The Resilient Recruiter Recruitment Coach Mark Whitby

Already exploring AI but unsure how to maximize its potential to elevate your recruitment business?
 
In this episode, our coach and Client Services Director, Julie McGrath, shares how you can further embrace AI when creating content specific to your niche market. Julie shares insights on how you can use AI to drive sustainable growth for your recruitment business. 
 
Julie is a highly experienced coach with 15 years of experience in the recruitment industry, including 8 years as a solo recruiter specializing in Tech and Executive recruitment. Before her career in recruitment, Julie worked in large-scale operations and managed 200 people. 
 
You will also get a preview of an AI Program she designed explicitly for Recruiters and recruitment business owners, including a Training program for recruiters to help with Business Development, account management, and candidate sourcing.
 
Episode Outline and Highlights
 
[02:31] From a graphic designer to a recruitment business owner - how Julie got into recruitment.
[09:57] Retrospect: things Julie would have done differently when starting her business.
[16:02] Developing programs to assist young job seekers.
[26:30] Running a successful RPO model.
[31:03] Common qualities of successful recruitment business owners.
[41:09] Leveraging AI to improve your recruitment business.
[51:31] Creating content specific to your client and candidates’ needs through AI.
[1:01:30] Testing ChatGPT 4.0.
 
Common Success Qualities of Recruiters and Recruitment Business Owners
 
Julie’s experience as a recruiter, business owner, and recruitment coach puts her in a position to work with some top-performing recruiters and business owners. She shared great insights and observations on the most common challenges and critical success factors. 
 
“I'm very fortunate to be in this position where I get a peek behind the curtain of the top-performing recruiters. And then also those that are maybe new to the industry that are just starting and trying to define their feet, like we all did it at one point or another in our career.”
 
Here are the critical success factors that she shared:
 
Consistency in actions and routines is foundational to success in business and personal growth.
Implementation and Action - Top performers build consistent work routines and stay focused on both immediate tasks and long-term goals.
Work on and in the Business - Balancing working "in" the business (daily operations) and "on" the business (strategic growth) is crucial.
Goal Setting - Setting specific, measurable, actionable, realistic, and timely (SMART) goals is essential.
Accountability ensures continuous progress and the ability to navigate setbacks.
Business Building vs. Job Creation  - Successful recruitment business owners understand the difference between creating a business and creating a job for themselves.
Resilience - This involves self-awareness, flexibility, and adaptability.
Self-Awareness and Adaptability - Adapting to changes and being open to new approaches can lead to sustained success.
 
Julie believes these key factors can help business owners achieve high performance, build sustainable businesses, and effectively navigate industry challenges.
 
Leveraging AI to Enhance Your Recruitment Business
 
During our Live Summit in Edinburgh last year, Julie delivered a fascinating session on leveraging AI to improve recruitment businesses. ChatGPT was pretty new at that time, and she was able to provide an amazing take on why the recruitment community needs to embrace AI. 
 
The world will look so different in the next 3-5 years, and I think that understanding AI as early as now can enable recruiters to contribute a more profound impact to their industries. Julie and I discussed her passion for AI, and how it can help recruiters and business owners further engage with their clients and candidates. 
 
Julie point

In this episode, we dive into the challenges and rewards of managing enterprise clients. Drawing from over two decades of experience in the Recruitment & Executive Search Industry, Gina Matteson shares her learnings from handling large-scale clients effectively.  Gina and I discussed strategies for effective stakeholder management, navigating complex challenges, and delivering exceptional value.
 
Gina is the Founder & CEO of GemTek Recruiting. They strategically partner with clients in  Connective Intelligence is our groundbreaking recruitment solution that combines the power of advanced AI with a reliable commitment to genuine human interaction.
 
With over two decades of hands-on sales & recruiting experience in Canada & the US, Gina's passionate approach to work is underscored by an unwavering commitment to prioritizing relationships above all else. 
 
Episode Outline and Highlights
 
[01:35] How Gina found her way into the recruiting world.
[03:38] What led Gina to start her own business?
[05:18] Enterprise Insights: Valuable lessons Gina learned from working with big clients.
[16:14] How Gina tackled a major challenge—a 15% pay rate cut.
[23:06] GemTek's Rollercoaster Ride: The highs and lows of launching Gemtek.
[26:36] Gina’s unique recruitment strategy, blends AI with a personal touch.
[34:26] A dive into Gina's book and the toughest battles she faced.
 
$25 Million Annual Billings for a Single Enterprise Client 
 
Gina’s diverse experience working with enterprises like American Express, Honeywell, and Google puts her in a great position to offer perspectives and strategies when working with large clients. She highlighted her experience working for a $2B organization, American Express. She shared what led to her success, which includes annually bringing in $25m in revenue for the client. 
 
