The Tech Savvy Recruiter

"Recruitment isn’t just about placements; it’s about the experience."

In this episode, Justin Hillier (Founder & CEO, Recruiter Insider) reveals how data-driven insights can transform candidate and client journeys, boost consultant performance, and increase fill rates by as much as 60%.

We unpack:

- Why NPS is no longer enough to measure success

- The small detail that makes a 25% difference in placements

- How AI is reshaping recruiter training and performance tracking

If you’re serious about scaling smarter, delighting clients, and protecting your brand, this episode is your blueprint. 🚀

Questions:

Why are the basics things getting ignored? What's happening that's stopping these questions being asked and how do we fix it?

What else have you got? What other insights were you surprised about?

Where do you think people should start? Where are they gonna get the biggest wins do you think to start looking at their data?

What's changed in the way that like your platform is helping people? How have things evolved? How much are you integrating AI?

What could they do today that will have a compound effect?

Connect with Belinda and Andrew:

LinkedIn Belinda Kerr

linkedin.com/in/belindakerr

Recruitment Garage

https://recruitmentgarage.com/

LinkedIn Andrew Rodger

linkedin.com/in/andrewrodger

recMate

https://www.recmate.com.au/

Recruiter Insider

https://www.recruiterinsider.com/aus/nz-fill-rate-white-paper

The recruitment world is drowning in AI hype but most agencies are still stuck with clunky, disconnected tools that drain time instead of saving it.

In this episode of The Tech Savvy Recruiter, hosts Belinda Kerr and Andrew Rodger sit down with John Bourke (Founder of RecView) to reveal how to cut through the noise, ditch “shiny object” syndrome, and build a tech stack that actually works.

Discover why integration with your ATS/CRM is the real game-changer, how to stay competitive when in-house TA teams get the same tech, and the simple automation tweaks that free you to do what only great recruiters can build relationships, win clients, and place top talent faster.

What You’ll Learn:

• The #1 reason AI tools fail in recruitment agencies

• How to future-proof your business against TA teams using the same tech

• Smart integrations that turn data into deals

• Why less tech (done right) beats more tech every time

  
  

Questions:

Is tech making our jobs a little easier? 2:35-2:38

In the last 18 months, are we progressing or have we diverted or do you think that utopia will come to play or do we want it to come to play? 3:12-3:18

Is there quite a collaboration in the rec tech space? Do you guys all kind of get together and collaborate and share ideas? What does it look like on that side of things? 10:34-10:43

Do you know of a tech directory where someone’s like really keeping up today with what’s going on founders can access? 12:59-13:05

If you think about TA versus recruitment agencies then, what is it that recruitment founders need to be looking out for? What are the TAs, teams and clients’ thinking process and what are they doing? 18:04-18:17

Advise: If I am a recruitment founder sitting here with a small team. How do I then approach that company knowing that we got the same tools? 19:22-19:33

So John, I know that you have to go shortly and I'd love to know what you've got in the pipeline; what you guys are doing now… things have obviously moved since we spoke 12 months ago, so let's hear it. 25:55-26:04

Connect with Belinda and Andrew:

LinkedIn Belinda Kerr 

linkedin.com/in/belindakerr

Recruitment Garage

https://recruitmentgarage.com/

LinkedIn Andrew Rodger

linkedin.com/in/andrewrodger

recMate 

https://www.recmate.com.au/

Apologies in advance: We experienced some minor technical issues during this recording, causing brief blurring and a video/audio sync delay for one host. We’ve kept the full episode intact because the discussion with John Bourke is packed with valuable takeaways for recruiters.

It’s not just about the AI tools.

It’s about everything you’ve been putting off: workflows, data hygiene, system optimization, and the human experience.

In this episode, automation leader Billy Davis shares the real path to ROI with AI from process mapping to candidate engagement. Learn how to finally make your tech stack deliver better placements, happier clients, and more efficiency across your business.

💡 Key takeaways:

✅ Why you must fix your operations before AI can work

✅ The 3 most effective automations for recruiters

✅ Why “just getting started” beats perfection

✅ How to improve client & candidate experience at scale

✅ What AI will (and won’t) do for you in the next 12–24 months

Whether you’re automation-curious or deep in your tech stack, this episode is loaded with practical advice, smart strategy, and plenty of ‘aha’ moments.

