quarter and what it exposes about your business model The three root causes of underperformance most agency owners never diagnose Why personal why has to match company why when hiring, or it breaks when things get hard How a hiking idea became a platform that's changing how retained search is delivered The hiring manager video that replaces the job description and why candidates respond differently "How Darwin's process consistently delivers results that clients say they've never experienced before Two things you can apply this week with whatever tools you already have Episode highlights: 0:00 Intro 1:41 How Darwin built a $2.5M firm, then lost it 5:43 Eight of nine clients stop overnight 11:16 What the collapse taught him 22:05 The hedgehog lesson: too many projects, not enough oxygen 28:15 Why misaligned values break down when things get hard 36:39 Managing your own business vs. someone else's money 40:48 The expectation failure: "Nobody ever told me." 44:22 The hike that became a platform idea 47:48 Inside Top Talent Accelerant: the hiring manager video 53:59 How the platform is being commercialized 1:05:54 The $97K fee moment 1:11:20 Two things you can use this week Guest bio: Darwin Shurig is the founder of Top Talent Accelerant, a medical device and medtech executive search firm. He built the firm to $2.5 million in revenue with $1.2 million in personal production before a sector-wide downturn in 2023 disrupted the business. He is a Pinnacle Society member, author of Modern Day Job, an Amazon bestseller published in 2024, and is currently writing a second book on talent management strategy. Connect with Darwin: Email: darwin@toptalentaccelerant.com LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darwin-shurig/ Website: https://www.toptalentaccelerant.com/ Connect with Mark: Free 30-minute strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

He nearly quit after 7 months. Zero placements. Nothing working. He packed his things into a cardboard box, walked toward the door, and heard his colleagues talking about him behind his back. What they said stopped him. He turned around, sat back down, and made two placements by the end of that week. That was 1982. He never left. In this episode, Rich breaks down the daily habits behind 44 years of consistent billings. He’s used the handwritten planner for nearly 40 years. Why does he track talk time instead of call volume? And the old-school business development strategy most recruiters have abandoned. Rich is the founder of Team Bradley and a Pinnacle Society member for nearly 30 years. He’s billed $28 million personally. At 67, working solo alongside his wife, he’s still going strong. This isn’t about talent. It’s about cadence, commitment, and building a career you actually want to keep. If you’re wondering whether you can sustain this long term, this episode will change how you think about the business. Resources Mentioned 👉 Find out exactly where your recruitment business is getting stuck. Take the free 7-Figure Freedom Scorecard in under 10 minutes: https://recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard Sponsors 👉 Same team, same market — but 30% more productive. Recruiterflow is an AI-first ATS and CRM built for recruitment agencies and search firms. Book a demo: https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow 👉 One 30-minute session per month gives you 30 days of LinkedIn video content — fully edited and ready to post. Built for busy recruiters: https://recruitmentcoach.com/video What You'll Learn Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:00:59 44 years in recruiting and $28 million billed — he nearly quit after 7 months 00:05:10 Growing up with abusive, alcoholic parents and running away from home at 15 00:06:21 The voice that drove him for years: "You're never going to amount to anything." 00:17:08 Six months with no placements, and the manager who refused to let him quit 00:19:38 The cardboard box moment, what he overheard walking out the door 00:21:33 Two placements in one week and what total commitment actually looks like 00:25:15 Success is cadence, not luck, the daily planning habit he's used for 40 years 00:32:09 Filling jobs versus placing applicants: the philosophy behind a client-driven business 00:39:02 Why he measures talk time, not call volume, and his daily target 00:42:22 Why reference checks are his primary business development strategy 00:53:25 Polite, professional, persistent, and why that's enough 00:56:18 The cancer diagnosis that reshaped everything and why it happened twice 01:10:28 Still targeting $600K-$700K a year, working solo, at 67 About The Resilient Recruiter The Resilient Recruiter is hosted by Mark Whitby and is one of the top recruiting podcasts in the world, with over 520,000 downloads across 34 countries. Every week, Mark interviews recruitment agency owners, executive search leaders, and top billers to uncover what's actually working in today's market. Connect with Rich Bradley LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbradley/ Team Bradley website: https://teambradley.com/ Connect with Mark Whitby Free 30-minute strategy call: https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recruitmentcoach/ 👍 Subscribe if you’re serious about building a recruitment career that actually lasts.

Carol Ann Wentworth lost her business, her home, and nearly everything she owned in 2008. Within 10 days of clarifying her next step, three recruiting firms reached out. She had a job offer in two weeks. That same clarity is what built Wentworth Executive Recruiting into a ten-year retained practice with a 94% retention rate. She made 48 placements with one Silicon Valley client and supported their growth through to IPO. She works with five core clients. Two keep her consistently busy. That's the model. In this episode, Carol Ann breaks down the exact process behind her retention rate, the mindset framework she used to rebuild after losing everything, and what a sustainable recruiting practice actually looks like after 35 years in executive search. This is a different way to build a recruitment business. If you're building one and wondering whether scaling is the only path to success, this is worth your time. What you'll learn: • Why Carol Ann sends three candidates per search instead of thirty, and what that demands upfront • The two-hour candidate interview process that produces a 94% retention rate • How she uses social media screening to assess candidates beyond the CV • The clarity, commitment, and consistency framework she used to rebuild after the 2008 crash • The difference between ego and confidence — and why it matters when everything falls apart • What a sustainable retained practice looks like after ten years • Why scaling isn't the only model for a successful recruiting business Timestamps: Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:54 From international modeling agency founder at 26 to executive search 00:06:00 Relationships and curiosity: the foundations of early success 00:14:40 The mindful recruiting methodology and what real listening looks like 00:15:39 A 94% retention rate and the process that produces it 00:17:00 The two-hour candidate interview: what she asks and what she's listening for 00:21:01 Social media screening: what Carol Ann looks for and why 00:26:15 Ten-year anniversary of Wentworth Executive Recruiting and the 2008 crash that came first 00:35:14 Losing a business, a home, and nearly everything and landing a job in two weeks 00:38:50 Ego vs. confidence: why the distinction matters in a crisis 00:41:04 Clarity, commitment, consistency the framework she used to rebuild 00:55:36 A Mindful Career: how the book came about Listen to the full episode: https://recruitmentcoach.com/podcast/ Resources Mentioned 👉 Take the 7-Figure Recruitment Business Scorecard — get a clear snapshot of where you are today and what to focus on next: https://recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard A Mindful Career by Carol Ann and Eric Wentworth — available on Amazon Sponsors Recruiterflow — your team is sitting on a goldmine of candidate and client insights. Most of it gets lost after the call. Recruiterflow captures, transcribes, and structures those conversations automatically so you can actually use that data: https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow Trusted Voice Video — if you want clients coming to calls already sold on working with you, video is one of the fastest ways to get there. Create 30 days of content in just 30 minutes, no scripts or awkward takes. Book a call: https://recruitmentcoach.com/video Connect with Carol Ann Wentworth: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolannwentworth Website: https://wentworthexecutiverecruiting.co Connect with Mark Whitby: Free 30-minute strategy session: https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recruitmentcoach/ 👍 Subscribe for weekly interviews with recruiters and search firm leaders building businesses that last. #ExecutiveSearch #RecruitmentBusiness #RecruitmentPodcast #RetainedSearch #RecruiterMindset #RecruitmentAgency #RecruiterSuccess #RecruitmentStrategy #RecruitmentCoach #HowToRecruit #RecruitmentTips #SearchFirm

