The Resilient Recruiter

In the evolving recruitment landscape where LinkedIn and ChatGPT dominate the conversation, one tool stands resilient: the humble phone call. Is cold calling still a critical part of your recruitment and selling process? Can you be a successful modern recruiter while making zero cold calls? I am thrilled to be joined by a veteran and successful recruiter, Danny Cahill. You will enjoy his insights based on his decades-long expertise in recruitment approach with a spotlight on the importance of using the phone for cold calls. Danny started his recruiting career right out of college at Hobson Associates. He became its rookie of the year and went on to become a top producer and the general manager by the age of 26. At 27, he bought the company and built it into one of the country's largest search firms. Danny was the educational chairperson of the Pinnacle Society, 75 of the highest achievers in the industry. Episode Outline and Highlights [02:12] “Phone: Friend or Foe?” – insights on Danny’s talk at the last Pinnacle Society Summit. [09:50] Recalling the good old cold calling days. [13:08] Approaching the current landscape of a 5% call response rate. [22:09] Why must modern recruiters understand and maximize the phone's power? [32:33] “The phone call is a birthday card.” - Danny explains why effort toward candidates and clients can be a strong differentiator. [39:35] Can you be a successful recruiter nowadays without making phone calls? [45:39] Flipping the order – why the phone should come before email. [52:40] Thoughts and insights on AI. How Veteran Recruiters Should Approach the Current Industry Landscape I have known Danny for decades - he is a legendary recruiter and you can just imagine my delight when I had the chance to meet him in person at a Pinnacle Society conference last year. We discussed the talk he gave about using old-school cold-calling. Danny believes that using the phone is a critical skill for recruiters, especially before the advent of the internet. We recalled how exciting it was to not know in detail who you would be talking to, how skillful you should be when carrying conversations, and of course, going through gatekeepers before reaching your actual target. But the landscape now changed. On average, you will only reach 5% of your prospects by phone. Danny believes that although it should be a combination of tools and platforms, making phone calls is more relevant than ever, as it can be a differentiator. This is how Danny puts it: “If this helps you with your identity crisis, the thing that made you great is going to be more important than ever because you're not someone who just makes phone calls. The phone is your conduit to who you are, which is a storyteller, a persuader, an enabler of aspiration. We sell dreams. That's what we do. And companies are going to always use us. If you have a level of contact and subject matter expertise so that I feel like you can get candidates I can't get in a faster way.” Flipping the Order – Why the Phone Should Come Before Email On Hobson Associates’ website, you will see the line “We’re Always Available to You. By Phone. Online. Or in person.” This is aligned with how Danny wants the order in which their recruiters would reach out to prospects via phone before mail. I tried to pick Danny’s brain for this approach, and he explained the logic. “Yeah, well, because I think the phone has some real advantages and it is direct. You know, people often say, well, email is faster. Oh, no, it's not. I see email exchanges all the time between clients.” Danny also emphasized that the phone has some power to engage with prospects. “The power of the pause; the power of someone sighing. The thing about text, is that young people like text, because text can be filtered, text can be edited, right? You can wait and you can make a draft of it. Whereas with the phone, you can't skim a phone call. Right. You're on it. You're on the hot seat.” Can...

Building a scalable recruitment business that operates seamlessly even without recruiters' direct involvement should not be just a dream—but a tangible goal. Balraj's achievement with Envision Education serves as a testament to what can be accomplished through strategic planning and execution. Today’s episode explores how recruiters can build high-performing teams and a scalable business with a special guest, Balraj Guraya. As the founder and director of Envision Education, Balraj has not only grown the company into a high-performing team of 23 individuals but also strategically positioned himself to focus solely on scaling the business by replacing himself in the hands-on role in 2022 Tune in to gain valuable insights from Balraj's unique approach and what's working and not in building a scalable business that can thrive even when the founder isn't in the driver's seat. Episode Outline And Highlights [01:46] Why Balraj got into recruitment and started Envision Education [05:20] How Balraj began his business and how things worked in the first year [08:07] The biggest challenges Balraj encountered before building a team [12:04] The key milestones of growing a team from 2 to 23 people [15:06] How to structure the interview process and get the right people onboard [22:37] Ways to structure your team and create an excellent candidate journey [20:45] Steps to building a recruitment business that runs without you [33:20] What contributes to creating a high-energy environment [44:23] How to hire right and create a smooth transition into your culture [48:28] The key to building successful business partnerships with Rec2Rec [55:42] What candidate's journey is all about, and how it works [59:11] How to design, roll out, and improve processes for scale [01:02:04] Tip to conquer staff turnover and self-doubt as a business owner How to Become a Manager and a Leader and Build Confidence in Your Effectiveness During our discussion, Balraj and I discussed his recruitment strategies at Envision Education. Founded in 2014, Envision Education addresses staffing shortages in Primary, Secondary, and Special Schools across London and the home counties. Balraj's vision has led Envision Education to become a high-performing team of 23 individuals. His journey includes transitioning from a hands-on role as a builder in 2022 to focus on scaling the business. Balraj shares six key principles for recruiters aspiring to become effective managers and leaders in their business. Self-motivation: As a recruiter, Balraj shares that you have to be very self-motivated and have the drive, energy, and focus to grow your business in the beginning to build a strong foundation for growth and expansion. Be consistent: Balraj emphasizes maintaining a steady workflow and understanding that success takes time and effort. It’s not going to be an overnight achievement. So be consistent, produce the right quality and quantity of activity, and stay motivated. Willingness to make mistakes: Recruitment takes work. It takes resilience, courage, and a willingness to put yourself out there, try uncomfortable things, make mistakes, and embrace them as learning opportunities. Get the right people on board: Balraj emphasizes the pivotal role of team composition in driving success. He explains the importance of recruiting people who align with the company's values and attributes and possess the necessary skills to contribute meaningfully to the team's objectives. Having the right people on board is a game changer. It’s the difference between success and failure. Structure your team: Structuring allows individuals to maximize their strengths and enhance overall performance. According to Balraj, structuring your team will help the team keep up and improve your turnover. Coaching and development. Balraj highlights the importance of ongoing coaching and development in building a great team. Rather than solely focusing on placements, he emphasizes sharing...

