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The Resilient Recruiter

The Resilient Recruiter

By: Recruitment Coach Mark Whitby
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 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. Career Success Economics Leadership Management & Leadership
Episodes
  • How to Run Your Firm on Autopilot While Starting Something New, with Brian Gabay

    How to Run Your Firm on Autopilot While Starting Something New, with Brian Gabay
    Sep 4 2025
    What if you could run your recruiting firm on autopilot while launching a completely new business? Brian Gabay has mastered this balance—his 5-person team makes placements without him while he builds a tech startup. Brian founded Brian Simon Associates (BSA) in 2016, specializing in PR and marketing recruitment. He built systems, transforming his business from constant attention to running independently. This freedom allowed him to launch Arrange AI, eliminating interview coordination, which consumes 70% of recruiters' admin time. Brian reveals his framework: getting your entire team on client calls, his "hire two people" strategy, and the mindset shift to step away from daily operations. Plus, surviving a 6-month placement drought taught him the resilience needed to juggle multiple ventures. Episode Outline and Highlights [7:19] The reality TV opportunity that came at the worst time [8:11] How a 3-year kidney donor search taught him resilience [19:50] Why are placed candidates overlooked for new business [20:27] Daily LinkedIn habit: One new connection PLUS one reconnection [23:40] Surviving the drought: First placement took 5-6 months [26:14] The 6-month cash cushion rule for going solo [36:35] Hiring strategy: "If you like two people, hire them both." [44:27] Why 70% of recruiting time is wasted on scheduling [50:18] Game-changer: Getting your entire team on client calls [52:58] Building systems: "Placements happen without me" Building Through Setbacks Brian's approach to adversity was forged through personal crisis. With his father on dialysis, Brian applied recruiting skills to find a kidney donor. "I wasn't a blood match. Neither were my sisters. He's type O... I searched for three years. There was a dark world out there. People wanted money... My dad's life is on the line." The breakthrough came through Jennifer Wolf, who responded to his outreach "just like we would do on LinkedIn." When Fox discovered his YouTube video and offered him a spot on "Home Free" to compete for a house for Jennifer, the timing couldn't have been worse. The 6-Month Rule Brian's practical approach began with planning: "I saved enough to pay rent for six months. That was my cushion... I need to make a placement within six months. If I can't, then maybe this is not for me." His advice emphasizes transparency: "If you're starting your own firm and leaving your current one, have a transparent conversation... Even if these are connections you made yourself, it was created under someone else's umbrella. Leave on good terms." From Solo to Scale After three years solo, Brian began building a team. When he discovered an employee ignoring candidate emails, instead of retreating, he refined his approach: "Out of 10 people, if there's two you really like and you're on the fence, hire both. If one doesn't work out, you still got a really good one." The transformation came from one change: "Having them involved in all client calls... Now if it's a new business call, it's all five of us. They meet the client, ask questions, take notes... I've seen the ownership kick in." This freed Brian to launch Arrange while BSA operated: "Sometimes there's placements being made and I'm not involved at all." Brian Gabay Bio Brian Gabay founded BSA in 2016, specializing in PR, Marketing, and Digital/Social recruiting. He's partnered with recognized PR agencies and brands nationwide. With over a decade of experience, Business Insider named him one of the top PR recruiters in the country. Earlier this year, he launched Arrange AI—a smart scheduling tool for recruiters coordinating meetings between external parties. Brian on LinkedIn Arrange AI: arrange.ai BSA: briansimonsassociates.com Resources Mentioned "Home Free" on Fox Tim Tebow on LinkedIn Connect with Mark Whitby FREE strategy call: recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session LinkedIn | Twitter: @MarkWhitby Facebook | Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter
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  • Why AI Recruits 100% Better Than Humans And Where Humans Still Win, with Johnny Campbell

    Why AI Recruits 100% Better Than Humans And Where Humans Still Win, with Johnny Campbell
    Aug 27 2025
    Johnny Campbell drops a bombshell: "Can AI recruit better than humans today? Hundred percent better than humans on average." He's got the data to back it up. Johnny explains why half of all recruiters will be gone within the next decade—and how to be in the half that thrives. Johnny runs SocialTalent and has trained over a million recruiters globally. He survived launching an agency during the 2008 crash and now shares what's coming next. Episode Outline and Highlights [3:35] How Johnny survived launching an agency into the 2008 crash [8:37] "Peak recruiter" happened in 2023—why it's downhill from here [10:41] The bank loan analogy that destroys the case for human interviewers [15:05] The AirPods story—why candidates will accept AI interviews [19:33] UK research: AI persuades people 10x better than humans [28:10] Marc Andreessen's "barbell model"—why the middle dies [31:24] Indian recruiters abandoned email—what WhatsApp means for outreach [36:26] Mercor: Three 21-year-olds built a $2B AI recruiter in 2 years [38:14] The Hudson RPO arbitrage—selling AI to companies that can't use it [52:07] Why recruiters need Johnny's "Mini MBA" Key Takeaways: Your $2 Billion Wake-Up Call: Three 21-year-olds started Mercor two years ago. Now valued at $2 billion. Their pitch: "5 qualified candidates in 5 minutes." They didn't improve recruiting—they eliminated it. Where AI Wins: Johnny breaks recruiting into three parts. Finding candidates? AI wins. Assessment? AI does it better with less bias. But closing deals? That's where humans matter. "There will always be a role for a human advising the business." No Middle Ground: McDonald's hires in 7 minutes with AI. Zuckerberg personally calls candidates. If you're doing "decent recruiting at decent prices," you're dead. Pick a side: tech-powered efficiency or ultra-premium service. The WhatsApp Revolution: Email is dead for recruiting in India. Everyone uses WhatsApp. Johnny's insight: AI will soon predict the best platform per candidate. Agencies sending LinkedIn InMails are playing yesterday's game. Johnny Campbell Bio and Contact Info Johnny Campbell is the co-founder and CEO of SocialTalent. With over 250,000 LinkedIn followers, he's recognized globally as a thought leader on AI and recruitment. Father of 4 boys, avid runner, aspiring youth rugby coach. Johnny on X Johnny on LinkedIn Johnny on Instagram SocialTalent website link SocialTalent on Facebook SocialTalent on YouTube People and Resources Mentioned Mercor website link Glen Cathey on LinkedIn Hudson RPO website link Clay website link ChatGPT Copilot Gemini 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
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    Less than 1 minute
  • How Candidate Experience Became My Primary Growth Engine, with Anthony Lewis

    How Candidate Experience Became My Primary Growth Engine, with Anthony Lewis
    Aug 20 2025
    Most recruitment agencies waste £50+ per cold call meeting. Anthony Lewis found a better way to scale from startup to 50-person team. Anthony's team made 1,500 cold calls for just 27 placements. That 1.8% conversion rate would panic most agency owners. Instead, he built a candidate experience system that turns rejections into revenue. What You'll Learn: How to build agency growth without expensive cold calling Business development strategies that actually work How 86% candidate satisfaction became his competitive advantage Agency scaling secrets from startup to 50 employees Why treating candidates like future clients changes everything Key Insights: 9:39 Why purpose prevents fee-chasing behavior 24:53 What "psychological safety" means for performance 35:30 Why individual KPIs beat generic targets 45:43 The candidate feedback system that drives growth 50:26 How the MD personally calls every unhappy candidate Anthony Lewis Bio and Contact Info Anthony is passionate about the careers of public sector leaders, and for over a decade has supported organisations nationally to attract and hire the best talent. Whether interims, Non Execs or people into permanent roles, Anthony is never happier than when helping people fulfil their career ambitions. Anthony is Managing Director at Tile Hill, a public sector-focused executive recruitment company, and is hugely proud of the achievements of the business and those around him. From having been awarded Best Company to Work For, Best In House L&D at the 2024 REC Awards, the Best Candidate Experience category at the 2024 Tiara Awards, and most recently voted the number 1 interim service provider in the Institute of Interim Management Annual Survey, it is a reflection of the values led approach and passion that Tile Hill's team show as they approach their work every day. With an EVP of #Lovetheimpactyou make, we are all inspired to make a difference for those who are shaping the society we live in. • Tile Hill website link Anthony Lewis on LinkedIn Different Leadership website link Tile's fundraiser for Alzheimer's Society People and Resources Mentioned David Weir on LinkedIn Leo Hewett on LinkedIn Force24 JobAdder Adecco Group 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
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    Less than 1 minute
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