Questions:

You often talk about the importance of pairing best-in-class AI technology with foundation operational work. “Can you just break down a little bit more around why maybe system optimization and process mapping of your recruitment tech stack are just as critical as the AI or automation tools themselves?” 2:07-2:27

What are some of the other mistakes that you commonly see? People make when they're trying to go through this process. 5:23-5:28

Do you have a set of typical problems that people should be looking to solve, if they're kind of going, you know, “They don't know what they don't know”. Are there sort of familiar themes or things that people should be looking at solving? 6:35-47

How does that focus on customer experience being client or candidate play into that overall formula of AI success in recruitment or automation success and what role can technology help with customer success? 18:20-18:33

Where do you see your customers putting those stages in and getting the best results throughout this cycle of recruitment? 22:20-22:28

With agencies that are feeling a bit overwhelmed by all these operational changes that are required to get there, where do you recommend that they start to ensure that their AI investments are really delivering for them? 25:36-25:50

What are the things that you’re finding that people are taking off their plates and really enjoying having them taking off their plates? 31:42-31:49

What do you see is changing fundamentally in terms of how recruiters will recruit say fast forward 2 years time with the company that has done all the right things today? 35:40-36:06

Tell us a bit more about what’s going with Bullhorn and especially the work that you're doing there in relation to AI. 41:51-41:57

Connect with Belinda and Andrew:

LinkedIn Belinda Kerr 

linkedin.com/in/belindakerr

Recruitment Garage

https://recruitmentgarage.com/

LinkedIn Andrew Rodger

linkedin.com/in/andrewrodger

recMate 

https://www.recmate.com.au/

Connect with Billy

linkedin.com/in/buildwithbillydavis

Build With Billy

https://buildwithbilly.substack.com/

In the episode we invited our very first guest Lauren Jones the Founder of Leap Advisory Consulting back to the mic. We discuss how things have changed in the last 18 months and how AI continues to shake up recruitment and why agency owners need to pay attention.

From writing better prompts to automating tasks, we explore how AI can save time and free you up to focus on higher-value work. We also dig into to how to adapt before you’re left behind. If you’re in recruitment and feeling overwhelmed by all the tech talk, this episode breaks it down for you.

🎯 What we cover:

• How to future-proof your agency against tech disruption

• Why 55% of firms are using AI—and what’s holding the rest back

• The “prompt trifecta” that unlocks better AI results

• How to build a tech stack that increases your company’s valuation

  
  

If you’ve been overwhelmed by all the tools, terms, and trends—this episode gives you clarity and direction.

🎧 Listen in and discover what top-performing firms are doing differently.

A lot has happened in the staffing industry in the last 18 months since they spoke to Lauren Jones, it's very overwhelming. What's your approach when you're talking with your customers around. 2:13- 2:32

Do you feel like, Lauren, that this next year or so is gonna be a big shakedown? 6:12-6:15

Is prompt just literally knowing what to ask the AI or is there something a little bit more scientific behind it? 9:52-10:01

What are you finding the biggest problems they're trying to solve are. And how are you helping them do that? 13:01-13:08

What are you most excited about? What do you think is, is when we are sitting down in another year and a half, what are we gonna be talking about then? 16:51-16:58

Connect with Belinda and Andrew

LinkedIn Belinda Kerr 

linkedin.com/in/belindakerr

Recruitment Garage

https://recruitmentgarage.com/

LinkedIn Andrew Rodger

linkedin.com/in/andrewrodger

recMate 

https://www.recmate.com.au/

In Episode 26 of The Tech Savvy Recruiter, we’re joined by the brilliant Justin Blij, founder of GTM Digital and certified tech nerd, who reveals how he took a scattered stack of 15+ disconnected tools and turned it into one lean, automated, and revenue-driving machine… in just one weekend. 🤯

You’ll hear:

⚙️ The exact tools Justin uses (and ditched)

🧠 How he connected everything—without hiring a dev

🤖 Why ChatGPT became his personal AI co-pilot

📈 The impact it had on performance, data hygiene, and time savings

Whether you're drowning in tools or curious how to scale smarter with AI, this episode is gold for any recruitment founder ready to level up.

🎧 Tune in now and learn how to make your tech stack actually work for you.

• Justin you integrated your entire tech stack in one weekend, what were the main reasons behind doing this, I’m assuming it wasn’t just about saving time? 1:27-1:36

  
  

• Did you have a specific way that you approach that weekend when you got all your tech laid out and brought it all together? 5:05-5:13

  
  

• What was the hardest part of this integration? 14:56-14:58

  
  

• How do you think average Joe or average Jane recruiter would fare doing what you did over that weekend period? 17:02-17:08

  
  

• What was the final outcome for Justin? Can you give us a bit of a rundown on what that tool stack looks like for your final or integrated stack and how it all playing together now? 26:41-26:52

  
  

• What’s been your biggest win since the integration went live? 46:47-47:01

  
  

• If somebody is watching this session and thinks, oh, I'd like to give this a crack, what advice would you give them? 48:32-48:36

  
  

Connect with Belinda and Andrew

LinkedIn Belinda Kerr 

linkedin.com/in/belindakerr

Recruitment Garage

https://recruitmentgarage.com/

LinkedIn Andrew Rodger

linkedin.com/in/andrewrodger

recMate 

https://www.recmate.com.au/

What if you could save 8 hours a week per recruiter without hiring anyone new?

