The Resilient Recruiter

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

Rich Bradley has been recruiting since 1982. He's billed $28 million. He's been a Pinnacle Society member for nearly 30 years. And at 67, working solo alongside his wife, he has no intention of stopping. In his first seven months, he made zero placements. 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 the moment everything changed. This episode is about what sustained success actually looks like across four decades in recruiting. Rich breaks down the daily planning habit he's used for nearly 40 years, why he tracks talk time instead of call volume, and why reference checks remain one of his most reliable sources of new business long after most recruiters abandoned them. He also talks candidly about growing up with abusive, alcoholic parents, surviving cancer twice, and how those experiences shaped both the recruiter and the person he became. In this episode, you'll learn: The cardboard box moment that changed his career The handwritten planner system he's used for nearly 40 years and why skipping it derails his day Why he targets three to four hours of talk time daily How reference checks generate clients, candidates, and referrals Why he won't work with clients he wouldn't want to work for How two cancer diagnoses reshaped his business and priorities What polite, professional, persistent looks like over a 44-year career Episode Highlights [0:59] 44 years in recruiting, $28 million billed and he nearly quit after 7 months [19:38] The cardboard box moment, what he overheard walking out the door [25:15] Success is cadence, not luck - the daily planning habit [42:22] Why reference checks drive his business development [56:18] The cancer diagnosis that reshaped everything [1:10:28] Still targeting $600K–$700K a year, working solo, at 67 About Rich Bradley Rich Bradley is the founder of Team Bradley, a boutique IT and technology recruiting firm based in the Chicago area. He started in recruiting in 1982, has billed $28 million over a 44-year career, and has been a Pinnacle Society member since 1997. Connect Connect with Rich: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richbradley/ Connect with Mark: https://linktr.ee/recruitmentcoach

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

In 2008, Carol Ann Wentworth lost her business, her home, and nearly everything she owned. 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. Carol Ann has 35 years of experience in executive search. She sends three candidates per search, not thirty. Her interviews run an hour, sometimes two. 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. This is a different kind of episode. Not about scaling fast or billing millions in year one. It's about what it actually takes to build a recruiting practice that lasts, clients who stay, placements who stay, and a business that works for your life. Carol Ann breaks down the process behind her retention rate, the mindset framework she used to rebuild after the 2008 crash, and why going deeper with fewer clients has been more powerful than chasing volume. In this episode, you'll discover: Why Carol Ann sends three candidates instead of thirty — and what that demands upfront The two-hour candidate interview: what she asks and what she's really listening for How she uses social media screening to assess candidates beyond the CV The clarity, commitment, and consistency framework she used to rebuild after losing everything The difference between ego and confidence — and why it matters in a crisis What a sustainable retained practice looks like after ten years Why scaling isn't the only model for a successful recruiting business Episode highlights: [3:54] From an international modeling agency founder at 26 to an executive search [14:40] The mindful recruiting methodology and what real listening looks like [15:39] A 94% retention rate and the process that produces it [17:00] The two-hour candidate interview: what she asks and what she's listening for [21:01] Social media screening: what Carol Ann looks for and why [35:14] Losing a business, a home, and nearly everything, and landing a job in two weeks [38:50] Ego vs. confidence: why the distinction matters in a crisis [41:04] Clarity, commitment, and consistency: the framework she used to rebuild [55:36] A Mindful Career: how the book came about Guest Bio: Carol Ann Wentworth is the founder and CEO of Wentworth Executive Recruiting, based in the San Francisco Bay Area. She has 35 years of experience in executive search, specializing in retained search across commercial construction, renewable energy, and technology. She has achieved a 94% retention rate across her placements and made 48 placements with one Silicon Valley client through to IPO. She is co-author of A Mindful Career, written with her husband Eric Wentworth. Connect with Carol Ann: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/carolannwentworth Website: https://wentworthexecutiverecruiting.co Connect with Mark: Free 30-minute strategy session: https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/recruitmentcoach/

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

What if one placement paid $100,000... but took two years to close? Few recruiters would touch that model. Darci Smith built her entire business around it. Darci is the founder of Roklyn, a wealth management recruiting firm based in California. She specializes in financial advisor transitions — moving established advisors between firms, often transferring hundreds of millions in assets. These aren't quick wins. Sales cycles run one to two years. Fees are paid in tranches across twelve months. Her first deal took two and a half years to close and paid $133,000. In this episode, Darci explains how she makes the model work. How she stayed solvent in year one by building a career coaching business on TikTok that generated $150,000. How she charges a $5,000 non-refundable deposit on most searches and why clients don't push back. How she niched down to California-only wealth management for five years and is now expanding nationally. And how she engineered her visibility on ChatGPT so new clients find her without her having to chase them. This is a different way to build a recruitment business. Fewer placements. Bigger fees. Stronger relationships. In this episode, you'll discover: How financial advisor transition fees work and why the sales cycle runs 1-2 years Why a $5,000 non-refundable deposit changes the client relationship from day one How Darci built 300,000 TikTok and 100,000 Instagram followers posting from her phone Her 30-minute AI-assisted video workflow for creating content consistently How she engineered visibility on ChatGPT and the exact approach she used Why niching to one state and one industry for five years set up her national expansion How staying involved through onboarding turns single placements into long-term partnerships Episode highlights: [4:09] How sport led Darci into recruiting and her first role at Cybercoders [9:01] Becoming a top biller at Athletes to Careers through in-person relationship building [14:25] Choosing wealth management with no industry background [18:43] First contract: a national wirehouse and 300 cold calls to get started [21:31] On cold calling: honest about hating it, clear about doing it anyway [24:49] How financial advisor transition fees work and why they take years to land [31:01] Building 300K TikTok and 100K Instagram followers while building Roklyn [32:16] Making $150K in year one from career coaching [45:29] Niching to California-only and the five-year payoff [47:35] How she engineered visibility on ChatGPT [49:49] The contained model: $5,000 non-refundable deposit [55:39] Supporting hires through onboarding and why clients keep coming back Guest Bio: Darci Smith is the founder of Roklyn, a wealth management recruiting firm based in California. She launched five years ago after roles at Cybercoders and Athletes to Careers, where she reached top biller. Roklyn focuses exclusively on wealth management, financial advisor transitions, and W2 recruiting, and operates primarily on a contained search model with a non-refundable deposit. Darci has built a social following of 300,000 on TikTok and 100,000 on Instagram. Connect with Darci: LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/darcismith/ Roklyn website - https://roklyn.com 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: 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: recruitmentcoach.com/video Connect with Mark Whitby: Free 30-minute strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Free scorecard — identify the biggest bottlenecks in your recruitment business: recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard Mark on LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/markwhitby Follow on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach If you want to build a recruitment business with bigger fees and stronger client relationships, this episode is worth your time.

