The Resilient Recruiter By cover art

The Resilient Recruiter

By: Recruitment Coach Mark Whitby
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  • Summary

  • Join "the Recruitment Coach" Mark Whitby as he and his guests unpack the secrets of what it takes to be a profitable and long-lived professional in the recruitment industry.
    (c) Breakthrough Coaching Ltd T/A RecruitmentCoach.com. All rights reserved.
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Episodes
  • Why Modern Recruiters Must Embrace Cold Calling to Stay Competitive, with Danny Cahill, Ep # 215

    Why Modern Recruiters Must Embrace Cold Calling to Stay Competitive, with Danny Cahill, Ep # 215
    May 3 2024
    In the evolving recruitment landscape where LinkedIn and ChatGPT dominate the conversation, one tool stands resilient: the humble phone call. Is cold calling still a critical part of your recruitment and selling process? Can you be a successful modern recruiter while making zero cold calls? I am thrilled to be joined by a veteran and successful recruiter, Danny Cahill. You will enjoy his insights based on his decades-long expertise in recruitment approach with a spotlight on the importance of using the phone for cold calls. Danny started his recruiting career right out of college at Hobson Associates. He became its rookie of the year and went on to become a top producer and the general manager by the age of 26. At 27, he bought the company and built it into one of the country's largest search firms. Danny was the educational chairperson of the Pinnacle Society, 75 of the highest achievers in the industry. Episode Outline and Highlights [02:12] “Phone: Friend or Foe?” – insights on Danny’s talk at the last Pinnacle Society Summit. [09:50] Recalling the good old cold calling days. [13:08] Approaching the current landscape of a 5% call response rate. [22:09] Why must modern recruiters understand and maximize the phone's power? [32:33] “The phone call is a birthday card.” - Danny explains why effort toward candidates and clients can be a strong differentiator. [39:35] Can you be a successful recruiter nowadays without making phone calls? [45:39] Flipping the order – why the phone should come before email. [52:40] Thoughts and insights on AI. How Veteran Recruiters Should Approach the Current Industry Landscape I have known Danny for decades - he is a legendary recruiter and you can just imagine my delight when I had the chance to meet him in person at a Pinnacle Society conference last year. We discussed the talk he gave about using old-school cold-calling. Danny believes that using the phone is a critical skill for recruiters, especially before the advent of the internet. We recalled how exciting it was to not know in detail who you would be talking to, how skillful you should be when carrying conversations, and of course, going through gatekeepers before reaching your actual target. But the landscape now changed. On average, you will only reach 5% of your prospects by phone. Danny believes that although it should be a combination of tools and platforms, making phone calls is more relevant than ever, as it can be a differentiator. This is how Danny puts it: “If this helps you with your identity crisis, the thing that made you great is going to be more important than ever because you're not someone who just makes phone calls. The phone is your conduit to who you are, which is a storyteller, a persuader, an enabler of aspiration. We sell dreams. That's what we do. And companies are going to always use us. If you have a level of contact and subject matter expertise so that I feel like you can get candidates I can't get in a faster way.” Flipping the Order – Why the Phone Should Come Before Email On Hobson Associates’ website, you will see the line “We’re Always Available to You. By Phone. Online. Or in person.” This is aligned with how Danny wants the order in which their recruiters would reach out to prospects via phone before mail. I tried to pick Danny’s brain for this approach, and he explained the logic. “Yeah, well, because I think the phone has some real advantages and it is direct. You know, people often say, well, email is faster. Oh, no, it's not. I see email exchanges all the time between clients.” Danny also emphasized that the phone has some power to engage with prospects. “The power of the pause; the power of someone sighing. The thing about text, is that young people like text, because text can be filtered, text can be edited, right? You can wait and you can make a draft of it. Whereas with the phone, you can't skim a phone call. Right. You're on it. You're on the hot seat.” Can You Be a Successful Recruiter With Zero Cold Calls? We have members of our coaching group who are not really into making cold calls. We see recruiters who are making consistent placements without making a single cold call. With the power of LinkedIn, Social Media platforms, & AI, you can do a lot of business development that can translate to end-to-end sourcing and placements. The question is, can you be a successful recruiter without making cold calls? Danny shared a fact from SourceWhale: 60% of meetings come from the phone call. It may not be the primary way of reaching prospects anymore, but possessing the skill of doing cold calls is a critical part of becoming a successful recruiter. But of course, Danny pointed out that there are so many ways of doing business. Those who can make it work without the need to do cold calls should keep doing what they are doing. Our Sponsor This podcast is proudly sponsored by i-intro ...
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    58 mins
  • How To Build Your Dream Team and Replace Yourself as a Biller, with Balraj Guraya, Ep #214

