Recruiting for a market leader is easy mode.

Recruiting for an underdog in a commoditized space where reps are basically “carrying feathers to a gunfight”?

That’s where you need a skilled recruiter.

In the newest episode of Recruiter Wins, I sat down with Steve Faulkner, a 23 year employee benefits recruiting vet, to unpack his biggest win.

What I loved about this conversation: Steve gets candid about the fine line between storytelling and deception.

He’s not trying to “put a butt in a seat”. He’s trying to make placements that stick so everyone wins long-term.

A few takeaways you’ll be thinking about after:

• How to position a “flawed” opportunity honestly without sugarcoating it
• Why some roles require candidates who can sell themselves as much as the company
• Why personal brand beats product when the market sees everything as a commodity

If you recruit in a niche market, work tough searches or ever have to sell an opportunity that isn’t perfect, this one’s a solid listen.

Many recruiters try to win business with a cold InMail and then wonder why nothing sticks.

This week on Recruiter Wins, I sat down with Ben Watkins (Executive Recruiter at Intrinsic Search) to discuss how his “biggest win” started by hosting paid, high-quality in-person events for senior B2B SaaS leaders.

A conversation at one of those events turned into a multi-year partnership helping a CEO build an entire European commercial team from scratch.

A few moments worth stealing for your own desk:

• How paid events drive high attendance and attract the right crowd
• How to turn a vague hiring idea into a real recruitment strategy (role clarity + a sellable story + timeline)
• The underrated power of locking in interview dates early to create momentum and commitment
• Ben’s simple way to cut through candidate noise: a 2-minute pitch video + instant calendar booking
• What makes Germany uniquely tough for startup hiring — and how to de-risk the pitch for A-players

If you recruit in SaaS, build client relationships or you’re trying to stand out in a sea of “vanilla outreach”, this episode is a playbook.

Listen to the latest episode of Recruiter Wins with Ben Watkins.

Some placements happen fast.

The best ones happen because you played the long game.

On the newest episode of Recruiter Wins, I sat down with Lindsey Bozzio (COO, SurfSearch) to unpack a recruiting win that every recruiter will recognize:

• Found the perfect Design / Product Development Engineer
• Candidate wasn’t ready to move
• The client paused the search
• Four weeks after restarting? Offer in hand

A few takeaways from this episode:

• Know your client deeply (culture + what “great” actually looks like) so you can spot the right person instantly.
• Keep A-players warm without being transactional. Conduct real check-ins with genuine curiosity.
• AI can help you track info but it can’t replace trust. Lindsey tested automated touchpoints and saw the same thing many of us have: if it doesn’t feel human, it doesn’t get replies.

If you’ve ever had a search go on hold, a candidate say “not right now,” or a deal come down to timing, this one’s for you.

Listen to Recruiter Wins with Lindsey Bozzio wherever you get your podcasts.

Most recruiters talk about “quality.”

Richard Lock built an entire firm around it.

On the latest episode of Recruiter Wins, I sat down with Richard Lock, founder of Lock Search Group, and instead of one “big recruiting win,” Richard shares the playbook behind building a national agency that’s thrived through recessions, industry booms and massive shifts like LinkedIn + AI.

A few highlights:

- He started as a one-person shop… and drove a taxi at night during a brutal recession to keep the dream alive.

- Growth was opportunistic and intentional, including a defining moment in 1999 when his firm won a nationwide project to build an entire specialty sales force across Canada.

- His “secret sauce” isn’t sourcing tool. It’s knowing the story behind the story (and protecting clients from time-wasters).

- He’s adamant about something too many recruiters forget: candidates are clients and clients are candidates. Treat both with the same respect.

- And the big one for every agency owner: your business has to pivot. What worked 10 years ago won’t carry you now.

If you run a desk, lead a team, or own a firm, and you’ve felt the pressure of a changing market, this episode is full of timeless lessons.

Listen to this week’s Recruiter Wins with Richard Lock wherever you get your podcasts.

Most recruiters say they “specialize” in an industry.

Daryl Rosenstein actually lives his niche.

In the latest episode of Recruiter Wins, Daryl Rosenstein of The Rosenstein Group shares how one recruiting win turned into 16 placements with the same company.

What stood out most from this conversation:

• Follow your passion, not just a vertical - Daryl’s interest in the product and space made him naturally go deeper than a transactional recruiter ever will.
• Do the “competitor homework” before you ever pitch - He earned credibility by naming competitors, understanding the landscape and asking the best question: “What are you doing differently that’s going to lead you to win in this market?”
• Turn one placement into an account - After delivering, he didn’t disappear. Instead, he introduced himself to other leaders and made sure the wider team knew he was a resource.
• Bring market intel, not just resumes - Daryl shared industry news stories and changes at competitors to add value between searches.
• Real expertise takes real time. Daryl spends 10–15 hours a week staying on top of his market because that’s how you stay relevant to top performers.