What if your next placement paid $100,000… …but took two years to close? Most recruiters, especially in contingency recruiting or running a recruitment agency, wouldn’t go near that model. Darci Smith built her entire business around it. She specializes in moving financial advisors between firms, often transferring hundreds of millions in assets. These are high-stakes, long-cycle deals where trust matters more than speed. In this episode, Darci breaks down how she makes it work. From charging a $5,000 upfront fee, to building a social following that generated $150K in year one, to positioning herself so clients find her through AI search. This is a different way to build a recruitment business. Slower deals. Bigger fees. Stronger relationships. What You’ll Learn Chapters 00:00:00 Why $100K placements take years to close 00:04:09 How Darci got into recruiting 00:09:01 Becoming a top biller through in-person meetings 00:14:25 Choosing a niche with no prior experience 00:18:43 Starting her business with cold calling 00:24:49 How financial advisor transition fees work 00:31:01 Building a 300K+ social following 00:32:16 Making $150K from career coaching 00:44:35 The power of niching down 00:47:35 How she gets found on ChatGPT 00:49:49 The $5K upfront “contained” model 00:55:39 Staying involved after the placement This episode is brought to you by: Recruiterflow — an AI-first ATS and CRM that monitors your database and alerts you when contacts change jobs. Book a demo: https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow Trusted Voice Video — a done-for-you video service that helps you create 30 days of content in just 30 minutes a month. Book a free strategy call: https://recruitmentcoach.com/video Connect with Mark Whitby: * Free 30-minute strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session * Free scorecard: recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard * Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markwhitby * Follow on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach 👍 If you found this episode useful, subscribe for weekly interviews with top recruitment business owners and search firm leaders. #recruitment #recruiter #executivesearch #recruitmentbusiness #staffing #recruitmentpodcast #recruitmentcoach #sales #b2b

He built a $4M recruitment firm. Then chose not to scale it. Seb Sharpe grew Inventure to $4 million in seven years. Profitable every quarter. Retained and exclusive from day one. A clear niche in renewable energy. Then he made a move most agency owners avoid. Instead of hiring more recruiters and scaling headcount, he started building a platform for what comes next. In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter, Seb breaks down the KPI that made revenue predictable, how to qualify roles so clients stay accountable, and why he believes the recruitment industry is shifting toward more independent, entrepreneurial recruiters. If you own a recruitment agency or executive search firm and want to build more predictable revenue, win more retained clients, and understand where the recruitment industry is heading, this conversation is worth your time. Seb covers how to grow a recruitment business sustainably, the retained search strategy behind Inventure's consistent profitability, and how AI is reshaping recruitment agency operations right now. *What You'll Learn in This Episode* Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:02:38 How Seb built a $1M business in year one 00:09:33 Why niching into renewable energy changed everything 00:13:34 The imposter syndrome behind early growth 00:15:05 The academy model for hiring and training 00:22:44 Landing a $30K retainer on day one 00:31:29 The KPI that predicts your revenue 00:33:51 How to calculate the value of a first-time interview 00:36:27 Why most recruiters lose control of searches 00:44:06 Why Seb is building Generate 00:53:26 The EXP Realty model and the future of recruiting 00:58:27 How AI is changing mid-funnel execution 01:09:57 Mark's key takeaways Subscribe for weekly interviews with top recruitment leaders. *Resources and Links* Not sure what's slowing your agency's growth? Take the free Recruitment Scorecard: https://recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard Recruiterflow (Sponsor): The AI-first operating system for recruitment agencies and executive search firms. https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow Trusted Voice Video: Build stronger candidate pipelines and improve screening with video. #recruitment #recruiter #executivesearch #staffing #recruitmentbusiness #recruitmentagency #aiinrecruitment #headhunting #recruiterlife

From $400K to Zero. Then nothing for six months. Harrison Wright launched his recruitment business and billed nearly $400,000 in his first six months. Then the market turned. Hiring froze. Searches disappeared. He was burning $30,000 a month just to stay afloat. Most recruiters would respond by doing more. More calls. More CVs. More pressure. He did exactly that. It didn’t work. So he rebuilt the business. Today, he runs a retained model with an interview-to-placement ratio of over 2:1 and clients worth more than $350,000 over time. After shifting into institutional crypto, he’s on track for $1.2M to $1.6M in 2025. In this episode, we break down: * What actually changed after the crash * Why more activity wasn’t the answer * How he qualifies candidates before a CV gets sent * The process behind a 2:1 interview-to-placement ratio * Why he doesn’t pitch the job on the first call * How positioning attracts retained clients Timestamps Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:01:06 From zero to $400K in six months 00:01:21 The crash: no revenue and $30K monthly burn 00:09:26 Why the craft of recruiting has been lost 00:13:17 The 2.16-to-1 interview-to-placement ratio 00:15:14 The 90-minute candidate interview 00:21:37 Why pitching first creates problems later 00:27:14 Front-loading vs back-loading 00:35:42 Building positioning from scratch 00:45:50 Choosing the right clients 00:49:10 The institutional crypto pivot 01:00:46 What a retained proposal looks like Not sure what's slowing your agency's growth? Take the free Recruitment Scorecard: 👉 https://recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard Sponsors Recruiterflow is the AI-first operating system for recruitment agencies and executive search firms. It combines a powerful ATS and CRM with AI built directly into your workflows, helping your team focus on conversations and decisions while the system handles the heavy lifting. 👉 https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow Trusted Voice Video Trusted helps recruitment firms build high-quality candidate pipelines using video. If you're hiring or placing at scale, video can improve engagement, screening, and conversion. 👉 https://recruitmentcoach.com/video Listen to the full episode: https://recruitmentcoach.com/podcast/ 👍 Don’t forget to subscribe for more interviews with top recruitment leaders every week. #recruitment #recruitmentagency #executivesearch #recruitmentbusiness #recruitmentpodcast #recruitmentstrategy #staffing #recruiterlife

A 12-month guarantee on every placement. That's almost unheard of in recruitment. Most agencies offer three months. Some stretch to six. Lewis Waitt and Jessica Multhauf guarantee their hires for an entire year, and more than 90% of their placements are still in the role after 12 months. That level of confidence doesn't come from luck. It comes from a recruiting process built very differently from most agencies. Aliniti didn't start as a recruitment firm. It began as an HR and organizational development consultancy working closely with privately held and family-owned businesses. Recruiting came later, growing naturally from long-term advisory relationships with clients who needed help hiring. That consulting-first approach changes everything, from how they define the role, to how they run the search, to what happens after the candidate starts. In this episode, we break down: * Why Aliniti offers a 12-month guarantee on every placement * How their consulting background changed the way they recruit * The 90-minute role clarity session they run before every search * Why recruiters should stay involved long after the candidate starts * How multiple service lines create stability in a recruitment business * How long-term advisory relationships turn into consistent search work If you want to differentiate your recruitment firm and build deeper client partnerships, this episode shows how. *Timestamps* Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:09 How Aliniti started and why recruiting grew out of HR consulting 00:06:37 Lewis joins the firm as the founder's son-in-law 00:09:29 Jess's path from opera singer to recruitment leader 00:13:30 The "four-leg chair" business model 00:15:52 The retained HR model that stabilised the business 00:19:31 Why deep client knowledge improves search outcomes 00:28:24 The role clarity process before every search 00:33:49 Handling unrealistic salary expectations and "purple squirrel" briefs 00:38:56 Why Aliniti offers a 12-month guarantee 00:45:37 The onboarding process that improves retention 00:57:57 Vision for the next three years 01:01:00 Why the firm uses profit sharing instead of commission *Not sure what's slowing your agency's growth?* Take the free Seven Figure Freedom Scorecard: 👉 https://recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard Trusted Voice Video – build authority through consistent short-form content: 👉 https://recruitmentcoach.com/video *Sponsor* Recruiterflow – the AI-first operating system for recruitment agencies and executive search firms. Recruiterflow combines a powerful ATS and CRM with AI built directly into your workflows, helping recruiters focus on conversations and decisions while the system handles the heavy lifting. 👉 https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow *Resources Mentioned* Aliniti: https://www.aliniti.com Lewis Waitt: https://www.linkedin.com/in/lewiswaitt/ Jessica Multhauf: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jmulthauf/ 👍 Don't forget to subscribe for more interviews with top recruitment leaders every week. Your follow helps us reach more recruiters who want to build smarter, more profitable businesses. #RecruitmentPodcast #RecruitmentAgency #ExecutiveSearch #RecruitmentBusiness #RecruiterTraining #RecruitmentLeadership #HiringStrategy #RecruitmentGrowth #SearchFirm #RecruitmentSuccess