In this episode of The Tech Savvy Recruiter, we’re talking with Josh Kirkham, VP at Quil.ai, the #1 AI platform built exclusively for recruitment agencies.

We cover real-world, recruiter-specific use cases for automation and AI, including:

✅ How to eliminate 80% of your admin without losing quality

✅ The shocking stat: 66% of your placed candidates are already in your database (and how to stop resourcing from scratch)

✅ The tools smart agency owners are using to scale faster without burning out

✅ What skills you need to stay relevant in a tech-powered hiring market

If you’re a recruitment agency founder juggling sales, delivery, and ops—and want to reclaim your time while growing smarter—this episode is your fast-track.

🎧 Tune in now 

• How is artificial intelligence reshaping the talent acquisition funnel, from sourcing candidates to making final hiring decisions? 3:06-3:27

• What are the biggest concerns regarding bias in AI-driven recruitment tools, and how can organizations mitigate these risks? 12:58-13:09 

• What are your top 2 or 3 tips for recruiters not to be doing and to have an automation set up or some sort of AI tool set there to help them, rather than doing those admin tasks manually. 17:17-17:28

• How can AI really help recruiters maintain that human connection with candidates and clients? 21:56-22:02

• Are there some skills or competencies that you see that recruiters should be thinking about to develop to remain that relevant in this modern technological landslide that's happening? 26:38-26:46

  
  

Connect with Belinda and Andrew

LinkedIn Belinda Kerr 

linkedin.com/in/belindakerr

Recruitment Garage

https://recruitmentgarage.com/

LinkedIn Andrew Rodger

linkedin.com/in/andrewrodger

recMate 

https://www.recmate.com.au/

Still running your agency like a one-person band?

In this episode, we speak with Ryan Halson, founder of Managed, about the shift happening in recruitment ops—where outsourcing and automation are no longer optional if you want to scale.

💡 Why now is the best time to outsource candidate delivery and marketing

💡 How to integrate offshore consultants and keep quality high

💡 Tools like Clay, ChatGPT & automation platforms that are powering top-performing agencies

💡 The mindset shift recruitment founders must make to grow

If you're a recruitment business owner ready to buy back your time, build a scalable engine, and stand out in a noisy market—this one's for you.

📱 Tune in now and upgrade how your agency runs.

Mindful of the rise and importance of tech / AI in recruitment businesses, what makes now an ideal time for agency owners to be thinking about outsourcing the recruitment function or rather parts you believe to be outsourcing as well? 

1:13-1:28

What should the listeners be thinking about passing on to somebody else as opposed to keeping it on their plate? 

9:48-9:53

What are you seeing are the biggest mistakes that founders are making when it comes to outsourcing. What do they get wrong?

16:10-16:16

With the explosion of tech/AI maybe as well throwing into the mix, how do you believe agency owners should be looking at their tech stack for success in 2025? 

20:06-20:15

Have you got any case studies that you are happy to share from any of the elements that you have spoken about just to make it a little bit more tangible perhaps to the listeners. 28:54-29:07

What would you say if I had to say name one piece of tech that you couldn't live without or you think agencies shouldn’t be living without. What would that one piece of tech be for 2025? 

31:42-31:54

Connect with Belinda and Andrew

LinkedIn Belinda Kerr 

linkedin.com/in/belindakerr

Recruitment Garage

https://recruitmentgarage.com/

LinkedIn Andrew Rodger

linkedin.com/in/andrewrodger

recMate 

https://www.recmate.com.au/

In this episode of The Tech Savvy Recruiter, we speak with Pranav Badami, co-founder of Stardex, about the practical changes AI is bringing to recruitment systems. We cover what’s working, what’s outdated, and how small agencies can start using AI to reduce manual work and improve results.

Key takeaways include:

• Why Boolean search is being replaced in modern systems

• How to get more value from your existing candidate database

• The real role AI can (and can’t) play in interviews

• What to expect in the next wave of recruitment tech

If you're looking for clearer ways to use AI to grow your agency and streamline your process—this episode is a must.

You’ve mentioned Boolean search is becoming obsolete with AI candidate search. Can you tell me more about you thoughts here?

6:35-6:50

What's really interesting is that often recruitment will lean on SaaS or software outside of recruitment and pull those in. Coming from outside recruitment in, what your thoughts around that and the bigger, broader world has to offer recruitment.

