In this episode of Recruiting Trailblazers, host Marcus Edwardes interviews Stacey Stratton, the president and CEO of True Talent Group. The conversation delves into Stacey's journey of founding her niche staffing agency in her basement in 2008, her passion for matching top marketing, creative, and digital talent with opportunities, and her approach to building meaningful relationships with clients and candidates. They discuss the importance of candidate experience, the challenges of scaling a boutique agency while maintaining quality, and the evolving dynamics of recruitment in a post-COVID world. Stacey shares anecdotes on overcoming initial hurdles, the value of meeting candidates and clients face-to-face, and offers insights on building a candidate-centric recruitment process. The episode underscores the significant impact of relationship-building in the recruitment industry.

00:00 Introduction to Recruiting Trailblazers
00:25 Meet Stacey Stratton: CEO of True Talent Group
02:11 Stacey's Journey: From Basement Startup to Success
07:19 Navigating Challenges and Growth
10:27 The Importance of Face-to-Face Interaction in Recruitment
15:41 Building and Nurturing Relationships in Recruitment
24:19 The Changing Landscape of Recruitment
24:47 Building Long-Term Relationships with Candidates
25:26 Challenges in Winning New Clients
27:59 The Importance of Industry Expertise
30:44 Understanding Client and Candidate Needs
33:25 Scaling a Boutique Agency
36:01 Enhancing Candidate Experience
35:02 The Role of Candidate Experience
38:57 Nurturing Your Candidate Community
46:37 The Hard Truths of Recruitment
48:39 Balancing Personal Strategy with Scale
49:07 Final Thoughts and Farewell

The episode of "Recruiting Trailblazers" features host Marcus Edwardes in conversation with Natalie Sarmiento, founder of Engage Engineer Search, a niche headhunting firm specializing in the forensic engineering industry. Natalie shares her journey from an HR professional to starting her own agency, which was motivated by the recognition of a gap in the market for dedicated and knowledgeable recruiters in forensic engineering.

Natalie discusses the challenges she faced in HR, particularly how generalist recruiters often failed to present qualified candidates. This realization drove her to establish a more specialized recruiting firm, which earned her a place on Forbes America's Best Professional Recruiting Firms list in 2023.

The conversation covers Natalie's strategies for connecting with top talent in a highly specialized and confidential field, emphasizing the importance of building quality relationships and trust. She talks about her recruitment approach, which includes understanding both the client's needs and the candidate's career aspirations, ensuring that placements are not just transactional but transformative for both parties.

Throughout the podcast, Natalie shares insights into the intricacies of forensic engineering, the importance of industry-specific knowledge, and the ethical considerations in recruiting for such a niche market. Marcus and Natalie also reflect on the mutual benefits of developing genuine, long-term relationships with clients and candidates, highlighting the satisfaction that comes from positively impacting people's careers and businesses.

Natalie closes with advice for other recruiters, stressing the importance of integrity, professionalism, and genuine relationship-building in achieving success in recruitment.

In today's episode, our host Marcus Edwardes sits down with Jeremy Jensen, founder and CEO of Encore Search Partners, a 40-person direct-hire recruitment agency. With a focus on headhunting revenue producers and tech professionals, Jeremy shares his expertise on navigating the evolving hiring landscape and the keys to success in the recruitment business.

Overview:
- The conversation dives into the functional verticals served by Encore Search Partners, including wealth management, law firms, and technical product companies.
- Discussion on the hiring market, especially post-pandemic trends and current conditions.
- Jeremy explains the technical competency required by clients and the nuances of different job roles.
- Commentary on the difference between contingency and retained recruitment models.

Strategies:
- The strategies used by Encore Search Partners for headhunting, including outbound headhunting and leveraging cold outreach.
- The importance of deep technical understanding in recruitment.
- Building trust and credibility quickly with clients.
- The significance of understanding clients’ real needs and potentially redefining job roles to meet business challenges.
- Establishing long-term relationships and becoming a trusted advisor to clients.

Market Challenges and Opportunities:
- Discussion on modern challenges in the recruiting market, including remote work impacts and the current state of agency recruiting.
- Opportunities presented by companies lacking internal recruiting sophistication due to sudden growth from new funding.

Company Culture and Growth:
- Insights on Encore's aggressive recruiting culture and outbound headhunting approach.
- Strategies for growing and maintaining a successful recruiting business.
- The importance of continuous improvement, accountability, and maintaining high standards.

Closing Thoughts:
- Jeremy’s views on the key to success in the recruitment business—emphasizing continual improvement and gratitude.
- Concluding remarks and appreciation for Jeremy’s insights shared during the podcast.

Biggest Takeaways:

1. Technical Competency and Market Understanding:
Jeremy highlights the increasing importance of recruiters possessing a deep understanding of the technical aspects of the roles they are filling. This not only helps in finding the right candidates but also in establishing credibility with clients.

2. Value Proposition and Differentiation:
The aggressive headhunting approach and the ability to poach top talent from competitors set Jeremy's firm apart. This strategy is particularly effective in industries where specialized knowledge and technical skills are paramount.

3. Continuous Improvement and Accountability: Jeremy underscores the importance of continuous learning and improvement for recruitment success. Holding the team accountable to KPIs and instilling core values like excellence and resilience are crucial for maintaining high performance and growing the business.

This episode of Recruiting Trailblazers with Marcus Edwardes features a deep dive into the evolving world of recruitment with guest Will McGee.

Will McGhee has over a decade of top performing agency recruiting experience under his belt. Averaging over 500k yearly billing and now the Founder of Recruiting With Dynamite he is on a mission to help recruiters everywhere get better every day.

Will shares his insights on how the recruitment landscape is changing and what recruiters need to adapt to stay effective. This thought-provoking conversation covers a range of topics from the impact of technology to the power of relationship building in recruiting.