One placement can be a transaction. Or it can be the start of a long-term enterprise relationship. Most recruiters treat it like the first. Brendan Thomas built his career on the second. He started recruiting at 36, got fired after his first $60,000 placement, and joined a new agency six months later with two clients. By the end of that year, he had built over $600,000 in billings. Six years later, he has generated more than $5 million in lifetime billings, averaged $1 million per year, and qualified for the CEO Club every quarter. In this episode, we break down: • How to win enterprise clients that most recruiters avoid • How to approach hiring managers before HR blocks you • The three responses you’ll get from Talent Acquisition - and how to handle each • How to expand one placement into long-term recurring revenue • What discipline actually looks like on a $1M desk If you want to move beyond one-off transactions and build strategic client relationships, this episode gives you the framework. Timestamps00:00 Intro Chapters 00:00:00 The $60K placement that got him fired 00:01:01 Restarting and billing $600K in six months 00:03:25 Starting recruitment at 36 00:10:53 Ignoring advice to avoid enterprise 00:23:16 Why enterprise accounts are harder and worth it 00:28:15 Going to hiring managers before HR 00:35:38 The three HR responses 00:54:15 Expanding accounts the right way 01:03:23 What "uptime" really means Not sure what’s slowing your agency’s growth? Take the free Seven Figure Freedom Scorecard: 👉 recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard Recruiterflow – the AI-first operating system built for recruitment agencies: 👉 recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow Trusted Voice Video – build authority through consistent short-form content: 👉 recruitmentcoach.com/video Resources MentionedHow to Get Access to Hiring Managers Without Alienating HR https://recruitmentcoach.com/how-to-get-access-to-hiring-managers-without-alienating-hr/ Recruiterflow - AI-first operating system for recruitment agencies https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow 👍 Subscribe for weekly conversations with elite recruitment business owners, search leaders, and top billers. Your follow helps us reach more recruiters who want to build smarter, more profitable businesses. #RecruitmentPodcast #RecruitmentAgency #RecruiterTraining #ExecutiveSearch #EnterpriseRecruiting #RecruitmentBusiness #MillionDollarBiller #RecruiterGrowth #BusinessDevelopment #RecruitmentStrategy

I can’t keep making $40,000. That’s what Larissa Gerlach told her manager in year one of recruitment. She was making 200+ calls a week. Hitting the activity metrics. Doing everything she was told to do. And still unsure whether she would make it. Three years later, she was President’s Club. Soon after, the CFO of a private equity-backed recruiting firm emailed her: “What are you doing — and how do we replicate it across 25 offices?” That question became a national recruiter training programme. And it reveals a bigger truth: Most recruitment agencies believe in training. Very few build a system that consistently produces top billers. This episode answers one critical question: Why do most recruiter training programmes fail — even when activity is high? In this conversation, Larissa breaks down: • The 200-calls-per-week discipline that changed her trajectory • Why knowledge doesn’t translate into live performance • What a real training playbook looks like — from binder to LMS • Why daily role plays accelerate billings • The three reasons founders struggle to build structured training • Why cohort-based learning outperforms one-to-one onboarding • How to reduce ramp-up time and build $2M+ billers If you’re building a recruitment agency and want consultants billing faster, progressing quicker, and performing consistently, this is a masterclass in building performance systems. Chapters Chapters 00:00:00 Introduction 00:03:56 From fashion sales to recruitment after the 2009 recession 00:08:37 The $40,000 first year and the meeting where she nearly quit 00:12:35 Why most recruiters struggle in year one — and what actually starts to click 00:22:15 The 200-calls-per-week discipline that separated her from everyone else 00:25:25 “You always heard Larissa’s voice” — building momentum through visible activity 00:26:07 The CFO email that led to building a national sales training programme 00:28:17 What the playbook actually looked like — from three-ring binder to full LMS 00:35:51 Why daily role plays create elite performers 00:41:38 Why role plays aren’t just for new starters — they should run your entire career 00:44:14 The deliberate moves she made before launching her own firm 00:47:41 Why Vibrant Talent works retained and RPO only from day one 01:05:49 The three reasons most founders struggle to train their teams 01:10:29 Why group cohorts outperform one-on-one onboarding Resources & Tools Mentioned Want a structured 18-week recruiter training system for your team? 👉 recruitmentcoach.com/training Not sure what’s slowing your agency’s growth? Take the free Seven Figure Freedom Scorecard: 👉 recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard Recruiterflow – the AI-first operating system built for recruitment agencies: 👉 recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow Trusted Voice Video – build authority through consistent short-form content: 👉 recruitmentcoach.com/video Connect with LarissaLinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/larissagerlach Work With Mark Whitby Book a free strategy session: https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session LinkedIn: https://linkedin.com/in/mwhitby If you’re serious about building a high-performance recruitment business, subscribe for weekly conversations with elite agency owners, search leaders, and top billers. Each episode breaks down what actually drives billings, growth, and long-term resilience in recruitment. Your follow helps us reach more recruiters who want to build smarter, more profitable businesses.

AI in recruitment was supposed to make hiring faster, smarter, and more efficient. Greg Savage believes it has made recruitment harder. Fraud at scale. Inflated CVs. AI screening tools producing just 14% shortlist overlap. And automation that speeds up broken recruitment processes instead of fixing them. In Episode 300 of _The Resilient Recruiter,_ we break down AI in recruitment, the future of recruitment agencies, retained vs contingent recruitment, and what recruitment agency owners must do to stay relevant in an AI-driven market. Greg was my very first guest back in 2019. In 2023, he made a series of bold predictions about how AI would reshape recruitment. Two years later? Those predictions were “scarily accurate.” But in some areas, things have accelerated even faster than expected. Greg has built four recruitment businesses. He’s the author of _The Savage Truth_ (20,000+ copies sold). He’s spent five decades watching the recruitment and executive search industry evolve. His view? AI hasn’t simplified recruitment. It has raised the bar. Episode Timeline00:00 Intro Chapters 00:00:00 The biggest threat — and opportunity — in decades 00:02:14 Why the contingent, multi-listed perm model is under pressure 00:06:34 The 14% shortlist overlap test in AI screening 00:08:32 What “automating dysfunction” really means 00:26:20 The highest ROI AI opportunity for recruitment agencies 00:30:43 Four questions to ask before buying any AI tool 00:54:04 The rise of the “techno-empath” recruiter What You’ll Learn About AI in RecruitmentThis is a strategic conversation about recruitment agency growth, retained search, executive search, and how to scale a recruitment business in an AI-driven environment. Why AI Is Making Recruitment Harder• The 14% shortlist overlap between major AI screening tools • Research suggesting around 40% of tech candidates have inflated resumes • What “automating dysfunction” looks like in recruitment agencies • The four questions every recruitment business owner should ask before investing in AI Which Recruitment Models Will Survive• Why the contingent, multi-listed recruitment model is under pressure • Why retained search and executive search are positioned to grow • The recruitment business models likely to thrive over the next five years • Why recruiters must sell decision-making, not just placements What Recruitment Leaders Must Master Next• The highest ROI AI opportunity: activating and cleaning your recruitment database • Why “techno-empath” recruiters will win • The moments of truth in recruitment that must never be automated • The skills that will define high-performing recruiters in an AI-driven market Why Episode 300 MattersSix years ago, when I launched this recruitment podcast, Greg Savage was my very first guest. Since then, we’ve lived through a global pandemic, a hiring boom, a market correction, and now the fastest wave of AI adoption in recruitment. Episode 300 is less about tools — and more about leadership, positioning, and building a recruitment agency that stays relevant in a changing market. Greg SavageGreg Savage is the founder of four recruitment businesses and the author of two best-selling books, including _The Savage Truth._ He has spent five decades in recruitment and executive search and is widely regarded as one of the industry’s most direct voices on leadership and the future of work. Savage Recruitment Academy: https://thesra.co/ SponsorThis episode is proudly sponsored by Recruiterflow. Recruiterflow is an end-to-end, AI-first ecosystem built to run and scale your recruitment business. It combines ATS, CRM, sequencing, data enrichment, marketing automation, and AI agents in one platform. Many recruitment agency owners use Recruiterflow to improve visibility, accountability, and performance. Book a demo here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow If you run a recruitment agency, executive search firm, or staffing business and want to stay ahead of AI in recruitment, subscribe to _The Resilient Recruiter_ for weekly conversations with leading recruitment entrepreneurs.