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

Seb Sharpe built a $4 million recruitment firm in seven years, profitable every quarter, working exclusively on retained and permanent placements. Then he made a decision most agency owners avoid. Instead of scaling headcount and doubling down on the traditional model, he stepped back and started building for where he believes the recruitment industry is heading next. Seb is the co-founder of Inventure, a specialist renewable energy search firm based in Los Angeles. He launched the business in 2018 with his co-founder Charlie Rawlings, starting with no clients, no track record, and an office above a subway line in a WeWork. Within a year, they billed $1 million. In year two, $2 million. The business has remained profitable every quarter since. More recently, they launched Generate, a platform designed for what they see as the next era of recruitment: more independent, more entrepreneurial, and built around the individual recruiter rather than the traditional agency structure. In this conversation, Seb shares the systems that drove Inventure's growth, including the one KPI that made revenue predictable, how to properly qualify vacancies so clients stay accountable, and why most recruiters are focusing on the wrong part of the funnel. He also explains why he believes recruitment is structurally overdue for change, how the shift toward independent recruiters is already happening, and where AI is genuinely adding value inside a modern recruitment business. If you're building a recruitment agency or executive search firm and want more consistent revenue, stronger client relationships, and a clearer view of where the industry is going, this one is worth your time. Episode Highlights [2:38] First year: $1M. Second year: $2M. Profitable every quarter [9:33] Why niching into renewable energy changed everything [13:34] The imposter syndrome behind early agency growth [15:05] The academy model for hiring and training [22:44] Landing a $30K retainer with no brand or track record [31:29] The KPI that predicts your revenue [33:51] How to calculate the value of a first-time interview [36:27] Why most recruiters lose control of searches [44:06] Why Seb is building Generate [53:26] The EXP Realty model and the industry shift [58:27] Where AI is changing recruitment [1:09:57] Mark's top two takeaways Guest Bio and Contact Info Seb Sharpe is the co-founder of Inventure, a renewable energy executive search firm he built to approximately $4 million in annual revenue, and Generate, a platform for entrepreneurial recruiters. He launched Inventure in 2018 with Charlie Rawlings, billing $1 million in year one and $2 million in year two, with consistent profitability every quarter. Over seven years, the business has grown through 100% permanent placements. Seb began his recruitment career at GQR in Los Angeles and later helped launch a Chicago office. Originally from England, he attended UCLA and has been based in the US for over a decade. LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sebsharpe Generate: https://wearegenerateai.com (verify) Millie AI: https://mille.ai (verify) Links and Tools Recruitment Scorecard: https://recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard Recruiterflow (Sponsor): https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow Trusted Voice Video: https://recruitmentcoach.com/video Connect with Mark Whitby Free strategy session: https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Follow The Resilient Recruiter on Apple Podcasts so you never miss an episode.

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:

Harrison Wright built his recruitment business to nearly $400,000 in billings within six months. Then the market turned. Hiring froze. Searches disappeared. For six months, nothing came in while he was burning $30,000 a month to stay afloat. Most recruiters would respond by doing more. More calls. More CVs. More pressure. He did exactly that. It didn't work. Harrison is the founder of The Blockchain Recruiter, a search firm specialising in crypto and Web3 talent. After the crash, he rebuilt the business around retained search, tighter positioning, and a more deliberate recruitment process. Today, he runs a retained model with an interview-to-placement ratio of 2.16 to 1 and has won clients worth more than $350,000 in lifetime value through inbound alone. After shifting into institutional crypto, he's on track for $1.2M to $1.6M in 2025, despite a difficult market. This conversation gets into what actually changed. Why he treats recruitment as a sales process. Why he doesn't pitch the job on the first call. And how doing more work upfront changes what happens at offer stage. In this episode: Why more activity doesn't fix a broken recruitment model How Harrison qualifies candidates before a CV ever gets sent The thinking behind a 2.16-to-1 interview-to-placement ratio Why he avoids pitching the job early in the process How positioning led to higher-value retained clients The shift into institutional crypto and why it changed his pipeline What most recruiters get wrong about delivery Episode highlights: [1:06] From zero to $400K in six months [1:21] The crash: no revenue and $30K monthly burn [13:17] The 2.16-to-1 interview-to-placement ratio [15:14] The 90-minute candidate interview [21:37] Why pitching first creates problems later [49:10] The institutional crypto pivot [1:00:46] What a retained proposal looks like About Harrison Wright Harrison Wright is the founder of The Blockchain Recruiter, one of the OG search firms in crypto and Web3. As an avid student of business and the craft of recruiting, Harrison built his business by prioritizing tight positioning, exceptional delivery, and retained client partnerships in a market where most recruiters compete on speed, volume and contingency. Connect with Harrison LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/harrisonwright Website: https://theblockchainrecruiter.com Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarkWhitby Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/RecruitmentCoach Sponsors Recruiterflow Recruiterflow is the AI-first operating system for recruitment agencies and executive search firms, combining ATS, CRM, and AI in one platform.

