The Resilient Recruiter

We all have the same number of hours in a day. How do top recruiters, like Kimberley Laipple, bill five times more than average performers in the same amount of time?   For Kim’s entire career, she’s sought out ways to increase her income without working longer hours. Her focus on productivity has paid off. Last year, Kim personally billed over $1,400,000 while managing a team of 28 recruiters.    What is the secret behind this astonishing achievement? In this interview, you’ll learn the 4 keys to Kim’s productivity including effective delegation, team empowerment, consistent client development and automation technology.   Kimberly is the SVP and Managing Director of Scientific Search. In addition to her operational function, she still runs a full desk along with managing a team of 28 recruiters. Kim is a member of Pinnacle Society which is a consortium of the top 80 recruiters in the country. Kim’s consultative approach and client development skills have allowed her to continue to grow with the organization and increase her client base year after year.   Episode Outline and Highlights   [02:03] How becoming a single mom at 18 influenced Kim’s career choices.  [07:30] How Kim forged her own career path in a male dominated industry. [14:00] Enabling flexibility within the team during tough times. [18:20] The 4 key factors leading to billing $1.4m last year.  [26:41] Delegating tasks to improve productivity. [30:53] How Kim’s team members do the job they’re best at. [34:59] Kim’s tech stack - which technology platforms does she find beneficial.  [46:53] Discussion on drip email campaigns and relevant platforms. [51:30] Copywriting skills and creating messages that generate a positive response. [55:40] Kim shares other success factors that can be modeled.   How to Forge Your Own Career Path   Kim is an inspiring example of how resilience and hard work pay off. She shared her experience of becoming a single mom at 18 and having to find a way to make a life for herself and her kids. “When you’re in that situation you really don’t know what you’re gonna do. But I knew one thing: I needed to find a way to make a living where my income didn’t depend on someone else’s choices.”    Joining Scientific Search almost 15 years ago, Kim has created her own career path. She earned her promotion to Managing Director as a result of constantly growing her client base while developing and mentoring junior recruiters.   Kim is a proponent of constant, never ending improvement.  She’s always looking for ways to improve their delivery and increase productivity so they can increase billings within the same amount of hours. Some of the pivotal changes that she introduced were:   Profiling their team members according to their strengths. They introduced different career paths within their organization. Segmenting their structure where allowed people to focus their time on more revenue-producing activities. Emphasis on client development, developing a consultative approach.   This resulted in a lot of collaboration within their team and gave the clients all the support that they need.   The Key Factors that Helped Kim Reach Record Billings of $1.4m   In 2022, Kim had a record year billing over $1.4M personally in addition to onboarding and developing junior recruiters. What were the success factors that lead to this astonishing achievement? The key ingredients we discussed include:   Constantly growing your client base and not being over-reliant on her small number of accounts. Diversifying her average fee size with a combination of small, medium and large placements.  Delegating effectively. Empowering her team.   Leveraging Automation Technology to Save Time and Increase Revenue   If you’re interested in leveraging automation to increase your billings, you’ll enjoy listening to Kim discuss her tech stack. Kim is on the Technology Committee of the Pinnacle Society, and is excited to share platforms that they are using to save time and generate more revenue. Some of the platforms she discussed are:   LinkedIn Recruiter ZoomInfo Bullhorn Automation 3DIQ   Kim shared how these technologies fit together in their current processes.   Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.   i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling, and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters in who they can invest. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, back-office support, marketing, and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc   Kimberly Laipple Bio and Contact Info   Kimberly Laipple is the SVP and Managing Director of Scientific Search. In addition to her operational function, she still runs a full desk along with managing a team of 28 recruiters. Kim was also nominated and joined the Pinnacle Society which is a consortium of the top 80 recruiters in the country! Kim’s consultative approach and client development skills have allowed her to continue to grow with the organization and increase her client base year after year. During the 14 years that Kim has been with Scientific Search, she has successfully placed people in clinical and commercial operations, manufacturing, engineering, R&D, and analytics as well as many other areas in pharmaceutical, life science medical device, healthcare, technology, and CPG companies.    Outside of work, Kim enjoys spending time with her 2 daughters and 4 grandkids. She is also passionate about animal rescue and has a house full of furry kids to keep her busy.   Kim on LinkedIn Scientific Search website link   People and Resources Mentioned   Cathy Stewart on LinkedIn Joel Slenning on LinkedIn  Pinnacle Society 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 Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR#142 How a Former Music Teacher Created Her Dream Life as a Top-Producing Recruiter, with Cathy Stewart,  TRR#How to Grow Your Recruitment Agency from Start-up to $2M in 3 Years, with Joel Slenning     Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

Do you wish you had more influence with your clients and candidates?    The last time Michael Goldman joined our podcast, he shared the secrets of enjoying a long-term career in recruiting. In this interview, he reveals how we as recruiters and business owners can create more value and enjoy greater influence with our clients and candidates.   Michael started his recruiting career in 1980 and founded his own firm, Strategic Associates, in 1988. Michael has built an excellent reputation as an executive recruiter in manufacturing and supply chains nationwide on both a contingency and retained basis.   Michael is a Founding Member and former president of the Pinnacle Society. Having run a successful desk for 42 years, and been a consistent top producer, Michael also speaks on and teaches recruiting tactics and strategies to recruiters globally.   Episode Outline and Highlights   [07:30] “Pulling your career sword from the stone”- Michael shares his career-building insights. [14:08] Focus on influencing rather than selling.  [18:28] Positioning your opportunity in the marketplace through a branding strategy. [23:47] Michael shares the ‘vampire approach.’ [29:42] Integrating the branding philosophy when talking with candidates and clients.  [39:06] Bringing value to candidates by giving clarity to their career path. [43:08] “The Death of Expertise” - Michael and I exchange book recommendations. [47:30] Fostering connections and mentorship. [51:40] No plans to retire; Michael’s 42-year career and still going strong!  [56:00] Sowing the seeds of value.   Focus on Influencing Rather Than Selling   A key insight that Michael discussed is why he advocates recruiters to influence, rather than sell. According to Michael, “A lot of people in our industry, especially newbies in the first 5 years or so are trained to throw up as much as against the wall as possible… What I do in the beginning is ask questions to determine the quality of the thought process that a prospect would have. I will understand what it takes to influence them as opposed to selling them…Because that is the key to unlock their retention.”     How does this translate to your role as a recruiter or a recruitment business owner? This is how Micheal explained it: “They expect you to be interesting… You have to realize, these people in the marketplace every day are in storms. They are constantly trying to sweep back the water on the deck of the boat and they are dealing with daily and weekly challenges… If you can tap into their perception of what success is in their life and you can do it in an interesting way, that will lead you toward providing significant influence with prospective candidates and clients.”   Integrating a Branding Philosophy to Engage Your Clients and Candidates   Michael discussed what differentiates a transactional recruiter from a consultative recruiter. He believes it’s about integrating a branding philosophy to establish trust and influence, especially when engaging with candidates and clients. From a branding perspective, there are parallel activities that Michael shared from both the candidate and client’s side. From the candidate side,  he helps them identify their unique value proposition and helps them re-write their CVs to make them more powerful and aligned with their personal branding. On the client side, Michael helps his clients align their job descriptions in line with the employer's brand and vision of opportunity to make it attractive to the right sort of people.   Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.   i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling, and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters in who they can invest. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, back-office support, marketing, and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc   Michael Goldman Bio and Contact Info   Since 1980, both in his native New York and Austin, Texas, Michael Goldman has cultivated a respected reputation for achievement in nationwide manufacturing/supply chain executive recruitment on both a contingency and retained basis. In 1988, he founded Strategic Associates with the purpose of creating a highly specialized firm encompassing talent in the areas of the supply chain, procurement, quality/regulatory affairs, and operations (plant and corporate).  Clients span industries from medical devices to consumer packaged goods to industrial to high technology products–from perishable goods to durable–from food products to computers and personal communication devices to biomedical technology to capital equipment. They are from Fortune 500 and 50 to mid-sized privately-held firms.      Michael is an original Founding Member of the Pinnacle Society and, from 1991 to 1995, served two consecutive terms as its second president.  He was awarded the Honorary Lifetime Membership in recognition of both his accomplishments in recruiting and service to Pinnacle.  In addition, he has earned his CPC through the National Association of Personnel Services.      Along with continuously maintaining his consistent success as a “desk-running” recruiter for over 40 years (and currently), Michael also speaks on and teaches domestically and internationally advanced and basic recruiting tactics and strategies. He has been requested to provide grass-roots recruitment seminars and speaking engagements to American state and national organizations as well as international audiences. To date, he has personally educated recruitment professionals in the US, Ireland, England, and South Africa.  In addition, he has conducted webinars for state recruiting organizations and Pinnacle Society meetings, and Pinnacle Panel events.   Michael on LinkedIn Strategic Associates website link   People and Resources Mentioned   The Pinnacle Society website link Lou Adler on LinkedIn Allan Fisher on LinkedIn Somer Hackley on LinkedIn Natasha Makhijani on LinkedIn  The Death of Expertise by Tom Nichols How I Raised Myself from Failure to Success in Selling by Dale Carnegie   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 Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR#131 How to Make Better Placements with Performance-Based Hiring, with Lou Adler TRR#166 How to Bill $1,000,000 For Ten Years Straight and Grow a Successful Team, with Allan Fisher TRR#139 How to Grow a Wildly Successful Executive Search Practice, with Somer Hackley TRR#30 How to Open Doors and Build Relationships at C-Level, with Natasha Makhijani Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

What does it take to level up your billings from six figures per year to seven figures?    To answer this question, I asked my friend Andrea Colabella of the Cardea Group, to share her journey and the key changes she made to increase her billings from $550-750k per year to over $1.2m.   Andrea shared relatable insights and learnings from running a successful search firm including both her wins and losses. She presented golden nuggets about exclusivity, how to prepare for critical conversations, as well as the value of learning to say no to some searches.    Andrea has been recruiting since 2005 and has placed over 800 individuals throughout her career. She started her own agency, Cardea Group, in 2009 and is a member of the Pinnacle Society, the premier consortium of Industry-Leading recruiters in North America.   Episode Outline and Highlights   [01:57] How Andrea got into recruiting and how she started the Cardea Group. [06:01] Highlights and lessons learned as a recruitment firm owner. [12:14] The biggest challenges Andrea had to overcome as a business owner. [16:50] Qualifying criteria what makes a good search. [22:20] Discussion on exclusivity, commitment, and boundaries. [30:20] Andrea reveals the 3 important changes she made to level up her billings [38:00] Dealing with stress and pressure. [42:20] Cutting off the noise and focusing on the clients and candidates that make the most sense. [47:10] Rehearsing and preparing for key conversations. [50:44] How to respond to a client who asks you to reduce your fee percentage. [53:45] Learning from mentors and getting golden nuggets of wisdom to further your recruitment career. [57:40] What does Andrea’s typical day look like?   Key Learnings as a Recruitment Firm Owner   Andrea’s journey as a recruitment business owner is a colourful one, full of learnings and challenges that a lot of recruitment firm owners can relate to. She shared how they won major accounts as a boutique agency against well-known and established larger retained and contingency firms. She also revealed key learnings when they fail, doing retrospectives when they lose a pitch.    Highlights of lessons that she shared are:   Consistently reviewing both the accomplishments and failures. The value of qualifying your search and starting to say no. Learning to cut through the noise and spending your time closest to the money. Having industry mentors and people you can lean on is hugely beneficial.   