18:11-18:31

You’ve mentioned experimenting with tools like ChatGPT to rapidly build app prototypes. How has integrating AI tools like ChatGPT influenced your development workflow and the features you’ve got in your platform.

22:32-22:51

Where do you see recruitment heading with all of this in the next 12 months, two years, et cetera. 26:33-26:41

Are there any other misconceptions that you are hearing in the market and happy to, to raise where AI isn't the bee's knees for the recruitment market.

32:07-32:16

Connect with Belinda and Andrew

LinkedIn Belinda Kerr 

linkedin.com/in/belindakerr

Recruitment Garage

https://recruitmentgarage.com/

LinkedIn Andrew Rodger

linkedin.com/in/andrewrodger

recMate 

https://www.recmate.com.au/

In this eye-opening episode, we’re joined by Andrew Naar, CEO of Sapphire Computing Solutions, to talk all things IT, cybersecurity, and how recruitment agencies can stay protected and productive in 2025.

From backup myths (yes, your cloud storage might not be backing up your data!) to BYO devices, remote teams, and the rise of AI threats, we dive into the risks many agency owners are unknowingly exposed to—and how to fix them. If you’ve ever thought, “I’ll sort my IT setup later,” this is your wake-up call. 💥

Packed with practical tips, real-life cautionary tales, and a few “Oh no… I’m doing that!” moments—this episode is a must-listen for modern recruiters.

What your thoughts are around staffing agencies operating with fully remote or hybrid teams perhaps fully remote sometimes teams and some of those critical IT infrastructure items that they may not be thinking about but that is needs to be considered for operations to run smoothly.

2:31-2:48

Recruiters traditionally rely heavily on phone and video calls to connect with clients and candidates. So when it comes to VoIP, what new developments and communication tools should we be aware of and thinking about? 

13:37-13:50

What do you think is the weakest link in IT security? And what are other weak links and how can you know recruiters protect their assets in 2025?

18:27-18:37

In 2025, AI isn’t just for sourcing candidates - it’s also revolutionising IT support. Can you shed some light on how automation and AI-driven tools are enhancing the tech side of recruitment operations?

25:50-26:12

How in 2025 do you see IT Support scaling up or down efficiently to make sure that it is meeting the business needs of your customers.

33:25-33:32

🎧 Tune in now to future-proof your agency.

Connect with Belinda and Andrew

LinkedIn Belinda Kerr 

linkedin.com/in/belindakerr

Recruitment Garage

https://recruitmentgarage.com/

LinkedIn Andrew Rodger

linkedin.com/in/andrewrodger

recMate 

https://www.recmate.com.au/

In this episode, Belinda and Andrew are joined by Daniel Shnaider, Founder of AnyBiz – an AI-powered business development platform built to supercharge lead gen for recruitment firms and beyond.

Daniel shares how AI agents are transforming business development by automating outreach across email, LinkedIn, and even phone calls—without losing the personal touch. We explore how AI is enabling recruiters to work smarter, why personalization at scale matters, and where the real opportunity lies for recruiters willing to innovate.

🔥 Expect insights on:

• The power of AI agents in sales and recruitment

• Personalization using machine learning

• Real-world results from AI-powered outreach

• Why creativity and differentiation are the recruiter’s next big edge

• The future of bots talking to bots (yep, it’s already happening)

  
  

How are AI Sales Agents revolutionizing lead generation in recruitment, and what specific challenges are they uniquely equipped to address in today’s market?

3:13-3:3:25

Can you explain how your AI Sales Agents leverage machine learning and data analytics to personalize outreach efforts and identify the highest quality leads for recruitment teams?

8:04-8:27

What trends you're observing if we think about traditional recruitment as opposed to where we are going, especially around the sales process. What are you seeing people more moving towards, more specifically like what sort of tools, where in the whole sales process, where are the real gems that we should be really doubling down on. 

11:35-12:00

With increasing concerns around data privacy and ethical use of AI, how does your solution ensure compliance and maintain trust with both candidates and clients?

15:47-16:20

Could you share a success story or key metrics that demonstrate the impact of your AI Sales Agents on a recruitment sales pipeline, and what emerging technological trends do you anticipate will further enhance lead generation in the industry?

18:10-18:52

This is one you don’t want to miss if you're serious about future-proofing your recruitment business.

🎧 Listen now and rethink what's possible.

Connect with Belinda and Andrew

LinkedIn Belinda Kerr 

linkedin.com/in/belindakerr

Recruitment Garage

https://recruitmentgarage.com/

LinkedIn Andrew Rodger

linkedin.com/in/andrewrodger

recMate 

https://www.recmate.com.au/