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:

A 12-month guarantee on every placement. That's not something you hear often in recruitment. Lewis Waitt and Jessica Multhauf built their firm, Aliniti, around the idea that the placement is only the beginning of the relationship. Because of the way they run their searches — and the way they support both the client and the new hire after the hire — more than 90% of their placements are still in the role after one year. Aliniti didn't start as a recruitment firm. It began as an HR and organisational 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 background shapes everything about how they approach recruitment today. They define the role properly before the search begins, challenge unrealistic expectations, and stay closely involved with both the client and the new hire long after the placement. The result is stronger hiring outcomes, deeper client relationships, and a recruitment business built on long-term partnerships rather than one-off transactions. In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter, Lewis and Jess explain how their model works and why it produces better results for both clients and candidates. What You'll Learn in This Episode • Why Aliniti offers a 12-month guarantee on every placement • How their consulting background shapes their recruiting approach • The role clarity process they run before every search • Why unrealistic job briefs lead to failed searches • How staying involved after the hire improves retention • Why multiple service lines create stability in a recruitment business • How long-term advisory relationships generate repeat recruiting work Timestamps 00:00 Introduction 03:09 How Aliniti started and why recruiting grew out of HR consulting 06:37 Lewis joins the firm as the founder's son-in-law 09:29 Jess's path from opera singer to recruitment leader 13:30 The “four-leg chair” business model 15:52 The retained HR model that stabilised the business 19:31 Why deep client knowledge improves search outcomes 28:24 The role clarity process before every search 33:49 Handling unrealistic salary expectations and “purple squirrel” briefs 38:56 Why Aliniti offers a 12-month guarantee 45:37 The onboarding process that improves retention 57:57 Vision for the next three years 1:01:00 Why the firm uses profit sharing instead of commission Sponsor This episode is sponsored by 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. Learn more and request a demo: 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/ Seven Figure Freedom Scorecard https://recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard Trusted Voice Video https://recruitmentcoach.com/video If you want to build a recruitment firm where clients stay for years and placements actually stick, this episode is well worth your time.

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:

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 on, he has generated more than $5 million in lifetime billings, averaged $1 million per year, and qualified for CEO Club every quarter. He did it by ignoring the advice nearly every experienced recruiter gave him. When he asked million-dollar billers how they did it, the one piece of advice he kept hearing was to avoid enterprise accounts. He ignored it. In this episode, Brendan breaks down exactly how he cracks major enterprise accounts, navigates HR and Talent Acquisition without getting blocked, and earns the kind of deep access - hiring manager calendars, ATS logins, long-term contracts - that turns one deal into recurring revenue. This episode is brought to you by Recruiterflow Recruiterflow is the AI-first operating system built specifically for recruitment agencies and executive search firms. It combines a powerful ATS and CRM with AI embedded directly into your recruiting process. Less admin. Smarter follow-up. More time spent on revenue-generating conversations. Request a demo: recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow In this episode, you'll discover: Why Brendan ignored the advice to avoid enterprise accounts - and what happened when he did How to lead with a real candidate to get hiring manager buy-in before HR enters the picture The three responses you'll get from Talent Acquisition - and how to handle each one When to walk away from an account and the red flags that tell you it's time How to expand one placement into a long-term enterprise relationship Why Brendan never asks for referrals until the candidate has had at least a week in the role How to earn direct access to hiring manager calendars What discipline actually looks like on a million-dollar desk Episode Highlights: [0:38] The $60,000 placement that got Brendan fired and what he did next [1:01] Starting over: $600,000 in billings in six months [3:25] How Brendan entered recruitment at age 36 [18:46] The question he asked million-dollar billers and the advice he rejected [23:16] Why enterprise accounts are harder to crack and why he pursued them anyway [28:15] How to approach hiring managers before going to HR [35:38] The three HR responses and how to handle each one [46:14] Red flags, yellow flags, and green flags - deciding which accounts to pursue [54:15] Expanding an account after your first placement [56:42] Earning direct access to hiring manager calendars [1:03:23] What "uptime" really means for a million-dollar biller About Brendan Thomas Brendan Thomas specialises in finance and accounting placements across manufacturing, construction, and technology industries in the United States. He joined Jobot in June 2020 and has since generated over $5 million in lifetime billings, averaging approximately $1 million per year. He has qualified for CEO Club every quarter and hit the $125,000+ quarterly threshold 22 quarters in a row. He is ranked third in lifetime billing at Jobot. He works nationwide and is available from 5am to 5pm Pacific daily. Connect with Brendan: linkedin.com/in/brendanwthomas Connect with Mark Whitby Free 30-minute strategy call: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

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?

Most recruitment agencies believe in training. Very few build a structured system that consistently produces top billers. Larissa Gerlach experienced the hard version first. In year one, she earned $40,000 and questioned whether she would make it in recruitment at all. By year three, she had reached President's Club. Soon after, the CFO of a private equity-backed recruiting firm asked her to replicate her results across 25 offices. That request became the foundation of a national recruiter training programme. In this episode, Mark Whitby and Larissa unpack what actually drives recruiter performance, why activity metrics alone don't create top billers, and how recruitment business owners can build scalable training systems that reduce ramp-up time and increase recruiter billings. If you are serious about recruitment agency growth, search firm leadership, and building consistent performance inside your team, this conversation goes beyond theory. It's about systems. What You'll Discover • Why 200+ calls per week worked — and why most recruiters still fail at high activity • The difference between knowledge and live desk performance • How to turn individual billing success into a national training framework • Why daily role plays accelerate recruiter revenue • The three structural reasons founders struggle to implement training • Why cohort-based onboarding produces stronger long-term performance • How to build recruitment agency systems that scale beyond one top performer Episode Highlights [03:56] From fashion sales to recruitment after the 2009 recession [08:37] The $40,000 first year and the meeting where she nearly quit [12:35] Why most recruiters struggle in year one — and what actually starts to click [22:15] The 200-calls-per-week discipline that changed her trajectory [26:07] The CFO email that led to building a national sales training programme [28:17] What the training playbook looked like — from binder to LMS [35:51] Why daily role plays create elite performers [1:05:49] The three reasons most founders struggle to train their teams [1:10:29] Why group cohorts outperform one-to-one onboarding About Larissa Gerlach Larissa Gerlach is the founder of Vibrant Talent Group, an executive search firm specialising in marketing, product, and design roles across New York and San Francisco. She has over 15 years of experience across billing, business development, national learning and development, and agency leadership. At a private equity-backed recruiting firm, she became the fastest-growing salesperson in company history before leading national recruiter training initiatives. Resources Mentioned Recruiter Training Programme https://recruitmentcoach.com/training Seven Figure Freedom Scorecard https://recruitmentcoach.com/scorecard Recruiterflow https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow Trusted Voice Video https://recruitmentcoach.com/video Book a free strategy session with Mark Whitby https://recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session If you want weekly conversations with recruitment business owners, executive search leaders, and top billers focused on recruitment agency revenue, recruiter performance, and long-term business resilience, follow The Resilient Recruiter on Apple Podcasts. The difference between average billers and elite teams is rarely motivation. It's structure.