The 3 Changes That Enabled Her to Increase Billings to Over $1,000,000   Andrea and I discussed how she was able to level up from being a consistent biller in the $550-750K range to finally passing $1M+ per annum for the past two years. She acknowledges that it is also market driven but highlighted a few steps they took to make this happen.    So what are the 3 most important changes that enabled her to level up her billings?   Learning to say no to a number of searches that will waste a lot of time and focusing on more senior positions Getting commitment fees upfront helps them to align themselves with the clients who are committed to making the hires. Shifting their fees from guaranteed compensation to including their target bonuses included in their fee structure.   Listen to the full episode to hear Andrea elaborate on how she almost doubled her average fee!   Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.   i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling, and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters in who they can invest. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, back-office support, marketing, and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc   Andrea Colabella Bio and Contact Info   Andrea is a Johns Hopkins alumnus with bachelor’s and master’s degrees.  She has been recruiting since 2005, initially across all industries, and over the past decade with a focus on the investment management space. Her excellence in the industry is highlighted through her admittance into The Pinnacle Society, an influential group of industry-leading recruiters. She started her own firebrand agency, Cardea Group, in 2009 focused on assisting private equity firms, hedge funds, venture capital funds, family offices, and traditional asset managers in staffing their non-investment functions. Based in New York City, Andrea is also an active board member of several not-for-profits.   Andrea on LinkedIn Cardea Group website link Cardea Group on Facebook   People and Resources Mentioned   Gail Audibert on Linkedin Rich Rosen on LinkedIn Non-Profit that Andrea supports dearly: Horizons & BEF The Pinnacle Society   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 Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR#67 Think Like a Big Biller: How to Get Repeat Business and Referrals, with Rich Rosen TRR#153 Meet The Recruiter Who Survived And Thrived Through Four Recessions, with Gail Audibert   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

Running a desk while growing and managing a team can be extremely challenging. Someone who has managed to pull it off is Allan Fisher, founder of Premier Financial Search.    Allan’s got an amazing track record of personally billing over a million dollars for ten years straight. Then during Covid, Allan decided to turn a threat into an opportunity and grow his practice from a small, office-based team of 4 people to a remote team of 15 people based across the country.   According to Allan, the secret to his success involves excellent an operational support team, robust systems and processes, leveraging automation technology and commit to ongoing staff training & development.    In his long recruiting career, Allan has faced his share of adversity. As a recruiter and recruitment business owner, he went through the 9/11, the dot com bubble, the 2008/9 great recession, COVID and now the economic uncertainty and slowdown of 2023.  However, Allan believes that after every recession, prosperity follows.    Some of the key highlights that you will hear in this episode are:   The importance of consistent Quality output regardless of market condition The value of hiring an integrator in your team to focus on the operational aspect of your business How to build your business by putting up a remote team  How to create a great training and team culture in a remote setup   Episode Outline and Highlights   [01:30] How Allan became a recruiter; the value of his Pinnacle Society peer group. [06:43] Allan candidly reveals his career lowlights that many recruiters can relate to. [12:30] Three learnings from coming out of economic recessions. [20:40] How to prep your team to face challenging periods. [24:08] Allan shares his career highlights and accomplishments. [30:10] As a recruitment business owner, how critical is it to find someone to help you who is operationally focused? [38:04] How Allan scaled his business from 4 to 15 team members remotely. [42:17] Creating a great culture in a remote environment. [48:10] The value of tracking performance and metrics. [50:08] How Allan manages his internal recruitment just like any other successful search process.  [58:50] How Allan manages his time to be a top producer and recruitment business owner at the same time.   Insulating Your Team During Downturns   “If we are consistent with what we do, if we never change the quality that we present, we are really trying to make ourselves the firm of choice in any market. So it is not gonna make us recession-proof, but it will insulate us.” This is how Allan summarized how they have dealt with economic downturns and recessions since he started his recruitment business.   Allan started his recruitment business just around 2001, prior to the 9/11 attack. However, he had been a recruiter since 1988. So you can just imagine how many downturns Allan had undergone as a recruiter and business owner - the dot com bubble, the 9/11 attack, the real-estate bubble leading to the 2008 recession, and COVID. Now that we are all facing a similar uncertainty it is invaluable to hear Allan’s thought process and insight, and below are the takeaways:   Coming out of a recession, the market usually rebounds in a dramatic way and this period usually brings prosperity. You will only lose out if you quit. When the market changes for the better, clients will have more choices and they will revert to QUALITY. Be consistent with what you do and never change the quality that you present in any market. Never stop doing business development. When things are doing well, it may be easy to get clients but never stop doing business development.   Why Having an “Integrator” is Key to Operational Success    Being a successful business owner is not the same as being a successful recruiter. On the other hand, the best recruiters are not necessarily always the best business owners. The best business owners are actually the ones who are good at marketing, sales, and leadership. Hence, if you are a successful recruiter transitioning to becoming a business owner, hiring someone complementary to your technical skills is a key to success.    This is the case with Allan, and he shared his journey of discovering this logical approach with his team. By finding his and his team’s strengths, he was able to find the best role for his members. From within his team, he was able to find an integrator who is very effective in operational execution.    As a recruitment business owner, things you may need to ask yourself: Do you have an integrator to help in the operational aspects of your business? Are you able to set up your team for success by having them work primarily on their strengths?   Growing Your Business by Building a Team in a Remote Working Environment   A key highlight when growing Allan’s business is when they started to grow the team from 4 to 15 members in a couple of years by hiring people remotely. “A couple of years ago when we realize that location was not really a factor for our clients. Then I realized, maybe it should not be a factor for us,” he recalled. So Allan started to work on building his team, by first running a search. He looked for candidates that have been doing what they do for 3-4 years and ran a national search. He was able to find rockstar team members in doing so. Given that this is a remote setup, Allan also revealed how they adjusted their training methodology in order to accommodate their new team members. Lastly, Allan also shared how he works on the team’s dynamics and culture despite the differences in proximity.   Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.   i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling, and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters in who they can invest. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, back-office support, marketing, and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc   Allan Fisher Bio and Contact Info   Allan Fisher has been the recruiter of choice to elite local, regional, and national accounting firms for 25 years. Leveraging his extensive industry expertise, Allan is driven to facilitate transformative change for organizations and candidates, alike. With a mission to further client strategic visions and goals, Allan has keen insight into accounting talent market trends and forces, enabling him to make placements that surpass industry averages for engagement and retention.   Allan originally began his career in accounting, spending two years with a professional services firm. From there, he moved to a division of a $500 million publicly traded software manufacturer. In January 1998, seeking to utilize his accounting background in service to others, Allan made the jump to recruiting and joining Accounting Principals, a national staffing firm. In his three and a half years with Accounting Principals, he was ranked as one of the top executive recruiters nationwide, winning the “Consultant Of The Year” award by the California Staffing Professionals Association (CSP) in 2000.   Today, Allan has established himself as an industry thought leader and has spoken at meetings of the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, the California State Board of Accountancy, The Westside Firm Administrators Group, and ProVisors. He has been quoted in The Wall Street Journal.   Allan on LinkedIn Premier Financial Search website link   People and Resources Mentioned   Harlan Friedman on LinkedIn The Pinnacle Society website link The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel Jeremy Sisemore on LinkedIn Leanne Sara Jones Hunt on LinkedIn   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 Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR#97 Lift Outs: How to Successfully Recruit an Entire High-Performing Team, with Harlan Friedman TRR#160 Why Balance is the Key to Unlocking Personal and Business Growth, with Jeremy Sisemore   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

Is recruitment a numbers game? To say so would be an oversimplification, but there’s no denying that data-driven insights can lead to improved performance and profits.    Recruitment is a numerically predictable business. If you want to maximize your billings, it’s important to measure both your activity (quantity of effort) and ratios (quality of effort).  We also recommend setting yourself KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) to stay on track and increase the likelihood of achieving your billings goal.   If you’re not already tracking your metrics, or if you do not know what numbers and ratios to measure, I am sure you will find value in this episode. By analyzing metrics such as “job order to placement ratio” and “average placement value,” recruiters can identify areas for improvement. The exciting part about knowing your numbers is that small improvements can lead to a big increase in billings with the same or less effort.     Episode Outline and Highlights   [00:32] Why some recruitment business owners are reluctant to measure their metrics. [03:30] Why are KPIs critical for you to achieve your goals? [04:40] What is the Recruitment Business Health Check? Discussion on reasons why you need to do it. [10:30] What are the specific numbers and ratios that you should be tracking? [16:13] Tangible steps to track your metrics and KPIs. [21:06] The benefit of getting an accountability partner.   Perform a Recruitment Business Health Check   When clients join our Recruitment Coach community, one of the first things we do is a Recruitment Business Health Check. Business owners analyze their desks by looking at their billings, average invoice value, how many interviews to make a placement, how many candidates it takes to get an interview and other significant metrics. The purpose of this is to give you a benchmark of your current performance and allow you to pinpoint the obvious area for improvement.  Whatever your goal is, you can reverse engineer and work backward. Whether your goal is an annual revenue of 500k or 1m, you can figure it out by working on your weekly, monthly, or quarterly milestones. Hence, aside from leading you to your goals, the value of tracking your metrics is to give you the maximum chance of hitting your business goals.   What Should You be Tracking?   You may be wondering, what specific numbers and ratios you should be tracking. Before I lay out a few critical data points, I want to draw an important distinction. There is a difference between the numbers you are tracking and KPIs. People often use those two terms synonymously, but they are not the same thing. I want you to track, absolutely everything. The more data you have, the clearer it will be. However, a KPI - key performance indicator, is something you are going to target yourself on or target your team on. We don’t recommend giving yourself or your people too many different targets. Having three KPIs at most that you are constantly focused on is enough. At the same time, having access to all the other data means that you can refer to it as needed and make informed business decisions. Here are some important data points that you should be constantly looking into:   Billings  Number of placements Average placement value (Billings/Number of Placements)  Number of first interviews Number of candidates presented/submitted CV to Interview Ratio Number of new job orders Number of sales conversations with clients Numbers of recruiting conversations with candidates. The list is definitely not exhaustive, but I would encourage you to be on top of the above data points and be able to work out your ratios accordingly.   Tangible Steps to Track Your Metrics    Speaking about the benefit of tracking your KPIs and metrics, where do you start? There are low-tech and high-tech solutions. You can use an old-school whiteboard if you want to create a visual of the data you are tracking. Most people nowadays use CRM systems, which have the capability of producing reports which will make it easy for you to see your KPIs. Don’t be discouraged if you do not have a CRM yet, you can use a spreadsheet or even a paper-based system if you want. The important thing is to start tracking and monitoring your numbers asap!   Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.   i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling, and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters in who they can invest. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, back-office support, marketing, and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc   People and Resources Mentioned   Leanne on LinkedIn Jordan Rayboy on LinkedIn Atomic Habits, by James Clear   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   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