Why do some recruiters close retained work in a single meeting while others pitch for weeks and still lose to contingent competitors? In this episode of *The Resilient Recruiter,* Mark Whitby sits down with *James O’Brien,* Managing Director and COO at i-intro, to unpack what really separates recruiters who win retained and exclusive work from those stuck chasing job orders. James has been in recruitment since the late 1980s and has spent the last decade helping agencies transition from contingent recruitment to retained search. His clients consistently outperform the market, achieving *96% one-year retention* and *93% of placements still in role after two years.* This conversation isn’t about pitching harder or discounting fees. It’s about changing the _dynamic_ of the client conversation by reframing hiring around risk, retention, and accountability. If you’re tired of competing with multiple agencies for the same role and want clients to see you as a trusted advisor rather than a supplier, this episode will change how you run client meetings. What You’ll Learn in This Episode: * Why recruitment isn’t the real problem — retention is * The three questions that expose hidden hiring failure * How to justify higher fees by measuring retention * Why most recruiters lose retained work in the preparation, not the pitch * How to show value instead of describing your process * What accountability really looks like beyond the placement * Why retained work is won before you walk into the meeting Timestamps:00:00 Why most recruiters struggle to win retained work Chapters 00:00:00 Why transactional recruitment is dying 00:10:13 Recruitment’s not the problem. Retention is 00:13:34 How to measure retention and monetize better outcomes 00:18:00 The three questions that reveal a 20–30% hiring failure rate 00:32:23 Why “wow” should be your standard in client meetings 00:36:35 The preparation process that wins retained work 00:45:00 Why proposals still matter (and when to send them) 00:59:03 Accountability beyond the placement and why guarantees work *Listen to the full episode:* https://recruitmentcoach.com/podcast/ SponsorThis episode is brought to you by *Recruiterflow* — an end-to-end, AI-first recruitment platform that helps recruiters run and scale their business. Recruiterflow combines ATS, CRM, sequencing, data enrichment, marketing automation, and AI agents in one streamlined system. Learn more or request a demo at recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow 👍 *If you found this episode helpful, don't forget to subscribe for more interviews with top recruitment leaders every week.* Your follow helps us reach more recruiters who want to grow their business and win more retained work. *GUEST BIO* James O'Brien is the Managing Director and COO at i-intro. Since the late 1980s, he has worked across every part of the recruitment industry and now helps recruitment firms transition from contingent to retained and exclusive search. His work focuses on retention, accountability, and elevating recruiters from job fillers to trusted talent advisors.

Why do some recruiters get ghosted while others hear: *“I never respond to recruiters, but I had to respond to you”?* In this episode of *The Resilient Recruiter,* Mark Whitby is joined by *Theresa Nordstrom,* founder of Talent Company, to break down what _actually_ makes candidates respond in today’s noisy recruitment market. Before launching her own search firm, Theresa spent nearly 20 years as an HR leader. At one company, she cut agency spend by over $700,000 by building creative employee referral programs and filling roles in-house. Then she crossed to the agency side. Her biggest insight? *Job descriptions don’t recruit talent. Stories do.* In this conversation, Theresa explains why messaging beats volume, how video cuts through candidate noise, and how recruiters can get better responses without being pushy, salesy, or sending more messages. If you’re tired of candidates ignoring your outreach, this episode will change how you think about recruiting. 🎧 *Listen to the full episode on the podcast:* https://recruitmentcoach.com/podcast/ What You’ll Learn in This Episode * Why candidates ignore most recruiter outreach * How storytelling outperforms job descriptions * How to get candidates to self-select early * Why proof of progression beats vague culture claims * How recruiters can use video without being polished * What most employee referral programs get wrong * Why detailed submittals increase interview ratios * How to use AI to elevate quality without losing judgment Timestamps00:00 Intro Chapters 00:00:00 Why Theresa left a 20-year HR career to start her own search firm 00:06:41 The Harley Davidson referral program that saved hundreds of thousands in agency fees 00:09:22 How to elicit the story behind a role candidates actually care about 00:12:32 Why progression examples close candidates better than culture claims 00:17:09 The key to employee referral programs that actually work 00:23:21 How to partner with HR without getting blocked 00:32:26 Theresa’s lean team structure and why she avoids the typical VA model 00:38:26 Why results-driven work beats traditional business development 00:44:20 The video outreach approach that makes candidates stop and respond 00:55:03 Why detailed submittals win more placements 00:58:34 Mixing retained, exclusive, and selective contingent work Sponsor: Recruiterflow This episode is brought to you by *Recruiterflow.* Recruiterflow is an AI-first ATS and CRM built specifically for recruitment agencies and executive search firms. It combines ATS, CRM, sequencing, data enrichment, marketing automation, and AI agents in one intuitive platform. Many recruitment leaders in our coaching community use Recruiterflow to move faster, onboard new hires more easily, and spend more time having real conversations with clients and candidates. 👉 Learn more or request a demo at: https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow About the Guest *Theresa Nordstrom* is the founder of Talent Company, an executive search firm specialising in accounting, finance, HR, and C-suite roles. Before launching her firm in 2015, she spent nearly 20 years as an HR leader, where she became known for creative employee referral programs that dramatically reduced agency spend. Her work today centres on storytelling, video outreach, and presenting candidates in ways that make hiring decisions easier. 👍 *Don’t forget to subscribe* for weekly interviews with top recruitment leaders, agency owners, and executive search professionals. #RecruitmentPodcast #RecruitmentAgency #ExecutiveSearch #RecruiterGrowth #CandidateEngagement #VideoOutreach

Why do some recruitment agencies collapse when the market turns, while others keep growing? Gerard Koolen has lived through three major crises: the 2008 financial crash, COVID-19, and the war in Ukraine. Each time, his recruitment business didn’t just survive. It grew. In this episode of _The Resilient Recruiter,_ Gerard explains why growth in tough markets has nothing to do with working harder. It comes down to how your agency is built. Gerard is the founder of Lugera, a recruitment agency with 11 offices, over 500 employees, and €243 million in annual revenue. Instead of relying on a single service line, he built what he calls an *“all-seasons service portfolio”* with eight revenue streams. When permanent hiring slowed, outplacement surged. When clients froze recruitment, other services took over. We break down exactly how the model works, why most agencies monetise only 0.2% of their candidate database, and how technology allowed Gerard to replace the work of 30 people with one part-time role. If you’re a recruitment agency owner or search firm leader who wants a business that can grow in any market, this episode will challenge how you think about revenue, systems, and resilience. What you’ll learn in this episode: * Why Lugera grew 20% during the 2008 recession * What an “all-seasons service portfolio” looks like in practice * Why most agencies monetise only 0.2% of their candidates * How eight revenue streams reduce risk and smooth cash flow * Why your ATS may be limiting your growth without you realising * How automation replaced 30 staff with one part-time role * Why outplacement becomes powerful when hiring stops Timestamps:00:00 Why some agencies grow in any market Chapters 00:00:00 Growing through the 2008 financial crisis 00:05:53 The all-seasons service portfolio 00:08:01 Monetising the 99% of candidates you never place 00:14:34 The real cost of building the technology 00:19:42 Why most ATS platforms restrict growth 00:27:02 Doubling placements without doubling effort 00:31:33 Turning outplacement into a €1M revenue stream 00:45:25 Automated outreach that converts job ads into leads SponsorThis episode is brought to you by *Recruiterflow.* Recruiterflow is an AI-first ATS and CRM built to help recruitment businesses run and scale more efficiently. It combines ATS, CRM, sequencing, data enrichment, marketing automation, and AI agents in one platform. Many leaders in our coaching community rely on Recruiterflow to streamline operations and improve execution. Learn more or request a demo at *recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow* 👍 *Don’t forget to subscribe* for more interviews with top recruitment leaders every week.