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.

Six years ago, Greg Savage was the very first guest on The Resilient Recruiter. For episode 300, he returns to discuss the biggest shift our industry has faced since the rise of the internet: artificial intelligence. And he doesn't hold back. “The contingent, multi-listed perm market… I think that is over.” Greg has built four recruitment businesses. He's the author of The Savage Truth (20,000+ copies sold). He's spent five decades watching this industry evolve. His view? AI hasn't made recruitment easier. In many ways, it's made it harder. But this isn't a doom-and-gloom conversation. It's about where recruitment agencies win next. If you lead a recruitment agency or executive search firm, this episode will challenge how you think about AI, positioning, and long-term relevance. Episode Highlights [00:33] The biggest threat — and opportunity — Greg has seen in decades [02:14] Why the contingent, multi-listed perm model is under pressure [06:34] AI shortlisting chaos and the 14% overlap test [08:32] What “automating dysfunction” really means [26:20] The highest ROI AI opportunity right now [30:43] Four questions to ask before buying any AI tool [54:04] The rise of the “techno-empath” recruiter What You'll Learn Why AI Is Making Recruitment Harder Why AI screening tools produced only 14% overlap in shortlists Research Greg referenced suggesting around 40% of tech candidates have inflated their resumes What “automating dysfunction” actually looks like in practice The four questions every recruitment leader should ask before investing in AI Which Recruitment Models Will Survive Why the contingent, multi-listed perm model is under pressure Why retained search and executive search are positioned to grow The business models most likely to thrive over the next five years Why you need to sell decision-making — not just placements What Recruiters Must Master Next The highest ROI AI opportunity: activating and cleaning your recruitment database Why “techno-empath” recruiters will win The moments of truth that must never be automated The skills that will define high-performing recruiters in an AI-driven market This episode speaks directly to recruitment agency growth, retained vs contingent recruitment, and how to scale a recruitment business as AI reshapes hiring. Why Episode 300 Matters When I launched this podcast in 2019, Greg was my first guest. Since then, we've lived through a pandemic, a hiring boom, a correction, and now the fastest wave of AI adoption our industry has ever seen. Bringing him back for episode 300 felt right. This conversation is less about tools — and more about leadership, positioning, and how to build a recruitment business that stays relevant. Our Sponsor This 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 leaders — including members of our coaching cohorts — use Recruiterflow to streamline operations. Book a demo here: https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ Connect with Mark on LinkedIn. If you're a recruitment agency owner serious about scaling, retained search, and staying ahead of AI in recruitment, subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter so you don't miss future conversations like this. If you want to future-proof your recruitment business without getting left behind, this episode is essential listening.

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

Why do some recruiters win retained work in a single meeting while others pitch for weeks and still lose to contingent competitors? My guest, James O'Brien, knows exactly why. And it has nothing to do with fee structure. James is the Managing Director and COO at i-intro. He's been in recruitment since the late 1980s and has spent the last decade helping recruitment firms move from transactional, contingent work into retained and exclusive assignments. His clients consistently outperform the market, with 96% one-year retention and 93% of placements still in role after two years. In this episode, James delivers a practical masterclass on consultative selling. He explains why most recruiters lose retained work before they even walk into the meeting, how to reframe hiring conversations around risk and retention, and what it really means to position yourself as a management consultant who specializes in talent acquisition. This conversation is for recruiters who are tired of pitching, discounting, and competing with five other agencies for the same role. You'll hear the exact questions James uses to expose hidden hiring failure, why “wow” should be the standard for every client meeting, and how preparation, not persuasion, is what wins retained work consistently. In this episode, you'll learn: Why recruitment isn't the real problem and retention is The three questions that reframe hiring failure for clients How to measure retention and use it to justify higher fees Why most recruiters lose retained work in the preparation, not the pitch How to show value instead of just describing your process What accountability really looks like beyond the placement Why retained fees feel fair when clients understand the true cost of hiring failure Episode Highlights: [03:56] Why transactional recruitment is dying [10:13] Recruitment's not the problem. Retention is [13:34] How to measure retention and monetize better outcomes [18:00] The three questions that reveal a 20–30% hiring failure rate [32:23] Why “wow” should be your minimum standard in client meetings [36:35] The preparation process that wins retained work [45:00] Why proposals still matter and when to send them [59:03] Accountability beyond the placement and why 12-month guarantees work Sponsor This episode is brought to you by Recruiterflow — an end-to-end, AI-first recruitment platform designed to help recruiters run and scale their business more effectively. Recruiterflow combines ATS, CRM, sequencing, data enrichment, marketing automation, and AI agents in one streamlined system. Many top recruiting leaders and members of our coaching community rely on Recruiterflow to stay organised, consistent, and competitive. You can learn more or request a demo at https://recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow. 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. Connect with James: LinkedIn: James O'Brien Website: i-intro Connect with Mark Whitby Get your free 30-minute strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session

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.

