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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 Build a Culture Where Values Actually Drive Results, with Matthew Wragg

    How to Build a Culture Where Values Actually Drive Results, with Matthew Wragg
    Jul 4 2025
    What does it take to transform a 500-person staffing firm from flatlining to high engagement and renewed purpose? In this episode of The Resilient Recruiter, you’ll hear how Matthew Wragg rebuilt culture and restored momentum—without sacrificing values, authenticity, or people. Matthew joined Gattaca as a trainee in 2001 and became CEO in 2022. He shares how the company was reshaped by removing executive offices, tying leadership bonuses to engagement, and launching a cultural framework that turned values into measurable behaviors. We also cover personal lessons from his two decades in recruitment, including the wins and setbacks that shaped his leadership approach. Episode Highlights [05:46] How Matthew got into recruitment and why he stayed with one company [14:23] From trainee to CEO: lessons in ambition and internal branding [22:00] The £30M deal they lost—and how they won it back [30:55] Using culture and values to improve employee engagement [46:01] Removing executive offices and linking pay to engagement scores [49:48] How “Changing Up the Game” became a strategic reset during COVID [52:18] Aligning the team around clear, behavioral definitions of company values [59:29] How Gattaca is thinking about AI adoption Losing a £30M Dealand Using It to Win Future Business Matthew shares how Gattaca lost a £30M contract despite having the experience, pricing, and capability. The reason? They didn’t take the time to understand the client. He took responsibility, re-engaged with the customer over 12 months, and eventually won the deal back—this time at a 70% higher price. This loss prompted a shift in sales culture: more discovery, less assumption; more trust, less volume. It was a turning point in how Gattaca approached strategic selling. How Culture and Values Fueled Gattaca’s Turnaround When Matthew stepped in as CEO, the company was struggling with flat growth and low engagement. His first move was to prioritize people. He eliminated glass offices to flatten hierarchy and increase visibility. He began weekly internal video updates and tied 10% of leadership compensation to employee engagement. He personally reviews hundreds of anonymous employee comments each month—starting with the negatives. Over two years, this helped shift Gattaca from 58% detractors to 58% promoters, even in a tough market. How Gattaca’s “DNA Deck” Turned Culture into Performance To make values actionable, Gattaca launched a “DNA deck” that defines specific behaviors tied to each value. These are reviewed quarterly and fully integrated into performance management—alongside sales and effort metrics. One example: “Be brave enough to tell the truth, but kind enough to say it the right way.” Each principle includes examples of “what good looks like” so there’s no ambiguity. No one can top-score on performance if their behavior doesn’t align with the culture. Matthew Wragg – Bio & Contact Matthew Wragg is CEO of Gattaca PLC with 23+ years in recruitment. Starting as a trainee in 2001, he progressed through senior leadership roles before becoming CEO in 2022. He has led Gattaca through an organizational reset focused on purpose, vision, and values—prioritizing sustainable growth, employee engagement, and cultural clarity. Matthew on LinkedIn Gattaca PLC Website Gattaca on Instagram Connect with Mark Whitby Book a FREE 30-minute strategy call Mark on LinkedIn Instagram | Facebook | Twitter Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter on your favorite platform.
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    1 hr and 9 mins
  • How to Use LinkedIn’s 2025 Algorithm to Attract More Clients and Candidates, with Richard van der Blom

    How to Use LinkedIn’s 2025 Algorithm to Attract More Clients and Candidates, with Richard van der Blom
    Jun 27 2025
    Why has your LinkedIn reach dropped even though your content is better and your audience is growing? You’re not imagining things. LinkedIn changed the rules in 2025, and in this episode, LinkedIn algorithm expert Richard van der Blom breaks down exactly what’s changed—and how recruiters can adjust to stay visible and competitive. You’ll discover why organic reach is down by 50%+ for most users and how LinkedIn has shifted focus from virality to relevance. Richard shares how to realign your content strategy based on your goals—whether you’re looking to increase reach, drive engagement, or generate client and candidate leads. We also unpack the five content pillars that top-performing recruiters use, the formats that LinkedIn is rewarding right now (like vertical native video and carousels), and why relying solely on job posts or text-only content can quietly kill your visibility. Richard goes even deeper, revealing his proven process for creating “hybrid” content—written by humans but enhanced by AI—to dramatically improve structure, hooks, and engagement without losing authenticity. Episode Highlights: [3:25] How Richard reverse-engineered LinkedIn’s algorithm manually [8:35] LinkedIn confirms reach is down 50%+—here’s why [12:37] The 5 content types that drive performance in 2025 [18:42] Why recruiters need variety to maintain reach and engagement [21:21] Post formats that are working best and which are declining. [26:10] When selfies help—and when they hurt your reach [28:07] Using polls to generate leads and market insights [32:02] Why hybrid content (human + AI) outperforms both extremes [35:51] Why LinkedIn’s built-in AI tools aren’t your best option Key Takeaways for Recruiters: Fix Your Reach: The algorithm now values relevance > reach. Focus on content that fits your audience and objective. Diversify Formats: Don’t just post jobs. Use video, polls, carousels, and storytelling to stay visible. Hybrid Content Wins: Human + AI = stronger structure, better hooks, and more engagement. AI-only content often fails, and human only content often lacks polish. Combine both for maximum impact. If you’re a recruiter or agency owner looking to build your brand, attract inbound leads, and stay ahead of LinkedIn’s changes—this episode is your roadmap. Resources & Links Download Richard’s 2025 LinkedIn Algorithm Report: [Insert link] Richard’s website: https://www.richardvanderblom.com Richard on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/richardvanderblom Connect with Mark Whitby Book your free strategy session: https://www.recruitmentcoach.com/strategy-session Mark on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markwhitby Instagram: @RecruitmentCoach Twitter: @MarkWhitby Subscribe for more recruiter-focused episodes Like this video if it helped clarify LinkedIn’s algorithm
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    39 mins
  • How Selective Client Partnerships Help Recruitment Agencies Scale Faster, with Allicia Birch

    How Selective Client Partnerships Help Recruitment Agencies Scale Faster, with Allicia Birch
    Jun 18 2025
    What if your growth path wasn't adding more clients, but working fewer, higher-quality roles with people who genuinely value your service? Allicia Birch, founder of 4tify Recruitment, built a six-figure recruitment firm in her first year — without cold calls, without compromising on fees, and without chasing every job. Her success came down to discipline: working to a structured 12-hour day in 15-minute blocks, building a reputation-based BD strategy, and walking away from bad-fit clients. You'll hear how she transformed underperformance into consistent high billings, created multi-division revenue from single clients, and productised her approach to business development — including how she sells high-ticket projects, runs invite-only roundtables, and uses market intelligence to position herself as a trusted partner, not just a vendor. 4tify is based in Manchester and specializes in construction industry recruitment. After 8 years in the industry, Allicia has become a leading voice in the residential new build market. Episode Highlights [03:20] How she struggled during the first three years with plenty of lessons [14:11] Breakdown to Breakthrough - turning things around from 250k to 350k billings [20:25] What inspired the launch of 4tify [26:10] Key success factors in the first 12 months of business [35:19] Her idea of a cold call - how she does BD without 'cold calling' [44:26] Best practices on being organized and creating a Day Plan [48:30] How market intelligence helps provide custom-fit solutions to clients [58:21] The round-table engagement strategy [1:03:04] What's next for the team Key Takeaways Training Makes the Difference: Her first three years brought zero earnings until proper training at Anderson James turned everything around. A breakthrough coaching session helped her jump from struggling to billing £250,000–£350,000 per year. Client Selection Strategy: "If you're trying to beat me down to 10%, I'm not your recruiter. I don't get out of bed for that." She only works with clients who respect her values, turning down low-fee roles and walking away from companies that don't align. Daily Structure: Speaks to 30 people per day (150 per week) - all warm calls through referrals Plans the day in 15-minute increments the night before at 9 PM Works closest to money first: live processes, then candidates, then client development Uses Excel spreadsheets with checkboxes and color coordination Market Intelligence: Uses reputational analysis to provide custom-fit solutions to each client. Her genuine, relationship-first approach thrives on meaningful partnerships – no cold calling, just honest conversations and deep understanding of what makes great teams work. About Allicia Birch Allicia Birch is the Managing Director of 4tify, a specialist recruitment company with 8 years in the industry, though it didn't start easily. The first three years brought zero earnings, but plenty of lessons. Once things clicked, she went on to consistently break records year after year, becoming a leading voice in the residential new build market. Her genuine, relationship-first approach thrives on meaningful partnerships – no cold calling, just honest conversations and deep understanding of what makes great teams work. With operations expanding in both the UK and US, she's on a mission to connect market leaders to the market. Connect with Mark Whitby Get your FREE 30-minute strategy call Subscribe to The Resilient Recruiter
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    Less than 1 minute

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