Why do some recruiters stay stuck on contingent work while others quietly shift a large part of their business to retained without pitching harder or sounding salesy? James Cairns found the answer the hard way. James left a stable corporate finance career to start a boutique search firm with no agency experience, no local network, and just $30,000 in savings. His first year was brutal. Three placements. Borrowed money. Serious doubts about whether he’d made a huge mistake. Then one summer night, sitting on his back porch, James made a decision that changed everything. He eliminated Plan B. From that moment on, momentum followed. Today, James runs The CSP Group, a highly respected finance and accounting search firm in St. Louis. He places senior talent up to CFO level, consistently beats national firms, and now operates with roughly 40% of his work on retained or contained terms. In this episode, James explains what actually drove that shift. Not better sales tactics. Not scripts. But commitment, process, and the confidence to walk away from the wrong work. If you’re a recruiter who wants to stop competing on volume and start building a calmer, more controlled business, this conversation will resonate. What you’ll learn in this episode: * Why eliminating “Plan B” unlocked consistent momentum * How James moved from 3 placements to 40% retained work * The candidate profiling system that generates a third of his placements * Why local specialization beats national firms * How to position retained search without pressure or pitching * Why walkaway power matters more than persuasion Timestamps:00:00 Introduction Chapters 00:00:00 Starting a search firm with zero recruitment experience 00:06:31 Quitting with $30K, a pregnant wife, and no local network 00:08:46 First-year reality: three placements and borrowed money 00:10:04 The back porch moment that eliminated Plan B 00:18:41 The candidate process that transformed responsiveness 00:21:51 Talent profiles and how they drive a third of placements 00:38:02 Why local specialization beats national firms 00:43:27 The CFO placement that changed everything 00:50:04 “This is how we work”: James’s retained positioning 00:59:06 Why walkaway power leads to more retained work Connect with James:Website: https://thecspgroup.com/ LinkedIn: James Cairns https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-cairns-062a5b7/ Connect with Mark:Book a free 30-minute strategy session: https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session *This episode is brought to you by Recruiterflow.* Recruiterflow is an AI-first ATS and CRM built to help recruitment businesses run and scale more efficiently. With built-in sequencing, data enrichment, marketing automation, and AI agents, it’s trusted by many leaders in our coaching community. Learn more or request a demo at https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow 👍 *Don’t forget to subscribe* for more interviews with top recruitment leaders every week.

You’re posting on LinkedIn. You’re showing up consistently. And yet… the meetings aren’t coming. This episode explains why. Mike Mello spent 10 years in staffing sales and built what most recruiters would call a dream run: 1,300 placements, more than $100 million in revenue sold, and nearly 140 contractors on billing as an enterprise salesperson. Then he walked away. Not because staffing stopped working. But because buyer behaviour had changed, most recruiters were still relying on volume instead of context. In this conversation, Mike breaks down why LinkedIn content on its own rarely converts, how video builds trust before the first call, and why outbound works far better when prospects already recognise you. You’ll hear why pain-point content beats ROI messaging, why senior buyers often watch your content without ever liking or commenting, and why most real meetings don’t happen on email one or two. If you’re creating content but not seeing it turn into a pipeline, this episode will help you understand what’s missing and how to fix it. What you’ll learn in this episode00:00 Intro Chapters 00:00:00 How Mike made 1,300 placements and sold $100M before launching Simple Side AI 00:09:05 The LinkedIn video that changed everything and grew one account to 50 contractors 00:10:36 Why fear of judgement stops recruiters from posting video 00:12:04 The analytics that proved LinkedIn video beats cold calling 00:13:56 Why senior clients watch your content but never like it 00:19:02 Why LinkedIn content and outbound must work together 00:23:11 Pain-point content vs ROI content and what actually converts 00:26:42 Why unscripted video builds more trust than polished AI content 00:34:44 Three simple frameworks for structuring video content 00:43:53 The observation–problem–solution–CTA email structure 00:52:19 Turning video viewers into warm sales calls 00:56:01 Why reactivating past accounts often beats cold outreach Guest Mike Mello is the founder of Simple Side AI, helping staffing agencies turn LinkedIn content and outbound automation into real sales conversations. Before launching Simple Side AI in 2024, Mike spent 10 years in staffing sales, making over 1,300 placements and selling more than $100 million in revenue. Connect with Mike Mello on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-mello-7884b059/ Simple Side AI website - https://simplesideai.com/ Get your free 30-minute strategy session with Mark: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Connect with Mark Whitby on LinkedIn Follow on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach 👍 Don’t forget to subscribe for weekly conversations with recruitment agency owners, search firm leaders, and top-billing recruiters. This episode is brought to you by *Recruiterflow,* an AI-first recruitment platform combining ATS, CRM, and automation tools to help recruitment businesses scale. Learn more at https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow

Ever find yourself hitting a brick wall when it comes to developing engaging content? Don't despair! Recently, I was invited as a guest speaker on the Retained Recruiter Show, which is a weekly LinkedIn live hosted by our good friends at i-Intro. The topic was How to Get More Clients with Content Marketing. i-Intro told me that this was one of the most popular live streams that they'd ever produced, and they've given me permission to share the recording with you on this podcast. You will hear me discuss with James O’Brien and Jo Gregory strategies to effectively and consistently post original content and how it will attract your target audience. You will know how content marketing can position you as a trusted authority instead of being just a vendor. Episode Outline and Highlights Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:52 How content marketing transformed many recruitment businesses. 00:06:05 Mark shares the easiest way to get started with content marketing. 00:10:00 Authenticity is the key - leveraging AI platforms while keeping it original. 00:15:11 How much time do you need to put aside for content marketing? 00:18:30 How long would you give it to see engagement results? 00:23:26 The powerful returns of consistently posting content and sharing to your community. 00:30:27 How to measure and track your ROI from content marketing?

Why do some recruiters command premium fees while others compete on speed and price? It's not talent or experience. It's whether they've packaged their service as a product. Andrea Hoffer learned this lesson the hard way. Before launching her consulting business, Andrea spent 10 years running a Massage Envy Spa franchise. She led a team of more than 30 employees. Her therapeutic staff stayed. Her front-desk hires didn't. Turnover was constant. She hired fast, hoped for the best, watched people struggle in a sales-driven role, then repeated the cycle. Eventually, she stopped and asked herself one question: "I've been trained better than this." That question changed everything. Andrea rebuilt her hiring approach from scratch and turned it into a branded, repeatable system she now calls the Dream Hire framework. It worked so well that other franchise owners began asking for help. Today, Andrea runs AHA Talent Consulting, where she helps business owners build "hiring machines" that consistently attract the right people. She charges $10,000+ for setup and $3,000+ monthly subscriptions. No placement fees. She's not selling placements. She's selling a system. In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter, we break down how to package your recruitment process as a signature solution, why story-based discovery reveals what job descriptions never will, and where AI creates real value without replacing human judgment. If you're a recruiter or agency owner who wants to differentiate, defend premium fees, and stop competing on speed alone, this episode will give you a practical blueprint. 👍 Don't forget to subscribe for more interviews with top recruitment leaders every week. *Timestamps* Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:04:10 The hiring nightmare that forced a complete rebuild 00:07:38 Why changing job posting language repelled the wrong candidates 00:09:31 The 90-minute group interview where candidates self-select out 00:12:24 The Dream Hire framework explained: Define, Reach, Engage, Assess, Motivate 00:13:23 Why most recruiters skip the Define stage and pay for it later 00:19:10 Why hiring doesn't end when the offer is accepted 00:30:20 How to assess culture fit by asking for stories, not descriptions 00:32:20 Why one specific story reveals more than any job description 00:36:08 The CAR technique for behavioral interviewing 00:39:58 Where AI creates real value in hiring (and where it doesn't) 00:41:02 Using AI chatbots to screen minimum qualifications 00:52:20 How Andrea uses AI to extend reach without extending hours 01:05:15 Mark's key takeaways for recruiters and agency owners #Podcast #RecruitmentAgency #RecruiterTraining #aiinrecruitment #ExecutiveSearch #RecruitmentLeadership #AIRecruiting