Why do some recruiters get ignored while others hear, “I never respond to recruiters, but I had to respond to you”? Theresa Nordstrom has spent her career on both sides of the hiring table. Before launching her own search firm, she spent nearly 20 years as an HR leader. In one role, she cut agency spending by over $700,000 by building creative employee referral programs and filling roles in-house. Then she crossed to the agency side. In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter, Theresa explains why most recruiter outreach fails and what actually gets candidates to respond. Her answer isn't more messages or better templates. It's storytelling, relevance, and clarity. Theresa shares why job descriptions don't recruit talent, how she uncovers the real story behind a role, and how video helps her cut through candidate noise without being pushy or salesy. She also breaks down why detailed submittals matter, how she uses AI to save time without sacrificing quality, and when it genuinely makes sense for companies to use external recruiters. Sponsor: Recruiterflow This episode is brought to you by Recruiterflow. Recruiterflow is an end-to-end, AI-first ATS and CRM built specifically for recruitment agencies and executive search firms. It brings together ATS, CRM, sequencing, data enrichment, marketing automation, and AI agents in one clean, intuitive platform. Several recruitment leaders in our coaching community use Recruiterflow to execute faster, onboard new hires more easily, and spend more time on what actually matters: conversations with clients and candidates. You can learn more or request a demo at recruitmentcoach.com/recruiterflow In this episode, you'll learn: Why candidates respond to stories, not job descriptions How to get candidates to self-select early (and save time on both sides) Why progression examples outperform vague culture claims How video outreach cuts through noise without needing polish What most employee referral programs get wrong Why detailed submittals increase interview ratios How to use AI to elevate quality, not replace judgment Episode highlights: [3:01] Why Theresa left a 20-year HR career to start her own search firm [6:41] The Harley Davidson referral program that saved hundreds of thousands in agency fees [9:22] How to elicit the story behind a role candidates actually care about [12:32] Why proof of progression beats generic culture messaging [23:21] How to partner with HR without getting blocked [44:20] The video outreach approach that makes candidates stop and respond [55:03] Why Theresa spends so much time on submittals [58:34] Mixing retained, exclusive, and selective contingent work strategically Guest bio Theresa Nordstrom is the founder of Talent Company, an executive search firm specializing in accounting, finance, HR, and C-suite roles. Before launching her firm in 2015, Theresa spent nearly 20 years as an HR leader, where she became known for creative employee referral programs that dramatically reduced agency spend. Her approach today centres on storytelling, multi-channel video outreach, and presenting candidates in ways that make interview decisions easy. If you want to future-proof your recruitment business without burning out, this episode is a must-listen.

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*

Why do some recruitment agencies collapse during recessions while others keep growing? Gerard Koolen has watched his business expand through three major crises: the 2008 financial collapse, COVID-19, and the war in Ukraine. Each time, Lugera grew. Not by working harder, but by building the business differently. Gerard is the founder of Lugera, a recruitment agency with 11 offices, over 500 employees, and €243 million in annual revenue. Operating across a region tested by economic downturns and geopolitical instability, his firm has been forced to adapt repeatedly. Instead of relying on a single revenue stream, Gerard built what he calls an “all-seasons service portfolio.” Over time, Lugera developed eight distinct revenue streams. When permanent hiring slowed, outplacement surged. When clients froze recruitment, other services stepped in. One stream compensated for another, keeping the business resilient when markets turned. That approach created a new problem. Managing eight revenue streams manually nearly broke the company. Gerard invested 10 years and €2.2 million in building technology to automate work that once required a team of 30 people. Today, one part-time employee handles what used to take an entire department. In this episode, Gerard breaks down how the model works. He explains how to monetise the 99% of candidates most agencies never place, why traditional ATS systems quietly limit growth, and how outplacement can become a counter-cyclical revenue stream. If you want to build a recruitment business that grows through uncertainty instead of being crushed by it, this conversation will change how you think about revenue, technology, and resilience. What you'll learn: 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 candidate database How eight revenue streams reduce risk and smooth volatility Why your ATS may be capping your growth without you realising How automation replaced 30 staff with one part-time role Why does outplacement generate revenue when hiring stops Episode highlights: [03:30] Growing during the 2008 recession [05:53] The all-seasons service portfolio [08:01] Monetising the 99% of candidates you never place [14:34] The real cost of building the technology [19:42] Why most ATS platforms restrict growth [27:02] Doubling placements without doubling effort [31:33] Turning outplacement into a €1M revenue stream [45:25] Automated outreach that converts job ads into leads Sponsor 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. 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 Guest Bio Gerard Koolen is the founder of Lugera, a recruitment and staffing agency with 11 offices across Eastern Europe, over 500 employees, and €243 million in annual revenue. After investing 10 years and €2.2 million developing proprietary AI matching technology, Gerard created the Recruitment Revenue Platform to help recruitment agencies build multiple revenue streams beyond traditional placement fees. This is Gerard's third appearance on The Resilient Recruiter. Connect with Gerard LinkedIn: Gerard Koolen Website: lugera.com Recruitment Revenue Platform: recruitmentrevenueplatform.com Special offer: Get 100 free credits plus personal onboarding at recruitmentcoach.com/staa Connect with Mark Free strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session LinkedIn: Mark Whitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