- How to initiate the first conversation with potential clients:
Marcus inquires about strategies for engaging new clients in meaningful dialogue, emphasizing the challenges recruiters face in today's market. Will suggests focusing on content creation, social proof, and addressing specific pain points to make initial outreach more impactful.

- The role of AI and technology in recruitment:
Discussion around the implications of technological advancements on the recruitment process, with a particular focus on how automation and AI are reshaping the demand for recruiters.

- Importance of a strategic approach:
Both highlight the necessity for recruiters to adopt a more consultative and strategic role in addressing hiring needs, moving beyond traditional transactional methods to offer tailored solutions.

- Creating value through productization:
Will talks about transforming recruitment services into productized offerings, enabling recruiters to solve specific client problems in a scalable way, and showcasing examples from his own experience.

- Candidate experience and relationship management:
Insights on the significance of building deep, trusting relationships with candidates and clients alike, focusing on understanding their needs and being genuinely invested in their success.

Three Key Takeaways:

1. Adaptability is Key: In the face of technological advancements, recruiters must evolve from being purely transactional to adopting a consultative approach that addresses the specific needs and pain points of their clients.

2. Productization as a Differentiator: The concept of productizing recruitment services offers a unique value proposition to clients by systematically solving recruitment challenges through scalable, replicable solutions.

3. The Power of Relationships: Despite the rise of automation and AI, the human element remains central to recruitment success. Building genuine relationships and being strategically involved in both candidate and client journeys is crucial.

This week - Marcus opines on Agency Recruiters' struggles in securing those all-important "first-convos" with prospective clients.
What's the issue? What's the solution?
Tune in to find out!

In this insightful episode of Recruiting Trailblazers, Marcus dives into the journey of Tom Willis, a successful recruitment entrepreneur who made a significant leap from being a recruiter in the hustle and bustle of London to establishing his own thriving recruitment firm, Placed, in the United States. With over three years of experience in London and five in Los Angeles, Tom shares his unique journey, the challenges he faced, his vision for Placed, and invaluable advice for aspiring recruitment entrepreneurs.

How did Tom Willis get into the recruitment industry?
Tom mentions he fell into recruitment, much like many in the industry, through familial connections and an unexpected interview at Michael Page.

What inspired Tom to start his own recruitment agency?
The vast potential of the U.S. market compared to the U.K., highlighting the immense opportunities due to higher salaries and less competition in recruitment.

Why did Tom choose to work with an investor instead of starting independently?
He discusses the advantages of having support and resources, which allowed him to scale his business more rapidly than if he were on his own.

What strategies has Tom employed to grow his business?
Focusing on a niche market, building strong local connections, and emphasizing the personal touch in recruiting were key.

How does he differentiate his agency in a crowded market?
By returning to traditional, relationship-based recruitment and offering service unmatched by competitors.

What are Tom's hiring strategies for his firm?
He looks for experienced recruiters or sales professionals who fit the company culture and are aligned with the company's long-term vision.

What challenges has Tom faced, and how does he plan to overcome them?
Candidate generation is a significant hurdle. Tom is exploring technology and partnerships to improve reach and efficiency.

The 3 Biggest Takeaways:

1. The Importance of Niche Specialization: Tom's focus on a specific market segment, like construction recruitment in the Midwest, has been crucial for establishing credibility and attracting clients.

2. Investor Support: Working with an experienced investor has not only provided financial backing but also mentorship, helping navigate early business challenges and scale effectively.

3. The Power of Relationships: Despite the digital age's convenience, Tom underscores the irreplaceable value of building genuine, face-to-face relationships with clients and candidates, proving this approach still holds significant weight in recruitment.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/thetomwillis/

A quick 5 minute rant by Marcus :

Whilst AI should be embraced throughout the recruiting lifecycle - it is crucial not to attempt to replace the human connection that defines the best Recruiters in the biz!

In this enlightening episode of Recruiting Trailblazers, Marcus sits down with Kate Brogden, a seasoned professional in the executive search and recruiting industry. With over a decade of experience, Kate shares invaluable insights into her journey from a CPA at PricewaterhouseCoopers to founding her own boutique national executive search and recruiting firm, Evolve Partners. Tune in as Marcus delves into the catalyst behind Kate's entrepreneurial leap, the challenges she faced, and the innovative approaches that set Evolve Partners apart in a competitive market.

- Marcus asks Kate about her transition from working as a CPA at PwC to entering the recruiting industry and eventually founding Evolve Partners.
- Kate discusses the realization that sparked her decision to start her own firm, emphasizing the importance of innovation in recruiting.
- Marcus questions the sales aspects of the business and how Kate adapted to it coming from a background with no sales experience at PwC.
- They discuss the challenges of establishing a personal brand and the impact of social media on the recruiting process.
- Kate shares her thoughts on performance management within her firm, highlighting the balance between motivational and metric-driven approaches.
- The conversation steers towards the intricacies of the recruitment process, including comprehensive intake procedures, sourcing strategies, and the benefits of different search models (contingency, retained, and container).
- Finally, Marcus inquires about the significance of creating a collaborative work environment and the culture at Evolve Partners.

The three biggest takeaways from this episode are:

1. The importance of innovation in the recruiting industry can't be overstated. Staying ahead requires a willingness to adopt new strategies and tools, as highlighted by Kate's perspective on moving beyond traditional cold-calling metrics.

2. A comprehensive approach to client engagement, including a detailed intake process and transparent client communication, is critical for success in executive search and recruiting, ensuring a deep understanding of client needs and fostering strong partnerships.

3. Building a personal brand is essential for recruiters in the digital age. Utilizing platforms like LinkedIn to showcase expertise and connect with both clients and candidates can significantly enhance visibility and credibility in the industry.