Digital Recruiter Podcast

Digital Recruiter
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Welcome to the Digital Recruiter Podcast, where we dive deep into the recruiting world and share valuable insights and strategies for success in the digital landscape. Join our host, Clark Willcox, as he interviews industry experts, thought leaders, experienced recruiters, and agency owners to uncover what’s working, what’s not, and what’s on the horizon in the ever-evolving field of recruitment. Whether you’re a seasoned recruiter or just starting out, this podcast is your go-to resource for staying ahead of the curve and maximizing your recruiting efforts. Tune in and level up your recruitment game with us. For more information about us visit click on HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter

  1. #125- Creating Content that Converts to Placements

    6h ago

    #125- Creating Content that Converts to Placements

    Episode Summary Clark Wilcox and Ross Mayfield go internal for this one. Ross has been with Digital Recruiter since the beginning - Director of Marketing, Lead Coach, and the person behind the content strategy driving results for dozens of recruiting firm owners every month. This episode is a behind-the-scenes look at what's actually working on LinkedIn right now, and what most recruiters are still getting wrong. The conversation starts with the biggest misconception in AI-assisted content, writing it yourself and having AI clean it up, and why that approach produces generic content that blends into the feed. Ross breaks down why specificity is the single most important word in LinkedIn content right now, and Clark backs it up with real impression numbers from actual client posts to prove the point. They get into the awareness vs. conversion distinction that most recruiters miss entirely, why post length is the wrong thing to obsess over, and how one placement story can generate dozens of pieces of content if you know how to pull it apart. The second half covers lead magnets, the algorithm rewarding niche expertise, and why the full funnel - profile, content, outreach, personalised follow-up - still works when you stay disciplined about it. For recruiters who feel like they're running out of things to post, or posting consistently but not getting inbound from it, this is the episode to start with. Ross's Bio Ross Mayfield is the Director of Customer Success at Digital Recruiter, where he's spent five years coaching recruiters, consultants, and B2B service providers on how to turn LinkedIn into a client-generating machine. He's guided 300+ recruiters through the Digital Recruiter content workshop, many reporting their first inbound job orders within weeks, and has coached clients to outcomes ranging from landing a $300K project to building a pipeline that accounted for 60% of a recruiting firm's revenue. Ross's philosophy is simple: most business owners are excellent at serving their clients but struggle to prove that to strangers on the internet. That's the gap he fills, through content strategy, outreach, and a results-tracking approach that takes the guesswork out of what's actually working on LinkedIn. Connect with Ross at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mayfieldrossw/  Check Out Our Sponsor at: https://signaturebackoffice.com/For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    33 min
  2. #124- Prison Recruiting to Entrepreneurship: Tracy Glynn’s Recruiting Journey

    May 29

    #124- Prison Recruiting to Entrepreneurship: Tracy Glynn’s Recruiting Journey

    Episode Summary Tracy Glynn didn't take the typical path into agency recruiting. She started in real estate, pivoted to a small boutique agency after the 2007 crash, and spent the next 15 years climbing the internal ladder, eventually becoming VP of Talent for a private equity-backed healthcare startup that grew so fast she hired 20 internal recruiters in 15 months. When that company was acquired by Optum, the entrepreneurial itch she'd carried for years finally won out. Two years ago, she launched Glynn Associates Search Partners and built it into a behavioral health search firm that's now adding team members of its own. The conversation gets into what most internal-to-agency transitions get wrong, why so many recruiters chase volume when quality wins, and how Tracy built a BD rhythm that doesn't require a hundred calls a day to work. She talks about reframing investments as ROI math instead of expenses, why pleasantly persistent outreach pays off six and twelve months later, and how to vet split partners hard enough to actually make the relationship work. Her behavioral health niche came from the intersection of pragmatism and passion, not just spotting a gap in the market. In this episode, Tracy joins Clark to unpack the realities of going from internal to agency, the mindset shifts that have to happen along the way, and why vetting bad searches before signing the contract has become one of her most valuable habits. They dig into the split partnership question every solo recruiter eventually wrestles with, what value-add actually looks like beyond making a placement, and the long game of building rapport at scale when life keeps everyone too busy to reply on the first message. Her closing reframe lands harder than expected: the real job security isn't a corporate title or a senior internal seat. It's having the agency to sit down at your computer and make something happen without needing anyone's permission. For recruiting firm owners thinking about making the leap, or veterans trying to sharpen how they vet clients, splits, and searches, this is one of the most grounded conversations we've had on the show. Tracy's Bio Tracy Glynn is the founder of Glynn Associates Search Partners, a behavioral health executive search firm. Before launching Glynn Associates two years ago, Tracy spent 15 years in healthcare recruiting, including a role as VP of Talent for a private equity-backed national healthcare startup that she helped scale through rapid growth and a successful acquisition by Optum. Her experience spans both internal leadership and agency execution, with deep expertise placing psychiatrists, psychologists, and behavioral health leaders across community-based, PE-backed, and healthcare startup environments. Tracy's approach blends pragmatism with personal investment in the work. Her behavioral health niche grew out of both the organizational knowledge she built over a decade and a half in the space and a genuine interest in the brain-body connection and the impact mental health work has on the people her placements serve. She's known for a steady, relationship-first BD style and a willingness to have hard conversations with clients about what's realistic before a search ever gets signed. Connect with Tracy at https://www.linkedin.com/in/tracy-glynn/ Check Out Our Sponsor at: https://signaturebackoffice.com/ For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    43 min
  3. #123- What Every Recruiting Firm Needs to Know About Their ATS