There’s a lot of noise around AI in recruitment. Some people are selling it as a silver bullet. Others are predicting a job apocalypse for recruiters. Neither is true. In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter, Mark Whitby sits down with Rebecca Hastings to talk about what’s actually happening inside businesses using AI right now and what recruiters are getting wrong. Rebecca advises CEOs, boards, and AI leaders on strategy, governance, and implementation. She’s reviewed hundreds of real-world AI transformation case studies and brings a grounded perspective most recruiters never see. Alongside that, she’s built a retained-only executive search firm focused on senior AI leadership and a sales system that consistently books high-quality meetings without volume-driven hustle. This conversation isn’t about tools or tactics. It’s about judgment, trust, and process. You’ll hear why AI doesn’t make work faster unless human capability is already in place, how weak sales systems are exposed when automation is added, and why recruiters who can explain how they use AI will earn more trust, not less. Rebecca also breaks down how she thinks about sales as a system, from market focus and listening time to multichannel outreach and AI-supported preparation. The result is fewer calls, better conversations, and more consistent meetings. If you want to understand where AI genuinely helps recruiters and where it quietly causes damage, this episode will change how you think about it. In this episode, you’ll learn: Why there won’t be a job apocalypse for recruiters How AI shifts bottlenecks instead of removing them Why trust and psychological safety matter in AI adoption How to build market expertise AI can amplify The sales system Rebecca uses to book more meetings with less effort Episode highlights: [3:42] How Rebecca billed £360,000 in her first year [14:08] Lessons from market downturns [32:17] Why listening time beats talk time [59:37] What actually happens when AI is introduced [1:15:26] The multichannel sales system behind consistent meetings Guest bio: Rebecca Hastings is the founder of Lucent Search, specialising in senior AI leadership appointments globally. She works with CEOs, CTOs, heads of AI, and boards on AI strategy, governance, and transformation, and is an AI and systems coach with Recruitment Coach.

This episode brings together the ten most listened-to conversations of 2025. They weren’t popular by accident. These episodes resonated because they spoke directly to the challenges recruiters were dealing with day to day. Planning your time. Building pipeline. Positioning retained search. Recovering from burnout. Staying relevant as the market and LinkedIn both shifted. If you missed any of these conversations the first time around, consider this your shortlist for heading into 2026 with a clearer plan and stronger focus. In this episode, you’ll hear insights on: How to plan your day so you stay out of reactive work How to build business development into your week without burning out How to position retained search with confidence Why systems create more consistency than chasing placements How relationship-building compounds over time Why LinkedIn's reach dropped and what actually matters now Episode timestamps: 00:01 Introduction 02:30 Allicia Birch – The 15-minute planning system 09:15 Rachel Filby – One BD day per week 14:20 Carol Wenom – Positioning retained search 21:05 Stuart Barnes – The three-bucket BD model 28:40 Jenny Diaz – Writing your plan by hand 34:10 Deedee Doke – Differentiation and innovation 39:45 Jessica Hamilton – Systems over placements 45:30 Brandon Glyck – Relationship compounding 52:00 Karolina Willis – From breakdown to breakthrough 58:15 Richard van der Blom – Why LinkedIn reach dropped If you want to future-proof your recruitment business without burning out, this episode is a must-listen.

Tonya Leadman went nine months without a single placement. Seven searches were put on hold. Two offers fell through. Cash flow tightened. And her accountant called to check if she was okay. Tonya is the owner of Leadman & Associates, a national executive search firm serving the food, beverage, and CPG manufacturing industries. After building her career as a top performer in the MRI network and later moving in-house as a Fortune 500 talent acquisition leader, she launched her own firm in 2022. Then the market turned. In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter, Tonya shares what actually keeps a recruitment business alive during a prolonged downturn — without dropping fees, spamming clients with resumes, or compromising standards. She also breaks down the candidate presentation system behind her 92% submit-to-interview rate, why she only submits the top two or three candidates, and the activity that kept her visible when most recruiters disappeared. This is a real conversation about resilience, discipline, and leadership when placements stop. You’ll learn: What to do when your recruitment business goes months without a placement How Tonya maintained standards during a nine-month drought Why submitting fewer candidates builds more trust with clients The candidate presentation process behind a 92% interview rate How staying visible during a downturn pays off when the market turns Why Tonya fired a client when cash flow was tight How career services helped stabilize revenue without losing focus How fast recruiting can turn around when momentum returns Episode timestamps: 00:00 Nine months without a placement 01:40 Returning from maternity leave to a layoff 03:10 The habits that shaped Tonya’s early success 14:35 The candidate presentation system behind a 92% interview rate 18:19 Why Tonya submits only the top 2–3 candidates 30:33 Launching a firm during a tough market 39:00 Seven searches on hold and the drought begins 43:02 The activity that kept her business alive 44:30 Firing a client during a downturn 49:17 Career services as a stabilizer 51:05 How recruiting can turn around fast If you run a recruitment agency and want to survive market downturns without lowering your standards, this episode is essential listening.

For years, Matt Rooney did what a lot of capable recruiters do. He stayed busy. Took the work that came in. Said yes more often than he should have. Inside private equity, that turned him into what he later called a "utility recruiter". Useful, but reactive. Some years were strong. Others weren't. And it never quite felt like a real partnership with clients. Two decisions changed the direction of his business. Matt narrowed his focus to one role inside private equity: business development and deal origination. Then he made the shift from contingent to retained. Today, Matt is the founder of Coastal Partners. He's gone from closing 3–4 retained searches in his first year as a specialist to being on track for 10 retained searches this year, with the majority of his work now retained. In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter, Matt breaks down what actually made that transition possible. Not theory. Not scripts. Real decisions, real resistance, and what changed once clients started committing up front. This conversation is especially relevant if you run a recruitment agency, lead a small firm, or feel stuck in feast-or-famine despite working hard. What you'll learn: Why being a "utility recruiter" keeps agencies reactive What changed when Matt stopped taking every job How he handled the "no retained experience" objection Why specialisation built confidence and credibility fast How original market data helped him become a trusted partner Why predictability mattered more than volume Episode timestamps: [00:33] Why does contingent feel reactive [03:02] How Matt fell into recruitment [07:11] Feeling stuck as a utility recruiter [12:44] Resisting the idea of niching down [15:18] Why specialisation changed client relationships [19:03] Making the move to retained [20:39] First retained searches and predictability [27:40] Mapping the market and building authority [34:16] Publishing hiring reports and compensation data [35:25] Launching the Deal Sourcery podcast [50:31] Hosting a live panel at a PE conference [55:56] Why Matt would specialise sooner Guest bio: Matt Rooney is the founder of Coastal Partners and specialises exclusively in business development and deal origination roles within private equity. After nearly a decade recruiting across PE functions, Matt made the decision to focus on one specialty. In his first year as a retained specialist, he closed 3-4 retained searches. This year, he's on track to close 10, with the majority of his business now retained. Matt has become a recognised authority in his niche through original market research, publishing quarterly BD hiring reports and an annual compensation survey. He co-hosts the Deal Sourcery podcast with Dan Her—the only podcast dedicated specifically to business development professionals in private equity. Connect with Matt: LinkedIn: Matt Rooney Coastal Partners: website Deal Sourcery Podcast: website About The Resilient Recruiter: The Resilient Recruiter is a weekly podcast for recruitment agency owners and search firm leaders building sustainable, profitable businesses. Host Mark Whitby interviews industry leaders who share the strategies, systems, and mindsets behind their success—including the mistakes they made along the way. Learn from their experience to avoid the pitfalls and accelerate your results.. Since 2001, Mark has coached over 800 recruitment business owners across 34 countries. The podcast brings you the same frameworks and insights Mark teaches in his coaching programs—free every week. Connect with Mark: Free strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session LinkedIn: Mark Whitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter for weekly conversations with recruitment leaders who are building businesses that give them freedom, profit, and lasting impact. If you want to future-proof your recruitment business without burning out, this episode is a must-listen.

