The Resilient Recruiter

Looking back on the past two years, how would you summarize the impact that Covid-19 had on your business? For most companies, this was a devastating time and an even worse period for the individuals who worked in these firms. It was no different for the team at Cubed Talent Management, but they opted to turn the cards into their favour and can now look back on two records years. Added to this success, they are confident in predicting a 35% increase in the budget for 2022.  What Steven Street, CEO of Cubed Talent Management, brings to the table is much more than 25 years of experience and exceptional skills in the industry. The insights he is sharing is much more profound as it speaks of a deep understanding of how to take a calm approach amidst global chaos. Under his guidance Cubed Talent Management could revert back to basics, set certain vital systems in place and excel beyond expectations “Without sounding like I am fetishizing the pandemic which was terrible and truly a crisis for too many people. There was something strangely exhilarating about the whole thing where there was little we were completely in control of and I think it had a bit of a levelling effect,” is Steven’s take on the first couple of weeks after Covid-19 became a very relevant reality. In this podcast, he shares how his team managed to turn what could have been a disaster into profound success.  Episode Outline and Highlights: [0:28] Introducing Steven Street [3:24] How Covid-19 illuminated the need to live by your company values  [9:48] What is CIRCLE and how did it create a launchpad for new growth and success? [14:00] Freedom regarding working conditions ensured productivity  [15:25] 1st of June 2020 became recovery week 1 [18:00] Lesson #1 from the pandemic - keeping it simple [25:00] Redefining key markets to include sustainable sectors [26:30] What were the most prominent changes ensuring record-breaking years? [28:13] The benefits stemming from looking at the business from a different perspective [32:25] What is a pre-registration storyboard and how to use it to differentiate your brand [43:13] Hosting virtual events for clients helped to improve the team’s success in converting more candidates into placement [53:02] Effective implementation of “doing more and talking less” [58:50] Addressing increased personal productivity and improved behaviour  How Cubed Talent Management Managed to Turn Covid-19 Into Two Record Years “What the pandemic taught us was really was to flatten and simplify and we went back into direct drive. For every input, for every hour worked, for every pound spent, for every effort expended, we’ve got to see the wheels turn and they’ve got to turn quickly and they got to turn and take us into the right direction to the next destination which was recovery, consolidate. grow and then scale.” Steven explains how they realized when the pandemic stripped away the numbers they were used to and all the comforts and certainties that come along with success, all they had left was each other and the values they shared and the bonds that tied the team together.  The platform they could use to gain traction again consisted of basic human needs of association, community, security and a sense of belonging. The result was a record two years in the business. As they had no choice but to change, they opted to go at it “really hard and radical.” They realized that they went through the typical enterprise maturity cycle and that they need to take on the mindset of being a startup again. This was how they could attend to the tasks that really mattered and made a difference to their success. From here they could proceed from recovery mode, to consolidate, grow and scale. This is where they are now and the foundation that allows them to put an exciting but reasonable growth expectation in place for 2022.  The Values That Served as the Glue Leading to Success  CIRCLE - what does it stand for? Steven explains what these values are what they were holding onto. He also emphasizes that for values to be the platform of your success, you need to do more than claim them, you need to live them. While value statements are mostly written manifestos of what your brand stands for during times when all is well, their team has experienced that their values became even more tangible when all bets were off due to this immense disruption of lives the world experienced during especially the height of the pandemic.  Lesson Learned - Keys to Lasting Success Cubed Talent Management showed themselves as exceptionally successful to manage their in-house talent optimally during a time that might as well turn out in quite a different manner. What did they learn during this time? Simplify procedures Redefine key markets Be more productive Be more discerning about what communication is necessary and when Revert to doing what a start-up does  These are only some of the aspects Steven believe will enable a recruitment firm to enjoy an unexpected level of success.  Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  Steven Street Bio and Contact Info  Got into recruitment on the ground floor - fortuitously, with Larry Gould's business Link Up in June 1993 - followed by a successful stint with Pertemps (which would have been my forever career - had I not launched Relay Recruitment in 1996; subsequently sold in 2011. Now working with an amazing handpicked team at Cubed Talent Management. As stated on my LI profile: a human Swiss Army knife, problem solver, acquirer and nurturer of World Class talent, therapist, wine drinker, believer in a brighter future and, most importantly- lover of dogs. 🐶 Yorkshire born and bred - dragged up in Bradford. A vociferous enemy of mediocrity, shabby service, average aspiration, poor standards and negativity. My own personal mission is to launch a community enterprise supporting young people with Autism, Aspergers and other additional needs into dignified internships, work placements, work experience and ultimately, quality career pathways.  Steven Street on LinkedIn Cubed Talent Management website link Cubed Talent Management on LinkedIn Cubed Talent Management on Twitter Cubed Talent Management in Facebook  People and Resources Mentioned: Non-profit Org that Steven Supports: Martin House Children’s Hospice Fundraising and Creating Awareness for Martin House  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 #51 Disrupting the Recruitment Industry: Radically Rethinking Our Client Relationships, with Steven Street   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