If you recruit in sales/marketing (or any competitive niche), this episode is a masterclass in how to become the recruiter clients keep and candidates trust.

Listen to the full episode of Recruiter Wins with Daryl Rosenstein wherever you get your podcasts.

What does it really look like to turn a high-pressure search during COVID into a long-term win for the client and the candidate?

On this week’s episode of Recruiter Wins, I sat down with Aman Sodi, recruiter at Summit Search Group, who shared how she navigated a Director of People & Culture search in late 2021, right in the middle of school closures, parenting chaos and shifting employee expectations.

This wasn’t just “fill the role fast and move on.”

It was about:

• Balancing a client who needed someone in-seat ASAP with a top candidate who had just taken a family-focused career break.
• Building flexible start date options (modified schedules, delayed ramp-up) before things went sideways.
• Framing tough conversations about salary and flexibility with data, market benchmarks and real options (not just “sorry, that’s the market”)
• Treating the placement as the beginning of the relationship: one week, one month, three month, 6+ month check-ins that turn today’s placement into tomorrow’s client

Fast forward almost four years: that candidate is still in the role, has built out an HR team and is thriving.

That’s the win.

If you’re a recruiter who’s:

• Juggling misaligned expectations on comp or flexibility
• Trying to push back on clients without damaging the relationship
• Wondering how to build a real partnership model vs. one-and-done placements

…this episode will give you a super practical playbook.

Check out my conversation with Aman Sodi on Recruiter Wins and steal some of her frameworks for your next tough search.

What does it actually take to fill a niche Director of Dairy Sourcing role in the middle of Wisconsin… when the client isn’t even sure what they really need yet?

That’s the recruiting challenge we unpack in the latest episode of Recruiter Wins with George Blomgren, Recruiting Manager at Kinsa Group and 20-year talent acquisition veteran in food & beverage.

This one hit home for anyone working tough, specialized searches where every variable seems stacked against you:

• a brand new, poorly defined role (that turned out to be all about ultra-filtered milk purchasing)
• a relocation-only opportunity in a mid-sized town
• a function (procurement) where most top candidates want to stay remote
• an amazing client… with a rusty hiring process thanks to years of low turnover

George breaks down how he turned this into a true recruiting win by:

- Turning vague reqs into real clarity, asking, “What problem do you really want this hire to solve?” and using every rejected candidate as a source of market intel

- Going beyond the job ad to make sure that the best candidate was willing to relocate, researching schools, crime, recreation, DEI factors and even local food options and houses of worship

- Coaching a low-turnover client on candidate experience, from simple things like interviewers introducing themselves to building a process that doesn’t scare off A-players

The line that stuck with me:

“If you get an expert on the phone, even if they’re not a fit, don’t rush off. Learn everything you can from them.”

If you recruit for niche roles, manage relocation-heavy searches or work with clients who “don’t know what they don’t know” about a role, this episode is packed with practical scripts, questions and mindset shifts you can use on your very next search.

Every recruiter remembers their first placement.

But what if that one placement didn’t just launch your career…

…it became the clearest proof that AI will never replace what you do?

On this week’s episode of Recruiter Wins, I sat down with George Santos, Managing Director & Head of Marketing at 180 Engineering, to unpack the story of his very first placement and how it shaped his entire view of recruiting.

George went from retail to recruiting, got thrown into a highly technical software engineering search for a casino gaming company and felt like an impostor talking to senior engineers who’d been doing this longer than he’d been in the workforce.

What changed everything wasn’t his technical knowledge. It was realizing where his real value was.

Here’s what really stuck with me:

- Any placement can turn a job into a career. The software engineer George placed is still at the same company almost 12 years later.

- A recruiter needs to hold their candidate's hands through difficult changes. Candidates might only change jobs 5 to 6 times in their life. You do this every day. Helping them navigate fear, doubt, and “is this normal?” is the real differentiator.

- AI is a tool, not a replacement. George is pro-AI for sourcing, admin and polish but when it comes to “Am I making the right move for my family?”, a bot can’t sit with that anxiety the way a human can.

If you’ve ever:

- Wondered whether your work really changes lives

- Felt that nervous energy on your first (or next) big search

- Worried about where AI fits into your future as a recruiter

…this episode will hit home.

Listen to my conversation with George Santos on Recruiter Wins and get a fresh reminder of why great recruiting will always be a human-first profession.