    May 15

    #123- What Every Recruiting Firm Needs to Know About Their ATS

    Episode Summary Sanket Chauhan didn't set out to build an ATS. He set out to solve a research problem. Three years ago, when AI models were just starting to get good, he and his co-founder built a Chrome extension to automate sales research and a wave of recruiters found it first. That accidental discovery turned into a research agency, which turned into a hard truth: not a single recruiting firm they worked with actually liked their ATS. So they built a better one from the ground up. StarDex is an AI-native ATS and CRM built specifically for search firms. The difference between AI-native and AI-augmented isn't just marketing language, it's architecture. Legacy systems were built on structured databases and are now reverse-engineering their way toward AI. StarDex was designed from day one so that every record lives in both a structured and a vector database simultaneously, meaning recruiters can search by similarity, not just by keyword, and stop relying on perfect data entry to surface the right candidates. In this episode, Sanket joins Clark to break down what that actually means in practice and why it matters more than ever in 2026. They get into why most recruiters go to LinkedIn before their own database (and why that's backwards), how vibe coding is unlocking a new era of customizable headless ATS workflows, and why the best recruiters Sanket knows are spending less time on AI tools, not more. The conversation also covers the switching ATS question every firm owner wrestles with, the 80/20 rule for AI adoption, and why the human relationship, not the tech stack, is the actual moat in a world where everyone has access to the same models. His closing advice: open Claude, describe what you want automated, and just start. You'll get further than you think. For recruiting firm owners trying to figure out where AI actually fits and where it doesn't, this is one of the most practical conversations we've had on the show. Sanket's Bio Sanket Chauhan is the co-founder of StarDex, an AI-native ATS and CRM built from the ground up for search firms. Before StarDex, Sanket and his co-founder ran an AI-powered research agency serving executive search firms, an experience that revealed both the inefficiencies baked into most recruiting workflows and the near-universal frustration firm owners had with their existing systems of record. That insight became the foundation for StarDex, which was architected from day one to combine structured and vector database search, support custom workflows via MCP servers and open APIs, and scale with the pace of AI rather than lag behind it. StarDex serves solo recruiters through firms of 50+ and has been building MCP server infrastructure since before most ATSs had it on their roadmap. Sanket regularly runs free workshops on LinkedIn covering Claude automation, daily workflow shortcuts, and practical AI implementation for recruiting teams. Connect with Sanket at https://www.linkedin.com/in/sanketchauhan/ Check Out Our Sponsor at: https://signaturebackoffice.com/ For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    48 min
  4. #122- How Michelle Masterson Helps Recruiting Firms Scale Without Burning Out