Imagine starting your own recruitment business with zero experience in recruitment and only 10 days later the world comes to a standstill with 9/11. This is how the story of Mark Brown, co-founder and director of Worldwide Recruitment Solutions (WRS) started. However, this wasn’t the last obstacle in his way. Their niche field was financial institutions with a specific focus on the mortgage market when the 2008 financial collapse took place. From there they transitioned their business into serving the oil and gas industry and 2014 came along, seeing the oil industry plummeting.  In this podcast, Mark expands on how they still managed to grow WRS to revenue of £56 million and EBITA of £1.7M with 4 international offices (UK, Singapore, Iraq & Uganda), becoming the 3rd fastest growing recruitment company in the UK.  Episode Outline and Highlights: [1:24] The journey from call centre manager to founding a recruitment business  [4:51] 10 days after launching 9/11 rocked the world [6:15] The urgently search for a new niche and stumbling into the world of finance [9:50] A career of surviving and thriving the worst of downtimes [13:55] Expanding internationally [15:22] Sep 2008 - started World Recruitment Solutions (WRS) [16:27] The motto of “Cash is King” helped them weather the storms  [20:42] The simple model that proved effective in following their vision [25:10] 2011 WRS entered the oil and gas industry, the cash cow they needed [27:50] How to grow your business from 5 - 30 people in 3 years [29:50] The secrets to enjoying a 90% staff retention [37:48] And then the oil industry plummeted - surviving another crisis [46:43] Solving infrastructure challenges with the right tech stack and automation [54:00] Winning the Sunday Times Award for Best Small Company to Work For [55:48] Why creating a respectful environment is so important at WRS [59:35] Where is WRS heading the future? Cash Is King “You talk about systems but there weren’t any systems. The reality was that this was a decision that I’d taken on the back of good advice. I think the advice I was given besides that cash is king is to make sure you’ve always got a minimum of 6 and ideally 9 months worth of working capital, business as usual working capital so that you can keep the lights on,” Mark explains how they managed to survive and thrive through 4 major global financial crises.   How to Scale Your Business to 30 People In a matter of three years, WRS grew from 5 to 30 people. On top of that, they also have an employee retention rate of 90%. Mark compared their system to that of Jack and the Beanstalk where they had four department heads and added new team members underneath each one.  The following factors all influenced their success in hiring the right people to fall underneath these heads:   An organizational structure that allowed them to bring in individuals to work underneath a certain line manager They employed trainees  They looked for a certain DNA in these individuals WRS had an excellent training platform By appointing a learning and development manager Employing outside experts to fill knowledge gaps However, what added more value to the business was the high retention rate that sometimes was above 90%. As WRS always gave their staff the perfect runway to grow within, staff would very seldom leave the business. Mark also pointed out that they created a clear path for everyone joining the firm and they offered a space without any glass ceilings and where the opinion of employees was respected. Why Did WRS Win The Sunday Times Best Small Company to Work for Award? Mark states that even though the company has grown tremendously since its early days, they’ve maintained the same kind of culture. The management team, the L&D team and the culture of the business never changed. “I refer back to respect, fair environment, an environment where people feel they belong, feel they have a voice, feel they have an input, they understand the purpose of the company and the direction of travel and that is through constant communication,” Mark shares why he believes they won the award for being the best small company to work for.  Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allows recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  Mark Brown Bio and Contact Info  Mark Brown is the co-founder of Worldwide Recruitments Solutions (WRS) and has 20 years experience as a recruitment business owner and CEO. Involved in the start up of two  recruitment brands - KCMB (2001-08) & WRS (2008 to date). WRS is a global recruitment consultancy and workforce solutions company serving the oil and gas, mining, marine and power industries. In 2021, WRS achieved revenue of £56M with an EBITDA of £1.7M. The brand has a global presence with offices in UK, Singapore, Iraq and Uganda. They currently have a headcount of 65 (peaked at 120 in 2015). WRS was recently named by Recruiter Magazine as the 3rd fastest growing recruitment company in the UK. He and his team have a long list of awards that includes being the Sunday Times Best Small Company to Work for, WRS enjoys a place on the Version Fast Track List and they’ve received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise and International Trade.  Mark brings expertise in international trade and global expansion and is an advocate of technology innovation and digitisation to improve business process and efficiency.  Married for 20 years, he has twin daughters (aged 22). A keen supporter of football (30 years a season ticket holder at Man United) and horse racing as a spectator sport.        Mark Brown on LinkedIn Worldwide Recruitment Solutions website link Worldwide Recruitment Solutions on LinkedIn Worldwide Recruitment Solutions on Facebook People and Resources Mentioned: Profits First by Mike Michalowicz  Workr https://workrgroup.com/ Francis Dunleavy 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

Many founders dream of selling their business one day. In this interview, you’ll hear from someone who’s actually done it. Since launching his firm, Taylor Hopkinson, in April 2009, Tom Hopkinson has grown the business to almost 100 employees and revenue of £50,000,000 – a 60% increase over the previous year! However, the biggest news is that in December 2021, Taylor Hopkinson sold 72% of their shares to Brunel International N.V. for 32mm EUR. Tom is the founder and CEO of Taylor Hopkinson, based in Glasgow. The team is a valuable recruitment partner to the world’s leaders in renewable energy. The team at TH has several accolades to their name including, winning the Windy Industry Awards Best Recruiter of the Year in 2021 and 2019/20 and Recruiter Fast 50 named them one of the fastest-growing companies in the industry. They offer retained search and selection, permanent and contract recruitment services and business intelligence solutions to global market leaders with offices in London, Mexico, Valencia, Boston, Singapore and Taipei. In this episode, Tom shares his story that begins much like many other recruiters who stepped into this field by accident. For Tom, this was a very literal experience as he actually got lost en route to his first interview in recruitment and almost didn’t show up at all. Luckily for him, and for our industry, the hiring manager called and guided him on the phone right into their parking lot. Imagine if he’d never attended that fateful interview that set him on the path to success in recruitment! Episode Outline and Highlights [1:39] Tom’s hilarious story of his first recruitment interview [5:45] What are the factors that contributed to a successful career in recruitment? [9:10] Rubbing shoulders with and absorbing information from the right people is critical to your success in recruitment. [10:25] Find out what set Tom on course to becoming a millionaire [15:40] Pursuing the goals of building it, creating value and providing an exit [17:00] What factors contributed to Tom being able to add value and growth to his business? [20:18] A breakthrough 7-figure PE funding deal 2017 helped Tom to scale the business from 23 to 90 employees [21:00] This advice from the leaders at Long Acre International served him well [28:00] Tom shares the 3 top KPIs that drive the success of Taylor Hopkinson [31:45] How did Tom overcome the obstacle of serving a finite number of clients in a niche [33:30] Streamlining operations and closing down offices caused accelerated success [42:00] The pitfalls on the journey to international expansion [45:20] Patience is vital if you want to reach the top [46:41] What made Brunel International the right choice? [53:34] Tom’s best advice to recruitment entrepreneurs

If you’ve ever wondered what’s involved in running an international recruiting firm and placing people all over the world, here’s your chance to find out. You’ll enjoy listening to my interview with Abigail Stevens, founder of Think Global Recruitment, who has 25 years of experience assisting accounting and finance professionals to not only change jobs, but to relocate from one country to another. I’ve known and admired Abigail for almost 20 years — she was one of my very first clients when I started my recruitment training business back in 2001. As you’ll hear, Abigail has been hugely successful, both as a top biller and as a business owner. But what was special about this interview is that Abigail talked not only about the high points, but the lows as well. Having survived four downturns / recessions, she’s had some heart breaking moments. You’ll benefit from knowing what she’s learned along the way, and how these experiences have shaped her current strategy for growth. Episode Outline and Highlights [2:02] How Abigail kicked off her recruitment career: her journey from starting her own business at a very young age. [11:01] Abigail reveals her turning points that led her to where she is today. [14:00] Pioneering an approach to attracting and placing top talent via international recruitment conferences. [21:18] Taking the company through four downturns/recessions. [24:42] Abigail revealed things she would have done differently to retain key people during the recession. [25:47] Pearls of wisdom on talent retention. [27:30] Weathering the storm during the pandemic. [30:00] Thought process in expanding during the pandemic. [32:48] Think Global Recruitment’s new business model. [40:43] Best practice in the internal hiring process. [47:00] What’s next for Think Global Recruitment?

Many founders dream of selling their business one day. In this interview, you’ll hear from someone who’s actually done it.  Since launching his firm, Taylor Hopkinson, in April 2009, Tom Hopkinson has grown the business to almost 100 employees and revenue of £50,000,000 – a 60% increase over the previous year!  However, the biggest news is that in December 2021, Taylor Hopkinson sold 72% of their shares to Brunel International N.V. for 32mm EUR.  Tom is the founder and CEO of Taylor Hopkinson, based in Glasgow. The team is a valuable recruitment partner to the world’s leaders in renewable energy. The team at TH has several accolades to their name including, winning the Windy Industry Awards Best Recruiter of the Year in 2021 and 2019/20 and Recruiter Fast 50 named them one of the fastest-growing companies in the industry. They offer retained search and selection, permanent and contract recruitment services and business intelligence solutions to global market leaders with offices in London, Mexico, Valencia, Boston, Singapore and Taipei.  In this episode, Tom shares his story that begins much like many other recruiters who stepped into this field by accident. For Tom, this was a very literal experience as he actually got lost en route to his first interview in recruitment and almost didn’t show up at all.  Luckily for him, and for our industry, the hiring manager called and guided him on the phone right into their parking lot. Imagine if he’d never attended that fateful interview that set him on the path to success in recruitment!  Episode Outline and Highlights [1:39] Tom’s hilarious story of his first recruitment interview [5:45] What are the factors that contributed to a successful career in recruitment? [9:10] Rubbing shoulders with and absorbing information from the right people is critical to your success in recruitment. [10:25] Find out what set Tom on course to becoming a millionaire [15:40] Pursuing the goals of building it, creating value and providing an exit [17:00] What factors contributed to Tom being able to add value and growth to his business? [20:18] A breakthrough 7-figure PE funding deal 2017 helped Tom to scale the business from 23 to 90 employees  [21:00] This advice from the leaders at Long Acre International served him well [28:00] Tom shares the 3 top KPIs that drive the success of Taylor Hopkinson [31:45] How did Tom overcome the obstacle of serving a finite number of clients in a niche  [33:30] Streamlining operations and closing down offices caused accelerated success  [42:00] The pitfalls on the journey to international expansion [45:20] Patience is vital if you want to reach the top [46:41] What made Brunel International the right choice?  [53:34] Tom’s best advice to recruitment entrepreneurs The African Proverb that Tom Lives by Now “If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” This African proverb is what Tom uses to summarize his approach towards leadership. Yet, this is a lesson that he had to learn the hard way. There were times when he simply pulled everyone forward at the pace he wanted to go and that wasn’t realistic. Now, in hindsight, Tom is sure that this couldn’t be very nice for the people working with him. He shares that they would’ve wasted far less effort, energy and sleepless nights on stressing if they only believed that things would come. Patience is vital if you want to persevere until the end.  The Top 3 KPIs for Recruitment Success Tom mentioned that there are three Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) that need more attention than others. So, I wanted to know how he determines what metrics are more important than others. He also shared why he believes so strongly in this system that he runs his entire operation on this model.  He explained that in any business, there is a range of KPIs but not all of them are equally influential. Tom suggests that you pinpoint the three most influential KPIs that affect all other KPIs. Once you have identified them, they become your focal point as they are the determining factors to your success. By reducing the number of KPIs you track, you can prevent your focus and attention from becoming diluted.  The three KPIs he is looking at are: business development activity CVs sent first interviews Tom believes that all other KPIs depend on how successful you are in meeting these three. At Taylor Hopkinson, they don’t emphasize “new job orders” as a metric. You can find yourself in a situation where your team brings in a lot of new jobs but they’re not necessarily jobs that you can fill, or even want to fill, as a niche market recruiter.  Don’t lose quality on what you have to offer simply because you are chasing targets. Rather, focus on the number of first interviews because if you have enough first interviews, that means you also have enough jobs.  Only once the number of first interviews seems to be sliding, you have to determine why. Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allow recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  Tom Hopkinson Bio and Contact Info  Tom obtained his degree in English Literature and Philosophy from Cardiff University in 2002. It was not even two years after graduating that he set up the renewable energy proposition from the very start as manager of renewable energy at Ellis Fairbank. Tom considers this as the first time when he opted to follow his passion as the move was inspired by wind turbines next to the M6. From here, he moved on to Eden Scott Limited as divisional manager of renewable energy before founding Taylor Hopkinson in 2009. TH has a global presence as they have offices in seven countries and professionals on their team operating from more than 40 countries across the globe.  Tom approaches his trade from the perspective that you need to do what you are committed to and have a passion for as it is better to be dominant in a niche field than average in much larger pool. Other mottos which he uses to guide his success is to absorb as much information as possible from others and to believe that through persistent quality deliverance things will come to you rather than chasing success.   Tom on LinkedIn  Additional 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   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

Whether you’re a recruitment agency owner who wants to scale, or a recruiter looking to progress their career, you will benefit from listening to my informative and entertaining discussion with Dandan Zhu.  Dandan is the Founder and CEO of DG Recruit, established in 2018 to connect top-billers within agency recruitment with top recruitment firms. As such, she has a valuable perspective on what characteristics make both parties attractive to one another. In this interview, Dandan shared her thought process and interviewing techniques. By the way, she does not pull her punches - if you have a fragile ego, don’t listen to this episode! Dandan started recruiting right out of college as a full-desk pharma headhunter with 3S Group, a top UK recruitment firm that was rapidly expanding in the US. She became a top rookie/top biller internationally and parlayed her success in technical and executive recruitment into aggressive savings strategies converted into largely real estate investments, retiring at age 28. After 2 years off, Dandan re-entered the recruitment scene by establishing DG Recruit in 2018, a recruitment firm that only services agency recruiters. Episode Outline and Highlights [3:08] Dandan’s recruitment story and the secret to her rapid success. [9:42] Investing and retiring at an early age. [12:26] Based on her experience, what advice would Dandan give to recruiters? [17:50] What led Dandan to launch a recruitment-to-recruitment agency. [22:20] What to look for in a great recruiter: Dandan shares their parameters and how they ‘read between the lines’. [26:44] How do you assess whether someone has internal drive and motivation as a recruiter? We discussed the clues and tell-tale signs. [38:47] What are the mistakes agencies make when attracting top recruiters?  [58:53] Why technology platforms are an absolute must to increase your chances in hiring the best people. [1:07:17] Dandan’s investment portfolio and the mindset shift required for recruiters who want to get rich. Characteristics Dandan Looks For When Interviewing Recruiters   “Our candidate speaks for us, if the candidate is not performing well, is not driven… we don’t want to do the deal.” That is how Dandan’s summarized their guiding principle when it comes to identifying candidates for their clients. She laid out the following non-negotiable characteristics when looking for great placeable recruiters: Track Record For Juniors: Understanding Their Journey Socially Savvy Verbally Adept (Decent Communication Skills) Deep Drive For her, the biggest piece is getting to know if the candidate really understands what recruitment is. Dandan gives direct and hard hitting advice on how she assesses candidates.  Why Some Recruitment Agencies Will Never Attract Top Recruiters I asked Dandan about common mistakes that recruitment agencies make when it comes to recruiting recruiters. She was quite blunt in her appraisal of the industry and explained that most agency owners are unrealistic about the sort of person they’re going to attract.  For example, if the owner isn’t a big biller then in Dandan’s view it’s unlikely they’ll attract big billers to join their team. In Dandan’s words, why would a top biller join an environment where they’re not going to learn and be challenged? She believes that if you’re a small firm with only average billings, then you can forget about hiring experienced top-producers. Instead, you’ll find more success by hiring recent graduates and training them from the ground up. She also described certain “must-haves” for recruitment agencies who want to hire the best recruiters. She believes most agencies just aren’t very attractive and wouldn’t qualify for representation by a rec-to-rec agency like DG recruit. Some critical must-haves are: excellent employee benefits (such as health insurance), and the ability to work remotely. She also emphasized the importance of having an excellent platform - in other words, you must provide people with all the right tools for them to be successful.  Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allows recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  Dandan Zhu Bio and Contact Info Dandan fell in love with the recruitment business in 2011 when she started her career at a top international headhunting firm for 5 years where she built out multiple niche & executive search divisions and teams before retiring a week after her 5th year anniversary as a global top producer. As an entrepreneur, Dandan built career coaching business Dandan Global in 2016 and DG Recruit in 2018 while accumulating a robust portfolio of rental properties and crypto investment assets.  Dandan travels frequently to coach top recruitment professionals and firms in every major city and speak about topics including sales, personal development, and strategies for life and career success. Dandan also hosts 2 podcasts, the DG Recruit Podcast and Daily DANDAN Podcast, to help job-seekers and recruiters get ahead in their life and careers. While working on DGR and real estate investing is Dandan’s primary passion and focus, she is also a huge Harry Potter nerd, dog-lover, avid traveler, foodie, and snowboarder. Dandan on LinkedIn Dandan on Instagram Dandan on Twitter @dandanzhudg DG Recruit website link DG Recruit Podcast link  DG Recruit on Facebook DG Recruit on YouTube People and Resources Mentioned Amanda Brandenburg on LinkedIn Rich Dad Poor Dad by Robert Kiyosaki  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#108 The Winning Formula: How to Grow a Recruiting Firm to $2 Million in 3 Years, with Amanda Brandenburg   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

In this interview, my special guest Craig Paisley shares his secrets to billing close to 7-figures as a solo recruiter.  He finished the year on $950,000 to be exact. How was he able to accomplish this amazing feat? There were several factors, of course, but Craig believes that the biggest key to his success was his tech stack. In this episode, Craig reveals his preferred automation tools and how he leverages recruitment technology to fill jobs faster than his competitors. Craig started his recruitment business, Industrial Resource Group, in 2009. He specializes in recruiting for companies from the food and beverage manufacturing and distribution industries across the United States and Canada. In 2021, IRG was awarded 56th Forbes Best Recruiters – Professional Search. Episode Outline and Highlights [2:57] Craig shares how he got into recruiting and what inspired him to set up IRG. [6:43] Bravely setting out to start a new venture in the most challenging economic climate [9:19] How scaling down became a key to Craig’s success  [15:42] Billing more while being solo with the help of an effective tech stack [17:18] Craig shares an overview of his tech stack (Bullhorn, Herefish, TextUs, Daxtra, 3DIQ) [21:10] Understanding Herefish and making the most of automation to save time and increase profits [26:25] How to choose an optimal tech platform [38:29] Craig breaks down his step-by-step sourcing process and typical turnaround time for vetting and submitting candidates. [41:20] Choose your clients wisely to enjoy success [47:31] The metrics simplified – Craig’s system for self-management [52:08] Quality vs quantity – Craig explains why less is more in his business [53:22] Emphasizing the importance of working in a niche market Starting a Recruitment Firm During the Great Recession Prior to becoming a business owner, Craig was a successful full-desk recruiter with the same firm for 10 years and worked his way up to VP of Sales. When he eventually launched his own staffing firm in 2009, the timing wasn’t ideal. When I asked how he survived the first 12 months as a new business during the great recession, Craig described it as “kind of fighting… you claw and you edge your way in any place that you can… it was tough, it was a grind, I just pounded the phones and I worked hard.  Any opportunity and position I got, I worked hard on it and luckily I was able to make placements and string enough together to where I sort of built up some momentum.” Leveraging Automation Tools Craig was able to make 2021 his best year yet in terms of personal production, just shy of one million dollars.  How did he do it? By leveraging automation tools. Some of the recruitment technology stack we discussed include: Bullhorn Herefish Textus Daxtra 3DIQ Craig reveals his exact system and end-to-end sourcing process. He’s built a “candidate generation machine” that enables him to source, vet and submit candidates quickly and efficiently.  Even though the majority of his searches are contingent, he is able to outperform his competitors and win the day. Automating mundane tasks can be extremely profitable by saving time and increasing productivity. As Craig puts it, previously the majority of his phone calls were reaching out to candidates to try and talk to them about a position. Now the outreach part is automated and his phone calls are more focused on screening candidates, getting them prepared for interviews, and closing deals. Vetting Your Clients Well With the rising demands for candidates, how is IRG able to compete with other recruiting companies in such a tight job market with more openings than candidates available? Craig’s secret is choosing their clients wisely. “I think I have more success because of where I am starting from. What I mean by that is if I partner with good companies that have good reputation, that have good positions with great opportunity of growth, good salary, bonuses, all that stuff, if I am going to the market with those kinds of positions, it is going to be easy for me to get more candidates.”  Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allows recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  Craig Paisley Bio and Contact Info A dedicated business owner with over 20 years of experience in the staffing industry.  Experienced in all areas of staffing including Clerical, Accounting & Finance, Maintenance & Engineering, Sales, Light Industrial, etc.  With honesty and integrity, Craig’s passion lies in the successful recruitment of personnel in the food, beverage, and pet food manufacturing and distribution industries for companies across the United States. Specialties: Over 10 years of manufacturing and distribution based recruitment experience with a focus and emphasis on partnering with companies from food, beverage and pet food industries across the United States and Canada. Craig started his career as a full desk recruiter placing exempt and non-exempt maintenance personnel in California.  He then moved into a regional management position within the same division before moving on to build a clerical division for a joint venture/new company.  From there, Craig moved into a director role focused on light industry and left the company after 10 years as the VP of Sales responsible for multiple states and offices. Craig started IRG in 2009, building the company to 8 internal employees before downsizing to a solo operation in early 2020.  Currently ranked the 56th best staffing in the US by Forbes. Craig on LinkedIn IRG Solution website link IRG on Twitter @JobsIRG People and Resources Mentioned Bullhorn website link Herefish website link Textus website link Daxtra website link 3DIQ 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   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

A highly successful career in a large recruitment agency does not always translate to becoming a successful business owner. As challenging as it can be running a desk, the challenges are multiplied when running a business.  As my special guest Amanda Brandenberg explains, you suddenly find yourself wearing “42 different hats.”  Yet in spite of those challenges, Amanda has grown from startup to revenues of $2,000,000 in just three years. That puts her firm in the top 1-2% out of 12.3 million women-owned businesses in the United States. Her journey to building a successful search and staffing firm has never been easy, and the insights Amanda shares are hard-won. Amanda Brandenburg is the Founding Principal at OpusLex Partners, a legal recruiting boutique servicing law firms and corporate legal departments throughout the country. For over a decade, she was a top producer at two of the country’s largest legal staffing firms where she provided interim solutions and direct-hire placements to law firms and corporations within the continental U.S. Episode Outline and Highlights [1:30] “Long and winding road“ - how Amanda joined recruitment. [8:00] What are the qualities necessary to achieve a high-performance career?  [11:22] Hear the two keys that contribute to Amanda’s success. [14:20] Amanda talks about the services they deliver. [16:30] What separates a top performer from an average performer? [19:30] How self-awareness can help you build a solid team. [26:10] Opening a new office during the great recession - Amanda shares her story. [32:09] The journey of building Opus Lex. [41:54] From a top biller to starting her own business - a few ‘surprises’ Amanda experienced along the way [46:00] Looking back: what learnings can Amanda share from her career? [51:26] The mindset of a high achiever. From Being a Top Biller to Recruitment Firm Founder: Success Formulas Amanda is a consistent high achiever. From being a consistent top biller, overcoming recessions, she eventually quit a steady lucrative role to start her own gig. I wanted to get insight from Amanda on her key factors to success. What separates a top performer from an average performer? She laid out a few differentiating factors: Taking Ownership & Responsibility Integrity and Transparency Empathy Are you planning to startup or currently in the painful phase of setting up your own business? Amanda shared that it is important to find your own motivator. This is how she puts it, “For anyone starting out, you have to find your own motivator and I think especially with this younger generation that we have right now, they are really motivated by helping people. We are in a business, so you would have to dollarize that in some way and dig a little deeper because this can be quite transactional sometimes but I think you have to really think about what motivates you. If it’s changing lives, then think about how many placements per year in terms of how many lives changed.” Why Self-Awareness is Critical When Building a Team Having a great team around her previous roles and currently in Opus Lex is a critical factor in her success. She shared her thought process when putting together an awesome team, “Self-awareness. First of all I have a very long list of things that I am not good at, that are not my strengths. I really do understand what my strengths are… I am not the most organized person, I’ve got a lot of loose ends at any given point.” This awareness enables Amanda to build a compatible and solid team. Her strength is in client-facing and allows her other team members to handle operational tasks. Painful Phases and Surprises When Starting Up Your Own Business When Amanda was working with her previous employer, she had the opportunity to open up a new office. This happened during the great recession whilst pregnant and she had just moved into a new house. You will hear her fascinating story during this phase of her career which gave her confidence in building her own business. It was not a walk in the park though, as she also had a lot of ‘surprises’. I hope you will relate to her story and be inspired to overcome challenges when running your own recruitment business. Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allows recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  Amanda Brandenburg Bio and Contact Info In 2018, Amanda founded OpusLex Partners to bring a hands-on, customized, and personalized approach back to legal recruiting. At OpusLex, which translates to “legal body of work,” our body of work includes finding the very best for every search. Amanda is passionate about her work and enjoys the challenges and competitive nature of the business. When she’s not sourcing top legal talent for her clients, you can find her spending time with her husband, their three children, and two rescue dogs at home in Atlanta. She is a graduate of the University of Georgia. Amanda on LinkedIn Opus Lex Partners website link Opus Lex on Facebook Opus Lex on Instagram People and Resources Mentioned Non-Profit Org that Amanda Supports: Chris 180 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   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

In this episode, you will hear how Susie Farrell built a really successful executive search firm under challenging circumstances.  This podcast is called The Resilient Recruiter for a reason -- the path to success is often paved with adversity.  This was certainly the case for Susie.  You will hear her share the story of why her first attempt to launch a recruitment business in Ireland failed - and how she applied what she learned from that experience to make it work the second time around. While this setback took a huge toll on her confidence, it also made her more determined than ever to succeed.  In this interview, she reveals some of her most effective marketing strategies for building her brand and growing a thriving business.  Susie is the Founder and Director of Addison, an executive recruitment and search firm based in Dublin, Ireland. She has 17 years of experience working for global and specialist recruitment brands in Ireland, Australia and the Middle East.  Susie has extensively delivered in Banking, Utilities, Telecoms, Retail, Consumer and Government sectors in the areas of Corporate Affairs, Marketing and Business Transformation. In this episode, you will relate to her experience and learnings. Enjoy! Episode Outline and Highlights [2:11] From marketing to recruitment: Susie shares her career milestones. [10:44] How Susie built a 7-figure change management practice from scratch and the biggest challenge she overcame in doing so. [13:59] Susie’s brilliant strategy for building their brand and providing a platform for collaboration among her clients. [22:30] Returning to Ireland and setting up a new business. [28:40] Resilience and bouncing back from a devastating setback. [36:30] The secret to Addison’s continued success. [40:31] Transitioning to retained model and the thought process behind that decision. [46:15] Hear about Susie’s involvement with the CovidComms Awards. Great Ideas on Branding and Collaboration Susie shared her career milestones of being a recruitment specialist for 17 years. Her solid experience working with specialist and global brands equipped her well to succeed in setting up her own business. However, it was not a walk in the park as you will hear in our conversation. You will relate to the challenges and failures she experienced, and how those learnings ultimately helped her get where she is today. Susie credits the amazing team she worked with at her previous firm, Ampersand International as being pivotal to her successful career in recruitment.  One of the phenomenal ideas they came up with which she has replicated at Addison is the strategy of creating a forum or networking group within your niche, leading to collaboration, credibility, brand recognition and the development of key relationships.   Bouncing Back from a Devastating Business Experience Another takeaway from our conversation was Susie’s resilience. She shared a very challenging stage in her career that really took a toll on her confidence and almost made her quit the agency life altogether. This happened when she returned to Ireland from Australia in 2015 for personal reasons. Her former employers asked her to open an office in Ireland, which seemed like a perfect opportunity. She launched the business and built a brilliant team, but in spite of working incredibly hard things didn’t work out and they eventually had to close down after two years. As you can imagine, this was a devastating experience for Susie.  However, it prepared her for the challenge of setting up her own search firm.  Transitioning to the Retained Model I have always advocated for the retained search model - it is a win-win solution not only for recruiters but for clients as well. This is the case with Susie, she used to work in contract staffing but now doing permanent placements on a retained basis. So what was involved in making that transition?  Susie said, “I felt it was really risky running a business and being the only person in the business and having all this contingent work never really knowing what’s going to come in next month… It just helps you forecast guaranteed revenue but it also guarantees that I am going to deliver the results. I absolutely have to do it, they paid for it.” Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allows recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  Susie Farrell Bio and Contact Info Presenting with a Masters’ Degree in Marketing and Business Studies, Susie is an Executive Recruitment and Search Consultant with 17 years experience working for global and specialist recruitment brands such as Ampersand Executive, Talent2 and Michael Page International in Ireland, Australia and the Middle East. She is Director and Founder of Addison, an Executive Recruitment and Search firm that partners with organisations looking to attract exceptional talent, focusing exclusively on mid to senior appointments in Communications, Corporate Affairs, Public Affairs and Marketing.  Susie has extensively delivered across Financial Services/Banking, Energy/Resources, Telecoms, Retail, Consumer and Government sectors in the areas of Corporate Affairs, Marketing and Business Transformation. Her industry experience in Marketing, combined with her strong work ethic and passion for the executive recruitment and search industry, allows her to understand the specific requirements of her clients and candidates. Susie is immersed in the current thinking of the essential customer functions by continually engaging with top talent from a diverse range of sectors and across multiple markets and geographies. She prides herself on integrity and professionalism and places a high priority on relationships and driving commercial results. Leading Addison, Susie will continue to support organisations deliver and manage critical appointments by providing a full range of recruitment solutions from executive search through to contract consulting appointments. Susie on LinkedIn Addison 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   Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter

What is the secret to billing $28,000,000 in 14 years, including $12,800,000 in personal production? If your goal is to become a top biller or billing manager, you’re going to love my interview with Michael Pietrack.  Michael was recommended to me on five separate occasions by previous podcast guests, so I made it my mission to get him on the show.  He’s the Vice President of TMAC Direct which is the executive recruiting arm of The Medical Affairs Company based in Atlanta. On top of being a consistent top producer, Michael’s achievements include becoming MRI's #1 Worldwide solo recruiter, being elected into the Pinnacle Society and becoming PharmaVoice’s Top 100 Most Inspiring People in Pharma. Michael generously shared his approach and best practices as well as his mindset that drives him to success. Enjoy listening! Episode Outline and Highlights [2:30] From being a baseball player/coach to becoming a recruiter.  [4:15] The value of failure and other key drivers for Michael’s success. [8:45] How to become a celebrity within your niche. [11:20] A very insightful discussion on branding. [14:10] Michael’s best practices when creating videos as a differentiating factor. [20:05] How to effectively reach out to candidates to engage. [24:00] What are your thoughts on cold outreach? Hear Michael’s winning mindset and approach. [32:00] Best practices on candidate outreach. [40:11] Candidate exclusivity - how to earn it instead of asking and other sourcing approaches. [47:07] What a typical busy desk looks like and how does Michael manage his time? [51:48] How to overcome phone fear and distraction. The Value of Failure Upon realizing that Michael had previous playing and coaching experience in baseball before transitioning to recruitment, I recalled what my friend Joel Slenning said about hiring athletes as recruiters. I have also interviewed successful recruiters and business owners who applied discipline from sports or even combat sports in their recruiting careers. I asked Michael’s perspective, what is it about the athletic background that can add chances for success in recruiting? He gave his insights, “I would say the biggest commonality between all athletes is this ego drive that despite failure, you are going to succeed next time.” Michael added, “That’s very important if you are going to be a resilient recruiter, you got to have that ingrained in you.” This is golden, considering that actual success is just the tip of the iceberg. What most people don’t see are the number of times a recruiter or business owner must fail in order to learn and move forward.  Michael’s Success Factors Michael also shared differentiating factors contributing to his success. Billing $12,800,000 in 14 years is more than just hard work. As Michael stated, it is a “compounding variety of things.” He gave two primary takeaways: Being more niched - Finding a niche, sticking to it and  “being a celebrity in that universe.” Branding and Marketing - hear Michael’s epiphany while waiting in line at “In and Out Burger” and how it influenced his approach to recruitment.  Candidate and Client Outreach Best Practices On top of what Michael shared on sticking to your niche and being consistent with branding, he also shared practical approaches that can significantly increase your chances of success. From overcoming the fear of cold outreach, how to seek out candidates and earn exclusivity, to how he manages his time to make the most out of each day.  Our Sponsors This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro®.  i-intro® is an end-to-end retained recruitment platform. Our technology and methodology allows recruiters to differentiate themselves from the competition, win more retained business, bigger fees and increase their billings. Be sure to mention Mark Whitby or The Resilient Recruiter for a 25% discount. Book your free, no-obligation consultation here: www.recruitmentcoach.com/retained  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 Jordan Rayboy on LinkedIn Rob Bowerman on LinkedIn Sean Rigsby  on LinkedIn John Schlegel on LinkedIn Chris Schoettelkotte on LinkedIn Dave Murphy on LinkedIn Joel Slenning on LinkedIn The Go-Giver book by Bob Burg and John D. Mann  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#46 How to Run a Million Dollar Recruiting Firm From Your RV, with Jordan Rayboy TRR#32 How to Build a 7-Figure Search Firm with a Small Virtual Team, with Rob Bowerman TRR#82 How to Become a Big Billing Recruiter by Building Your Brand, with Sean Rigsby, Ep #82  TRR#65 Recruiting Success: How to Bill $700k+ While Achieving Work-Life Balance, with John Schlegel TRR#94 How to Create a Unique Value Proposition and Sell Retained Executive Search, with Chris Shoettelkotte  TRR#53 How to Scale Your Staffing & Recruiting Firm to $16,000,000, With Joel Slenning Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter