The Elite Recruiter Podcast

Most recruiting firms measure success by offers accepted. Jake Frazer watched that metric send unqualified people into a war zone. That was the moment he decided the industry was broken — and spent the next decade building something different. Frazer is not a recruiter. He is a government contracting operator who watched from the inside as one of the largest defense contractors in the world staffed programs the wrong way and paid for it in the field. He served in the Army, ran logistics at KBR pumping 2,000 people a month into theater, then built and sold a $200 million prime contractor. When he launched Precision Talent Solutions ten years ago, he made one decision that changed everything: he refused to run it like a recruiting firm. PTS does not hire traditional recruiters. Seventy percent of his 25-person team came out of govcon operations — people who have been on programs, who know what the mission costs, who have been ghosted by a bad recruiter and remember how it felt. They use a full assessment platform — personality profiling, cognitive scoring, custom video interviews — because Jake believes the resume, especially now, reveals almost nothing. He made hiring a P&L responsibility inside the firm because he learned at KBR that whoever owns the gate owns the outcome. In this episode Jake shares the framework that took him from a failed SaaS startup to one of the most respected executive search firms in the govcon space — including how he has placed over 50 transitioning generals, how he is positioning PTS for the European defense surge, and why he believes the recruiters who survive the AI wave will be the ones with the deepest industry expertise and the most genuine empathy. The ones who treat candidates and clients with the same level of care. The ones who understand what is actually at stake. In government contracting, Jake says, a bad hire does not just cost you a fee. Sometimes it costs something else entirely. 🎙️ Atlas — captures every conversation, surfaces candidates instantly with MagicSearch. Clients report 40%+ EBITDA growth and 80%+ billing increases. https://recruitwithatlas.com 🎯 This Is Your Year — Recruiter Summit (April 27th, live sessions are FREE) https://this-is-your-year-recruiter-summit.heysummit.com/ 💼 Join the Elite Recruiter Community — $49/month, cancel anytime https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community 📬 Newsletter → https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe 📺 YouTube → Details Soon 🔗 Jake Frazer on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jakefrazer/ 🌐 Benjamin Mena → http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/ 🔗 Benjamin on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/ 📸 Benjamin on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/

Most recruiting firms aren't losing their best women because of the market. They're losing them because of how they're built. Augusta Mirchandani has watched it happen her entire career — high-performing women who outbill their peers, build the best client relationships, and then quietly disappear after a maternity leave, a life change, or one too many passive-aggressive performance conversations. She refused to accept that as inevitable. So she built something different. Augusta is the founder and CEO of AAA Global, a specialist recruiting firm across five countries — London, Amsterdam, Mumbai, Shenzhen, and Dubai — focused on the quant and discretionary finance space. She started the business at 26 after nearly getting PIP'd in her first seven months. She went on to become top junior biller that same year. After her first daughter was born, she opened four new countries in twelve months. In this conversation, Augusta makes the case that women don't leave recruiting because it's too hard. They leave because most firms are structurally designed for a workforce that no longer exists — rewarding office hours over performance, stripping books during maternity leave, and managing top female billers with indirect communication that is, in her words, insulting. She walks through exactly what needs to change and breaks down the billing methodology that made her a top producer: process-led, information-first, built on relationships rather than hard closing. If you run a firm, this is a direct challenge to how you operate. If you're a recruiter, it's a masterclass in what top performance looks like built over a decade. What you'll learn: The three structural changes male firm owners need to make right nowWhy indirect management of high-performing women is costing your firm placementsHow Augusta went from nearly PIP'd at month seven to top biller that same yearThe information-led method that closes candidates who aren't even looking to moveWhy having a child increased her output — and why most firms have it backwardsWhat to do with a biller's book during maternity leave so they return ready to performThe one question Augusta wishes every recruiter would ask about their own process Timestamps: 00:04 — Why women have a natural edge in relationship-driven recruiting00:07 — Three things male firm owners need to fix right now00:09 — What really happens to a woman's desk during maternity leave00:12 — How having a daughter made Augusta open four countries in one year00:18 — Seven months, 100 calls a day, no placement, nearly PIP'd00:21 — The process-led billing methodology that made her a top producer00:22 — Information-led selling: how to close candidates who aren't looking00:29 — What the first year of running your own firm actually feels like01:04 — The nudge Augusta would give every woman afraid to make the leap 🚀 Atlas — AI-first ATS & CRM. Captures every conversation, surfaces candidates with MagicSearch, and drives BD through generative AI. Try it free → https://recruitwithatlas.com 🎯 This Is Your Year — Recruiter Summit → https://this-is-your-year-recruiter-summit.heysummit.com/ 💼 Elite Recruiter Community → https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community Free Trial: PIN → https://www.pin.com/ Newsletter → https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe YouTube: https://youtu.be/glxOfu8kgSE Follow Augusta on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/augusta-aiken/ Benjamin Mena: http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/ Benjamin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/ Benjamin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/

He spent years managing luxury restaurants in Los Angeles and London. Then he walked into a recruiting office with zero industry knowledge — and became one of Europe's top billing recruiters. Jean-Louis-Philippe Girardet (JLP) didn't just cross industries. He rewired how recruiting gets done. 🎯 This Is Your Year — Recruiter Summit | April 27th | FREE Mike Williams, Brianna Rooney, Mark Whitby and a full week of the industry's best. All live sessions are free. 👉 https://this-is-your-year-recruiter-summit.heysummit.com/ Most recruiters burn energy chasing new clients when their next placement is already in their database. JLP proved it — 60% of his €500K billing year came from relationships he already had. This episode breaks down how he built it, how he led with luxury service standards in a sales-driven world, and what it really takes to go from top biller to team leader without losing what made you great. What You'll Learn The luxury hospitality service standard JLP applied directly to his recruiting processWhy 60% of his €500K year came from existing clients and how to replicate itThe duo billing model that sustained 20–30 open assignments simultaneouslyThe hardest truth about transitioning from top biller to team leaderWhy salary is taboo in France and what it reveals about building candidate trustThe 20/70/10 framework he uses to lead, differentiate, and make hard callsWhat Jack Welch's Winning taught him about competing at the highest level Jean-Louis-Philippe Girardet (JLP) billed €500K in a single year and $320K solo the year prior, specializing in legal and HR recruitment in France. A former luxury restaurant manager who worked at a Michelin-star restaurant in Los Angeles and the Waldorf Astoria in London, JLP now leads one of the top recruitment teams in his group in Montpellier. When you treat every candidate like a five-star guest and every client call like a table that needs turning in under ten minutes, results compound differently. JLP didn't just bring a different background to recruiting — he brought an entirely different standard. Hit play. This one will change how you run your desk. Timestamps 00:00 – The philosophy separating great recruiters from everyone else 03:13 – From biology student to luxury restaurant manager 09:18 – Landing in recruiting with zero industry knowledge 13:37 – What luxury hospitality taught him about winning the desk 16:57 – Breaking down the €500K billing year 18:32 – The duo model for managing 20–30 open roles simultaneously 20:01 – Why JLP walked away from billing to lead a team 21:45 – The hardest part of going from top biller to leader 22:43 – The 20/70/10 rule for managing team performance 27:35 – France vs. US: why salary is taboo and what it means for recruiters 45:41 – The question JLP wishes more recruiters would ask 46:42 – What BD looks like in France's unstable market right now Sponsor: 🚀 Atlas — AI-First Recruitment Platform Candidates tell you everything on a call — then it gets buried in notes and forgotten. Atlas fixes that. It captures every conversation automatically and makes it searchable. Ask Magic Search "Who mentioned they're open to relocating?" and it pulls the answer instantly from your entire database. Atlas clients report 40%+ EBITDA growth and 80%+ increase in monthly billings. 👉 https://recruitwithatlas.com 💼 Elite Recruiter Community 👉 https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community 🔹 Pin → https://www.pin.com/ 📩 https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe ▶️ https://youtu.be/Iqaii3vcGWo 🔗 JLP → https://www.linkedin.com/in/jean-louis-philip-girardet-7865b1b0 🔗 Benjamin → https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/ 📸 https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/ 🌐 http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/