If you’re building a recruitment business, you might want to consider replacing the 360 degree “full desk” model with a 120-120-120 model.   In this fascinating interview, Pree Sarkar shares why he believes it’s easier to scale a recruitment business with a 120 degree model. You’ll hear how it gives his firm a competitive advantage in the market. Plus, Pree reveals their entire end-to-end recruitment process including the KPIs and metrics of a successful search firm leveraging the 120 business model.    You’ll be inspired by Pree’s story of resilience, from losing his job during the Great Financial Crisis to starting a successful recruitment company and making a positive impact locally and globally.    Pree Sarkar is the Founder and Director of Switch Recruitment, specializing in recruiting for start-ups and SaaS companies in the APAC region. LinkedIn rated him as a Top 1% Recruiter, Amazon rated his book Switch, a #1 bestseller in Careers and Job Hunting and he is a member of The Pinnacle Society, a select group of industry-leading recruiters globally.   Episode Outline and Highlights   [02:05] From losing his job to launching a recruitment business. [05:02] Key inflection points in the road to recruitment business success.  [10:47] Building trust from scratch when nobody has heard of you or your company. [15:14] Transitioning from being a generalist to a niche specialist.  [18:30] Why it is essential to focus on your strengths and hire others to complement your weaknesses. [22:02] Pree describes Switch’s building phase and how it has evolved.  [25:08] What is the 120-120-120 team model? [29:30] Discussion on incentives, metrics, and KPIs in the 120-degree model. [32:00] Pree shares their end-to-end recruitment process in detail. [38:30] Giving back to the community - sponsoring a child with every placement.  [46:34] How Pree became a thought leader and trusted advisor in New South Wales. [54:50] Pree shares the backstory of his best-selling book, Switch.   Inflection Points Leading to Recruitment Business Success   Pree shares an amazing story on how he got into the recruitment business. On the eve of the Great Financial Crisis, he ended up losing his job. Determined to provide for his family, he believed that from that point onward that no matter how dark it was, serendipity can change the course of his life.    The first three months were really hard with two kids under five while being a single-income family. They had just recently purchased a house, and they had to break open the piggy bank in order to survive. I am sure you will be amazed at how one thing led to another for Pree, which can be attributed to his mindset and resilience.    There are four distinct inflection points in his journey that he elaborated on:   Learning how to listen with empathy to solve problems. Learning to sell. Learning to lead. Learning to build.   Experiencing difficulties first hand moved Pree to give back to the community by means of sponsoring  a child for every placement. They currently sponsor 21 children across the planet and provide food, medication, clothing, and education through their partnership with Watoto and Compassion Australia.    Why Pree Believes the 120 Degree Model Is More Effective   In discussing how Pree built Switch Recruitment, we covered the topic of Switch’s 120-120-120 model, which they find more effective than a 360 model. Pree believes that recruiters must have situational awareness in three areas: who are the companies, what are the jobs, and who are the candidates? With this in mind, there should be team effort involving:   A researcher who lives and breathes all the data and information. A recruiter who is speaking to 20+ candidates all day, every day. An account manager who solely focuses on the client ecosystem.   This minimized risks for everyone on the team as the specialization allows each person to embrace their skills and build expertise. Part of Switch’s value proposition is that they offer a “relay race” with three recruiters working on each project resulting in faster placements.    How to Build Your Reputation as a Trusted Advisor   A series of events lead to Pree becoming a trusted advisor in his industry - to the point of being recognized by the Australian government and publishing his book, “Switch”. To summarize, Pree likes having conversations with executives, listening to their problems, and genuinely wanting to solve them even if it may or may not result in a transaction. These conversations built the foundation for him to be more visible, and lead to him published his book, Switch: Stand Out, Get The Right Job And Accelerate Your Career.   When the pandemic hit, the book was really timely as a lot of people needed help. Pree shipped 200 copies of the book for free, and they ran 40 workshops and recorded an online course. They then approached companies offering outplacement support for employees who were losing their job. This lead to Pree being awarded a Certificate of Outstanding Service by the New South Wales Government.   Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.   i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling, and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters in who they can invest. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, back-office support, marketing, and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc   Pree Sarkar Bio and Contact Info   Pree Sarkar is an executive recruiter and career coach. LinkedIn rated him in the Top 1% of Recruiters for Search Excellence and Talent Pipelining. Prior to recruitment, he was a top-performing account executive and sales director with Fortune 500 companies, including Xerox and FedEx.   Since 2008 he has been advising leaders and professionals at global technology companies and pre-IPO start-ups to help them build winning teams and great careers.   Pree on LinkedIn Switch Recruitment website link Switch book, by Pree Sarkar   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   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

Is fear and self-doubt preventing you from building your personal brand and growing your recruitment business?   In this episode, you’ll discover how my guest Mike O’Riordan overcomes his tendency to be a perfectionist, pushes outside his comfort zone and gets things done.  Mike is the founder of Blackwater Search & Advisory, a global executive search and advisory firm focused on the ETF and Digital Assets market. I’ve known Mike for almost 3 years and have witnessed his rapid growth from a one-man band with no recruitment industry experience to running a hugely successful boutique.   Get ready to be inspired by Mike's story and learn how to overcome the pitfalls of perfectionism in your recruitment business.   Episode Outline and Highlights [01:49] Mike’s catchphrase, “I’m executing the shit out of this stuff.” [03:33] What is an ETF? [05:20] Why Mike shifted from a decades-long career in banking to recruiting. [11:04] Is the negative perception of recruiters justified? [19:50] The company’s current size and structure after four years. [23:12] The impact of hiring an effective marketing person. [28:24] Why perfectionism can cost you millions of dollars. [33:10] How digital marketing has been a game changer for Mike’s business. [42:47] Why an email newsletter is a good way to start marketing. [45:17] Discussion about creating video content - Mike’s journey. [48:40] Get comfortable in being uncomfortable - why getting out of your comfort zone is critical to success. [54:00] What’s next for the Blackwater search?   