    Apr 17

    #122- How Michelle Masterson Helps Recruiting Firms Scale Without Burning Out

    Episode Summary Michelle Masterson didn't build her career advising recruiting firms from the outside. She built it from inside the industry, first as a practitioner, then as a partner in one of the most comprehensive firm-building ecosystems in the country. As Managing Partner of Next Level Exchange and Sanford Rose Associates, Michelle has spent 14 years helping recruiting firm owners diagnose what's holding them back and build the infrastructure to grow, profitably and sustainably, without burning out. The results speak for themselves. More than 10 firms joined the SRA network at $200–500K in revenue and scaled to $3M–$13M over 3–7 years. Revenues across the network increased over 1,500% in less than a decade. Five consecutive years ranked the #1 Business Services Firm by the Franchise Business Review. But behind those numbers is a simple philosophy: stop trying to renovate the whole house at once. Work on one room at a time, and keep building. In this episode, Michelle and Clark get into what's actually happening across hundreds of recruiting firms right now, and what separates the owners who break through from the ones who stay stuck. They cover why market mastery beats generalism every time, why the best time to invest in your business is when things are going well (not when you're desperate), and why most owners are so deep in production they never carve out time to work on the business. Michelle also shares how she thinks about team structure, niche strategy, and the mindset shift that makes everything else possible. Her closing thought: as Meryl Streep once said, "Start by starting." Stop waiting for the perfect moment. Just begin. For recruiting firm owners ready to stop grinding and start scaling, this conversation is a practical, honest blueprint from someone who's helped hundreds of them do exactly that. Michelle's Bio Michelle Masterson is the Managing Partner of Next Level Exchange and Sanford Rose Associates, two pillars of one of the most comprehensive recruiting firm support ecosystems in the country. With 14 years of experience helping firm owners grow, scale, and operate smarter, Michelle works directly with owners to remove growth friction through operational strategy and hands-on execution, from comp model redesign and team structure to workflow optimization, performance analytics, and market expansion. Under her leadership, the SRA network has grown by over 250% in offices and 1,500% in revenue since 2012. More than 10 firms have scaled from $200–500K to $3M–$13M through the network. The organization has been ranked the #1 Business Services Firm by the Franchise Business Review for five consecutive years and the 9th Largest U.S. Search Firm by Executive Search Review. Starfish Partners, the parent company, now operates as a $50M+ recruiting firm with 180+ associates, a third of whom have more than a decade of tenure. Michelle's approach isn't theoretical. It's built on practical solutions designed to create a strong, scalable foundation that fits the firm owner, not a one-size-fits-all model. Connect with Michelle at https://www.linkedin.com/in/michellemastersondallas/ Check Out Our Sponsor at: https://signaturebackoffice.com/ For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    46 min
  5. #121- The LinkedIn Content Strategy That Built a Recruiting Agency from Scratch

    Apr 3

    #121- The LinkedIn Content Strategy That Built a Recruiting Agency from Scratch

    Episode Summary Scott Smith didn't come from recruiting. He came from sales leadership in the material handling and industrial automation space, the people who supply the supply chain. After nearly a decade building and scaling go-to-market teams, Scott and his co-founder Cameron realized that the hardest part of growth wasn't strategy. It was getting the right people in the right seats. That realization led them to launch Henry North, a niche recruiting firm serving the very industry they'd spent their careers in. What happened next was remarkable. In their first year, Henry North cleared seven figures in revenue, without either co-founder having prior recruiting experience. Their secret? Deep industry expertise, a disciplined niche strategy, and a LinkedIn content engine that turned them into the go-to brand in their space before they even made their first placement. In this episode, Scott and Clark break down exactly how they did it, from the 60-90 day pre-launch content strategy to the daily habits that keep their team performing at a high level. The conversation goes deep on what it actually takes to win in a niche: why niching down revealed more opportunity (not less), how their biggest client came from outside their target market because of the brand they built, and why consultative value, not resume volume, is what earns premium fees and long-term client loyalty. Scott also shares how Henry North builds culture in a remote environment, the KPIs that matter most, and why resilience and a positive mindset aren't just nice-to-haves. They're non-negotiables in the agency game. For recruiters thinking about going out on their own, or agency owners looking to scale smarter through content and niche dominance, this episode is a tactical blueprint from someone who's living it in real time. Scott's Bio Scott Smith is the co-founder of Henry North, a niche recruiting firm serving the material handling and industrial automation industry. After spending nearly a decade as a sales leader in the space, helping build and scale go-to-market teams across the Southeast, Scott launched Henry North with his co-founder in early 2025. In their first year, the firm crossed seven figures in revenue by combining deep industry expertise with a content-first approach to business development. Scott is known for his analytical mindset, disciplined approach to growth, and belief that niche expertise and authentic content are the most powerful BD tools in recruiting today. Henry North is actively growing and hiring top talent. Connect with Scott on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/scottsmithll/ Stop wasting money on lead-gen tools that don't work. Learn how top recruiters are winning on LinkedIn with content, messaging, and automation—without spamming. Get live coaching, ongoing support, and a proven system to drive revenue inside Digital Recruiter Bootcamp. Join now: DigitalRecruiter.io/bootcamp Get the best and most current digital recruiting insights, tips, and strategies every Sunday—straight to your inbox, for free: https://www.digitalrecruiter.io/drnewsletter For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    42 min
  6. #120- Scaling Smarter with Austin Moore: How to Grow Without Breaking Your Business