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

Why do some recruiters stay stuck on contingent work while others shift a large portion of their business to retained without pitching harder or sounding salesy? James Cairns found the answer the hard way. James is a CPA who 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 point on, momentum followed. Today, James runs The CSP Group, a highly respected finance and accounting search firm in St. Louis. He regularly beats national firms, fills senior roles up to CFO level, and now operates with roughly 40% of his work on retained or contained terms. In this episode, James breaks down what actually drove that shift. Not better sales tactics, scripts, or pressure. But commitment, process, and the confidence to walk away from the wrong work. This conversation offers a clear look at what changes when a recruiter stops competing on volume and starts choosing the right work. In this episode, you'll learn: 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 being local and specialized beats national firms How to position retained search without pitching or pressure Why walkaway power matters more than persuasion Episode highlights: [3:44] Why a CPA with zero agency experience started a search firm [6:31] Quitting with $30K, a pregnant wife, and no local network [8:46] First-year reality: three placements and borrowed money [10:04] The back porch moment that eliminated Plan B [18:41] The candidate process that transformed responsiveness [21:51] Talent profiles and how they drive a third of placements [38:02] Why local specialization beats national firms [43:27] The CFO placement that changed everything [50:04] "This is how we work": James's retained positioning [59:06] Why walkaway power leads to more retained work James's story is proof that retained success isn't about being louder or more persuasive. It's about clarity, commitment, and choosing the right work. Guest Bio: James Cairns is the founder of The CSP Group, a boutique executive search firm specializing in finance and accounting talent in the St. Louis market. James earned his CPA license and began his career at PwC in Big Four audit before moving into corporate finance roles. He started The CSP Group in 2014 with $30,000 in savings, a one-year-old at home, another child on the way, and no local business network. After a difficult first year, James committed fully to making the business work - a decision that changed everything. Today, the CSP Group places senior-level finance professionals up to the CFO level, with approximately 40% of search assignments on retained or contained terms. Connect with James: James on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/james-cairns-062a5b7/ The CSP Group website - https://thecspgroup.com/ Connect with Mark: Get your free 30-minute strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Mark on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwhitby/?originalSubdomain=uk Follow on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach 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

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

Why do some recruiters post content every week and still struggle to book meetings? While others quietly turn short LinkedIn videos into real sales conversations that actually close. Mike Mello has lived both sides of that question. After 10 years in staffing, Mike had built what most recruiters would call a dream run. Over 1,300 placements. More than $100 million in revenue sold. Nearly 140 contractors are billed as enterprise salespeople. Then he walked away. Not because staffing stopped working. But because buyer behaviour had changed, and most recruiters were still relying on volume instead of context. In this episode, Mike shares how he used LinkedIn video alongside outbound automation to warm up prospects before sales conversations ever happened. The insight that changed everything was simple but powerful: senior decision-makers were watching his videos quietly, building familiarity and trust long before replying to an email or taking a call. Today, Mike is the founder of Simple Side AI, where he helps staffing agencies combine content and outbound in a way that creates better conversations, shorter sales cycles, and higher-quality meetings. This conversation goes well beyond tools. It's about how buyers actually decide, why pain-point content consistently beats ROI messaging, and why most meaningful meetings don't happen on email one or two. If you're posting content but not seeing it turn into a pipeline, this episode will help you know what's missing. In this episode, you'll learn: • Why visibility now matters more than outbound volume • How LinkedIn video builds context before the first conversation • Why senior buyers watch content without ever liking or commenting • The difference between pain-point content and ROI content • Why unscripted video outperforms polished AI content • How long do outbound sequences really need to run in staffing • Why Mike's best meetings happen around email six or seven • Why sales skill still matters more than any tool or platform Episode highlights [05:40] How Mike made 1,300 placements and sold $100M before launching Simple Side AI [09:05] The LinkedIn video that changed everything and grew one account to 50 contractors [10:36] Why fear of judgement stops recruiters from posting video [12:04] The analytics that proved LinkedIn video beats cold calling [13:56] Why your best clients watch your content but never engage publicly [19:02] Why content and outbound must work together [23:11] Pain-point content vs ROI content [26:42] Why imperfect video builds more trust [43:53] The observation–problem–solution–CTA email structure [52:19] Turning video viewers into warm sales calls [56:01] Why reactivating past accounts often beats cold outreach Guest Bio 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. As an enterprise salesperson, he built and managed a book of nearly 140 contractors and ranked as the number two salesperson at his company following the acquisition. Mike is based in New York City. Connect Mike Mello LinkedIn: Mike Mello - https://www.linkedin.com/in/mike-mello-7884b059/ Website: Simple Side AI - https://simplesideai.com/ Mark Whitby Get your free 30-minute strategy session: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach

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.

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 a simple 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 beats traditional intake calls, and where AI genuinely adds leverage without replacing human judgment. In This Episode, You'll Learn: Why packaging your process matters more than speed or experience How the Dream Hire framework works and why Define is the most skipped (and costly) stage Why asking for stories reveals more than job descriptions ever will How to assess culture fit without relying on gut feel Where AI creates real value in hiring and where it doesn't How to use technology to scale insight without losing trust Episode Highlights [4:10] The hiring nightmare that forced Andrea to rebuild her entire process [7:38] Why changing the job posting language repelled the wrong candidates [9:31] The 90-minute group interview where candidates self-select out [12:24] Breaking down the Dream Hire framework: Define, Reach, Engage, Assess, Motivate [13:23] Why most recruiters skip defining and pay for it later [30:20] Assessing culture fit by asking for stories, not descriptions [36:08] The CAR technique for behavioral interviewing [39:58] Where AI creates the most value in hiring [41:02] Using AI chatbots to screen minimum qualifications [52:20] How Andrea uses AI to extend reach without extending hours Guest Bio Andrea Hoffer is the founder of AHA Talent Consulting and creator of the Dream Hire framework. She helps business owners attract, hire, and retain the right people through structured hiring systems and disciplined use of AI. Before consulting, Andrea spent 10 years as the owner and operator of a Massage Envy Spa franchise, where she led a 30+ person team and experienced firsthand the cost of hiring without structure. Today, she works primarily with multi-unit franchisees and small business owners who want predictable hiring outcomes without constant churn. If you're ready to stop competing on speed and price and start owning your process, your positioning, and your outcomes, this episode is a must-listen.