Every successful recruiter will tell you success is born out of the grind, not the glory. Mastering the grind is the key to unlocking growth. Whether building a robust network, honing communication, or leveraging technology, recruiters must navigate the ups and downs with resilience and determination. Today’s episode explores how recruiters can embrace the grind and build successful businesses with a special guest, Matt Ballema. Matt is the founder of Pioneer Search Group. With a track record of consistently surpassing the million-dollar revenue mark for the past three years, Matt brings over two decades of executive search experience. He specializes in material handling automation space and has placed professionals at all levels, from general manager, president, and COO to sales reps and engineers all over North America. Tune in to gain insights on elevating your firm to unprecedented success. Matt's insights will inspire and enlighten you whether you're a seasoned recruiter seeking to optimize your operations or an aspiring entrepreneur looking to carve a niche in the industry. Episode Outline And Highlights [02:19] How Matt got into the executive search business space [04:13] When Matt started the Pioneer Search Group [10:40] The difference between burning out and embracing the grid [18:34] What it means to work hard and be consistent as a recruiter [20:03] Three important metrics to track in a recruitment business [25:24] Key tools to adapt to stay with the times and leverage technology [35:07] How to stay relevant as an executive recruiter in the digital environment [39:10] How to create an in-house team structure for building your database [42:58] The rainmaker model and how it works in a recruitment firm [48:23] Leveling up your team and scaling back direct workload Vs retiring [50:58] How recruiters make people multimillionaires, changed lives and family trees [54:47] How recruiters can harness fear as motivation rather than a detour [01:02:04] The mindset of successful recruiter and thinking of the long game How Recruiters Can Navigate the Grind and Scale Their Recruitment Firm During our discussion, Matt and I discussed his recruitment strategies at Pioneer Search Group, which has been instrumental in building and scaling the firm. Pioneer Search Group specializes in executive search within material handling, power generation, and oil and gas industries across North America, placing top talent in various roles, from sales and sales management to director and VP/C positions. Matt outlined six essential steps crucial for recruiters looking to establish or expand their executive search firm: Entrepreneurship grind: Matt emphasizes the importance of embracing the search business grind mentality, regardless of the revenue goal. Whether it's a million dollars or $250,000,. It doesn’t matter; you must be willing to grind and embrace the grind to achieve. Alignment: Before embarking on becoming an executive recruiter or starting a search firm, Matt highlighted the necessity of ensuring alignment with one's partner, as the pursuit can be very demanding. Hard work and consistency: Hard work and consistency are the hallmarks of a successful recruiter. Recruitment is an activity-based business, and Matt encourages recruiters to focus on data analytics, planning, and tracking metrics. Build your database: According to Matt, as a recruiter, diligently working on and growing your database is the foundation for turning leads into lead generation, both on the candidate and client sides. Stay relevant: From a marketing perspective, Matt advised recruiters to brand and package their services effectively, leverage team efforts, technology, and persistence to maximize engagement and seize opportunities. Turn fear into motivation: In the placement world, there are many things that recruiters have no control over, but setting fear aside and going for it will keep you achieving your goals. As a...

Scaling a recruitment firm to 10x growth in a challenging market demands a strategic approach focused on innovation, adaptability, and talent development. All of which Tom has mastered and has been able to 10x his firm's growth over the past decade. Tom scaled Fraser Dove International from 5 employees to a workforce of 50 employees spread across two offices in the UK, one in Switzerland, and another in the US. In this episode, we discuss strategies for success and capitalizing on new opportunities in the recruitment industry with a special guest, Thomas Dove. As the co-founder and CEO of Fraser Dove International, a leading global search firm and talent consultancy specializing in Life Sciences, Tom brings a wealth of experience to the table. He started his recruitment career in the early 2000s in a large, corporate, multinational environment and transitioned into the global executive search world before starting his own recruitment firm. Tune in to gain invaluable insights from Tom on achieving exponential growth and staying ahead of the curve in an ever-changing market. Whether leveraging innovation, promoting adaptability, or investing in talent development, Tom provides valuable perspectives to help recruitment firms thrive amidst evolving challenges and emerging opportunities. Episode Outline And Highlights [02:38] How Tom got into the recruiting space [04:52] What it takes to start and 10x a recruitment firm [09:42] How to refine your roles in a partnership for scale [11:50] How to unpack your job and hire people with the potential to grow [20:33] Ways recruiters can stop being the bottleneck in their businesses [24:38] Tips on how to drive high-performance standards hands-off [26:42] How recruiters can create processes and pathways for excellence [34:15] How to play to people's strength in a challenging market [37:10] Practical steps to becoming a great recruiter in a tough market [41:27] How to generate your production at a high level while developing others [49:11] The 360 business development for turning candidates into client [52:28] What OKRs are and how to use them within a recruiting business [01:04:04] How to develop a unique language and integrate it into a business culture How Recruiters Can Unpack Their Job and Find More Opportunities During our conversation, Tom and I discussed Fraser Dove's remarkable growth, expanding globally by 10x over the past decade. Tom describes how refining his and his partners' roles and constantly reevaluating their jobs has been pivotal in unlocking new opportunities and perspectives. He emphasized the importance of periodically stepping back, assessing tasks, and delegating effectively. For Tom, recognizing when he's overwhelmed with tasks outside his core focus signifies an opportunity to recalibrate priorities, leading to the discovery of fresh avenues for growth and innovation. Tom also shed light on their thought process and hiring approach at Fraser Dove. Over the past decade, they've reviewed and refined job descriptions a notable 15 times, two times a year, when onboarding new leaders. They adopt a dual hiring strategy, defining immediate roles while envisioning how these positions will evolve over the following 12 to 24 months. This forward-thinking technique ensures alignment between organizational needs and individual aspirations, fostering a dynamic and adaptable workforce. As a scaling company, Fraser Dove understands the importance of articulating its mission and vision to potential hires, positioning itself as an employer of choice within the competitive executive search landscape. Tom underscored the importance of communicating career trajectories and growth opportunities to prospective employees, as this distinguishes recruiters as visionary employers. This approach attracts top-tier talent and serves as a guiding principle for recruiters and leaders within the organization, aligning efforts toward a shared vision of the...

Growing a recruitment business to 7 or 8-figure portfolio companies might be much simpler than you think. Few firm owners achieve this, but Aaron Opalewski stands as an example of this entrepreneurial success. He co-founded his first staffing company at just 24 and has nurtured his second venture into a portfolio of seven staffing companies across various industries. Remarkably, three companies consistently make 8-figure revenues, while one of them, Spark Packaging, hit 7-figures within its first year. In this episode, we discuss invaluable insights on how recruiters can fortify their businesses for growth with a special guest, Aaron Opalewski. Aaron is the CEO and founder of Spark Talent Acquisition, a company he launched in 2013 at the age of 29. He is also a partner in two other companies outside of staffing and holds investments in the food and beverage industry. Join us as we explore strategies for structuring businesses, optimizing operations, boosting gross profit, delegating tasks, nurturing client relationships, and building successful partnerships. Tune in for a wealth of wisdom and actionable advice from Aaron's journey of entrepreneurial triumph. Episode Outline And Highlights [02:38] How Aaron got into the recruiting space [03:59] What it takes to start and launch a staffing company [08:00] The keys to a successful business partnership [09:54] How delegation and promotion have helped Spark Talent excel [15:18] How to structure a recruiting company for lifetime customer value [24:33] Tips on how to nurture clients and maintain good relationships [30:10] How the contract and direct side of a recruiting business works [32:35] Why GP is the most important metric for growth [38:06] How to identify target companies for merger and acquisition [41:27] How to get alignments and nurture clients on social media [44:57] How mergers work in improving GP to over the million dollars range [48:25] Growth loops and profit strategy to level up business operations [57:15] What is the difference between recurring and contract revenue flow How Recruiters Can Structure Their Firms for Lifetime Value During our conversation, Aaron and I discussed Spark Talent and how he has steered it into a thriving portfolio comprising seven staffing companies across different sectors over the past decade. Aaron shares that everyone assumes the role of recruiters within his business. As the founder, he personally interviews prospective team members, positioning himself as the primary recruiter across all his ventures. He emphasized the importance of this role, asserting that as a business owner, one must take charge of internal recruitment, honing recruitment skills as diligently as serving clients. Aaron firmly believes that sourcing and nurturing the right talent through extensive training, coaching, and support makes success almost inevitable. He stressed that while failures may occur in other aspects, assembling the right team and fostering their growth ensures a solid foundation for success. Discussing the organizational structure, Aaron outlined the various roles within their teams and business setup, which include recruiters, account managers, business developers, internal and external apps teams, and portfolio managers overseeing the seven companies. Aaron underscored that recruiting forms the cornerstone of their operations, extending to every area of their business, even extending to the front-end relationship with business development personnel. However, in the early stages, Aaron recalled a time when salespeople juggled multiple roles, from accounting to business development and recruitment. However, he acknowledged that this approach diluted the customer experience and diminished lifetime value, prompting them to restructure and specialize roles for optimal efficiency and client customers' lifetime value. Nurturing Client and Building Longterm Relationships Aaron shares the importance of nurturing clients...