Stephanie Lowenstern's LinkedIn looks like the highlight reel. South Florida recruiter. Founder. Boy mom. Building a go-to-market search firm for the best tech startups in the country. The kind of story that gets you double-tapped and scrolled past in two seconds. What the highlight reel doesn't show: her partner left when their son was five days old. She took a candidate call while she was in labor. She spent over $100,000 — on therapy, legal fees, moving costs, and healing work — funded entirely by her recruiting business. She celebrated 10 years sober in the middle of all of it. And she kept billing through every single day of it. This episode is the real story. Stephanie built her firm from scratch at 29 — no backing, no playbook, just a Squarespace website and blind faith — and hit $170K in year one without knowing what a Series B funding round was. When her personal life collapsed around a newborn, she didn't shut it down. She went on morning walks, listened to Joe Dispenza, cried at strangers in her neighborhood, and sourced candidates like a zombie who refused to stop moving. Because stopping wasn't an option. The business was the lifeline. What makes this conversation rare isn't the resilience story — it's what Stephanie learned on the other side. About rates she should have never cut. About the clients she should have walked away from sooner. About how showing up powerfully for candidates and clients starts with how you show up for yourself. And about why your peace is never going to come from the number. If you're going through something right now and still trying to run your desk — this one's for you. What You'll Learn: How Stephanie built a $170K first year with no recruiting firm experience and no external fundingWhy she kept billing through one of the most traumatic personal seasons of her life — and what three habits kept her business aliveThe $100K+ mistake she made cutting her rates to win business, and what she'd do differentlyHow to convert genuine relationships into clients without sounding like you're sellingWhy your internal state is the single biggest lever on your revenue — and how she rebuilt hersWhat she wishes more recruiters would actually ask her (and the answer she never gets to give) Atlas — The AI-first recruitment platform built to eliminate admin. It captures every conversation automatically and turns it into something you can use. With Magic Search, ask your entire database questions like "Who mentioned they're open to relocating next year?" and get instant answers — no keyword guessing, no digging through old notes. Atlas customers have reported 40%+ EBITDA growth and 80%+ increase in monthly billings. Try it free → https://recruitwithatlas.com 🎯 This Is Your Year — Recruiter Summit (April 27th, live sessions are FREE) https://this-is-your-year-recruiter-summit.heysummit.com/ 💼 Join the Elite Recruiter Community — summit replays, biweekly roundtables, Billers Club, split space — $49/month, cancel anytime https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community 🆓 Free Trial: PeopleGPT → https://juicebox.ai/?via=b6912d 🆓 Free Trial: Talin AI → https://app.talin.ai/signup?via=recruiter 🆓 Free Trial: Pin → https://www.pin.com/ 📬 Subscribe to the newsletter → https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe 📺 YouTube → https://youtu.be/WAI55acfONw 🔗 Follow Stephanie on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/stephanieloewenstern/ 🌐 Benjamin Mena → http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/ 🔗 Benjamin on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/ 📸 Benjamin on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/

