Personal Challenges and Lessons Learned

What happens when a Marine-turned-headhunter takes on Wall Street? In this episode of The Elite Recruiter Podcast, host Benjamin Mena sits down with John Pierson, CEO of P2 Investments, to explore how he built a boutique firm serving hedge funds and elite investors—then reinvented the recruiting game with a candidate-first, talent agent model.

From cold-calling billionaires at dawn to founding his own firm, John’s story is a masterclass in risk-taking, storytelling, and redefining what recruiters can be in the age of AI.

🎯 2026 Sales and BD Recruiter Summit: https://bd-sales-recruiter-2026.heysummit.com/

🚀 Sponsorship: Atlas – AI-first ATS & CRM

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Inside the Episode

John shares his journey from Marine Corps air traffic controller to Wall Street talent agent—and what it taught him about persistence, leadership, and risk. Learn how his four-step agent model reshaped how hedge funds hire and why the best recruiters now act like agents, not order takers.

Discover how John navigated the 2008 crash, the rise of AI tools, and today’s high-stakes candidate market. His lessons apply to every recruiter building deeper, more profitable relationships:

• Risk-taking and resilience in elite recruiting
• Turning candidates into lifelong clients
• Storytelling as your #1 sales skill
• Aligning integrity and income for real success

Key Takeaways

1. Be Bold: Fortune favors recruiters who take risks—cold-call, pitch, and bet on yourself.
2. Candidate-Centric Wins: Build multi-year relationships before the move. Value > volume.
3. The Agent Approach: Represent talent like athletes—introduction, collaboration, representation, and long-term advisory.
4. AI + Human Touch: Tools like Atlas and RecruiterFlow empower storytelling, not replace it.
5. Integrity Scales: When personal and professional values align, referrals and relationships follow.

Ready to think like a talent agent, not a resume pusher? 🎧 Listen now to discover how risk, storytelling, and integrity can redefine your recruiting career. Subscribe, share, and connect with Benjamin Mena and John Pierson on LinkedIn to take your desk—and reputation—to the next level.

Links & Sponsors

🎯 2026 Sales and BD Recruiter Summit: https://bd-sales-recruiter-2026.heysummit.com/

🚀 Atlas – AI-first ATS & CRM: https://recruitwithatlas.com

⚡ Free Trial – PeopleGPT: https://juicebox.ai/?via=b6912d

⚡ Free Trial – Talin AI: https://app.talin.ai/signup?via=recruiter

⚡ Free Trial – Pin: https://www.pin.com/

📩 Subscribe for podcast emails: https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe

▶️ YouTube: https://youtu.be/ypyXKJlne3s

🔗 Follow John Pierson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnpierson1/

🌐 Host – Benjamin Mena, Select Source Solutions: http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/

💼 Benjamin Mena LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/

📸 Benjamin Mena Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/