AI is accelerating at a rate faster than at any point in recruitment history. New tools are emerging monthly. Employers are experimenting without clear guardrails. And agency owners are left wondering which developments will matter - and which are just noise. In this episode, I sit down with Matt Alder, talent acquisition futurist and host of Recruiting Future, to cut through the hype and focus on the realities of AI in recruitment today. With more than 25 years tracking technology's impact on talent acquisition, Matt brings a long-term perspective few others can match. We explore the shift from experimentation to adoption, including real examples of employers using AI to conduct live voice interviews with candidates. Matt breaks down where AI is already delivering value, where it's still falling short, and why trust has become the most important currency in recruitment. He explains the three human skills that will keep recruiters indispensable - networks, relationships, and influence - and why agencies who double down on these strengths will rise above the noise. We also discuss the two competing futures unfolding right now: Recruiting Utopia vs Recruiting Dystopia. Matt closes with a prediction about agentic AI - a future where candidate agents and employer agents negotiate autonomously. It sounds futuristic, but Matt believes it's entirely feasible and may reshape the industry faster than people expect. If you're a recruitment leader looking to stay ahead of technological change, this episode offers clarity, direction, and a practical roadmap for the years ahead. TAKEAWAYS - Why the pace of AI innovation is unlike anything the recruitment industry has seen - How employers are already using AI to conduct voice interviews - Why trust is eroding - and how recruiters can rebuild it - The three human skills that keep recruiters relevant - Why outreach automation isn't effective yet - How candidate-facing AI may disrupt faster than employer tech - The two competing futures: Recruiting Utopia vs Dystopia - What agentic AI could mean for hiring and recruiter influence TIMESTAMPS 4:23 Matt's background and the evolution of TA tech 7:19 What HR/IT convergence reveals about the future 10:29 AI hype vs practical reality 14:18 Where AI is already improving recruitment processes 21:14 Why AI interviews may enhance candidate experience 26:24 Categories of AI tools shaping workflows 32:45 Why automation isn't fixing outreach 40:20 Networks, relationships, influence - the future skillset 47:02 The erosion of trust and how recruiters can differentiate 52:16 Recruiting Utopia vs Recruiting Dystopia 55:04 The agentic AI future 57:48 What agency owners must pay attention to now GUEST BIO Matt Alder is a talent acquisition futurist, international speaker, author, and host of Recruiting Future, the number one podcast in the recruitment industry. Over the past 11 years, he has interviewed hundreds of leaders and innovators across the global TA landscape. Matt advises employers on innovation and technology strategy and has been studying recruitment technology since the late 1990s. GUEST LINKS LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mattalder/ Recruiting Future Podcast: http://www.recruitingfuture.com CONNECT WITH MARK WHITBY FREE Strategy Call: https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recruitmentcoach/ Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter: https://plinkhq.com/i/1489513354

For 20 years, Maria Sinclair watched other people get promoted while she stayed stuck in her own head. She questioned whether she belonged, worried about how she was perceived, and doubted nearly every decision she made. Then Covid hit, and everything changed. Cobalt furloughed 45 of its 55 UK staff, leaving only ten people working. Maria picked up multiple desks, supported clients across new specialisms, and kept the operation steady during one of the most challenging periods the industry had ever seen. That moment revealed a capability she had never fully recognised in herself. Today, Maria is the Managing Director of Cobalt, ranked 49th in the UK’s Hot 100 list based on GP per employee. After 23 years with the business, she has worked her way up from recruitment consultant to MD while helping build a culture known for tenure, trust, and consistent performance. In this conversation, Maria explains how she built confidence later in her career, why she focuses on job quality over call volume, how openness about challenges like perimenopause strengthens team culture, and how Cobalt hires for work ethic and trains for market expertise. If you have ever doubted whether you are ready to lead, this episode shows what becomes possible when you start backing yourself. You’ll learn: • How Maria entered recruitment after being rejected eight times • Why confidence took decades to develop • How she navigated the 2009 crash, Brexit, and Covid • Why the COVID-19 crisis became the turning point in her leadership • The cultural principles that support performance • Why job quality matters more than call volume • How Cobalt assesses work ethic and validates billings • The patience required to train recruiters from other sectors • Why expertise beats activity in the built environment Timestamps: [6:00] Breaking into recruitment after eight rejections [18:29] The confidence struggle [24:09] Navigating economic shocks [25:36] The Covid moment [28:49] The promotion that shifted everything [30:44] Being open about perimenopause [36:17] Culture and retention [41:37] KPIs that matter [50:18] Hiring for work ethic [54:29] Training recruiters from other sectors [58:13] Becoming an industry expert [1:01:06] Closing rate problems and what they mean Guest Bio: Maria Sinclair is the Managing Director of Cobalt, operating across the built environment with offices in the UK, Germany, and the US. Cobalt ranks 49th in Recruiter Magazine’s Hot 100 list based on GP per employee. Maria has been with Cobalt for 23 years and was appointed UK MD in January 2024.