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 — and placements stopped. 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% 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 stabilise 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 stabiliser 51:05 How recruiting can turn around fast Guest: Tonya Leadman Owner, Leadman & Associates 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

The hardest part of business development isn't effort, it's consistency. Most recruiters know what to do, but struggle to do it every day while juggling clients, candidates, and placements. You know you should be reaching out to prospects daily, but between managing active searches, candidate interviews, and client meetings, your pipeline suffers. The solution? Build automated systems that generate leads while you focus on conversations that close deals. Giorgio Zanella is a go-to-market engineer who's built hundreds of automation workflows for recruiters and founders. Working out of Clay's New York office, he's spent three years mastering the platform and helping recruitment professionals scale their outbound without losing the personal touch. In this behind-the-scenes episode of The Resilient Recruiter, we break down the exact infrastructure, tools, and strategies you need to automate your outbound without sacrificing personalization or sounding like spam. This isn't theory. Giorgio has analyzed thousands of campaigns and knows exactly what separates automation that works from automation that gets ignored. You'll learn why Clay.com has become the number one platform for scaling outreach, how to choose the right tools for email and LinkedIn automation, what infrastructure you actually need (domains, inboxes, and warming protocols), and how to achieve 3-5% response rates on cold email when most people can't break 1%. We cover the complete tech stack: Clay for workflow automation and data enrichment, Instantly for email sequencing, HeyReach for LinkedIn automation, and how these tools work together to create synchronized multichannel campaigns. You'll discover how Clay's "waterfall enrichment" replaces expensive tools like ZoomInfo (saving you $15K+ per year), why LinkedIn outreach gets higher response rates than email (and its hidden limitations), and how to build email infrastructure that protects your domain reputation while scaling to hundreds of sends per day. Giorgio shares the exact formula for safe, sustainable outreach: 3-4 alternate domains, 2 inboxes per domain, 12-15 emails per inbox per day, and the two-week warming process you can't skip. He explains why most recruiters wreck their deliverability by sending from their main domain, how to set up synchronized campaigns where email, LinkedIn, and phone calls happen in coordinated sequences, and why relevance (right person, right time, right message) beats volume every single time. You'll learn what "good" response rates actually look like (spoiler: they're lower than you think, but the ROI is massive), how to calculate return on investment for cold outreach campaigns, and why even a 1% response rate can generate huge returns when your infrastructure costs are minimal. Giorgio breaks down why personalization and timing are more important than blast volume, how to track real-time signals like job changes and promotions to time your outreach perfectly, and the practical first steps to start automating your business development this month. This episode is part of our new course, Automate Your Outreach: How to Generate Client Leads Daily on Autopilot, a four-week implementation program where Mark and Giorgio guide you step-by-step through building your own automation system. Whether you're a solo recruiter trying to scale or an agency owner looking to systematize business development across your team, this conversation gives you the blueprint. Episode highlights: • [00:50] Introducing Giorgio Zanella and the vision behind the "Automate Your Outreach" program • [03:30] What is Clay and why recruiters are using it to automate lead generation • [07:35] The tech stack you actually need: Clay, Instantly, HeyReach (and what to skip) • [12:20] How to replace expensive data tools like ZoomInfo with Clay's "waterfall enrichment" • [18:40] Email vs. LinkedIn outreach: which gets more replies and why • [23:25] How to run synchronized multichannel campaigns (email + LinkedIn + phone) • [31:30] Why personalization and timing beat volume every time • [40:55] Building a bulletproof email infrastructure (domains, inboxes, warm-up rules) • [52:00] What "good" reply rates look like and how to calculate ROI on outreach • [1:10:00] Practical first steps to start automating your BD this month For more information or to register for the Automate Your Outreach course, visit recruitmentcoach.com/automate Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call: http://www.recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session/ Connect with Giorgio Zanella on LinkedIn Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

Why do some recruiters struggle to break $300K while others hit seven figures in their third year? My guest, Tito Caceres, spotted a $160 billion industry that most recruiters have never even thought about. And he built a thriving business there with nothing but a credit card and relentless hustle. Tito grew up in his family's landscaping business and swore he'd never work in that industry. Ironically, that's exactly where he found his million-dollar niche. After building a career in sales and recruitment, he recognized an opportunity that others had completely missed. In 2021, he launched Bloom Talent Solutions and went all-in. First year? $600K in billings working solo with no agency pedigree. This year, he's on pace for $1.6 million. In this episode, you'll hear how Tito scaled fast by going retained-only, building a transparency system that keeps clients loyal, and creating new income sources beyond placement fees. You'll also hear why he fired clients to achieve clarity, how he packages candidates better than any resume ever could, and what it really takes to dominate a niche market. If you've ever wondered how far focus and follow-through can take a solo recruiter, this is your playbook. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: How Tito went from despising the landscaping industry to building a million-dollar recruiting business in it First year billings: $600K working solo with no pedigree Why Tito walked away from contingent work in year two (and never looked back) The transparency system that keeps clients coming back: weekly reports, bi-weekly meetings, and QBRs Performance sheets: the mandatory tool that packages candidates better than any resume How Tito built AI-driven recruiting systems that put him miles ahead of other recruiters The subscription model that turns relationships into reliable income before placement fees even come in Hiring misfires, family challenges, and the painful lessons that led to clarity Revenue share partnerships with industry consultants that generate referrals on autopilot CONNECT WITH TITO CACERES: LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/tito-caceres/ Bloom Talent Solutions: http://getbloomtalent.com RESOURCES MENTIONED: Clay.com Lemlist Recruitment Coach Live Summit Claire Ackers on LinkedIn 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 This episode is a must-listen if you're ready to scale a high-profit, low-overhead search firm.