Perfectionism Can Cost You Millions of Dollars   Mike and I first spoke back in March 2020, and he was one of the first people who enrolled in my Billings Accelerator program, which has evolved into our Inner Circle community of recruitment business owners.    Despite having less recruitment experience, Mike made faster progress than many others in his cohort. The reason? Mike is someone who implements like crazy. I remember asking him how he was doing that, achieving so much in a short time. His answer: “Mark, I am just executing the shit out of this stuff.” What a catchphrase!   Mike is now successfully running a global ETF and Digital Assets consulting and executive search firm. In retrospect, Mike never would have imagined achieving so much after spending 20 years as a salaryman in financial institutions. To what does he attribute his success? For Mike, it is about just getting it done. It does not have to be perfect. The most important thing is just to do it. You can always improve it later.   I agree with this a hundred percent! I’m certain that perfectionism has personally cost me a million dollars or more. Looking back on my 21 years as a coach, I can truly relate to how perfectionism - another word for procrastination - has lost me so much potential. That is why this interview with Mike is an eye-opener to so many recruitment business owners out there. Whatever business strategy you are struggling to implement, it doesn’t have to be perfect, what matters is you go out and do it.   Effective Recruitment Marketing is a Game Changer   Another area that we explored in our conversation is the importance of having an effective marketing person on your team. For Mike, this has been a game-changer. You will hear how their marketing strategies have enabled them to leapfrog ahead of their competition and win business with clients that are household names.    Some of the marketing implementations that were discussed by Mike are:   Newsletter Market Insight Reports Salary Survey Video Series Podcast Webinars   We discussed what changed Mike’s mind about recording videos, as to begin with it was not his cup of tea. Just like most of us, he hated to hear his own voice. But he didn’t let the fact he was uncomfortable stop him from taking action.   Get Comfortable in Being Uncomfortable   A known enemy of success is being too comfortable, which may hinder you from stepping out of your comfort zone. Mike and I believe that getting comfortable with being uncomfortable relates to everything in life. If you are not uncomfortable, you may not be trying hard enough, or not pushing yourself enough.    “When our back sets to the wall, that is when we really realize that there is stuff we can do we never really imagined,” as Mike puts it. The same with a recruitment business, stepping outside of your comfort zone is key to your success.   Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.   i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling, and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters in who they can invest. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, back-office support, marketing, and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc   Mike O’Riordan Bio and Contact Info   Mike has over 20 years Financial Services experience. He started his career in Investment Banking working at Deutsche Bank and RBS before moving to Credit Suisse where he began his Asset Management career. He has worked at Credit Suisse, HSBC, BlackRock, and JP Morgan in various product roles covering Mutual Funds and ETFs. Michael launched Blackwater Search & Advisory in May 2019. Blackwater is a global recruiting and consulting company focused on the ETF and Digital Assets market.   Mike on LinkedIn Blackwater Insights podcast  Blackwater Search website link   People and Resources Mentioned   Somer Hackley on LinkedIn The 12-Week Year: Get More Done in 12 Weeks than Others Do in 12 Months   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 Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR#139 How to Grow a Wildly Successful Executive Search Practice, with Somer Hackley    Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

In the 7th installment of our Recruiter Mistakes series, we delve into the benefits of specializing in a niche market and how it can lead to shorter recruitment cycles, clearer messaging, and increased profits.     By focusing on a specific niche, you can tailor your message, build a strong candidate pool, and become the go-to expert in your field. However, choosing a niche can be challenging. Some recruiters may feel hesitant due to the fear of missing out on opportunities or letting go of legacy clients.    We know that specialists usually bill more than generalists and in this session Leanne and I hope to address any fear or hesitation you may have in committing to a niche market.   Episode Outline and Highlights [00:47] Clearer messaging to attract the right target audience. [02:30] Having a targeted and well-defined niche leads to a shorter recruitment cycle. [07:06] What could stop recruiters from focusing on a specific niche? [08:45] Dealing with legacy clients when transitioning to niche-focused recruitment. [15:30] Steps you can take to define your niche. [16:26] Next topic to cover in this series: not tracking your metrics.   The Benefits of Specializing   Specializing, in the long run, can help you shorten your recruitment cycle, leading to more placements which ultimately translates to maximized profits. Consider this: how long does it take for you to fill a job on average? If you’re not focusing on a specific niche, you are starting from scratch every time you take on a new search.    Here is how specializing makes things easier:   The clearer you can be about your niche the clearer your message and branding can be  You can recycle your candidate pool. Much shorter recruitment cycle - presenting candidates within 24-48 hours instead of weeks or months.   Specializing is a proven approach. We would estimate that more than 90% of the million-dollar recruitment business owners we’ve had as guests on this podcast are specialists.   What Could Stop You from Committing to a Niche?   Some can feel hesitant to commit to a niche for two reasons: psychologically you may feel that you are turning down profit because you may feel that you are missing out on other opportunities, and you feel that you can’t let go of your ‘legacy’ clients.   If you take a second and think about it, the fear of missing out on other opportunities is quite the opposite of reality. Being a specialist means you will make more money. Although it feels like you are reducing the amount of business you are considering, focusing on a niche gives you more opportunities for repeat businesses and becoming top of mind when it comes to your specific field.   We are not saying that you forgo your legacy clients and leave them behind. A workaround is having a transition period and setting the right expectations with your existing core clients. You can still work with your legacy clients without compromising your commitment to a specific niche.    What Are the Steps That You Should Take   In our coaching program, we guide you to define or re-define your niche through our market-mapping exercise. Thinking about the parameters of how to define a niche, we use the acronym FILL (Function, Industry, Level, Location). Look back over your last 12-24 months of placements. Where have you been the most successful? That is a good starting point to decide your specialty.   Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.   i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling, and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters in who they can invest. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, back-office support, marketing, and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc   People and Resources Mentioned   Leanne on LinkedIn   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   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