What if the best investment you could make in your recruiting firm had nothing to do with hiring another recruiter? Reyhan Khan has seen inside hundreds of agencies — and the ones scaling fastest all made the same unexpected move first. If you want to check out Clay: https://clay.com/?via=411229 Why This Episode Matters The recruiting industry is still early on the GTM adoption curve. The firms that figure this out now will have an unfair advantage over every competitor still running manual processes. This episode gives you the exact framework to stop trading time for revenue and start building a business that scales without you doing everything yourself. What You'll Learn The exact 5 things a GTM engineer should do in their first 90 days at your firmWhy intent-based outreach crushes cold volume — and the signal-stacking system that makes it workThe HR ratio playbook: how to identify companies actively hiring with zero internal TAHow to build a total addressable market table that shows you exactly how big your niche really isThe honest truth about where AI replaces recruiting work within a year — and where it never willWhy fewer than 5% of recruiters are building personal brands and what that gap is costing themHow to vet GTM vendors so you don't hand $10K to someone who just took a Clay course About the Guest Reyhan Khan is a systems and operations expert and founder of RecruiterGTM. Over the last four years he has built GTM systems for recruiting firms, placed offshore talent to run those systems, and coached hundreds of recruiters on scaling lean without adding headcount. The Transformation Imagine starting 2027 with a pipeline that runs without you, a market map that tells you exactly where your next client is coming from, and a personal brand that generates inbound while you sleep. That's what the recruiters applying these systems are building right now. This episode is the starting point. Listen Now If you're ready to stop being the bottleneck in your own business, this is the episode you've been waiting for. Hit play. Timestamp Highlights 03:06 – Reyhan's origin story: electrical engineer to GTM expert for recruiters07:18 – Why a GTM engineer may be more valuable than your next recruiter hire13:07 – Intent-based outreach: how to fish in a smaller, higher-converting pond15:27 – How to vet GTM vendors before you waste $10K–$15K23:50 – The 5 priorities for a GTM engineer's first 90 days28:15 – Market mapping and building your total addressable market table36:38 – AI's real impact on recruiting over the next 3–5 years42:13 – Can a 5-person firm double revenue with the right GTM hire?47:07 – What it actually takes to go from good to elite55:41 – The question recruiters never ask but should 🚀 Atlas – AI-first ATS & CRM Automates admin, syncs resumes/emails, and uses AI to build polished profiles and reports. Try it free or book a demo → https://recruitwithatlas.com 🎯 This is Your Year - Recruiter Summit https://this-is-your-year-recruiter-summit.heysummit.com/ 💼 Join the Elite Recruiter Community https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community Tools & Links Free Trial: PeopleGPT → https://juicebox.ai/?via=b6912d Free Trial: Talin AI → https://app.talin.ai/signup?via=recruiter Free Trial: Pin → https://www.pin.com/ Signup for emails → https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe YouTube: https://youtu.be/SJIfFoy1IPU Follow Reyhan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/reyhankhann/ Host Benjamin Mena: http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/ Benjamin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/ Benjamin Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/

The AI race in recruiting has already started — and most recruiters don't even know they're losing. Jordan Shlosberg isn't a recruiter. He's the founder building the technology that's about to separate the top 1% of agency recruiters from everyone else. And in this episode, he pulls back the curtain on exactly what's coming, what it means for your desk, and why the window to get ahead is closing fast. Why This Episode Matters The recruiting industry is on the edge of a fundamental power shift. Internal TA teams are shrinking. Agency market share is growing. And the recruiters who move now — building their memory, sharpening their BD, and leveraging AI as an unfair advantage — are going to capture most of that upside. This episode gives you the strategic roadmap straight from the person whose technology is driving that change. What You'll Learn Why recruiters don't have a data problem — they have a memory problem, and how solving it creates a 100x service advantage over internal TAThe exact reason Jordan believes agency recruiters will steal market share from in-house talent teams over the next 3–5 yearsThe three skills every recruiter must double down on right now to win in an AI-driven market (hint: one of them is vibe coding)Why a 1–2 person agency team will soon be able to outbill a 20-person firm — and what that means for how you structure your deskThe "speccing autopilot" coming to Atlas this summer that could generate placements from candidates you've already forgotten you have About Jordan Shlosberg Jordan Shlosberg is the founder of Atlas, the AI-first recruitment platform that's become the most talked-about CRM in the agency recruiting world. Before Atlas, he built ProSapient — an expert network — to $30M in revenue in five years. He brings a rare combination of deep technical expertise, founder-level product obsession, and an outsider's clarity on what's actually broken in recruiting. Extended Value Tease Imagine opening your laptop every morning to a system that's already ranked your best BD prospects, drafted your outreach, searched your entire candidate database without a single filter, and flagged the candidates most worth speccing today. That's not a fantasy — that's where the top agency recruiters are heading right now. This episode gives you the mental model and the tactical roadmap to be one of them. The recruiters who listen to this and act will look back on 2026 as the year everything changed. The ones who don't will feel it in their billings. Timestamp 00:06:23 — "Recruiters don't have a data problem, they have a memory problem" — the insight that reframes your entire database00:08:11 — Two agencies, same size: what the divergence looks like at 1 year, 3 years, and 5 years out00:10:35 — Is a recruiting income gap coming? Jordan's bold prediction on where agency market share is heading00:36:09 — Can a 2-person team outbill a 20-person agency? Jordan's answer and where the real bottleneck will be00:38:37 — The 3 skills every recruiter must build now: sales, relationships, and vibe coding00:48:35 — What the Atlas Top 100 recruiter rankings actually reveal about how elite billers are winning inbound business 🚀 Atlas – AI-First ATS & CRM Automates admin, syncs resumes and emails, and uses AI to build polished profiles and reports. Try it free or book a demo → https://recruitwithatlas.com 🎯 This Is Your Year — Recruiter Summit https://this-is-your-year-recruiter-summit.heysummit.com/ 💼 Join the Elite Recruiter Community All summits, replays, Billers Club + split space https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community Tools & Links Sign up for emails → https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe YouTube: https://youtu.be/1Nj7gA276Mg Follow Jordan on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jordanshlosberg/ Host Benjamin Mena: http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/ Benjamin LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/

Josh Volinsky never hired a single recruiter. No experience, no desk history, no cold call background — just accountants. And somehow he built a $5M firm where 7+ people billed over $400K in their first year. That's not a fluke. That's a system. Josh is the co-founder of Synergy Search and the former all-time single-month billing record holder at Robert Half — $259K in one month. He walked away from one of the cushiest books of business in the industry, started a firm above a liquor store and a Dunkin' Donuts, hit $2.7M in year one, and $5M in year two. Then the market shifted, their best performer passed away suddenly, and everything they'd built got stress-tested in the worst possible way. This episode is the full story. The rocket ship. The crash. The rebuild. And the exact decisions — on hiring, culture, KPIs, and partnership structure — that separated Synergy Search from every other firm that tried the same thing and failed. **What You'll Learn** - Why hiring experienced recruiters actually slows your growth (and what to hire instead) - The "day in the life" interview method that predicts top billers before they start - How implementing KPI tracking turned a $700K quarter into a single $700K month - The exact culture reset that took them from their worst quarter ever to their best Q4 in firm history - Why splitting everything equally with partners — even when others called it crazy — was the secret to scaling fast - The relationship-building system that took one recruiter from $400K to $850K per year - What separates $500K+ billers from everyone else in today's market (it's one thing) If you run a desk, lead a firm, or are thinking about going out on your own — this one's going to hit different. **Timestamp Highlights** 00:40 – The moment Josh told his wife he was leaving Robert Half 05:19 – The $259K month that broke the all-time firm record 08:00 – Why they spent $25K before making a single call 16:21 – How following the non-compete forced their best BD strategy 18:49 – Doubling lifetime billings in one month after their first hires 22:13 – Full desk vs. split: putting people in positions to thrive 31:45 – The worst quarter in firm history and the breakfast that changed everything 36:57 – The 3 levers they pulled to reboot the culture 39:31 – How KPI scorecards produced three $100K billers in a single month 43:06 – The hiring blueprint: A-players only, and how to spot them 53:30 – What $700K+ billers do differently than everyone else --- 🚀 **Atlas** – AI-first ATS & CRM. Automates admin, syncs conversations, and surfaces insights instantly. Try it free → https://recruitwithatlas.com 🎯 **This Is Your Year – Recruiter Summit** https://this-is-your-year-recruiter-summit.heysummit.com/ 💼 **Join the Elite Recruiter Community** https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community 🔧 **Tools & Links** PeopleGPT Free Trial → https://juicebox.ai/?via=b6912d Talin AI Free Trial → https://app.talin.ai/signup?via=recruiter Pin Free Trial → https://www.pin.com/ Email Newsletter → https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe YouTube → https://youtu.be/raE6o8Ngtrw Josh on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshvolinsky/ Benjamin Mena → http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/ Benjamin LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/ Benjamin Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/

Jeff Hyman has been in recruiting for 30 years. He's founded 5 companies, written the book on hiring A-players, and watched every major tech wave reshape this industry. He says what's happening right now is different. And most recruiters are not ready. In this episode, Jeff breaks down exactly why the transactional recruiter is becoming extinct — and what the ones who survive are doing instead. This isn't motivational fluff. It's a 30-year career distilled into a single conversation. You'll hear why the skills that got you here won't get you there. Why contingency is a trap that's bad for your clients too. Why firing bad clients is the fastest path to doubling your income. And the one question Jeff asks every candidate that reveals everything — in 15 minutes. Jeff Hyman is the author of Recruit Rockstars, founder of 5 companies, and one of the most respected voices in talent. He's hosted 500+ podcast episodes, teaches recruiting at Northwestern's Kellogg School of Management, and runs an elite retained search firm out of Boulder, Colorado. Get his book free at recruitrockstars.com. In This Episode The blunt truth about what happens to your business if you change nothing by end of 2026Why AI will automate sourcing completely — and the one thing it can never replaceThe "Search vs. Fetch" distinction that separates elite recruiters from order-takersWhy contingency is broken for you and your clients — and how to move to retainer starting with $1,000 downHow Jeff built a productized AI sourcing service (Shortlist) now used thousands of times Timestamps 00:04:21 — "The train has left the station" — Jeff's warning about ignoring AI in 2026 00:05:16 — What your business looks like in 24 months if nothing changes 00:30:25 — DNA over keywords: why credentials are almost useless predictors of success 00:36:02 — The real reason contingency fails your clients (not just you) 00:40:23 — How to reverse risk on retainer conversations, including the money-back guarantee 00:43:33 — The pandemic pivot that became Shortlist — a $3K/month AI sourcing product 00:56:32 — "Fire your shitty clients" — Jeff's advice for going from average to elite 00:59:10 — Why A-players always get counteroffers — and the proactive script that protects your placement Sponsors Atlas — The AI-first recruitment platform that eliminates admin and turns every conversation into intelligence. Magic Search lets you ask your database questions like "Who mentioned they're open to relocating?" and get instant answers. Atlas customers report 40%+ EBITDA growth and 80%+ increase in monthly billings. Try it free → https://recruitwithatlas.com Links & Resources 🎯 This Is Your Year — Recruiter Summit (April 27th, live sessions free) https://this-is-your-year-recruiter-summit.heysummit.com/ 💼 Join the Elite Recruiter Community — summits, replays, Billers Club, split space — $49/month https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community 📘 Get Jeff's book free — Recruit Rockstars https://recruitrockstars.com 🎁 Free Shortlist from Jeff (1 search, $3,000 value, no credit card) https://recruitrockstars.com 🆓 Free Trial: Pin https://www.pin.com/ 📬 Subscribe to the newsletter https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe 📺 YouTube: https://youtu.be/wc2MTeaZZ7w 🔗 Follow Jeff Hyman on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/recruitrockstars/ 🌐 Benjamin Mena http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/ 🔗 Benjamin on LinkedIn https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/

Most recruiters are chasing the wrong market, and it's quietly destroying their desk. Will Wegert watched his billings collapse after chasing coastal fees and shiny opportunities he had no business pursuing. So he did something most recruiters won't: he looked at the data, killed the distractions, and went all-in on owning one niche in one city. What happened next took 7 years to build and looked like an overnight success. In this episode, Will breaks down the exact attraction-based marketing system, mindset shifts, and daily disciplines that turned him into the most recognized dev recruiter in Colorado and the blueprint any recruiter can steal right now. What you'll learn: — The Inner Circle Model: the 3-spoke system (digital, face-to-face, direct outreach) that warms up clients before you ever pick up the phone — How to audit your placement data to find where your real money comes from and what to cut immediately — The ABC Marketing Method: the simplest relationship drip system in recruiting, 52 weeks a year — Why saying no to bigger fees is the fastest path to higher billings — The exact LinkedIn content formula Will uses to pull CTOs to him without a single cold pitch — The accountability conversation that snapped his career back into focus after his worst year — Why "my business runs on referrals" is a trap and what to build instead Will Wegert is a Denver-based software engineering recruiter with 8 years in the industry. After nearly halving his billings by chasing the wrong market, he rebuilt around a ruthless niche focus — and never looked back. This episode will change how you think about your desk. Stop chasing. Start owning. TIMESTAMPS 00:03:01 — Why Will said no when Benjamin first invited him on 00:04:28 — The "7-year overnight success" explained 00:06:26 — His non-traditional path: resume writing → copywriting → recruiting 00:09:18 — Why referrals aren't a system — and what to build instead 00:15:47 — The data audit that killed his coastal ambitions 00:20:48 — The message to Danny Cahill that redirected his career 00:26:34 — The Inner Circle Model: 3 spokes every recruiter needs 00:37:01 — The CTO lunch strategy: show up, add value, never sell 00:39:28 — His LinkedIn formula: ⅓ human, ⅓ value, ⅓ algorithm 00:44:40 — ABC Marketing: the simplest desk-revival strategy in recruiting 00:52:12 — The Chrome tool and LinkedIn video trick cutting through AI noise 00:57:01 — The question Will wishes every recruiter would ask him SPONSORS Atlas — AI-First Recruitment Platform Every email. Every interview. Every conversation. Instantly searchable, always available. Atlas customers report up to 41% EBITDA growth and 85% increase in monthly billings. → https://recruitwithatlas.com SUMMIT & COMMUNITY This Is Your Year — Recruiter Summit → https://this-is-your-year-recruiter-summit.heysummit.com/ Elite Recruiter Community — Replays, Billers Club, Roundtables & Split Space. $49/month. → https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community TOOLS PeopleGPT Free Trial → https://juicebox.ai/?via=b6912d Talin AI Free Trial → https://app.talin.ai/signup?via=recruiter Pin Free Trial → https://www.pin.com/ Email Newsletter → https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe CONNECT YouTube → https://youtu.be/eveVeg5UV6I Will Wegert on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/willwegert/ Benjamin Mena → http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/ Benjamin on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/ Benjamin on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/

If you’re waiting to hear back… you’ve already lost. In Part 2 of this deep dive, Jamie Lupo breaks down why most recruiters don’t have a sales problem — they have a control problem. And that problem is killing desks quietly. After 18 years inside LHH — one of the largest talent solutions organizations in the world — Jamie has trained thousands of recruiters, rebuilt struggling offices, and helped teams turn flat years into record-breaking ones. In this episode, she goes tactical. You’ll hear: • The exact debrief scheduling move that eliminates “waiting on feedback” • How to turn a simple reference call into a new client order • The “slow down to speed up” mindset that increases placement ratios • The flat desk reset framework you can implement Monday morning • Why only a small percentage of recruiters truly control their process • How to transform transactional recruiting into revenue-driven recruiting This isn’t about grinding harder. It’s about guiding the process. Scheduling feedback before interviews happen. Clearing candidates properly before submission. Using references as a business development engine. Doing more with the work you already have to do. If you want to scale a recruiting firm, strengthen your sales skills, and increase your placement velocity — this episode is your execution blueprint. Jamie will also be going deeper live at the This Is Your Year Recruiter Summit. If this conversation resonates, you need to hear her full breakdown there. Register here: https://this-is-your-year-recruiter-summit.heysummit.com/ Timestamp Highlights: 00:00 – Why “waiting to hear back” is avoidable 02:09 – The interview question that unlocks real candidate intel 05:05 – How to properly clear a candidate before submitting 06:34 – The reference strategy that gets ghosted clients to respond 07:45 – Why rushing actually slows you down 13:01 – The 75% debrief scheduling tactic 14:48 – The flat desk reset framework 18:22 – Why references are your fastest revenue lever 24:56 – Is tech overrated in recruiting? 31:42 – The “Unreasonable Hospitality” mindset 🚀 Atlas – AI-first ATS & CRM Automates admin, syncs resumes/emails, and uses AI to build polished profiles and reports. Try it free or book a demo → https://recruitwithatlas.com 🎯 This Is Your Year – Recruiter Summit Jamie Lupo is a featured speaker. All live sessions are free. Register now → https://this-is-your-year-recruiter-summit.heysummit.com/ 💼 Join the Elite Recruiter Community All summits, replays, Billers Club + split space access: https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community Tools & Links: Jaimi Lupo on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamielupo/ YouTube: Free Trial: Pin → https://www.pin.com/ Signup for emails → https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe Host Benjamin Mena → http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/ Benjamin LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/ Benjamin Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/ This is Part 2 of the Jamie Lupo series — and the part where execution meets revenue. If you’re serious about growing your desk, don’t skip this one.

Most recruiters think they have a sales problem. Jamie Lupo says they actually have an interview problem — and it’s costing them clients. After 18 years inside LHH, one of the largest talent solutions organizations in the world, Jamie trained teams across the country, rebuilt struggling offices, and watched thousands of recruiters win… or quietly fail. Her diagnosis is blunt: If you’re “waiting to hear back,” you’ve already lost control of the process. This is Part 1 of a 2-part series breaking down the fundamentals that separate average recruiters from elite billers. Jamie shares how she survived a recession as the only recruiter left in her office… how she accidentally became one of the top sales producers in the company… and why old-school recruiting strategies are now outperforming tech-heavy desks. And if this conversation hits, Jamie is going deeper live at the This Is Your Year Recruiter Summit. Register here: https://this-is-your-year-recruiter-summit.heysummit.com/ If your desk is flat… if clients are ghosting… if submissions aren’t converting… this episode is your reset. In Part 1, you’ll learn: • The real reason clients don’t call recruiters back • The difference between a prescreen and a revenue-driving interview • Why transparency not honesty unlocks referrals and trust • The mindset that helped Jamie win during a downturn • Why most recruiters are selling staffing instead of solutions • The early interview shift that dramatically increases placement ratios Jamie doesn’t teach hacks. She teaches fundamentals that compound. Ask better questions. Control your calendar. Lead the process instead of reacting to it. In Part 2, we go deeper into client control, business development systems, and the exact revenue activators recruiters can implement immediately. If you’re serious about scaling a recruiting desk, strengthening your sales skills, and building a firm that performs in any market — press play now. 🚀 Sponsor Atlas – AI-first ATS & CRM Automates admin, syncs resumes/emails, and uses AI to build polished profiles and reports. Try it free or book a demo → https://recruitwithatlas.com 🎯 This Is Your Year – Recruiter Summit Jamie Lupo is a featured speaker breaking down sales mastery and desk control. All live sessions are free. Register here → https://this-is-your-year-recruiter-summit.heysummit.com/ 💼 Join the Elite Recruiter Community Access all summits, replays, Billers Club, accountability, and split space: https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community 🔧 Tools & Links Free Trial: PeopleGPT → https://juicebox.ai/?via=b6912d Free Trial: Talin AI → https://app.talin.ai/signup?via=recruiter Free Trial: Pin → https://www.pin.com/ Signup for emails → https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe YT: Follow Jamie Lupo on LI: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jamielupo/ Host Benjamin Mena → http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/ Benjamin LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/ Benjamin Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/