What if getting fired 20 times wasn't failure—but the exact preparation you needed to build something meaningful? James Rowe went from serial job-hopper (yes, 20+ jobs) to founder of TRE – The Recruitment Experts, a platform generating £1.7-2M annually with just 5 head office staff supporting 18+ independent recruiters. His 70/30 split model is changing how recruitment businesses operate: there is no office rent, no salary guarantees, and no managing underperformers. Experienced recruiters keep 70% of fees while TRE handles the CRM, automation, AI tools, and back-office admin. In this episode, recorded in person in London, you'll discover: The exact 70/30 model that eliminates traditional agency overhead while scaling revenue How James's backfilling campaign uses Clay, ChatGPT, and Phantom Buster to automate outreach (and why one version backfired) Lead magnet strategies hitting 50% response rates with warm clients The two email tactics that boosted responses 20% (hint: one involves typing "Sent from my iPhone") Why general recruiters won't survive the AI wave—and why niche specialists with strong databases will thrive The mindset shift from employee to entrepreneur, and why resilience beats talent Key Timestamps: 5:14 - From 20 firings to recruitment during COVID 14:01 - The 70/30 model explained 29:02 - Automation campaigns that actually work 40:54 - Two email tips that changed everything 56:06 - Why resilience and community matter most About James Rowe: James is the Managing Director of The Recruitment Experts (TRE), helping experienced recruiters launch independent businesses within 4 days. A semi-professional rugby player turned ultra-marathon runner (he recently completed 65 miles!), James applies the same discipline to business systems, AI automation, and helping recruiters break free from the 9-5. Resources Mentioned: Clay.com Lemlist ChatGPT Phantom Buster Want help scaling YOUR recruitment business? Get Mark's FREE 30-minute strategy call: www.RecruitmentCoach.com/strategy-session Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter for weekly interviews with top recruitment professionals sharing proven strategies to grow your agency.

Most recruitment agency owners hit a wall around 10–20 people. The culture that made you successful starts to crack, and the personal touch gets lost. Nicholas Barton didn't just avoid that wall he redefined what scaling could look like. From packing boxes in a warehouse to leading a 100-person global firm, Nicholas built The Barton Partnership into one of Forbes' “World's Best Management Consulting Firms,” with offices in London, New York, and Singapore. He built a platform before headcount, gave away 35% of his business through share options, and kept his early hires for nearly two decades. While competitors chased quick wins, Nicholas played the long game scaling internationally without losing the cohesion that made his business special. In this episode: [03:40] How Nicholas found his niche in strategy consulting [10:50] The “spray and pray” moment that launched his career [13:04] The hires who've stayed 18 years — and why [18:33] Why giving away 35% made his firm stronger [29:08] The “airport test” and how to hire for culture [35:20] Build your platform before you scale [1:04:42] Why great service always beats great selling

AI isn't coming to recruitment. It's already here. And the gap between recruiters who know how to use it and those who don't is widening fast. My guest today has data proving it: recruiters adopting AI correctly are seeing up to 30% increases in GP per desk. Manan Shah is CEO and co-founder of Recruiter Flow, an AI-first recruitment operating system built for search firms, agencies, and solo practitioners doing permanent and contract placements. After accidentally discovering that recruitment agencies were "a decade behind" in tech adoption, Manan and his team have built what could be the most comprehensive AI-enabled platform for modern recruiters. This conversation gets tactical. We discuss how to run your firm with SaaS-level business intelligence, AI note-taking that structures unstructured data, job change alerts that put you in front of clients at exactly the right moment, and multichannel sequencing that lets you scale BD without adding headcount. WHAT YOU'LL LEARN: RecOps: Stop Guessing, Start Measuring Many recruitment firm owners are flying blind. They figure out salary budgets, marketing spend, and incentive structures by gut feel. Manan introduces "RecOps" (Recruitment Operations), borrowed from how SaaS companies run. It means tracking the metrics that matter. In SaaS, they know their customer lifetime value versus what they spend to acquire that customer should be 3:1. You should be spending one-third or less of what a client is worth to you on getting them. Simple, but many recruitment firms haven't made this calculation. Successful firms are now hiring operations people who aren't recruiters but keep the business running tight. Job Change Alerts: Three Opportunities From One Signal When someone in your database changes jobs or gets promoted, you get three plays. First, that person's new company often needs more hires or creates turnover when they bring in their own team. Second, their old company needs to backfill. Third, the one most people miss: that person was probably interviewing elsewhere. Build rapport, and they might tell you about the other positions they turned down. Those companies might still be hiring. Recruiter Flow monitors your database automatically and pings you when these changes happen. Multichannel Sequencing: Scale Your BD Without Adding Headcount Many agencies rely on their best billers to also do all the business development. They're making calls when they remember, sending one-off emails, maybe a LinkedIn message here and there. Nothing systematic. Recruiter Flow's multichannel sequencing lets you map out an entire BD campaign with conditional logic. Send a LinkedIn connection request. If they accept in 3 days, send a message. If not, trigger an email instead. If they open your email 3+ times but don't reply, the system creates a task for your recruiter to call them. This means your team can run sophisticated, persistent BD campaigns that would normally require hiring a dedicated BD person. EPISODE HIGHLIGHTS: How Manan accidentally discovered the recruiting agency market and why one client signed a 3-year contract after less than a year in business What "RecOps" means and why recruitment firms need to adopt SaaS-style business intelligence AI-first vs. AI-bolted-on and why your ATS needs to be rebuilt from the ground up The three categories of AI adoption: AI-native, AI-assisted, and AI-augmented How AI note-taking captures tribal knowledge and turns it into searchable intelligence Data enrichment built in: contact finder, job change alerts, executive appointment monitoring Why it's a triple opportunity when someone changes jobs MPC automation with branded landing pages and client interaction tracking What's next: 40+ AI agents in development and the ability to build your own custom agents Why AI doesn't just lift the average but widens the gap between top and bottom performers ABOUT MANAN SHAH: Manan Shah is CEO and co-founder of Recruiter Flow, serving thousands of customers globally, from solo practitioners to firms generating over $100M in annual revenue. Before founding Recruiter Flow in 2015, Manan built his first AI company in 2013, long before AI became mainstream. Connect with Manan on LinkedIn or visit recruiterflow.com CONNECT WITH MARK WHITBY: Get your free 30-minute strategy call: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/mwhitby Twitter: @MarkWhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter for weekly insights on building a scalable, profitable recruitment business.