The Lone Recruiter

I've got a simple AI trick for you today that could uncover new clients and business development opportunities you've been completely overlooking. If you're a specialist recruiter like me, chances are you've got a pretty finite list of clients you work with. You know your market, you know the players, and you've probably been working through the same CRM list for years. But when was the last time you checked who you might be missing? I recently tried a simple AI trick that uncovered FOUR potential new clients I’d never even heard of, all operating right within my specialist market! And the best part? It took just minutes. In this ep, I’ll show you how to uncover the opportunities you might be missing in your own market. 👉 How to use AI to identify gaps in your existing client list 👉 Why starting with your own market knowledge gets better AI results👉 How to uncover emerging businesses and new BD opportunities 👉 Why smaller, growing companies could become your best future clients This one's short, practical and potentially very profitable. Give it a crack and let me know what you uncover! As always, have an amazing day and may all your dreams and client lists come true.

I can never make a candidate do something they’re not willing to do for themselves. I can’t force anyone to take a job. What I can do is lay out all the information and make the path to where we want them to go as inviting and compelling as possible. That’s the job of a recruitment consultant. In this ep, I walk you through one of the strategies we’ve named in our office: The Takeaway. It works especially well when a candidate is taking their time and you’ve got a real offer on the table. And it’s not deceptive. It’s the opposite. It’s being completely truthful about what will play out in the background if we behave in certain ways. I cover: 👉 Why candidates are well within their rights to take their time, and why time still kills deals 👉 The child-and-the-toy principle: why taking something away makes people want it back 👉 The exact approach I use with a candidate who’s sitting on an offer 👉 Giving a clear deadline without pressure (Wednesday to Friday, no answer needed now) 👉 Being upfront that the client will keep interviewing and I’ll keep headhunting, so there are no surprises 👉 The gap between a candidate’s two-month timeline and the two days we have in reality 👉 Why you either get the deal or get your answer sooner, and both are a win Nine times out of ten the candidate says that’s actually reasonable. Try it with a candidate who’s dragging their feet and see how it goes. Like, share and subscribe to help the show grow. Have an amazing day, and may all your deals and takeaways come true.

Think you've cracked the LinkedIn algorithm? Think again! This week I'm joined by the brilliant Emma O'Connell, a LinkedIn insider with 13 years of experience at the company and an incredible depth of knowledge about the platform recruiters rely on every single day. Emma is my go-to LinkedIn expert, and every time we chat, I walk away having learned something new. So I thought it was about time I shared some of that knowledge with you! We're separating fact from fiction, busting some of LinkedIn's biggest algorithm myths and getting into what actually makes content perform. Emma has even conducted her own LinkedIn content audit, uncovering some surprising results that challenge plenty of the advice floating around online. 👉 Why nobody, not even LinkedIn insiders, has truly cracked the algorithm 👉 The three factors that determine what appears in your LinkedIn feed 👉 Why likes and impressions aren't necessarily signs of success 👉 Whether taking a break from posting really hurts your reach 👉 The truth about hashtags, tagging, external links and AI-generated content 👉 How to use AI to audit your LinkedIn performance and reach the right audience 👉 What's coming next for recruiters with LinkedIn's Hiring Assistant and Recruiter Professional Services Plus This is an absolute goldmine for recruiters looking to build their personal brand, reach more clients and candidates, and get smarter about how they use LinkedIn. A massive thank you to Emma for sharing her expertise and making her podcast debut with us!

There’s always love in the room until there isn’t. In my view, our job as recruiters is to keep that love, because the moment it leaves, the deal usually goes with it. In this ep, I walk through a scenario from my own team that holds a big lesson for junior recruiters and a timely reminder for the seniors. You know the feeling. The brief looks great, the candidate looks great, they shake hands, and both walk away saying “that felt good.” That’s love in the room. So what ruins it? I cover: 👉 What “love in the room” actually is, and why it’s what makes candidates choose a role 👉 Trust, and the last-minute title or scope change that makes a candidate feel hoodwinked 👉 A live relocation deal, New Zealand to Australia, where the salary expectations are miles apart and no one’s said it out loud yet 👉 Why the exchange rate, tax, cost of living and KiwiSaver vs super all matter in a relocation 👉 The push-back principle: bash the love with money at the final stage and both sides push back with equal force 👉 How to weave the money conversation in over two, three or four days instead of one hit 👉 Why “hit and hope” doesn’t work, and why surprises are the punches that knock the wind out of deals 👉 Why AI can match, automate and email, but can’t protect love in the room (not yet, anyway) Look at your pipeline today. Which deal has the most love in the room, and where are you foggy on clarity? Don’t run from it. Start weaving those conversations in now. If this one helped, share it with a recruiter who needs it and hit subscribe to help the show grow.