Do you need help building lasting relationships with candidates after placement? Scaling a recruitment business and manually nurturing relationships can be overwhelming, leaving little room for other essential tasks. But what if there is a way to automate this process? To answer this question, we discuss how recruiters can automate their recruiting process, workflow, and campaigns with a special guest, Manan Shah. Manan is a Co-founder at Recruiterflow. He has scaled Recruiterflow to a 50-person team working remotely while staying profitable from day one. Manan has a long history of building software businesses and a wealth of knowledge on recruitment technology, artificial intelligence (AI), and automation. Tune in and get invaluable recruiting and sales tactics, philosophies, and tools for building teams and relationships for scale. This is an opportunity to revolutionize your recruiting process, build relationships with a large pool of top candidates, and create a funnel of repeat customers. Episode Outline And Highlights [02:27] How Manan transitioned from engineering to running software companies [09:59] 3 strategies for building teams for scale and lasting growth [12:21] Five values and attitudes to interview for when hiring [18:40] How to scale a recruitment agency with non-sales people [21:45] 3 steps to help your sales team develop the skills to be successful [27:03] How to optimize your workflow and process with automation [28:33] Two critical tools for recruiters to drive sales and relationships [32:30] How to automate your candidate nurture campaign sequence [41:57] Two tactics every recruiting business should leverage to deliver value upfront [45:58] How to build a consistent MPC process for your recruitment business [52:11] How recruiter can make it easier to build market maps [55:34] Three key metrics recruiters need to track to increase their revenue 5 Essential Strategies for Building High-Performing Recruitment Teams Manan and I discussed his secrets to success at Recruiterflow, and he shared five essentials for building teams in a growing recruitment business. Keep a close eye on your resources: Manan emphasized the importance of managing resources closely, especially in the early stages when resources are limited. As a recruiter, you have to consider your resources when making decisions. Hire for attitude rather than altitude: The right people can learn a lot on a job, but if they don’t have that inherent curiosity and empathy for the customers and their colleagues, they can’t grow with the company and become great contributors. Growth environment: Manan stressed the importance of creating an environment where employees can learn, grow, innovate, and make mistakes freely, emphasizing the symbiotic relationship between individual and company growth. It’s a journey that is rewarding for them and the company as well. Hire experimental, high initiative, and high agency people: Manan advocated hiring individuals with a proactive and decisive mindset, capable of taking ownership of problems and finding solutions across teams. Additionally, he highlighted the importance of recruiting individuals who actively seek feedback, as it’s a vital component of continuous improvement. Lastly, Manan highlighted the importance of cultivating a culture where individuals can disagree constructively but remain fully committed to executing decisions once they're made, ensuring unified progress towards common goals. These strategies serve as a roadmap for recruiters seeking to build resilient and agile teams capable of thriving in a rapidly evolving industry landscape. The Power of Nurturing Candidate Relationships Manan highlights two primary motivations that drive hiring managers to enlist the help of recruitment agencies. Firstly, time is often a critical factor. Many hiring managers face the urgent need to fill roles swiftly, sometimes within weeks or months, while the internal hiring...

Are you a solo recruiter curious about achieving extraordinary billing figures with just a handful of daily conversations? Meet Craig, a solo recruiter who's been smashing records. For the last 3 consecutive years, he’s billed over $1.25m as a solo recruiter, reaching a career milestone of $1.5m in 2023, which was a down year for many recruiters. In today’s episode, we explore how solo recruiters can level up their recruitment game with conversations even when times are tough with a returning guest, Craig Picken. Craig is the co-founder and Managing Partner for Northstar Group, a boutique executive search firm based in Wilmington, NC. Tune in and get invaluable insights from Craig's unique approach that challenges the norms and redefines what's possible for solo recruiters in today's competitive landscape. His ability to navigate the complexities of talent acquisition is truly remarkable. Whether you're a seasoned recruiter or just starting out in the industry, this episode offers actionable tips to enhance your recruitment conversations and propel your career to new heights. Episode Outline And Highlights [03:47] The conversations that contributed to Mike’s 1.5m billing record [06:37] What qualifies the right conversations and people [10:03] Two tools for tracking recruitment conversation [14:42] How to ring the phone and create “spontaneous conversations.” [20:11] How to position yourself for the long game and value “not transactions.” [27:53] Non-negotiables for success when partnering with a client [34:50] How to avoid burnout: Solo recruiters' physical and mental self-care tips [42:14] What solo recruiters can do to level up to $3-400k recruiters [48:35] Craig’s philosophy of content creation and tactics for writing [54:54] How podcasting can drive conversations and position you as an expert [57:26] Strategies to building a 10K people email list for your podcast [58:44] How to do outbound calls and the volume of calls to puts out there [01:01:08] What solo recruiters need to do today to be successful tomorrow 5 Steps to Level Up Your Recruitment Business Craig and I discussed his recruitment strategies at Northstar Group company, a boutique executive search firm based in Wilmington, NC, that focuses on recruiting senior-level leadership, sales, and operations executives for some of the most prominent companies in the aviation and aerospace industry. Craig’s clients include well-known aircraft OEMs, aircraft operators, leasing / financial organizations, and Maintenance / Repair / Overhaul (MRO) providers. With a track record spanning over a decade, Craig has personally concluded hundreds of successful executive-level searches across a variety of disciplines. Craig outlined five essential steps for recruiters looking to elevate their game: Invest in Yourself: Craig emphasized the importance of self-investment, urging recruiters to spend some money, go to conferences, engage in level-up conversations, and continuously seek opportunities for personal and professional growth. Follow the Right People: Recognizing the challenges of talent acquisition, Craig advised recruiters to connect with industry leaders to enhance their credibility and reputation as go-to experts. Following the right people will help you become a destination of choice. Know who you are working with: Success in recruitment, according to Craig, hinges on understanding your clients, delivering value, nurturing relationships, and adopting a long-term perspective. Choose Your Battles Wisely: Drawing from his experience and insights from the Naval Top Gun program, Craig shares a valuable lesson: “If you can’t win the fight, don’t fight. Go away and come back. Live to fight another day,” which is a great philosophy in recruiting. Differentiate yourself: Craig encouraged solo recruiters to carve out their unique identity and differentiate themselves from the competition. Whether through thought leadership on platforms like LinkedIn or...