No one is immune from challenging economic downturns and it is certainly the case for my special guest, Michael Pietrack. Making his second appearance on the show, Michael humbly shares his experience of dealing with a severe slump in his market.   Michael’s shares his strategy for surviving tough times and emerging as a market leader. In this inspiring interview, Michael explains how he navigated past recessions and his approach during the current climate. There are lessons for leaders and recruiters alike, including how Michael keeps a healthy mental space for himself and his team, remains relevant and brings value to his customers in a downturn.   You’ll discover the proactive steps to overcome a slump, including best practices and strategies for MPC marketing and cold-calling. You will also hear about Michael’s new book, Legacy, which is about values that guide the choices we make in life and in business.   Episode Outline and Highlights   [01:41] Michael gives a realistic picture of the current climate of the market he serves, which is medical affairs in the pharmaceutical industry. [03:18] What to do when companies are downsizing. [08:07] Having an agile mindset - changing the roles of your team members to address the needs of the business. [10:21] Discussion on MPC strategy. [17:30] How to position yourself during downturns to take advantage of the upswing that always follows. [21:00] Michael shares his cold calling and voicemail strategy. [23:36] Michael explains how to keep a safe mental space for his team. [28:35] The power of telling stories to communicate and engage with your team and clients. [32:43] Michael discusses his newly published book: Legacy. [38:28] Insights on being noble in the recruiting business. [40:38] The challenges Michael had to overcome to publish his new book [49:00] How choices play a significant role in shaping one's life and success.   Focusing on Doing the Right Things During a Downturn   Since last time I spoke to Michael, the market he serves has contracted significantly.    “The market in our particular industry totally flipped. We went from the healthiest market you can imagine in 2021, and it just started to nosedive. The business just evaporated. We went from having 99 recs down to 9 as a firm. We carried over 9 from 2022 to 2023.”   The current economic environment for a lot of recruitment firms can pose an unpredictable challenge to owners, no one is immune to what Michael’s team had experienced. If this were to happen to you, how would you have responded?    Michael, being the resilient leader that he is, possessed a healthy mindset on dealing with a business slump. For him, it is important to keep the team busy and remain relevant. Below are the takeaways that he shared:   Putting relationships first - bringing value to both candidates and clients. Not only from a long-term financial ROI perspective, but Michael and his team sincerely believe that this is a good time to build good relationships. When talking to Hiring Managers - start talking about positions that will pop up when conditions are better. Forward-thinking for when ‘the thaw happens’ can give them an edge against their competitors. Staying Agile - the team had to rotate roles, from recruiting to business development. It can be challenging at first, so effective communication with your team is essential to making a successful transition.   A Business Leader’s Guide on Dealing with a Business Slump   Recruiting can be the best job in the world when things are going well, but can also be the worst job in the world if things are not going great. So as a recruitment business owner and leader, how do you ensure that you and your team are able to stay strong?   Michael shared the proactive steps he is implementing in his team:   Valuing activity more than valuing the results. Michael shared how they gamify activities by creating contests. Keeping people engaged that way has been working for his team and he encourages other business owners to do the same.    MPC Strategies. You will hear Michael’s ingenious approach to MPC marketing   Cold Calling Strategies. Michael also shared his cold-calling strategies and dealing with voicemail.   The most important topic we covered is having the right mindset regarding your business, candidates, clients, and being mentally prepared for what the future holds.   Leaving a Legacy and Being Noble in the Recruitment Field   Michael and I talked about his new book, Legacy: The Saga Begins. This book is an allegory about overcoming fear and self-doubt and finding courage in the face of adversity. Essentially, it’s about values – becoming noble, making choices, and believing in your own abilities. He wrote the book during the pandemic when the world is feeling anxious about an uncertain future. Michael and I discussed how the book’s message is relevant not just for families but also to recruiters - especially as it relates to being noble and making the right choices.   Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.   i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling, and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters in who they can invest. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, back-office support, marketing, and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc   Michael Pietrack Bio and Contact Info   Michael Pietrack is a leading Pharmaceutical Industry recruiter from the US. His firm is called TMAC Direct, the executive recruiting arm of The Medical Affairs Company, which is the international leader in direct hire and contract staffing for Medical Affairs.  Michael is known as one of the top five billers in the US, and because of that, he is a sought-after speaker and trainer.  He runs a high-performing desk while overseeing several teams.  His hobbies include creative writing, Bible study, and spending time with his wife and three daughters.   Michael on LinkedIn TMAC Direct website link TMAC Direct on Facebook TMAC Direct on YouTube Michael’s volunteer work: JW.org website link   People and Resources Mentioned   Legacy: The Saga Begins book Jordan Rayboy on LinkedIn   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 Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR#106 How to Bill £12,800,000 in 14 Years, with Michael Pietrack TRR#153 Meet The Recruiter Who Survived And Thrived Through Four Recessions, with Gail Audibert   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter  