    How To Build Your Dream Team and Replace Yourself as a Biller, with Balraj Guraya, Ep #214
    Apr 19 2024
    Building a scalable recruitment business that operates seamlessly even without recruiters' direct involvement should not be just a dream—but a tangible goal. Balraj's achievement with Envision Education serves as a testament to what can be accomplished through strategic planning and execution. Today’s episode explores how recruiters can build high-performing teams and a scalable business with a special guest, Balraj Guraya. As the founder and director of Envision Education, Balraj has not only grown the company into a high-performing team of 23 individuals but also strategically positioned himself to focus solely on scaling the business by replacing himself in the hands-on role in 2022 Tune in to gain valuable insights from Balraj's unique approach and what's working and not in building a scalable business that can thrive even when the founder isn't in the driver's seat. Episode Outline And Highlights [01:46] Why Balraj got into recruitment and started Envision Education [05:20] How Balraj began his business and how things worked in the first year [08:07] The biggest challenges Balraj encountered before building a team [12:04] The key milestones of growing a team from 2 to 23 people [15:06] How to structure the interview process and get the right people onboard [22:37] Ways to structure your team and create an excellent candidate journey [20:45] Steps to building a recruitment business that runs without you [33:20] What contributes to creating a high-energy environment [44:23] How to hire right and create a smooth transition into your culture [48:28] The key to building successful business partnerships with Rec2Rec [55:42] What candidate's journey is all about, and how it works [59:11] How to design, roll out, and improve processes for scale [01:02:04] Tip to conquer staff turnover and self-doubt as a business owner How to Become a Manager and a Leader and Build Confidence in Your Effectiveness During our discussion, Balraj and I discussed his recruitment strategies at Envision Education. Founded in 2014, Envision Education addresses staffing shortages in Primary, Secondary, and Special Schools across London and the home counties. Balraj's vision has led Envision Education to become a high-performing team of 23 individuals. His journey includes transitioning from a hands-on role as a builder in 2022 to focus on scaling the business. Balraj shares six key principles for recruiters aspiring to become effective managers and leaders in their business. Self-motivation: As a recruiter, Balraj shares that you have to be very self-motivated and have the drive, energy, and focus to grow your business in the beginning to build a strong foundation for growth and expansion. Be consistent: Balraj emphasizes maintaining a steady workflow and understanding that success takes time and effort. It’s not going to be an overnight achievement. So be consistent, produce the right quality and quantity of activity, and stay motivated. Willingness to make mistakes: Recruitment takes work. It takes resilience, courage, and a willingness to put yourself out there, try uncomfortable things, make mistakes, and embrace them as learning opportunities. Get the right people on board: Balraj emphasizes the pivotal role of team composition in driving success. He explains the importance of recruiting people who align with the company's values and attributes and possess the necessary skills to contribute meaningfully to the team's objectives. Having the right people on board is a game changer. It’s the difference between success and failure. Structure your team: Structuring allows individuals to maximize their strengths and enhance overall performance. According to Balraj, structuring your team will help the team keep up and improve your turnover. Coaching and development. Balraj highlights the importance of ongoing coaching and development in building a great team. Rather than solely focusing on placements, he emphasizes sharing knowledge and nurturing talent within the organization. Ultimately, running a business transcends mere profitability; it represents a journey of personal development and collective growth—the continuous evolution of oneself and the team. Steps to Building a Recruitment Business That Runs Without You Balraj shares invaluable insights into transitioning a recruitment business from a one-person 360 operation to a structured departmental setup, effectively replacing oneself in key roles. The key to this evolution lies in making strategic and sometimes costly decisions, recognizing that letting go of control is essential for scalability. Central to this process is: Finding some key people you can trust: Find people you can trust, people who treat your business as more than just a job and are excited about helping your business succeed. They are the backbone of your business, embodying a commitment to its success beyond personal gain. Have some...
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    1 hr and 15 mins
  • 6 Indispensable Steps to Launch and Grow a Competitive Executive Search Firm, with Matt Ballema, Ep #213

    6 Indispensable Steps to Launch and Grow a Competitive Executive Search Firm, with Matt Ballema, Ep #213
    Apr 11 2024
    Every successful recruiter will tell you success is born out of the grind, not the glory. Mastering the grind is the key to unlocking growth. Whether building a robust network, honing communication, or leveraging technology, recruiters must navigate the ups and downs with resilience and determination. Today’s episode explores how recruiters can embrace the grind and build successful businesses with a special guest, Matt Ballema. Matt is the founder of Pioneer Search Group. With a track record of consistently surpassing the million-dollar revenue mark for the past three years, Matt brings over two decades of executive search experience. He specializes in material handling automation space and has placed professionals at all levels, from general manager, president, and COO to sales reps and engineers all over North America. Tune in to gain insights on elevating your firm to unprecedented success. Matt's insights will inspire and enlighten you whether you're a seasoned recruiter seeking to optimize your operations or an aspiring entrepreneur looking to carve a niche in the industry. Episode Outline And Highlights [02:19] How Matt got into the executive search business space [04:13] When Matt started the Pioneer Search Group [10:40] The difference between burning out and embracing the grid [18:34] What it means to work hard and be consistent as a recruiter [20:03] Three important metrics to track in a recruitment business [25:24] Key tools to adapt to stay with the times and leverage technology [35:07] How to stay relevant as an executive recruiter in the digital environment [39:10] How to create an in-house team structure for building your database [42:58] The rainmaker model and how it works in a recruitment firm [48:23] Leveling up your team and scaling back direct workload Vs retiring [50:58] How recruiters make people multimillionaires, changed lives and family trees [54:47] How recruiters can harness fear as motivation rather than a detour [01:02:04] The mindset of successful recruiter and thinking of the long game How Recruiters Can Navigate the Grind and Scale Their Recruitment Firm During our discussion, Matt and I discussed his recruitment strategies at Pioneer Search Group, which has been instrumental in building and scaling the firm. Pioneer Search Group specializes in executive search within material handling, power generation, and oil and gas industries across North America, placing top talent in various roles, from sales and sales management to director and VP/C positions. Matt outlined six essential steps crucial for recruiters looking to establish or expand their executive search firm: Entrepreneurship grind: Matt emphasizes the importance of embracing the search business grind mentality, regardless of the revenue goal. Whether it's a million dollars or $250,000,. It doesn’t matter; you must be willing to grind and embrace the grind to achieve. Alignment: Before embarking on becoming an executive recruiter or starting a search firm, Matt highlighted the necessity of ensuring alignment with one's partner, as the pursuit can be very demanding. Hard work and consistency: Hard work and consistency are the hallmarks of a successful recruiter. Recruitment is an activity-based business, and Matt encourages recruiters to focus on data analytics, planning, and tracking metrics. Build your database: According to Matt, as a recruiter, diligently working on and growing your database is the foundation for turning leads into lead generation, both on the candidate and client sides. Stay relevant: From a marketing perspective, Matt advised recruiters to brand and package their services effectively, leverage team efforts, technology, and persistence to maximize engagement and seize opportunities. Turn fear into motivation: In the placement world, there are many things that recruiters have no control over, but setting fear aside and going for it will keep you achieving your goals. As a recruiter, having the courage to chart your own course is essential for success in the industry. Building and growing a recruitment firm requires persistence, hard work, and a grind mentality. With the right work ethic and mindset, achieving success in the field is feasible and inevitable. How To Stay with the Times and Leverage the Technology Matt shares that mastering market efficiency is paramount for any search firm, describing it as thrilling and daunting. He reflects on his own journey, explaining that until 2016, he operated without a database, relying instead on a platform called Highrise, primarily effective for realtor and sales roles. Though functional, it proved inefficient and costly to maintain. Matt underscores the urgency for small search firms to streamline their operations, as larger ones have the money and resources to innovate in this area faster. He stresses the importance of market mastery, cautioning that failure to ...
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    1 hr and 4 mins
Leadership Career Success Economics
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