Are you looking for innovative ways to elevate your recruitment firm's brand and solidify its presence in the industry? Podcasting might be the game-changer you haven’t tapped into yet. In today's episode, we explore the powerful impact podcasting can have as a branding tool in the competitive recruitment industry. Our guest, Mike Richards, CEO & Founder of The Treasury Recruitment Company and host of the successful Treasury Career Corner podcast, shares his journey and provides a blueprint for podcasting to strengthen your brand's reach, authority, and engagement. Tune in for actionable tips, inspiring success stories, and strategic insights on effectively utilizing podcasting to highlight your recruitment brand and deepen your connection with your audience. Whether you’re new to podcasting or looking to refine your approach, this episode is packed with valuable takeaways to help your recruitment firm stand out. Episode Outline And Highlights [01:51] Mike’s background and what he does in the finance recruiting [02:56] How Mike got into the recruitment space [04:31] Mike's highs and lows as a founder in the treasury recruiting space since 2002 [07:20] 3 Lessons Mike has learned from over 20 years of building a resilient business [09:40] Measures Mike has in place to ensure he doesn’t put his business at risk by overspending when he is doing well. [11:26] Mike’s settlement period and how he makes sure he gets paid without ruffling too many feathers [15:03] Policies to encourage prompt payment within the guaranteed period [17:55] How much Mike has implemented from Profits First book [20:28] When Mike started the Global Salary Survey, they systemized it and how it works [24:45] How Mike uses Global Salary Survey for marketing purposes [28:48] How data empowers the provision of market insights and intelligence to your clients [29:43] What inspired Mike to launch his podcast and the keys to his success [34:29] Mike's podcast strategy and how his podcast has spanned off to other opportunities [43:42] How Mike manages the cashflow issues and the cost of running his podcast events [47:28] What Mike is doing in marketing that is working well for his company [49:33] Mike's techniques for leveraging social media for his business [53:46] Marketing engine: Getting in front of people who are interested in your offer Drivers of Success For Your Recruitment Business Mike and I discussed his recruitment company, Treasury Recruitment Company, which is a truly global treasury recruitment firm established in 2002. It specializes in global treasury recruitment and supports both permanent and interim assignments, giving its clients greater flexibility and choice. The company boasts a track record of successfully placing candidates at all levels, from corporate treasury to analysts and directors and across various sectors from multinationals to consultancies. During our discussion, Mike shares three invaluable lessons gleaned from over two decades in the recruitment industry, each contributing to the resilience and success of his business. Firstly, he emphasized the importance of prudent cash flow management. Mike highlighted the tendency of many recruitment firms to overlook the economics of their spending when they are doing well, leading to potential pitfalls such as imprudent trips, expansion, or investments. Secondly, he underscored the necessity of closely looking at and monitoring your finances, income, and expenses and ensuring the fuel gauges are topped up for smooth operations. Lastly, Mike stressed the interconnectedness of these lessons, emphasizing that financial health is the lifeblood of any business and that careful attention to cash flow, income, and expenditure is fundamental to long-term success. The Role of Podcasting in Recruitment Branding Using podcasting to grow your recruitment business revolves around sharing compelling stories, providing an avenue for expression, and...

Are you a small executive search firm striving to stand out among large competitors in the industry? Fear not, for opportunities abound for those who dare to innovate and differentiate. While larger firms may wield extensive resources and brand recognition, small firms possess agility, adaptability, and personalized services that can be leveraged as competitive advantages in the ever-evolving recruitment landscape. I am excited to share this episode with special guest, Bob Kondal, a top-performing headhunter in Private Equity and Private Credit. This episode is packed with behind-the-scenes stories from twenty years of experience in recruitment that you don’t want to miss! Bob and I touched upon relevant topics such as winning clients as a small firm, storytelling in business, prepping for client meetings, MPC marketing, diversity, and how we achieves a 100% offer to job accepted ratio - that’s right, zero turn-downs. Episode Outline And Highlights [02:36] Rocky start – Bob’s first recruiting job at Huxley Associates; how he progressed from being on the verge of quitting to becoming the top biller [08:42] Bob’s journey from recruiting to equity trading to starting his own search firm [10:50] Challenges and successes: Bob’s milestones as a solo search firm owner [14:27] How to shift client’s misconception that working with the bigger search firms will yield better results [19:30] How to use superior performance metrics as a selling point [23:07] Storytelling in business: How to pitch against larger firms and win [30:01] Prepping for a client meeting [33:18] Memorizing teams: Bob shares why and how he memorized teams [40:06] Execution: Bob's process that allows him to achieve zero job turn-downs [44:55] Opportunistic introduction: How often Bob uses MPC marketing to spark conversation with potential clients [50:29] The trend toward Diversity in private equity and private capital recruitment [51:32] Discussion on “Thinking Fast and Slow” [1:00:09] Investing in your copywriting skills and Bob’s book recommendation [1:01:34] Why Bob practices Brazilian Jiu-jitsu and how it applies to the world of recruitment 4 Ways to Stand Out From the Competition and Win New Business as a Small Firm Bob goes to great lengths to stand out from the competition. He believes that so many recruiters are looking for a quick fee, with little regard for the long-term results, and do not spend enough time understanding candidates or the employer they are representing. He describes 4 different strategies he uses to stand out and stay at the top of our game. The power of storytelling: Bob attributes their high interview acceptance rates and minimal drop-offs to the clarity of their approach. Instead of simply sending job listings, he advocates engaging candidates through a 30-45 minute discussion about their career. Getting market research and execution right: You only need two things in search: research and execution to help you as an organization achieve zero turn-downs and maintain a competitive edge. This enhances attention to detail, which not only wins business but also cultivates stronger client relationships and satisfaction. Prepping for client meetings: One of Bob's key insights around client meetings is how extensively he prepares. In addition, he runs the meeting quite differently to other recruiters, for example asking about their investment philosophy. Memorizing teams: Bob explains that the client, as a search headhunter, wants to know if you, as a recruiter, know their market inside out. During Covid, Bob set himself a challenge to memorize whole teams, including where they went to university, what they studied and what grade they achieved. Like me, you will admire Bob's refreshing, proactive, responsive, and highly professional approaches and how he delivers service to his clients. Our Sponsor This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment...

Mike is a firm believer that you can win clients through LinkedIn. You will hear an amazing story about how Mike received an inbound enquiry from a VP of HR at a billion-dollar company because of a story he posted on LinkedIn. That senior executive became a client, and gave Mike a lot of repeat business, which might never have happened without that LinkedIn post. Mike also shared how consistent posting helps build a “continued relationship” with potential leads that you may have a cold called before. Here are things that you will find insightful in this section of the episode: ----------------------- Follow Mike Williams on LinkedIn: Carnegie Partners website link ------------------------- Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Mark on Twitter: @MarkWhitby Mark on Facebook Mark on Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach If you have been enjoying the podcast, please take a moment to leave a review. Your feedback is much appreciated as it helps us reach a wider audience and assist more recruiters. Here is the link to leave a review: https://lovethepodcast.com/theresilientrecruiter

Effective employer branding is not just about attracting candidates but also about retaining existing employees. A positive work environment and reputation increase employee satisfaction and reduced turnover. As a recruiter, how can you partner with your client companies to achieve employer branding objectives? To answer this question, I am delighted to have a very special guest, Bryan Adams, CEO and founder of Ph.Creative, an award-winning employer branding agency with offices in Liverpool, London, San Diego, and Auckland. Bryan shares insights and strategies on creating an effective storytelling framework to apply this branding philosophy: repel the many and compel the few. Bryan helps his clients define their essence as a company, both in its uniqueness and what it stands for, and then crafts and aligns those aspirations with the people his clients are looking to attract. They’ve worked with famous brands such as Apple and Nike. He is also a two-time best-selling author. His latest book is Give & Get:Repel the Many and Compel the Few with Impact, Purpose, and Belonging. He has written for the Harvard Business Review, Inc.com, the Entrepreneur magazine, and has been featured in Forbes. Episode Outline and Highlights [02:22] How Bryan launched his branding agency. [05:45] DIscussion on employer branding and the philosophy of attracting the right people. [13:01] Roadmap in helping your client attract the right people. [18:02] What are the components of a good employer brand? [27:41] Bryan gives us key stories from his book, Give & Get Employer Branding. [30:36] What mistakes do companies make concerning employer branding? [37:31] How can recruiters partner with their client companies in achieving the objectives of employer branding? [43:00] Book recommendations and references on storytelling. [48:10] Employer branding case studies on small to medium-sized businesses. Repel the Many and Compel the Few - A Guide on Employer Branding Recruiters are ambassadors of their clients. Understanding the employer brand of the company they represent is crucial to attracting the right candidates. Effective employer branding is critical for attracting, engaging, and retaining top talent. It goes beyond just salary and benefits; it encompasses the company's values, culture, work environment, opportunities for growth, and overall employee experience. Contrary to the notion that the correct branding should attract as many candidates as possible, Bryan believes that doing it right should only compel a few, well-screened candidates. He said: “And it's interesting still in a recent survey, 70% of employer brand leaders still cite an increase in volume of applicants and traffic to their career site as a success metric when delivering an employer brand. I've never met a TA leader, a talent attraction leader who just wants more applicants, more noise, more admin, and more work to get to the people who are ideally matched.” Bryan shared case studies of corporations and small-medium businesses they worked with and how the right employer branding worked well to find the right people. Bryan pretty much defined the right approach to branding when he said “The idea is, if you're confident and clear enough to know your culture and what it takes to drive the organization forward, and you also can answer some fundamental questions of not just why people join, but why they stay, then you can craft a give and get proposition which is a two-way value exchange of not just what you stand to get as an employer but actually what you're willing to give in return candidates and employees alike can make very informed career decisions as to whether it's an ideal match.” How to Strategize a Good Employer Brand Bryan shared the mistakes companies make when envisioning and strategizing their employer brand. He also shared vital pointers and elements to consider in designing and marketing effective talent branding. It leads to...

Are you familiar with the term “ 4.0 Leaders”? If you are, then you understand the value of hiring such leaders in whichever niche you serve, especially in this age of the industrial revolution through artificial intelligence. I am excited to share this episode as we have a returning guest, the Rogue Recruiter, David Perry. We recorded this episode on his birthday. And you know that it will be an episode packed with exceptional expertise and behind-the-scenes stories from 35 years in executive recruitment. David and I touched upon relevant topics such as building strategic, long-term client relationships and the art of placing the right candidates within a company's culture. We also covered how their project, workinsight.io, can change the current hiring landscape. Lastly, David shared his insight on what recruitment will look like and why hiring 4.0 leaders is a critical role of recruiters. Episode Outline and Highlights [02:09] Pool Table Analogy - David reveals the strategy in his 35-year career in executive recruitment. [08:02] Pointers on pre-closing deals and establishing long-term client relationships. [19:22] “Executive Recruiting for Dummies” - Why David writes the questions and runs the candidate interview with their clients. [26:06] Educating your clients on the cost of a bad hire while quantifying your added value to their organization. [29:00] Be inspired and don’t give up: David shares his story about his early struggles in his recruitment career. [32:24] What is Workinsight.io and how can it be a game changer as a matching platform for candidates and employers? [52:18] Teaser on David’s new book - “Revolutions Need Leaders” [1:00:05] David shares why they send a 27-page proposal to their clients. [1:07:00] Book recommendations from David and why he never stops learning from others. Strategize Your Recruitment Like a Pool Master Before we recorded this episode, he had recently closed around 750K in fees. I wanted to get his insights on how he can consistently deliver in the industry for 35 years. If you are familiar with the game of pool or billiards, you will relate to David’s analogy about his strategies that keep him at the top of his game. He describes his approach, “You play pool, right? Most people and most recruiters are usually good for sinking a shot. Maybe a second one, okay, rarely a third one, yep. Rarely can someone clean the table. So this is how we think about search. We get a lot of inquiries to do work for companies… That's like playing pool. Before we do a deal we want to look down the table and go, okay, what's the next ball, what's the next ball, what's the next ball? And oftentimes we won't take a search because we can't see the next one.“ David elaborated on the following techniques: Focusing on client relationships, investing time to understand their culture and what fits in their organization. Doing so can make placing three people with one company easier than three people with three different companies. How to pre-close a deal through an intake call with the client via Zoom call that will lead to a face-to-face discussion. Running the interview questions to the candidates, with the clients on the side. Like me, you will admire David’s tenure and expertise and how he delivers his service to his clients. Democratizing the Job Search Process David and I discussed their exciting website project: workinsight.io. Work Insight is a recruiting platform designed to be candidate-centric by allowing them to have a level of anonymity. The approach is inspired by dating sites, like Bumble or Tinder. The goal of the platform is to democratize recruitment - “This is designed to help people get the right role. That's why it's free. It's free for recruiters to use and post. It's free for job hunters to come and find jobs and post credentials. So we're trying to democratize the hiring that way. This way, smaller companies who've got a great idea can find people...

In the fast-paced world of recruitment, you’re under constant pressure to deliver results for your clients and achieve sales targets. So what’s the secret to maintaining peak performance without burning out? In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter, our special guest, Scott Eastin, provides a fresh perspective on achieving sustainable, long-lasting success in recruitment. Drawing from his own successful career, having navigating many ups and downs, Scott emphasizes the pivotal relationship between prioritizing health and recruitment success. Scott is the Director of Eastin IT Security. Over the last 13 years established himself as a leading Microsoft Security consultant. He’s worked with major organizations such as Coca-Cola, American Express as well as state and local governments. For the last 5 years, he’s built an IT consulting and staffing firm winning high-value, long-term projects that generate recurring revenue. In this episode, Scott unpacks his remarkable transition from being a software developer to becoming a successful recruiter. He divulges his four cornerstone strategies for business development. Most importantly, emphasizes why prioritizing physical health is a non-negotiable component in maintaining his overall productivity. Episode Outline and Highlights [02:25] Scott’s journey from being a software developer to a successful recruiter. [10:14] Insights on challenges when transitioning to a career in recruiting. [14:47] Sharing a story of how embracing an idea that was not done became a game-changer. [24:00] Scott’s Top 4 Business Development strategies [30:35] Hosting networking events - an effective way to engage with your community. [36:15] Comparison of consulting practice versus permanent direct hire models in the tech space. [44:36] Managing cash flow challenges in a consulting and IT staffing business. [54:40] Mindfulness, health and well-being. The Advantages of a Consulting Business in the IT Space Is it easier to manage an IT consulting business model versus a permanent direct hire practice? For Scott, having a consulting business model works well for him for the following reasons: Trusted Independent Contractors - He has already established a network of reliable independent contractors, which makes it easy to take in projects from his clients. Long-term Contracts - Because of quality service delivery, he can secure long-term contracts that assure him six-digit revenues at the beginning of the year. If you are running an executive search firm or permanent hire practice, you might want to consider exploring the option of a consulting or contract service as an additional revenue stream. Scott believes that this is a great time for such a business model: “Quite frankly, if you look at the statistics that are coming out now, more and more people are interested in contracting and independent consulting work. I know I was reading an article from the staffing industry where I think they said literally 38% of the U.S. workforce has done some type of gig work.” Of course, there are also challenges in this type of business model, such as cash flow management - sometimes you would have to pay your contractors before the client even pays you. Scott shared how he solves this. He also elaborated on his approach to business development. The 4 Cornerstones of Scott’s Business Development Strategy Scott describes himself as a “reluctant salesman.” Before becoming a recruitment business owner, he had this preconceived notion about salespeople: “Selling is somewhat, maybe a dirty word for some people in the technical industry.” Part of his journey is getting over that mindset. Scott’s primary principle regarding selling and business development is “Great service, great people, and great value.” He shared four key pointers about this topic and elaborated on how this helps him to get continued repeat businesses: Referrals - Scott’s mantra of great service, great people,...

The recruitment process is inherently human-centric, involving evaluating soft skills, cultural fit, and personal interactions. While AI can streamline specific tasks, it may struggle to assess these qualitative aspects effectively. As a recruitment business owner, how do you marry automation and artificial intelligence with a personal human touch? My special guest, Christina Stroud, shares her insights and perspective about this subject. She has a unique approach to engaging with her clients and candidates while leveraging automation with a personalized human touch. Christina is the founder and CEO of Group928. She’s a seasoned Human Resources professional with over 30 years of experience specializing in start-ups, acquisitions, and exits in private equity environments. The company has grown by 400% in just three short years from $125,000 in the first year to over $500,000 in 2023. This showcases her ability to build a client base from scratch, and design and implement sales and marketing strategies while continuing to exceed her client’s expectations. Episode Outline and Highlights [01:57] Chrstina’s Transition from an HR professional to a recruitment business owner. Insights on how her HR experience played a role in her current success. [07:49] Nobody said it was easy - overcoming a challenging first year of entrepreneurial leap. [12:41] Growing the company to 400% - discussing two critical success factors. [18:18] The importance of stepping out of your comfort zone [28:13] Leveraging AI & automation while applying a personal touch. [40:33] Launching her podcast and engaging with thought leaders. [48:01] The most significant challenges that Christina had to navigate [58:49] What is next for Christina and Group 928? An Entrepreneurial Leap is No Walk in the Park, But Undeniably Achievable For many reasons, shifting from a recruiter to a business owner can be difficult. The risk and uncertainty, working long hours, and lack of security and benefits can deter many from the entrepreneurship journey. Overcoming these roadblocks is achievable - and Christina proved it is. This is how she described the first year of her entrepreneurial journey: “It was hard. I, you know, that first year, it was hard for me emotionally. I had never stepped away from a regular paycheck. And so to go into owning my own business, not having a steady income or a check that gets directly deposited every other Friday was very nerve-wracking for me… It hurt my ego a little bit when I went two months without getting, uh, a paycheck, but then once I got my company started, uh, I was glad that I did and it made sense, but that transition, uh, is very hard for a lot of people and it was also hard because I had never done any type of sales or marketing or bringing in new clients.” It was not a walk in the park, but Christina’s mindset and belief system helped her figure things out and pull things together. She revealed two critical factors that significantly contributed to her success. Christina’s Two Critical Success Factors In three years, Christina grew her company by 400% from $125,000 in the first year to over $500,000 in 2023. This is an astonishing achievement, as companies usually plateau after reaching their first six digits. Christian shared two critical success factors: Getting out of her comfort zone: “I had to take every little thing that needed to be done as a challenge. I did all the work myself. I was, you know, doing sourcing and interviewing and all the emails and communication. And that taught me a lot of new skills and things that I had to try and push myself to do that I hadn't done in a very, very long time”. Christina shared how she had to learn technology and AI, start her podcast, and other new skills. Leveraging automation for sales and marketing - this was also not easy for Christina because technology is also not her cup of tea. “Those people who know me know I have a technology dark cloud...

With over a million dollars billed consecutively for the last two years, and career billings surpassing $6.6 million, Nate Zimmerman is a Senior Partner and Executive Recruiter at High Country Private Equity Search, based in Denver. In this episode, Nate shares his journey from breaking into recruitment by cold-calling the firm owner to becoming the youngest Partner in the firm’s history. He breaks down the key milestones along the way from hitting $400K, to breaking 7-figures, to building a team. Nate has distinguished himself in the competitive world of recruiting with his relentless focus on putting the relationship before the transaction. You’ll discover the work ethic, strategy, and mindset required to reach $1M in annual billings. Episode Outline and Highlights [01:44] How Nate’s recruitment career began with a cold call. [09:15] Why Nate chose to specialize in Private Equity Executive Search. [10:33] Putting in the work early and laying the groundwork for future success. [15:06] Nate’s journey to becoming the youngest partner at High Country Private Equity Search. [22:20] Discussion on Nate’s approach to MPC Marketing. [26:33] Billing a million dollars for the first time. [35:54] Nate’s recruitment philosophy: “relationship before transaction.” [41:33] How Nate developed market mastery in his chosen niche [49:51] Juggling multiple priorities as a billing manager [55:24] Overcoming setbacks - what Nate learned from missing his billing goal in 2023. Laying the Groundwork for Future Success Nate’s success can be attributed to his work ethic and belief in investing time and effort to develop his skills. “Knowing the underlying fundamentals, that is what I focused on initially,” explained Nate. “How to recruit people, how to interview people, how to take a job order, how to get a job order. Those things you got to put in the time and effort.” A major differentiator that Nate shared is how he makes the most of his time - “On the weekends, spend two to three hours, Saturday and Sunday, every weekend during the first couple of years into this industry doing that really basic research. It's contributing long-term to your market mastery. Every hour that you are spending… it's all going to pay dividends.” He shared his typical day looking at job boards. He emphasized the importance of quality , leading to talk about his MPC and targeted marketing strategies. He also elaborated on his thought process and what is going on in his mind as he achieve his milestones. The important takeaways from this part of our conversation are the value of discipline, consistency, and having a clear vision to align your habits and processes in achieving your goals. Billing A Million Dollars for the First Time One of Nate’s significant milestones is when he billed a million dollars for the first time. I had to probe for what he did differently on top of his discipline in planning, allotting extra time to research, conducting weekly internal training, and so on. He successfully laid down his groundwork for success and meeting the seven-digit billing is an astonishing achievement. Here is what Nate had to say: “You always have to figure out, okay, who's going to be my honeypot next year? And if it's the same client as your best client multiple years in a row, I can assure you that's not going to continue, right? The fees stop coming. So that was a big thing. And frankly, a lot of that did come through referrals. I was very fortunate, but I've gotten to a point now where I'm realizing that, hey, that luck, that it's not forever. So you're gonna have to go out and make that luck next year. Go get that next big client. Don't wait for one of your clients that you're doing such a great job for. You deserve those referrals, but that doesn't mean they're gonna come.” Deep-diving on this topic further, Nate also shared several important key factors to help recruiters and recruitment business owners meet their...

This episode is not only special but also exceptional! We will not only be hearing from one or two guests, but you will also hear a panel interview featuring three special guests. Join me in this conversation with Joe Rice, Annie Colabella, and Matt Walsh. If these names ring a bell, it's because all three have graced our podcast as guests before and are esteemed members of the Pinnacle Society. You will hear our discussions that will reveal the DNA of a million-dollar biller and key strategies that have contributed to their success, emphasizing the significance of delegation, consistency, and surrounding oneself with high-performing individuals. Episode Outline and Highlights [03:10] Panelists introduction. [09:15] The DNA of a Million-Dollar Biller. [23:13] Practices and activities that will level up your team’s performance. [35:00] Investing in marketing while growing your business. [43:10] Andrea’s advice on how to increase your billings over time. [49:06] Why do you do what you do? - the WHYs of top billers. [55:30] Best practices on business development. The DNA of a Million-Dollar Biller Our panelists are Pinnacle Society members because they are industry leaders. Each of them was invited to this podcast and they did not fail to share their thought processes that made them million-dollar billers. In the webinar, they discussed crucial success factors that many aspiring recruiters and owners of recruitment businesses can glean valuable insights from. I asked them this question: What are two or three specific things you would attribute your success to that enable you to consistently produce at that level? Matt shared key elements: the power of delegation and strategies in growing his team. He invested in his marketing and hired marketing persons early on in the growth of his boutique firm. The other thing is he was able to set up his business so that the billers are only focused on the things that are revenue generating while a lot of the administration - the sourcing, and the scheduling of interviews is done for them. Joe also revealed what makes him and his team great: accountability, resilience, the right mindset, and always looking for ways to improve. He told the story of how they were humbled in 2020 and why it is important to keep on going. Joe believes that leveraging technology can be a game-changer in maximizing productivity and revenue. He also shared the tech stack they are using in their business process. Annie on the other hand, revealed that knowing when to say no is critical to business success. “Saying no to opportunities and walking away from searches when you know that they're impossible to fill or the client is just being unreasonable in terms of what they're looking for, or if they're just searches where you're up against multiple agencies.” She then shared innovative approaches to creative fee structures to give more options to their clients. Overall, you will find that their solution-oriented mindset is what makes them successful. Business Development Best Practices In this webinar, a lot of viewers were throwing questions related to business development and what specific tactics each of the panelists was using. It does make sense to ask that question, after all, business development strategies contribute greatly to client engagement and revenue. Our panelists generously shared what they do. For Annie, old-school MPC (most placeable candidate) marketing has been a reliable strategy. On top of cold calls and emails, they embed video instructions for the candidates. What differentiates them is how they present their MPCs to the market. This is how Annie puts it, “Basically, in the industry that I'm in, there are new fund launches and funds that are raising assets and just, you know, mindfully tracking them, knowing that they may have new headcount due to new assets under management. “ Matt elaborated on their “three-bucket” strategy: using inbound leads, MPC...

This episode celebrates the 200th episode of the Resilient Recruits Podcast with special guest, founder of Recruitment Coach, Mark Whitby. Mark is the founder of Recruitment Coach and one of the world's leading coaches for the global recruitment industry. Since 2001, he has trained over 10,000 recruiters in 34 countries. He's helped countless recruiters double or triple their billings in just 6-12 months, and business owners grow their companies 10x. Mark shares his journey into recruitment, starting with a failed business venture that led him to discover his passion for sales. He then talks about his first job in recruitment and the hunger and drive that propelled him to success. Mark also reflects on the past four years of the podcast and the valuable insights he has gained from interviewing over 100 successful recruitment professionals. Having worked closely with hundreds of recruiting, staffing, and search firms, Mark has unique insight into how the top-producing recruiters and fastest-growing companies operate. Episode Outline and Highlights [02:20] What led Mark to pursue a career in recruitment? [06:20] How hiring a professional coach impacted Mark’s performance. [14:01] The value of training when scaling your recruitment business - hear training solutions for growing teams. [17:44] Mark transitioned from a recruiter to a recruitment coach. [19:41] What has changed in the recruitment industry in the 22 years Mark has been coaching? [25:24] Key challenges and lessons that Mark experienced over the years. [38:17] Celebrating 200 episodes - What motivated Mark to start the Resilient Recruiter podcast? [44:47] What is Mark most proud of in his entrepreneurial career? Hiring a Professional Coach Became a Game Changer Mark told the story of how he started his own business at the young age of 19. Without any prior experience, it ended up failing but it also led him to discover his love for sales which eventually directed him to become a recruiter. His experience in his first recruitment job made him realize a critical challenge in the recruitment industry at that time: “So the first company I joined there was no training. It was like, or very little. There was a little bit of shadowing of people and like, but pretty much you just like you're in the bullpen and you had to sink or swim and just figure it out by looking at what other people were doing and copying them. But unfortunately, a lot of the people around me weren't very good or didn't know what they were doing either.” Mark was then headhunted to join a larger recruitment firm of around 200 recruiters. Even though Mark was meeting his target and was in the middle of the leaderboard, he felt that he could still do way more. Mark hired a brilliant coach and this was a game-changer for Mark. “He helped me double my billings in about 90 days and my manager was like what the heck is going on? So that was such a transformative experience that it kind of planted the seed later for me to decide to become a coach myself.” Mark's dual role as a recruiter and coachee laid the groundwork for discovering the secret sauce for aiding recruiters and business owners. For those venturing into recruitment business ownership, Mark's narrative is valuable in recognizing the pivotal role of training and coaching in the growth and scaling of your business. Reflections on the Evolving Landscape of the Recruitment Industry Across Mark’s 22-Year Coaching Tenure Mark also shared how the landscape of recruitment has changed over the last couple of decades that he has been recruiting. He remembers the day their key focus was cold calling, networking, and getting referrals. He also recalled his learnings when he lost 80% of his revenue overnight during the 2008-09 recession. Mark emphasized how embracing digital marketing became a pivotal move, leading to increased success post-recession. This also transitioned his key focus areas for training. As...

In this episode, we delve into the intricacies of managing a remote team, a topic significantly relevant in today’s era where flexibility and adaptability are critical to success. We are joined by Sam Brenner, owner of CRB Workforce, which is 100% remote. Sam and I discussed his strategies and actionable insights on how they build their high-performing culture in a remote setup. From leadership styles and collaborative check-ins to leveraging tech stack, you will hear Sam’s action points to thriving in the world of remote team management. Guided by his motto, "The harder you work, the luckier you get," Sam is living proof of how determination and ambition lead to incredible outcomes. Sam launched his recruitment agency in 2018 from his apartment. Since then the business has grown rapidly to a team of 16 recruiting technology and marketing people across multiple sectors. Episode Outline and Highlights [01:03] From Commercial Real Estate to Recruiting. [07:49] Sam shares his fears and challenges of launching his recruitment firm in 2018. [16:22] How to create strong relationships with long-term contractors and consultants. [22:51] Staying resilient in dealing with multiple setbacks. [27:13] Building a sustainable culture in a remote working environment. [38:46] Investing in systems and processes to enhance collaboration in a remote setup. [42:30] Sam reveals their daily practices and activities to keep everyone engaged remotely. [51:25] Discussion on core values and how they translate to performance and culture. [57:40] Navigating the 2023 recruitment market. Building Team Culture Remotely Through Collaboration Systems and Practices A common ground between me and Sam is that our businesses are operating 100% remotely. Managing a remote team can be challenging for some recruitment business owners, especially on the collaboration part. So Sam and I discussed their best practices on how they keep their team together, the systems they use, and the practices they do, in order to work collaboratively in a 100% remote setup. Leadership - Sam shared his leadership style that contributes to their culture and way of working. He emphasized the value of transparency - with him being an “open book.” He also elaborated on trust and the philosophy of “pushing your way in, don’t wait to be pulled in.” Collaborative Check-ins - Sam discussed their concept of Zoom check-ins for collaborative tasks and highlighted the value of investing in systems that promote communication and collaboration. We also talked about the importance of having clear agendas and keeping virtual meetings focused. Sam also shared their “Wednesday Walk Day” which well resonated with our team. Systems - Sam shared online platforms and applications that they use to collaborate such as Miro, Bullhorn, and Nectar. Core Values That Translate to a Culture of Performance Core values contribute to your recruitment firm's success as they cover your team’s culture and well-being, which translate to overall performance. With his team working 100% remotely, Sam believes that their core values play an important role in keeping their team together despite working in different time zones. He shared their organization’s core values: The Power of Attitude - “You know, just be in control and set your attitude, because it's one of the only things you can control.” Feedback - “Feedback is like a huge pillar for us, and so it's feedback, and it's giving effective feedback, taking feedback. So it's a two-way street, and that's one of the things that I lead with. I'm giving people feedback and I'm always asking for feedback, and so if someone sees something they don't like, they don't wallow in it.” Pressure - “I want people to face the pressure. I want people to run towards their legacy, like, not away from it. “ As a recruitment business owner, having values aligned with your vision and mission statement can strengthen your team’s bond and guide your...

The past couple of years have shown an astonishing development in generative AI. Artificial Intelligence emerges as a transformative force, reshaping the landscape of recruiting by introducing unprecedented efficiencies, data-driven insights, and innovative solutions that promise to revolutionize the way organizations discover, engage, and hire top talent. In this episode, we are in for a treat as one of the leading voices in AI and Data Science joins us to share unique perspectives and insights into the transformative effects of artificial intelligence on talent acquisition. Jon Krohn is a leading figure in the realm of artificial intelligence and machine learning. He’s the Co-Founder and Chief Data Scientist at Nebula.io, an intelligent Talent Acquisition platform. He authored the book Deep Learning Illustrated, an instant #1 bestseller that was translated into seven languages. He is also the host of SuperDataScience, the data science industry’s most listened-to podcast. Jon is renowned for his compelling lectures, which he offers at leading universities and conferences, as well as via his award-winning YouTube channel. He holds a PhD from Oxford and has been publishing on machine learning in prominent academic journals since 2010. Episode Outline and Highlights [03:11] Jon’s fascinating career milestones - from high-frequency trading and yoga to data science. [08:37] What led Jon into the world of talent acquisition? [17:10] Effectively applying generative AI into talent acquisition. [24:58] Generative AI’s other potential applications in automating the recruitment industry. [35:04] How close are we to getting generative AI to do excellent writing? [44:00] What makes Nebula’s methodology stand out from other AI platforms? [52:16] What will the next 3 - 5 years look like in terms of Generative AI applications to recruitment? [1:02:04] How AI platforms can elevate the human experience? Artificial Intelligence in Talent Acquisition Jon shared his journey transitioning from high-frequency trader to yoga instructor to data scientist and co-founder of AI-driven talent acquisition platform Nebula.io. He shared how this amazing platform leverages generative AI to help recruitment companies identify the best candidates in the least amount of time, which helps them to focus more on human connection in their workflow. This is how he explains it, “With nebula.io, you can type in ‘find me a data scientist in New York who specializes in machine learning,’ and we will take that small amount of natural language that you provided. We will apply the kinds of filters to the search automatically. So we'll apply a 50-mile radius around New York and we will generate some key information based on the small amount of information you provided.” It doesn’t stop there because the results will be already curated based on each individual’s publicly available data to display ranking, potential compensation, and diversity. Their platform can also generate messages with information about the role, information about the candidate, and potentially information about the recruitment firm. Jon explains that in the end, “You are making the final decision on whether a candidate is appropriate or not, but we're making the sourcing and messaging of candidates, the understanding of your searches and your candidates, as well as the engagement with your candidates, as simple and automated as possible so that you can focus, so the recruiters can focus on building relationships as opposed to just, you know, trying to find people and type out the messages.” This is indeed phenomenal! Imagine what the future of recruitment will look like not only for recruiters but also for clients and candidates. In the long run, this can only enhance the end-to-end recruitment process experience across all stakeholders. Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment Automation Jon also described other ways Generative AI can impact the...

Building a thriving recruitment business in the middle of a global pandemic may be unimaginable to most people, but not for Kyle Winterbottom. Kyle’s strategy is clear and straightforward: give value, give value, give value! In this episode, Kyle uncovers the story of his journey into the recruitment industry and how the global crisis turned into a pathway of opportunity. Kyle is the Founder & CEO of Orbition Group, an award-winning talent solutions business. Based in Manchester, they focus exclusively on scaling Data, Analytics, and artificial intelligence teams across the UK, Europe, and the USA. Kyle is also the Founder/Host of the Driven by Data Community which is comprised of three components; The Roundtable, The Podcast, and The Mentorship. Kyle elaborated on his three proven long-term strategies for boosting engagement and building relationships Episode Outline and Highlights [02:02] Launching a recruitment business during the height of the pandemic. [06:11] Community building and visibility to build brand awareness. [10:23] Giving value through podcasting - should you start your own podcast? [17:02] Establishing commercial relationships. [24:26] How hosting live events can scale your business by demand. [34:43] Kyle talks about their Mentorship Programme and why it is the best long-term strategy. [41:57] Growing by demand vs. growing by design. [46:10] Revisiting business development strategies. Give Value, Give Value, Give Value. The pandemic can be perceived by many as not the best time to launch a business, but Kyle looked at it as the best time to kick off Orbition. His strategy is clear and straightforward: leverage content marketing and community building to build brand awareness. Give value first, and build relationships after. “I guess that the whole premise was very simple. Just create a community of people who will ultimately be potential target customers and buying clients. Let's add a load of value to them and from there that'll create relationships. That then I guess the whole premise really is give value, give value, give value.” Kyle elaborated on his strategies and you will find that there are three main takeaways: Content marketing and adding value to your ecosystem can lead to a snowball effect, where people will want to participate in your engagement activities. Prioritizing value adding to your market will generate not only visibility. It will position you as an expert and thought leader which gives you authority. It builds the best type of relationship - as your audience appreciates your contributions, you build a relationship that goes beyond the customer-vendor type. Kyle shared his practices on how they continuously add value: via podcasting, live events, and mentorship programs. Podcasting and Hosting Events I was astonished when Kyle shared with me that 100% of their clients are through inbound marketing. I really wanted to pick his brains on their roadmap and the strategies they use. He shared that podcasting has been a really effective tool in engaging with their target audience. One of the reasons that it is really successful is because it invited guests who they find credible, people of influence and seniority within the marketplace who have something to share. Kyle also reminded the listeners that it can take time to really get engagement and ROI - so it is really important to be patient and consistent. After the pandemic, Kyle and his team started hosting free live events. These events started to garner more demand than they could facilitate, so they had to find the right balance of content and format in order to scale these events. They get very positive feedback from those who participate in these live events. Kyle and his team are able to bring together Chief Data Officers to share best practices while networking with one another. Aside from the above engagement components, Kyle also discussed their mentorship program. Deep...