Recruiting and staffing are evolving fast. The tools keep getting smarter… but the way most people use them absolutely isn’t. And that’s exactly why I brought Brad Smith, Chief Strategy Officer at Haley Marketing, back into the studio for a redo after our first recording turned into an echo chamber from hell.

Brad has spent 23 years helping staffing firms of every size build smarter marketing strategies. Over the last few years, he and the team at Haley have partnered with one of the world’s leading AI consulting agencies to figure out how AI can actually help recruiters and staffing companies gain a competitive advantage—instead of becoming another shiny tool people don’t train on, don’t map correctly, and absolutely misuse.

AI isn’t replacing recruiters anytime soon.
But recruiters misusing AI? That’s a completely different story.

In this episode, Brad and I get into:

Why staffing leaders keep looking for a silver bullet instead of a strategy

The truth about prompting (and why most people are using AI like Google)

Mapping, adoption, training—and why these are the real reasons AI fails

How AI is accelerating bad habits when you skip the fundamentals

What’s working TODAY for recruiting, sales, and TA teams

Haley’s 4 free AI tools for staffing companies (and how to actually use them)

How their AI Resume Detector saved me from a $682 mistake 😬

Why “comfortable tasks” are killing recruiter productivity

What small businesses and solo recruiters can do right now to get ahead

And if you're wondering whether AI can really improve your recruiting?
I’ve been using Haley’s free tools for a week… and my posts went from a few hundred impressions to 11,000–14,000+ with zero boosting. It works—if you use it correctly.

Check out the tools we talked about at:
▶️ www.haleymarketing.com/staffingGPT

▶️ And connect with Brad on LinkedIn here https://www.linkedin.com/in/bradmsmith/  — ask him for access to their free AI tools.

If this episode gave you clarity, a wake-up call, or just made you rethink how you (and your team) are using AI, share it with someone who needs to hear it.

Is recruiting a job title… or a professional discipline?

In this episode of Beyond the Bottom Line, I sit down with John Ruffini, Vice President of Professional Development at HealthTrust Workforce Solutions, to break down what recruiting really is and why so many teams are still getting the basics wrong.

John has spent 30 years in the staffing industry. Every recruiter at HealthTrust goes through a two-week bootcamp he built that cuts ramp time by 30%. He has started and rebuilt branches, chaired multiple ASA councils, keynoted Staffing World, and literally wrote the book on recruiting fundamentals with his Amazon best seller “Money Makers – Proven Ways to Increase Sales and Productivity in the World of Professional Recruiting.”

We get real about:

• Why recruiting is a professional discipline, not a job title
• The difference between reactive “post and pray” and true proactive recruiting
• How AI is exposing bad habits faster than ever (and where it actually helps)
• Why ghosting, black-hole ATS experiences, and weak outreach are self-inflicted
• What the best staffing firms and TA leaders are doing to train and develop recruiters today

We also dig into metrics, ramp time, and what it looks like when recruiters actually understand the business impact of their desk—not just their daily activity targets.

About John:
John is VP of Professional Development at HealthTrust Workforce Solutions, past Chair of ASA’s Healthcare, Search & Placement, and Education Section Councils, multiple-time Staffing World presenter, and ASA’s 2024 Volunteer of the Year. He’s the author of Money Makers and the #1 Amazon best seller A Quest for Alex.

Connect with John:

• LinkedIn: search John Ruffini
• Instagram & TikTok: @beabetterrecruiter

Giveaway:
John is giving away a free copy of “Money Makers” to the best Mailbag question about recruiting, training, or leadership that comes in after this episode.

Send your questions for John (or for me) to: [email protected]

And if you’re serious about building better recruiters:

• Check out The Recruiter Training Hub: www.recruitertraininghub.com
• Learn more about Elevate Talent Solutions: www.elevate-talent-solutions.com

Follow the show so you do not miss upcoming episodes and future Mailbag sessions of Beyond the Bottom Line: Balancing Evolution with Execution.

You think you’re saving money on recruiting? Think again.

In this episode, I break down one of the biggest (and most expensive) blind spots in business today — undertraining, under developing, and overpaying recruiters to process instead of recruit. From “post and pray” job posting chaos to AI tools collecting digital dust, it’s time to ask the real question: what do you actually want your recruiting team doing?

Ron shares candid stories from staffing leaders, HR teams, and his own war stories from the field — the ones that prove most companies aren’t short on talent… they’re short on direction.

If your team’s drowning in applicants, ghosting candidates, or spending more on job boards than strategy, this one’s for you.

Tired of hearing:

• “Customize your resume for every job.”
• “Make sure your cover letter shows your personality.”
• “It’s all about timing and luck.”

Yeah… no.

In this episode, I dive headfirst into why recruiting advice online has turned into a parody of itself. From 350+ “AI tools” that recruiters don’t fully understand, to job descriptions that read like broken fortune cookies, to the endless cycle of “we get thousands of resumes” sympathy posts — it’s all become noise.

This isn’t about hating recruiters — it’s about calling out the bad habits that make good recruiters look bad.
Because the truth is, most recruiters aren’t lazy — they’re untrained, unsupported, and stuck inside broken systems that never taught them how to recruit in the first place.