    Feb 27

    #120- Scaling Smarter with Austin Moore: How to Grow Without Breaking Your Business

    SUMMARY Austin Moore didn’t set out to build a $17 million staffing company. Like most recruiters, he fell into the industry after leaving a cubicle job and a short stint in car sales, looking for something more performance-driven. What he found was a career that rewarded grit, sales discipline, and resilience. After cutting his teeth at firms like Medix, Robert Half, and Beacon Hill, Austin eventually made the leap into entrepreneurship, launching his own healthcare staffing company just before COVID reshaped the market overnight. What followed was a high-stakes growth journey. After nearly losing everything when hiring froze, Austin landed a breakout client that helped him scale rapidly. Within a few years, his firm grew to seven figures per month, topping out at $17 million in annual revenue. In this episode, he and Clark unpack what actually drove that growth, building a real sales engine, protecting top performers, avoiding expansion traps, and learning when to say no to revenue that doesn’t fit your model. The conversation also dives into Austin’s current work at Strategy Ladders and Talent Labs, where he helps founders scale smarter. From leveraging high-performing talent in Latin America to navigating AI disruption, Austin emphasizes one consistent theme: recruiting is still a relationship business. The firms that win won’t be the ones chasing every tool, they’ll be the ones doubling down on fundamentals, leadership, and human connection. For recruiters looking to scale beyond seven figures without burning out or breaking their business, this episode is a tactical and mindset-driven roadmap. AUSTIN'S BIO Austin Moore is a former healthcare staffing founder who scaled his agency from zero to $17 million in annual revenue in just a few years. After exiting the business, he joined Strategy Ladders as a strategic advisor, helping founders grow through stronger sales systems, operational discipline, and leadership development. He also leads Talent Labs, the recruiting arm of Strategy Ladders, where he helps agencies and growing companies hire high-performing talent — with a strong focus on Latin America sourcing and support roles. Austin is known for his direct approach to sales, commitment to fundamentals, and belief that the future of recruiting belongs to those who lean into human connection. Connect with Austin on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/austinmoore1/ Stop wasting money on lead-gen tools that don’t work. Learn how top recruiters are winning on LinkedIn with content, messaging, and automation—without spamming. Get live coaching, ongoing support, and a proven system to drive revenue inside Digital Recruiter Bootcamp. Join now: DigitalRecruiter.io/bootcamp Get the best and most current digital recruiting insights, tips, and strategies every Sunday—straight to your inbox, for free: https://www.digitalrecruiter.io/drnewsletter For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    52 min
  7. #119- How Mike Malinowsky Blends AI with Humanity in Modern Recruiting

    Feb 20

    #119- How Mike Malinowsky Blends AI with Humanity in Modern Recruiting

    Episode Summary Mike Malinowsky didn’t stumble into recruiting. He chose it as a life decision. After spending more than a decade in the U.S. Army working in communications and IT, Mike and his wife made a pivotal call when their kids reached middle school: stability mattered more than constant relocation. That decision led him into Army recruiting, a move that not only kept him home for dinner, but uncovered a career he genuinely loves. What followed was a crash course in true headhunting. Military recruiting forced Mike to source creatively, build trust with young candidates and their families, and operate without relying on inbound applicants. That experience shaped his belief that the best agency recruiters are hunters first. In this episode, Mike and Clark break down the difference between the art and science of recruiting, why so many recruiters rely too heavily on tools, and how scrappiness separates top producers from everyone else. The conversation then shifts into what Mike calls a “humanity audit.” As AI tools flood the industry, he challenges recruiters and hiring teams to examine where automation is quietly stripping away potential. From auto-rejection filters to over-polished AI messaging, Mike argues that technology should be a multiplier, not a replacement. His core message is simple: if you want higher response rates, better negotiations, and long-term trust, keep it human. For recruiters navigating AI overload, market shifts, and candidate fatigue, this episode is a grounded reminder that relationships still win. Mike's Bio Mike Malinowsky is the Director of Recruiting at Lean Synergy Solutions and a former U.S. Army recruiting leader. After serving more than a decade in communications and IT, Mike transitioned into Army recruiting to prioritize family life, quickly rising to lead recruiting stations and mentor teams of recruiters. Following his military retirement, Mike moved into agency and government subcontract recruiting, where he continues to focus on high impact placements across manufacturing and specialized industries. Known on LinkedIn as “The Genuine Recruiter,” Mike is passionate about blending AI driven efficiency with authentic human connection. Connect with Mike on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/mikemalinowsky/ Stop wasting money on lead-gen tools that don’t work. Learn how top recruiters are winning on LinkedIn with content, messaging, and automation—without spamming. Get live coaching, ongoing support, and a proven system to drive revenue inside Digital Recruiter Bootcamp. Join now: DigitalRecruiter.io/bootcamp Get the best and most current digital recruiting insights, tips, and strategies every Sunday—straight to your inbox, for free: https://www.digitalrecruiter.io/drnewsletter For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    44 min
  8. #118- Danny Rosenthal on Niching Down & Smart Automation