Recruiters might need to work a little harder to achieve the same revenue as last year.   “It is not gloom and doom but it is also bringing a little dose of reality that we may need to get our business development hats on, and we may have to ramp up our energy and activity levels a little bit more to generate the same revenues or more.”   These are the words of my special guest, Jeremy Sisemore, who joins us for the second time to share his insight on how to grow your recruitment business in the current market. In this episode, Jeremy talks about the science of having a success mindset, incorporating balance into your personal and recruitment growth, as well as how to set your team up for success.   Jeremy is one of the leading IT executive recruiters in North America and he’s been at the top of his field for the past 20 years. Jeremy has billed over $14 Million in his career and specializes in placing IT executives in SAP, ERP, and Cyber Security at all levels up to and including CIO, CTO, CISO.    Episode Outline and Highlights [01:33] What’s changed since Jeremy’s first appearance on the show? [04:34] Sharing insights on the current market - comparison with the 2008-09 recession. [07:00] Discussion of mindset and the self-fulfilling prophecy.  [14:00] Competitive diving and the concept of balance [25:00] Incorporating balance into your recruitment activities. [36:23] What is Jeremy doing to create growth and balance?  [45:36] Onboarding new team members and setting them up for success.  [54:22] KPI Roadmap and metrics to help team members to be successful.   The Science of Cultivating a Success Mindset    The last time I interviewed Jeremy, he emphasized the importance of inner grit which allows you to turn challenging experiences into stepping stones for success. This time, he shared insights on the importance of having the right mindset in the recruitment industry as the current market and economic climate may present some challenges.    “I think that people might be able to do the same revenue and numbers, but only if their mind is right and they work a little harder. It may not feel as easy to make the same numbers, I don’t think, in 2023 as it might have felt in 2022…    “It is not gloom and doom but it is also bringing a little dose of reality that we may need to get our business development hats on, we may have to ramp up our energy and activity levels a little bit more to generate the same revenues.”   Our mindset is like a self-fulfilling prophecy - if you expect great things, and great results, then you will go after it! You will be creative, tenacious, and resilient which will translate into great results. The reverse is also true.    “There is science behind the self-fulfilling prophecy,” added Jeremy.    You’ll enjoy Jeremy’s story about his experience as a competitive diver and diving coach and how it relates to the value of having the right mindset - for both beginners and experts in almost any field.    The Concept of Balance and How to Incorporate it Into Your Personal and Business Growth   Aside from having inner grit and possessing the right mindset - Jeremy discussed the concept of balance. “Balance can mean a lot of different things - depending on how you would like to apply that into our world - recruitment, talent acquisition, building a business, getting clients, getting candidates…”    Jeremy went on to explain how the concept of balance applies in a variety of areas:   Balancing work and relationships to address and prevent burnout. Having personal balance for personal and professional growth. Applying balance in your recruitment business and activities.   You will hear how Jeremy applies this principle - especially in the form of self-talk and reflection as well as having the right mental diet.   Setting Up Your Team For Success   We ended our conversation on the topic of onboarding new team members and setting them up for success, even in a remote setup. Here is the outline of the best practices shared by Jeremy:   Doing the first four days of training in-person to achieve immersion Doing three-way meetings with a client - as a way of osmosis training. Doing weekly one-on-one and team meetings. Celebrating small and big wins to embed the culture of success.   Jeremy also shared their approach to benchmarking and KPI’s to give each team member a  roadmaps to achieving success.   Our Sponsors   This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro and Recruitment Entrepreneur.   i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Their technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees, and increase their billings. Their software combined with world-class training enables you to transition from transactional, contingency recruiter to consultative, retained recruiter. Instead of being perceived as a “me too” vendor, you’ll be positioned as a “me only” solutions provider. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained Recruitment Entrepreneur is the world’s leading Private Equity firm specializing in the international recruitment industry. If you’ve dreamed of starting, scaling, and selling your recruitment business, this is your chance. James Caan and his team at Recruitment Entrepreneur are actively seeking ambitious recruiters in who they can invest. They provide everything you need to grow a successful recruitment business including funding, financial expertise, coaching and mentoring, operational strategy, back-office support, marketing, and talent attraction solutions. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter. Start a conversation here: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/vc   Jeremy Sisemore Bio and Contact Info   Jeremy Sisemore has been one of the leading IT Executive Recruiters throughout North America for the past 20 years.  He started his career with MRI and was Rookie of the Year in 2000 and quickly became the go-to resource for SAP & ERP talent acquisition needs nationally.  Jeremy billed millions of dollars in placement revenue over 6.5 years with MRI, received a CSAM Certification, and became known for public speaking on “best practices” within the recruiting industry.  In his career, Jeremy has over $14 Million in personal production (billings) and has placed IT Executives and Cyber Security talent at all levels up to and including CIO, CTO, CISO levels across all areas of emerging technologies.  ASAP Talent serves over 75 major Fortune 500 clients throughout North America and internationally in Singapore, Germany, and the UK.   Today, Jeremy is CPC and CERS Certified and is a former member of the Board of Directors as Education Chair for The Pinnacle Society, a premier consortium of 80 industry-leading recruiters in North America.  He speaks regularly at industry conferences such as NAPS, NCASP, The Fordyce Forum, HAAPC, and MASA among others.   Jeremy and his business partner, Erek Gerth, founded ASAP Talent Services in 2006 and haven’t looked back since.  Today the ASAP Team of 5 supports well over 75 of the world’s leading companies and generates annual revenues of around $1.7-$2M. Their mission has been to create a boutique talent acquisition firm focused on the highest quality service and to form lasting partnerships with clients that are poised for growth, to be a total solution provider with respect to SAP & Cyber Security Talent.  Jeremy writes industry articles and has been quoted in CIO magazine.  On a personal level, Jeremy graduated from the University of Missouri where he was on the Swimming & Diving Team.  He’s married and is a father to two daughters and a son based out of Houston, Texas.   Jeremy on LinkedIn Jeremy on Twitter @SAPheadhunter ASAP Talent Services website link ASAP Talent Services Facebook page ASAP Talent Services Youtube channel   People and Resources Mentioned   Gail Audibert on LinkedIn    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 Related Podcast You Might Enjoy TRR#35 Inner Grit: The Traits of a Big Biller, with Jeremy Sisemore TRR#153 Meet The Recruiter Who Survived And Thrived Through Four Recessions, with Gail Audibert Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter