Recruiting Trailblazers

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Tara Kochis, President of Wolf Hill Group, a Slone Partners Company. She is also President of DEI Strategies, which is Wolf Hill’s diversity, equity, and inclusion arm.

Slone Partners and its companies have been virtual for 22 years, allowing them to grow to 96 people strong across the country, and they specialize in life sciences, healthcare, and cybersecurity companies who are growing rapidly.

Listen in as Tara discusses how Slone brings its core values to life through the empowerment of the team that makes up the company. She explains why feeling a real connection to one’s work is the best way to make a difference in both the organization and the people they serve.

Going further, Tara talks about the importance of building a strong relationship with the candidate to the point where you as the recruiter are able to tell their story with the same level of passion as themselves. In other words, Slone’s goal is to understand their clients’ mission, vision, and culture and be a true extension of them in the marketplace.

Finally, Tara speaks on the keys to leading teams of recruiters virtually, as well as her best advice on thriving in a down market.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [01:32] An introduction to Wolf Hill Group and Slone Partners

●      [03:27] Tara and Slone’s mission since she joined the company in 2004

●      [08:08] The goal of every Slone recruiter

●      [19:03] Three questions to answer when working with any candidate

●      [22:20] Interview best practices

●      [26:38] Leading a team of recruiters virtually

●      [32:22] Getting into work mode when working from home

●      [36:52] Adapting to a down market

●      [40:36] Promoting and implementing DEI

Key quotes:

●      “We are intentional about Slone’s culture, and I think the cornerstone of that is our core values. Those are quality, ownership, passion, respect, trust and diversity.”

●      “Our purpose—our why—is to make a difference: to one another, to our client partners, and our candidates by providing that amazing experience.”

●      “Our goal is to understand our clients’ mission, vision, and culture and be a true extension of them in the marketplace—to be able to tell their story with the same passion they would tell it with.”

●      “In a down market, we’ve learned that connecting with our audience—being valuable outside of a search—increases our opportunity to get another search or the first search.”

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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This week, Marcus answers a question from recruiter/listener Leo Pulcher - 
"What's the most essential thing that most recruiters should do to help their clients but aren't?"
It's a short mid-summer episode  - some cracking advice though on how to set yourself and you client up for success on your recruiting journey.

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this very special episode of Recruiting Trailblazers - Marcus chats with Eryn McHugh and plays 5 of her fabulous songs! 
We talk about moving from agency to internal, what she misses, what it takes, candidate experience - and how she is tackling build a Recruiting Engine from scratch at Thunder.

Here's a link to Eryn's Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/artist/6p3YnAsixFvxOBkfRP5DzJ?si=c0qDWxY1Q62bWZN5Hjdcog

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Ashley Pereira, a branding and marketing consultant who specializes in recruiting. She helps brands and individuals establish their identity, figure out their market, and develop big-picture strategies to help them reach their goals.

Ashley is also the founder of Free Skin Co, which sells a range of organic vegan and U.S.-made skincare products. The company donates 5% of all purchases to bettering the mental health of those affected by child abuse, trauma, and PTSD.

Listen in as Ashley discusses the building blocks and first steps that aspiring recruiters should keep in mind when starting their branding and content marketing journey.

She emphasizes the importance of publishing value-driven content aimed at a specific audience, and reveals the keys to creating meaningful and engaging posts on LinkedIn.

Finally, Ashley speaks on overcoming the fear of putting yourself out there on social media, and offers practical baby steps to starting your personal branding journey today.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [02:25] Why recruiters need to build their personal brand for success

●      [07:34] Overcoming fear of getting started in publishing content

●      [09:17] The importance of developing your communication skills

●      [10:49] Defining your “why” and target audience

●      [15:22] Establishing a value-driven brand on social media

●      [17:29] Building your network

●      [22:52] Creating a meaningful and engaging post

●      [25:14] Two approaches to content creation and scheduling

●      [27:15] Optimizing your profile

●      [28:34] Maximizing the very first line of your LinkedIn message

●      [30:27] The elements of a viral post

●      [32:33] What counts as “engagement”

●      [34:35] Starting today

●      [37:11] Avoiding the comparison trap on your content creation journey

Key quotes:

●      “One of the greatest skills that recruiters need is communication.”

●      “The more you can pinpoint and be focused on the individual you’re trying to help, the easier it will be to create the content you need.”

●      “Branding is all about allowing the audience to go through an emotional decision-making process through resonating with the content.”

●      “Engagement doesn’t always mean likes or reach or impressions or comments. My end goal whenever I post anything is to have a real conversation, whether it’s with one person in the comments, in my DMs, on a Zoom call, or over the phone.”

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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Marcus chats with Michael Boitnott about brand building online and how important it is to take a one-to-many approach in order to exponentially increase your relationship-building cadence.

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Brent Orsuga, the top-rated logistics and supply chain recruiter, seven-figure entrepreneur, and founder of the award-winning advisory firm Pinnacle Growth Advisors.

Listen in as Brent discusses the art of reverse-engineering success as you define it. He talks about the importance of seeing your role as that of being a “talent advisor” or “subject matter expert”—beyond being simply a “recruiter”—in order to be seen as a valued partner in your candidates’ eyes.

Brent explains how to become known as the go-to expert on your space by homing in on a specific niche, and how he was able (and continues) to build his well-known brand as a recruiter without actually ever posting new jobs.

Finally, Brent talks about using “shoot-from-the-hip” video content creation as a business development tool, why he prefers contingent over retained search, and how he has been able to achieve massive success by seeing recruitment as a “high-touch, high-contact sport”.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [01:11] The benefits of doing a self-assessment at halfway through the year

●      [05:43] How to be seen as a partner to candidates, as opposed to a vendor

●      [07:25] The mindset that recruiters should adopt to thrive in today’s market

●      [19:14] Defining “retained recruitment”

●      [10:25] Company culture versus company identity

●      [15:47] The importance of staying true to your niche

●      [18:28] Building your brand via content creation

●      [23:16] How Brent invests in himself

●      [26:14] Why Brent only does contingency recruiting

●      [28:58] Contingency versus retained search

●      [31:46] Differentiating yourself as a recruiter

●      [33:40] Standardizing every message

●      [35:50] Why be transparent about compensation upfront

●      [38:08] How to be a successful recruiter today

Key quotes:

●      “As a recruiter, you’re either going to be viewed as a partner or a vendor.”

●      “Confidence comes from competence.”

●      “Culture is something you have to see and feel and almost hear yourself. You cannot show me a YouTube video or a static website and tell me about your culture.”

●      “The ultimate sign of respect is when people give you their time—especially at their house or their office.”

●      “You have to give value. LinkedIn and content cannot be self-serving.”

●      “The reason people get emotional about recruiting is because they simply don’t have enough cooking. I tell our team: ‘You want to have ten people in process at all times.’”

●      “Sales and recruiting are nothing more than exchanges of energy.”

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Louise Archer, Founder of Retrained Search.

She has worked on the front line of recruitment for 20 years, having been a contingent recruiter before transitioning to retained. Her mission is to help recruiters transition to retained and secure more forecastable revenue.

Listen in as Louise shares what she believes to be the three main problems with contingency recruitment and how this model differs from that of retained search. She describes the mindset and skillset needed to fulfill the consultative role of the retained recruiter successfully.

Finally, Louise breaks down her company’s training program, which was created to help contingent recruiters cross the bridge to the world of retained search, just as she herself has done.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [02:01] Defining “contingency recruitment” and why it is a broken model

●      [10:29] Why contingency recruitment results in no commitment from the client nor the agency

●      [13:42] Advantages of contingency recruitment for certain types of candidates

●      [19:14] Defining “retained recruitment”

●      [23:12] The benefits of retained search

●      [31:06] The downsides of retained search

●      [33:21] Setting expectations with candidates as a retained recruiter

●      [37:48] Forging a consultative relationship with candidates

●      [40:37] Louise’s course to help recruiters transition to retained search

Key quotes:

●      “The recruiters which I find are well-suited to the contingent model are those who don’t like commitment, don’t like to be held accountable, and when things get tough they want to bail.”

●      “It’s good to remind ourselves, when we’re working on a contingent basis, that they haven’t bought anything. What they’ve actually done is allow you to send CVs for free.”

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Steven Rothberg, Founder and Chief Visionary Officer at College Recruiter. As of now, the website has tens of thousands of employers advertising about 2 million jobs, and they are on pace to help almost 7 million candidates find new jobs this year.

A self-proclaimed “fully recovered lawyer”, Steven has received numerous accolades which include being named by Mashable as one of the 20 top people for job seekers to follow on Twitter, and by Fast Company magazine as a "Top 50 online influencer".

Steven is also the co-host of the Job Board Geek Podcast.

Listen in as Steven speaks on social media content creation as a form of community-building, finding organic connections on LinkedIn, the importance of disclosing compensation upfront, and the art and craft of job advertising.

He also discusses the inspiration behind his fundraiser, Medical and other humanitarian aid for Ukrainians, which you can donate to on GoFundMe at https://www.gofundme.com/f/medical-and-other-humanitarian-aid-for-ukrainians.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• [01:45] Steven’s philosophy on content creation
• [05:41] Providing content to drive community
• [07:03] Finding connections on LinkedIn
• [13:21] How College Recruiter’s approach differs from that of most other third-party recruitment firms
• [19:32] Why disclose compensation upfront
• [23:59] Whether recruiters should advertise jobs
• [29:14] Job ad writing as an art
• [33:14] The technicalities of job advertising
• [39:03] Steven’s fundraiser, “Medical and other humanitarian aid for Ukrainians”

Key quotes:

• “[Social media] is not about touching the most number of people if what you’re doing is annoying them. What it’s really about is trying to add value to that moment.”
• “It’s not that hard to hire people. It’s not that hard to hire good people.”
• “Advertising is really great when going after candidates who are low-hanging fruit.”
• “Job ad writing is an art. I bet 95% of job posting ads out there are largely copy-and-paste.”

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Andrew Lewis, Senior Manager of Talent Acquisition for Higg, a sustainability insights platform for consumer goods industries.

Andrew describes himself as a “strategic thinker”, an innovator, a leader, and a teacher, who sees life through an entrepreneurial lens.

Listen in as Andrew shares why the best recruiters challenge norms and think out of the box and how to fight outdated yet ever-present practices in the recruitment industry.

He also describes his personal brand strategy on LinkedIn and how to find your own voice in order to differentiate yourself on the platform.

Andrew addresses the continuing need for greater emphasis on relationship-building in the industry and why the biggest opportunity in modern recruiting is simply honest communication.

Finally, Andrew explains how to grab a candidate’s attention beyond the job description and why automation can never replace personal touch in the candidate experience.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [01:30] The mindset of the most successful recruiters

●      [05:41] Providing content to drive community

●      [08:15] Explaining the ROI of content creation to hiring managers

●      [12:26] Workforce planning best practices

●      [15:56] Fighting outdated practices in recruiting

●      [18:49] Building a brand on LinkedIn

●      [27:03] Skills that are important to master as a recruiter

●      [30:59] The value of building relationships

●      [35:55] Why regularly touch base with candidates in your pipeline

●      [41:47] Captivating candidates’ attention beyond the job description

●      [44:10] Why not to automate the candidate experience

Key quotes:

●      “Content and community are two outliers that are going to come to the forefront for recruiting in the next few years.”

●      “Hiring really starts 6-to-12 months before you actually start recruiting for a role.”

●      “In recruiting, we’re always fighting against outdated practices.”

●      “Recruiters, in this day and age, have to look at becoming great marketers.”

●      “Recruiters have this opportunity to capture people via storytelling especially if they have a strong mission.”

●      “We can’t automate relationships.”

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/

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This week Marcus opines on the winning mindset for Recruiters in 2022. Relationship development, building referral networks, handling rejection, and achieving a flow state are all addressed.

Connect with Marcus https://www.linkedin.com/in/marcusedwardes/