One key component is bringing people together, communicating, and bridging the gap between large organizations within the organization. Gina said, “Bringing those groups together and kind of bridging that gap, regular meetings, I would often bring different stakeholders together and actually host a meeting within the organization because one group could be asking for something and then another group, it doesn't work with them.” 
 
You will also hear about the biggest challenges she faced when she had to undergo an audit stating that she owed $10m from her client and how she dealt with a 15% pay cut that also affected her subcontractors. Her stories are not only inspiring but also reminders of the importance of thinking on your feet, being organized, and transparent stakeholder management. 
 
AI Meets Empathy: Extensively Utilizing AI Without Sacrificing the Human Element
 
A GemTek methodology is pragmatically utilizing AI. Gina shared how AI helps in initial resume sifting, and narrowing down candidates for interviews. They also shared their tools, such as ChatGPT and other ATS (Applicants Tracking System). They balance technology use by advocating the importance of the human element. During in-depth interviews, personality, and technical assessments, Gina believes that “in recruiting, the human element for me and for my organization can never take a backseat to anything.”
 
Do you have the same approach when it comes to AI? 
 
A Dive into Gina’s Book and Her Story of Resilience
 
It is not directly related to recruitment, but we also touched upon Gina’s story of resilience and the most significant adversities that she had to navigate. She shared what inspired her to write her semi-autobiographical novel, A Thousand Masks. Aside from professional challenges, Gina also opened up about a deeply personal story of resilience that has shaped her life and her business. Listening to her journey can remind us that we can turn adversity into strength and use our experiences to help others.
 
Our Sponsor
 
This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-i

Have you ever wondered how a top-performing recruiter becomes a firm owner? Katharine Wilcox, President of Resource Mosaic, shares her journey. After joining the firm in 2011, Katharine took over the business in 2022.
In this episode, she discusses her transition from director to owner, her challenges and the strategies that drove her success in executive search. Whether you’re a recruiter considering firm ownership or looking to boost your performance, Katharine’s insights on building trust, hustling, and executing in the competitive world of accounting and finance recruitment are not to be missed. 
With a background in entertainment and accounting, Katharine boasts a proven track record of connecting top talent with growth opportunities. Katharine is a member of the Pinnacle Society, a fantastic group of recruiters who are among the top producers in the United States.
Episode Outline and Highlights
 
[01:58] Katharine’s background in a talent agency and how she went into recruiting.
[06:47] Discussion on how Katharine transitioned from being a director to becoming a business owner.
[19:43] Building teams that drive company growth.
[25:36] What is the secret to building trust with your clients and candidates?
[32:25] Why Katharine loves MPC marketing and her process.
[39:54] Initiating conversations with hard-to-reach roles.
[47:04] What a support team looks like for big billers.
[50:11] Quick Q&A on Katharine’s operational structure and business model.
[52:55] Katharine reveals the biggest challenges she had to face as a recruiter.
 
Three Key Elements When Building Effective Teams to Drive Company Growth
 
One key highlight in my conversation with Katharine is how she builds trust with clients and candidates when building teams in key projects. She fondly recalls how her first hires eventually became CEO and CFO, which makes her extremely proud. “So if I get a certain number, hey, we're looking for these, I just have to go find that soft skills, that personality, that desire, that career drive, whatever it is that they're looking for that will help drive the company's growth and change and hopefully last for a really long time.”
 
Katharine shared three critical elements when building an effective team that drives the company’s growth: 
 
Building trust - she emphasized the importance of understanding client needs and having honest conversations.
Hustle - Katharine encourages showing up every day and committing to the craft..
Delivery & Execution - Katharine values getting the job done quickly and efficiently.
 
She concluded, “ But, yeah, it's, that combination of trust and hustle, delivery and execution is just such an important piece to what we do on a daily basis.”
 
Initiating Conversations with Hard-to-Reach Roles
 
Some recruiters struggle to reach hard-to-reach roles, such as CEOs and portfolio owners. This may only sometimes be the case for Katharine. When we discussed her approach to MPC Marketing, I learned that it enables her to connect with key roles like board members and CEOs. She shared a few tips on how she does this.
 
She shared that the caliber of talent will always get you the conversation. She thinks working with good talent (MPC) is important as it will likely get people interested. But this is not enough; you also need to get creative in getting your talent information across. She shared her conversation style to build trust, including using her personality and being genuine. 
 