    Feb 13

    #118- Danny Rosenthal on Niching Down & Smart Automation

    *Episode Summary* Danny Rosenthal didn’t plan on becoming a recruiter. His career started on stage as a full-time musician, writing songs, touring, and even landing music on TV and in film. But after parting ways with his band, Danny pivoted into an entirely different world: childcare. What began as becoming a nanny turned into launching his own nanny agency and eventually stepping fully into recruiting. In this episode of the Digital Recruiter Podcast, host Clark Wilcox sits down with Danny, now Director of Community Partnerships at EngineHire, to unpack that unconventional journey and what it taught him about business, niching down, and building systems that actually support growth. Danny shares how learning from other agency owners helped him avoid costly mistakes early on, why trust and education are everything in the nanny placement space, and how owning your niche can unlock unexpected opportunities (including a TV show pitch about male nannies). The conversation then shifts into automation and tech. From his vantage point inside EngineHire, Danny sees where agencies stall out. Most aren’t lacking effort. They’re overcomplicating systems or failing to automate the simple things that drive revenue. He breaks down the power of basic status-based follow-ups, abandoned application reminders, and the one automated check-in email that produced some of his highest response rates. For recruiters looking to simplify, systemize, and scale without losing the human element, this episode is packed with practical insight. *Highlights* 00:00 - Welcome & how LinkedIn sparked the conversation 02:00 - Danny’s music career and unexpected pivot 05:00 - What bands, money, and commission splits have in common 07:00 - From nanny to agency owner 11:00 - Recruiting in childcare and educating clients 14:00 - Why owning your niche creates opportunity 20:00 - Transitioning from agency owner to EngineHire 22:00 - The automation mistakes most agencies make 24:00 - The simple follow-up email that gets massive replies 33:00 - Stop overbuilding systems and start building revenue 35:00 - Life advice: transparency and standing behind decisions *Danny’s Bio* Danny Rosenthal is the Director of Community Partnerships at EngineHire, an all-in-one ATS, CRM, payroll, and scheduling platform built primarily for care-based staffing industries including nanny agencies, home care, and medical staffing. Before joining EngineHire, Danny founded and operated his own nanny agency after transitioning from a full-time career in music, where he toured, wrote songs featured in TV and film, and worked alongside artists like Kenny Loggins and Gary Wright. His firsthand experience as both a recruiter and agency owner gives him a practical, operator-level perspective on automation, systems, and building sustainable staffing businesses. Today, Danny works closely with agency owners to help them streamline operations, implement smart automation, and avoid the common pitfalls that stall growth. Connect with Danny on LinkedIn at https://www.linkedin.com/in/dannyjosephrosenthal/ or learn more at https://enginehire.io Stop wasting money on lead-gen tools that don’t work. Learn how top recruiters are winning on LinkedIn with content, messaging, and automation—without spamming. Get live coaching, ongoing support, and a proven system to drive revenue inside Digital Recruiter Bootcamp. Join now: DigitalRecruiter.io/bootcamp Get the best and most current digital recruiting insights, tips, and strategies every Sunday—straight to your inbox, for free: https://www.digitalrecruiter.io/drnewsletter For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

    44 min
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Ratings & Reviews

5
out of 5
6 Ratings

About

Welcome to the Digital Recruiter Podcast, where we dive deep into the recruiting world and share valuable insights and strategies for success in the digital landscape. Join our host, Clark Willcox, as he interviews industry experts, thought leaders, experienced recruiters, and agency owners to uncover what’s working, what’s not, and what’s on the horizon in the ever-evolving field of recruitment. Whether you’re a seasoned recruiter or just starting out, this podcast is your go-to resource for staying ahead of the curve and maximizing your recruiting efforts. Tune in and level up your recruitment game with us. For more information about us visit click on HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter

Information

  • Creator
    Digital Recruiter
  • Years Active
    2023 - 2026
  • Episodes
    143
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2023 All rights reserved.
  • Show Website
    Digital Recruiter Podcast

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