The Elite Recruiter Podcast

Stephanie Lowenstern, a South Florida recruiter and founder who built a go-to-market search firm for tech startups, shares a raw resilience story. She kept sourcing and billing through labor and a traumatic postpartum breakup. The conversation covers building a $170K first year, spending heavily on healing, daily habits that sustained her, and raising standards in recruiting.

Reyhan Khan, systems and operations expert who builds GTM systems for recruiting firms and places offshore talent. He explains why a GTM engineer should come before hiring more recruiters. Short takes on intent-based outreach, market mapping for niche TAMs, the HR ratio playbook, vetting GTM vendors, and where AI will and will not replace recruiting work.

Jordan Shlosberg, founder of Atlas and former ProSapient builder, creates AI that removes recruiting admin and unlocks candidate memory. He explains why recruiters face a memory—not data—problem. He outlines how AI will shift market share to savvy agencies. He highlights rapid product features like Magic Search, email drafting, and a speccing autopilot that multiply recruiter impact.

Josh Volinsky, co-founder and president of Synergy Search and former record-setting biller, built a $5M recruiting firm by hiring accountants, not recruiters. He discusses rapid scaling, a culture reset after tragedy and market shifts, KPI-driven turnarounds, the day-in-the-life hiring test, and why equal partner splits and relationship-focused selling drove top performance.

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/

Will Wegert, a Denver-based software engineering recruiter who built a niche, attraction-driven system and scaled to $1M+ billings. He explains why niching to one city mattered. He shares his three-spoke Inner Circle model, his LinkedIn content formula, and the data audit that redirected his career. Short, tactical stories about meetups, CTO lunches, and the ABC Marketing cadence tie it together.

Jamie Lupo, an 18-year recruiting leader who trains teams and rebuilds desks. She breaks down owning the process, scheduling debriefs before interviews, using reference calls to trigger client responses, and a flat-desk reset to turn routine work into revenue. Short, tactical moves to stop waiting and start controlling hiring outcomes.

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/

What if you never made a single business development cold call and still billed almost a million dollars in your first 18 months solo? That's not a hypothetical. That's exactly what happened when one recruiter bet everything on owning his niche and letting LinkedIn do the selling for him. Most recruiters are taught to smile, dial, and grind through cold BD calls to build a book of business. This episode flips that model completely. You'll hear the exact framework behind a recruiter who walked away from his entire book of business, announced his new firm on LinkedIn, and had 3 new clients reach out within 48 hours — without picking up the phone. If you're building inbound demand, escaping the cold-call hamster wheel, or creating a recruiting brand that sells for you, this is your blueprint. What You'll Learn The 3-pillar "Civil Recruiter Brand Model" for building a self-sustaining recruiting business without traditional BD callsWhy guarding your LinkedIn network like a hawk is the single highest-ROI move most recruiters ignore — and how to do itThe exact content batching system that produces 3–4 posts per week in just 2 hours per monthHow announcing his solo launch on LinkedIn generated 3 inbound clients in 48 hours — and the groundwork that made it possibleWhy he believes his billings would be cut in half or more without his LinkedIn presenceThe mindset shift from KPI hunter to trusted resource — and why it closes more dealsHow he uses a VA to pre-vet 40–50 candidates per role so he only shows up to callThe real emotional cost of leaving a mentor, losing your book of business, and going 100% commission with a family to feed About the Guest Brandon McGill is the founder of The Civil Recruiter, a niche recruiting firm specializing in geotechnical, structural, and civil land development engineering. In 18 months since launching, he's billed $959K, placed over 30 engineers, and built a content engine generating 1.7 million LinkedIn impressions per year, all without a single traditional BD cold call. Timestamps [00:02:31] Benjamin introduces Brandon's numbers: $959K billed, zero BD calls, 18 months solo [00:06:25] How LinkedIn content replaced cold calling as the #1 business development channel [00:07:33] Can anyone replicate this? What's transferable to any niche [00:15:37] 48 hours after his LinkedIn announcement: 3 new clients, zero outbound [00:20:39] "Cut it in half, if not more" — what his billings would be without LinkedIn [00:42:46] His repeatable process: VA sourcing, Loxo workflows, and showing up ready to call [00:49:23] Honest reflection: what he'd do differently to hit $1.25M Sponsors 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 Join the Community This is Your Year - Recruiter Summit https://this-is-your-year-recruiter-summit.heysummit.com/ Elite Recruiter Community — all summits, replays, billers club + 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 YouTube: Follow Brandon McGill on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/brandonmcgill/ Benjamin Mena → http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/ Benjamin on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/ Benjamin on Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/

Camp Jennings, co-founder of Henry North and former sales leader, scaled a niche recruiting firm fast using industry credibility and relentless outreach. He recounts noisy launch tactics, cold-call messaging that built instant trust, hiring earlier than most founders admit, and how a niche podcast unlocked executive conversations. Short, gritty lessons on prospecting, delivery pressure, and authentic branding.