The other thing is the mindset. As we all know, doing campaigns is also a volume game. Katharine is very much aware of this: “A lot of people are never going to answer my phone or answer my calls. And I don't take offense to it. Some people are just not going to like me. Right. They're not going to want to work with me. I'm okay with that. So. But I'm going to keep trying. And you never know. Maybe I'll break through at some poin

Multi-hire team-build projects can be profitable if strategized clearly and executed effectively. Where do you find opportunities to engage in multi-hire team-build projects? What should be your main areas of focus for successfully implementing? Our guest, Paul Press, is here to give insights! 
 
Paul is the Managing Partner and Founder of Press & Associates, a leading executive search firm specializing in recruiting top technology talent for private equity firms and their portfolio companies. Before founding Press & Associates, Paul Press built a well-rounded career with experience in an executive search firm and an in-house talent acquisition position.
 
In this episode, you will hear valuable insights into leveraging experience as an in-house recruiter, applying MPC marketing strategies, and successfully navigating the complexities of multi-hire team-build projects.
 
Episode Outline and Highlights
 
03:25 Paul’s recruiting backstory and how he launched his own firm.
06:37 Learnings from working in-house translating to running his own agency.
12:30 When to consider hiring a third-party recruiter from an in-house recruitment perspective.
18:35 Transitioning to Private Equity expertise.
23:11 Two main areas on winning multi-hire team build projects.
35:59 The risks of handling large-sized projects and how to mitigate them.
40:15 Paul shares the story of his $450k fee and MPC strategy discussion.
51:47 What Paul’s MPC marketing strategy looks like.
58:04 Upcoming exciting times for Paul and Press Associates acquisition.
 
Leveraging Experience as an In-House Recruiter
 
Before founding Press & Associates, Paul built a well-rounded career in an executive search firm and an in-house talent acquisition position. He has always aspired to set up his own agency, and this experience was a stepping stone that gave him a complete perspective on what a successful search firm should look like.
 
Paul gave his insights and compared the approach from an in-house to an agency perspective. He emphasized the value of building and nurturing relationships on the in-house side while investing heavily in business development on the other. From an in-house perspective, I also wanted to know the primary considerations when hiring a third-party recruiter. Who are the most successful ones? What companies really did poorly? Paul gave his answer: 
 
“I would say the biggest thing is the ones who took the time to be personalized, to make a very human approach and connection, and who were very empathetic; those were the ones that really stood out. It's amazing how transparent people's approaches are and how easy it is to tell when there's an email sequencing campaign going on, with an email coming out to you every kind of two or three … So it is very easy to tell kind of what's being automated, what's actual human touch and who are people that want to be in it for the long run versus, hey, I've got my monthly targets to hear.”
 
Two Areas of Focus to Win Multi-Hire Team Build Projects 
 
A key topic Paul and I discussed is his success in doing multi-hire team-build projects. The main takeaway is this: multi-hire team build results from placing a key executive. By ensuring that great relationships are built and the best experience for the executive is provided, a potential opportunity to then build out the team underneath them will likely happen.
 
This idea came about based on Paul’s previous in-house experience. “I'd say it kind of goes back to lessons learned when I went in-house and was building those relationships and understanding the big picture behind those hires and what those companies were trying to achieve. And that, combined with the private equity space, really kind of mesh well together.”
 
Paul shared two main areas of focus to be successful in this approach:
 
Communication - “It's certainly a communication game. In multi-hire campaigns, there are usually multiple hi

Helen joined us three years ago to share how to attract 70% more diverse talent by leveraging DEI - diversity, equity and inclusion. This time, she returns as a special guest to share an amazing feat - the platform she co-founded, Diversely.io, has just been recently acquired. This means more sourcing and recruitment firms can now access the platform, meaning more recruiters and sourcing firms can embed DEI in their hiring process.
What fascinates me more is Helen’s strategies and lessons learned from exiting Diversely.io. She shared strategies and things she would have done differently, which I am sure many of us will also learn from. Overall, Helen believes that the key to success is following a purpose-driven business model.
Helen McGuire is an exited founder, author, advisor, mother, podcast host and DEI changemaker. 
Helen is a leading figure in DEI and business strategy and is renowned for her impactful initiatives. She founded Hopscotch. work, the first women's careers platform in the Middle East and Asia, and her journey led to the creation of Diversely.io, a groundbreaking AI platform acquired by The Access Group in 2023.
 
As the host of The D&Igest podcast and author of the upcoming book  'The Female Scale', Helen's expertise extends to coaching female founders and advocating for purposeful businesses globally. 
 
Episode Outline and Highlights
 
[02:50] Helen shares updates on Diversely.io’s acquisition by the Access Group.
[08:54] What barriers do entrepreneurs with diverse backgrounds face when starting a business?
[13:00] Encouraging more women to take the entrepreneurial leap.
[17:33] Walkthrough on Diversely.io’s exit process and how a purpose-driven business model made it happen.
[30:00] Things that Helen would have done differently when undergoing acquisition.
[38:31] Teaser on Helen’s new book, The Female Scale.
 