We all know about KPIs in recruitment. Calls, CVs, interviews, placements. But what about the habits behind the numbers? I've been working with a health coach recently, and he's introduced me to habit tracking. It got me thinking about how we measure success in recruitment and whether we're overlooking some of the most important things. KPIs tell us what we're achieving, but I reckon our daily habits have a huge influence on how we get there. In this episode, I explore why habit tracking could be a game changer for recruiters, managers and business owners, both inside and outside the office. 👊 The difference between KPIs and habit tracking 👊 Why sleep, hydration and movement matter to your performance 👊 The softer habits that can make you a better recruiter and leader 👊 How managers can track the things that don't show up in traditional KPIs 👊 Why the first thing on your habit tracker should be completing your habit tracker! I've started using a habit tracker myself, and I'm encouraging my team to think about the habits that matter to them too. Because sometimes it's the things we're not measuring that make the biggest difference. Give it a crack. It might just be a game changer. As always, have an amazing day!

What if you could swap your biggest problem for someone else's? Would you take the risk, or would you stick with your own? I heard this question recently and it really got me thinking. We all have problems. Some big, some small, but when you're in the thick of one, it's easy to get overwhelmed by the stress, uncertainty and emotion surrounding it. Here's the thing. Sometimes the problem isn't nearly as complicated as we've made it out to be. We just haven't taken the time to properly understand it. In this ep, I'm sharing a simple mindset shift that can completely change how you approach challenges, whether they're at your recruitment desk, in your business or in your personal life. 👉 Why putting your problems into perspective matters 👉 The question that might make you rethink your biggest challenge👉 Why defining a problem is often harder than solving it 👉 How we make small problems feel much bigger than they are 👉 Why stepping away and giving yourself time to think can lead to your biggest breakthroughs Before you rush to find a solution, make sure you're solving the right problem. As always, may all your deals come true!

Feeling stressed about your recruitment desk? Worried about a tough market or where your next placement is coming from? Here's something I want you to remember: one job is all you need. In this episode, I'm breaking down how to take a single vacancy and turn it into a pipeline of new opportunities. Because when you've got one good job, you've got everything you need to start rebuilding your desk. I'll walk you through the practical steps I use to turn one placement into multiple opportunities, from backfilling candidates and leveraging references to canvassing quality talent and asking clients for referrals. 👉 Why having just one job can actually be an advantage 👉 How to turn one placement into your next opportunity 👉 The untapped business development potential in references and leftover candidates 👉 Why you need to ask clients directly for referrals 👉 How one job can turn into two, four and a thriving desk Whether you're an experienced recruiter going through a quiet patch or just starting out, this episode is a reminder that you don't need a full desk to build momentum. Start with one. Fill it. Build from there.

Ever feel like you're spinning your wheels, juggling a hundred things and not actually moving any closer to making a placement? I've been there. But there's one question that's stuck with me throughout my recruitment career. A manager drilled it into me every day for six and a half years, and it's still my North Star whenever I'm feeling scattered, overwhelmed or unsure where to focus. What's closest to the money? It's ridiculously simple, but it works. In this ep, I share how this one question can cut through the noise, sharpen your priorities and help you build a to-do list that actually drives revenue. 👉 How to refocus when you're feeling overwhelmed or directionless 👉 Why your busiest tasks aren't necessarily your most valuable 👉 How to work backwards through your pipeline to prioritise what matters 👉 The simple daily habit that can keep recruiters at any level on track Next time you're staring at an endless to-do list, ask yourself what's closest to the money. You might be surprised how quickly everything else falls into place. As always, make all your deals come true!

If I followed you around with a camera for 24 hours, would I believe you were going to hit your targets this month? It's a bloody good question. And if you're consistently falling short of your goals, you might not like the answer. Here's the thing. Most recruiters have a pretty good idea of what they need to do to succeed. But knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things. We track our calls, interviews, placements and to-do lists. But what about all the time we're wasting? The unnecessary conversations, the scrolling, the distractions and the 20-minute chats that should've taken two? In today's ep, I'm challenging you to take a proper look at how you're spending your working day. And I've got a ridiculously simple exercise that'll show you exactly where your time is going. 👉 Why self-awareness is one of the most valuable skills you can develop as a recruiter. 👉 The hidden time-wasters that could be costing you placements. 👉 My 15-minute tracking exercise that'll expose exactly how productive you really are. 👉 How to identify the activities that actually move you closer to your targets. 👉 A simple calendar hack to protect your most productive working hours. You might be shocked by what you discover. But once you know where your time is going, you can start doing something about it.

Are you prepping your candidates for interviews but forgetting to prep your clients? Here's my simple piece of advice I gave a client that completely changed the way she interviews candidates and helped her achieve better hiring outcomes. The idea is simple: stop grilling candidates in the first interview and start selling the dream. 👉 First interview: Sell the company, the opportunity, the projects, the team and the culture 👉 Second interview: Drill down into technical skills and make sure they’re the right fit 👉 Then: References, offer, close When a great candidate walks out of that first interview thinking, “I want that job,” the entire recruitment process becomes easier. As recruiters, we spend plenty of time coaching candidates. But are you also coaching your clients on how to run a better hiring process? This ep lays out what I think is best practice for training your clients, improving the interview experience and ultimately increasing your chances of making the placement.