This episode is real talk for anyone tired of the nonsense.
Because the problem isn’t timing.
It’s training.
And too many people either were never offered this course.....or skipped class.

WTF Do You Actually Do? (The Two-Year Rant Every Founder Needs to Hear)

After two years of building, posting, podcasting, training, and helping companies get their you-know-what together — I kinda have hit my limit.

In this unfiltered episode, I rip the curtain off the “LinkedIn illusion” and answers the question I keep getting asked: “Ron, what the f** do you actually do?”*

From staffing firms drowning in duct-taped processes to small businesses buried under buzzwords, this episode is part therapy session, part reality check, and all truth.

I talk about what it really takes to build systems, train people, and fix recruiting and operations when the world’s too busy chasing hashtags and hype.

If you’ve ever felt invisible while actually doing the damn work — this one’s for you.

No sales pitch. No gurus. No BS. Just real talk from someone who’s been there.

Unlimited income? My a**. In Episode 13, we torch the hustle-porn fantasy and get real about the highs, lows, and ramen-budget reality of running your own thing. Ron, Nicole, and Lainey dig into what social media skips: inconsistent cash flow, the need for multiple streams, reading the economy like a forecast, and why “community” (aka your Diamond Dogs) is oxygen when a client ghosts or budgets shift.

We talk:

• The myth vs. math of “unlimited earning potential”
• Jamie Tartt swagger vs. bank-account reality—plus a Roy Kent pep talk you’ll actually use
• Building backup plans, banking the good months, and surviving the dry spells
• The rise of “experts” selling shortcuts—and how to spot the grift
• Mental game: resilience, realism, and staying human in the grind

Bring your notes app. Leave the fluff. Subscribe and share with the entrepreneur who needs a Roy Kent moment today

Careers aren’t ladders—they’re launch ramps with detours, pivots, and the occasional George-Costanza-on-the-floor moment. In this episode, Ron sits down with Katy Shapiro—one of his all-time favorite hires—whose path runs from The Franklin Institute to Top 50 TA Leader to founder of Unapologetic Ambition.

They unpack:

• How to “own the room” in an interview and flip the script (prep, presence, and purposeful questions)
• The difference between posting to acquire talent and actually recruiting
• Why corporate TA needs business access (boots, hard hats, and learning the work)
• Bias in job descriptions and selection—and how to widen your funnel without lowering the bar
• Building high-performing TA teams (speed + care) and giving people room to try, fail, and grow
• Entrepreneurship, grief, and channeling your voice into a mission that serves others
• Simple ways to restore humanity: give candidates closure and keep people at the center

Connect with Katy: [email protected]  • 

IG: @unapologeticambitionllc 

Connect with Ron & Elevate Talent Solutions: elevate-talent-solutions.com

Produced with Adrianne Ruthart, ACR Ventures (acrventures.com).

 Subscribe, share, and send your mailbag questions—your question might land in next week’s episode.

Not every leader was “forged in fire.” Some of us were built in silence — through hard work, consistency, and showing up every damn day.

In this episode of Beyond the Bottom Line, Ron Miller unpacks the dangerous myth that your story only has value if it comes with a redemption arc, a comeback tale, or a polished LinkedIn headshot with piano music behind it.

From a Ted Lasso dartboard lesson to a Captain Marvel mic drop, this episode challenges the performative culture of “origin stories” and calls for a return to what really builds trust: quiet wins, consistency, and authenticity.

Because you don’t owe anyone a trauma reel. Your story doesn’t have to be a comeback. It just has to be real.

Tune in and let’s normalize the steady builder.

If applying for a job today or your hiring process feels like running the American Ninja Warrior course—with fewer wins and more bruises—you’re not imagining it.

In this episode of Beyond the Bottom Line, I break down the absurdity of the modern candidate journey, obstacle by obstacle: From job postings that bait and switch, to tech stacks that spin you off like a rolling log, to interview gauntlets that would make Navy SEALs tap out.

And then… I introduce you to Alvin. A real candidate. A real story. And a masterclass in how broken hiring still is, even when someone does everything right.

If your hiring process looks like a challenge course, don’t be surprised when the best talent doesn’t show up.

Let’s talk about how to fix it—because Elevate Talent Solutions was built for exactly this.

You can’t market what you don’t understand—and no, marketing isn’t just logos, taglines, and another sad LinkedIn post with stock photos of diverse hands high-fiving.

In this episode of Beyond the Bottom Line, I’m joined by my not-so-secret weapon, marketing strategist and truth-teller Adrianne Ruthhart of ACR Ventures. Together, we unpack why most companies are dead wrong about what marketing really is.

Spoiler: It starts internally. If your own team can’t articulate your values, culture, or mission—why should anyone else believe it?

We talk:

• Internal branding and why your employees are your loudest (and most honest) megaphone
• How poor internal messaging crushes recruiting efforts
• Why rejection emails are marketing (yes, those)
• And why having a marketing contractor on retainer might be the smartest leadership move no one’s talking about

If your recruiting and marketing teams sound like they're speaking the same language but can't understand each other—this one's for you.

Visit:
🎯 Elevate Talent Solutions
🎯 ACR Ventures

And remember: your brand is what you say it is... and what your people feel it is.