Embedding DEI Into the Business Strategy
 
Diversity, equity, and inclusion are critical in the hiring process. This is essential because it is the right thing to do and a strategic business decision that can lead to more innovative and successful organizations.
 
I had Helen as a guest three years ago, and I am fascinated by her current position on championing DEI in the recruitment industry. She is a great example of an astounding business leader who advocates equity and opportunity for lesser-represented groups.  As a female founder, you will hear insightful perspectives on how underrepresentation affects certain groups and how to empower more women to launch their own businesses.
 
She is about to finish a new book, The Female Scale, which will provide insights on this issue. “It's not written specifically for women, but it's written with a very female lens. You know, the challenges that you encounter as a woman setting up a business, and there are, you know, so many female-led businesses, startups, smaller businesses out there.”
 
In this episode, Helen shared an astounding feat: They could exit Diversely.io, an end-to-end hiring platform that uses tech to reduce bias in businesses' hiring processes. By being acquired, she believes this platform will be more accessible to a much larger audience of sourcing and recruitment firms.
 
Learnings on Being Acquired and Exit Strategies
 
As a business owner, you may relate with me if you are also fascinated with stories of how exits and acquisitions work. I wanted Helen to walk me through what was involved in their acquisition process. She shared detailed stories of how it started, what was expected, and what happened. She also shared curve balls and how their expertise and networks played major roles in making the exit happen.
 
In hindsight, here are some learnings that Helen shared if you ever plan to exit or scale your business:
 
Be more prepared for the level of due diligence you must go through.
Be well-organized: ensuring all relevant agreements and data sheets

Measuring your company's economic influence drives self-motivation and is a powerful tool for marketing and business development. Jennifer Meyer of Govig Executive Search joins us in this episode to give insight on using specific metrics to measure your economic impact and how you can communicate it with potential clients.
 
Jen has a lifetime cash-in of $20M over her 26 years in the industry. She’s the SVP of Strategic Partnerships at Govig & Associates, where she’s at the helm of business development. She leads the overall team of 27 recruiters, actively front-facing with clients and playing a significant role in surpassing $14M in results.
 
Jen’s recruitment efforts have been vital in assisting small to mid-size firms, particularly those under private equity, to double in size. Jen’s placements have contributed to an economic impact exceeding $1B.
 
Episode Outline and Highlights
 
[01:51] Jen’s start in the recruitment industry as a college intern.
[10:09] Differentiating techniques in communication and business development.
[19:06] “Speak to them in their language”
[28:02] Training your team to apply the TSI (Targeted Sales Information) approach.
[40:00] How to quantify your economic impact.
[50:41] A boutique recruitment firm’s differentiators against the bigger organizations.
[54:53] Discussion on team development strategies.
[59:18] Jen’s take on work and life harmony.
 
Quantifying the Economic Impact of Your Recruitment Business
 
Measuring your company’s economic impact can be significantly beneficial for at least two reasons. The first one is self-motivation; knowing how you contribute to the broader economy can positively impact and fulfill. The second one is on the marketing and business development side. It can help potential clients understand the bigger value you will bring to their organization. 
 
Jen shared how she is able to track her placement’s economic contribution using specific metrics. Her placements overall have contributed to more than $1B in economic impact. She shared their formula: “We always talk about the size of our billings or our business in relation to what were invoicing or what our split was in relation to cash in. But we really should be talking about the salaries of the people that we place, you know, if you were going to relate it that way…Yeah, it does go beyond that, though, where you are at the, you know, again, at the basic level, you are affecting the person, and you're affecting the hiring manager. So that could be a times two, right?”
 
Here is a takeaway: Start trying to calculate the individual impact you're having in the world, particularly the positive impact you're having for your clients, and try to quantify that. If you have the appetite, even go back in history and try to work it out. But even just starting right now, try and figure out what difference you're making because that's really motivating!
 
Differentiating in the Business Development Side
 
A key topic I wanted to discuss with Jen is how she is able to differentiate, especially on the client acquisition and business development side of things. Jen has always been consistently recognized as a top performer in her career. I wanted to pick her brains on her approach when it comes to communicating with potential leads and candidates, and she surely did not disappoint. Jen revealed specific tips and verbiage that you may want also to use. Here are some key takeaways:
 
Focus on authenticity and listening more by asking curious questions.
Avoid typical questions like “Can I help you?” or “How are you doing?”
Use power phrases such as “Are you in a place where you can talk confidentially?” or “I’ve only got a minute” instead of “Have you got a minute?”
The effective use of body language.
 
She explained, “Whether you're 30 minutes into the business or you're 30 years into the business, e