What does it take to raise your fees, win better clients, and rebuild your recruiting business from the ground up? In this episode, I speak with Randee Staats, founder of S4 Search Partners, who went from losing everything — $250K in debt and $500 left — to rebuilding a seven-figure desk within the following year. Randee explains the decisions that nearly destroyed his business, the turning point that pushed him to rebuild, and the systems that rebuilt his confidence, his pipeline, and his profitability. He also breaks down the daily discipline, fee structure changes, and point-based productivity system that helped him win better clients and finally charge what he is worth. In This Episode, You'll Learn: How Randee launched his firm from his parents' basement The moment he landed a billion-dollar client The scaling mistake that cost him $250K Why he walked away from a $600K account How he raised his fees to 20 to 25 percent The script he uses to convert email replies into meetings The daily BD rhythm that rebuilt his pipeline The point system that keeps him consistent How he broke seven figures the year after rebuilding Episode Highlights 02:49 Discovering recruiting 05:04 Launching from the basement 09:35 The Jim Carrey check 13:15 Early success and hidden risks 14:18 The scaling mistake 17:16 The turning point 23:10 The weekly client call script 42:00 The wake-up call 44:14 New rules for pricing 46:47 The $30K placement 50:21 Daily planner 51:22 BD rhythm 1:03:09 The point system 1:07:33 Breaking seven figures Guest Bio Randee Staats is the founder of S4 Search Partners, based in New Jersey. He launched the firm in 2015, scaled a major national account to $600K, and later rebuilt his business from $500 and $250K in debt to seven-figure billings using a disciplined daily system and a new fee structure. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/randee-staats/ Connect with Mark Whitby Free 30-minute strategy call: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/ Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Why do some recruiters struggle for traction while others build demand engines that bring clients to them? My guest, Tom Froggatt, made that shift after three days of calling 600 people with no results. Tom is the founder of Singular, a biotech search firm and one of Europe's leading specialists. Six months after launching the business, he hit a breaking point that changed everything. Instead of doubling down on cold calls, Tom built a system that creates predictable client demand. Today, a £4,000 campaign can generate £55,000 in revenue, and his business runs on consistent inbound opportunities. In this conversation, Tom explains how he replaced cold outreach with a system, how he uses content and insight reports to convert strangers into six figure clients, and why the volume required for effective marketing is far higher than most recruiters expect. In this episode, you'll discover Why Tom realised he did not have a BD problem but a systems problem How three days of rejection created a turning point How podcasting connected him with senior biotech leaders Why each client is worth £55,000 in 12 months How his insight report converts inbound retained work Why most recruiters underestimate the required volume How thinking like a tech founder beats thinking like a traditional recruiter Episode Highlights [6:44] Starting Singular in a windowless office and the six-month reality check [19:16] Three days, 600 calls, zero results. The moment everything changed [21:22] Launching "Careers in Discovery" and building relationships with senior biotech leaders [22:05] The podcast guest who walked Tom straight to HR and introduced him on the spot [36:44] The mindset shift from "winning clients" to building revenue-generating systems [42:16] Why each client is worth £55,000 in 12 months and what that means for ad spend [49:30] The exact funnel. Free insight reports that convert strangers into six-figure partnerships [54:14] Why Tom gives away £2,500 worth of market data for free and why it works [58:47] How to identify real client pain points without guessing [1:03:09] Why reverse engineering problems to fit your service always fails [1:10:27] The volume truth. Why 200 outreach attempts are not nearly enough If you want to build predictable client demand without relying on cold outreach, this episode will show you how. Guest Bio Tom Froggatt is the founder of Singular, a biotech search and talent company specialising in early drug discovery roles across Europe. Before Singular, Tom spent ten years at S3, where he opened their New York office at age 25. He is also the host of the Careers in Discovery podcast with more than 300 episodes. Connect with Tom LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/tom-froggatt Singular: https://book.singular-biotech.com/web Versapia website Connect with Mark Free strategy call: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

Why do some recruitment founders build seven-figure businesses while others plateau despite working just as hard? My guest, Ollie Scott, discovered growth doesn't come from hustle alone. It comes from strategic bets. Ollie is the founder of Unknown, a talent growth consultancy that's worked with over 500 brands including Nike, Apple, and Disney. Six years ago, he started with £13,000 on a credit card and one mission: build the opposite of every recruitment company he'd ever seen. In this episode, Ollie shares his journey from rebellion to revenue. You'll hear why differentiation always beats trying to be the best, how scaling from 8 to 18 people nearly destroyed his business, and the three strategic bets he used to rebuild. You’ll Learn: • Why trying to be the “best” agency is a losing strategy • How Unknown defined a point of view clients cared about • What went wrong scaling from 8 to 18 people • Why profit is the safety net that enables innovation • How to build a productized recruitment offering • Why freelance talent pools are the future of recurring revenue • How recruiters can monetise M&A intelligence • How to price buy-side advisory at six-figure fees Episode Timestamps: [4:05] Selling suits to James Caan’s recruitment firm [10:23] Launching Unknown with £13,000 on a credit card [15:36] Naming strategy and brand distinctiveness [18:26] Writing a breakup letter to recruitment companies [21:44] Why rebellion works early but can’t scale [36:36] Productizing around three ICPs [44:03] Scaling to 18 people destroyed profit margins [48:34] Profit as psychological safety [53:20] Building recurring revenue through freelance talent pools [58:25] Why recruiters have more M&A intelligence than M&A firms Guest Bio: Ollie Scott is the founder of Unknown, a £3 million talent growth consultancy specialising in the global creative industry. Before launching Unknown, Ollie spent six years at Gemini People, joining the board in his early twenties. Unknown now operates across executive search, freelance talent pools, and M&A advisory for creative agencies. Connect with Ollie: LinkedIn: Ollie Scott Website: unknown.media Connect with Mark: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session linkedin.com/in/markwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

Why do some recruitment business leaders triple their revenue while others plateau despite working twice as hard? My guest, Martin Herbst, discovered the answer the hard way. After hitting rock bottom with burnout, he rebuilt his leadership philosophy from the ground up — and within five years, JobAdder tripled its revenue and client base. Martin is the CEO of JobAdder, one of the world’s leading recruitment technology platforms. Under his leadership, the company has achieved record growth while helping recruiters work smarter without losing the human touch. In this episode, Martin opens up about his personal experience with burnout and shares how he transformed that crisis into a leadership breakthrough. You’ll learn how he built a healthier, more effective approach to scaling a recruitment business one that’s rooted in purpose, values, and vision rather than constant hustle. He also breaks down the exact leadership frameworks that helped JobAdder grow sustainably: how to align your team around a clear long-term strategy, why empathy drives innovation, and how to balance big-picture vision with daily execution. Beyond leadership, Martin dives into how technology and AI are reshaping recruitment. He explains where automation genuinely creates value for recruiters, how to avoid the “AI hype trap,” and why human connection will always be the most powerful differentiator in this business. If you’ve ever struggled with overwhelm, exhaustion, or inconsistent growth, this conversation is a must-listen. Martin’s story is proof that scaling your business doesn’t require sacrificing your health or your values. In this episode, you’ll discover: How burnout became the catalyst for a breakthrough The daily habits that keep stress and anxiety in check Why swimming is Martin’s secret weapon for clarity and focus The strategy process behind JobAdder’s 5-year growth story Why most recruitment leaders underinvest in long-term planning How to use vision and values as your ultimate growth levers The fundamental role of AI in recruitment (and where it adds true value) Why the best BD technology is still the telephone Episode highlights: [6:44] The burnout story: high anxiety and insomnia that led to stepping away completely [11:17] Morning and evening borders: the simple habits that prevent burnout from creeping back [19:32] How JobAdder tripled revenue in five years, and why it wasn’t about working harder [23:31] Why most recruitment agency owners underinvest in strategy and long-term vision [32:29] Why recruitment might be the profession most immune to AI disruption [48:36] Why automation has created diminishing returns in outreach [53:59] The #1 business development tool that still outperforms AI Martin’s story is both a cautionary tale and an inspiring roadmap for recruiters who want to build high-performing, values-driven businesses that last. Guest Bio: Martin Herbst is the CEO of JobAdder, a global recruitment software company headquartered in Sydney, Australia. Under his leadership, JobAdder has tripled its revenue and client base in five years. Before joining JobAdder in 2020, Martin spent nearly seven years at eBay running their classifieds business in Australia (Gumtree). He also worked at eBay in San Francisco and at the Wall Street Journal online in digital media strategy. Originally from the United States, Martin now lives in Australia. Connect with Martin: LinkedIn: Martin Herbst on LinkedIn Website: JobAdder.com Connect with Mark: Get your free 30-minute strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markwhitby Follow on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

How does a professional touring musician go from the recording studio to building a $1.2M recruiting firm without ever making a single cold call? In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter, Justin Levinson, founder of Coming Up Creative, reveals how he blended creativity, authenticity, and smart systems to grow a seven-figure recruitment business serving the world’s top entertainment and gaming brands. Justin’s story is proof that success in recruitment isn’t about grinding harder - it’s about thinking differently. You’ll hear how he built a global team, automated outreach without losing the human touch, and turned every conversation into an opportunity. Listen to discover: How creative thinking helped Justin scale to $1.2M in billings The “anti-campaign” approach that fills his calendar with warm leads Why branding and design matter more in creative industries How to build trust, credibility, and inbound clients without cold calls The diversification strategy that kept his firm thriving through Hollywood strikes If you’ve ever wondered whether it’s possible to grow a high-performing recruiting business without endless prospecting, this episode is your blueprint. Connect with Justin Levinson LinkedIn: Justin Levinson Website: Coming Up Creative Connect with Mark Whitby FREE strategy session: www.recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session LinkedIn: Mark Whitby