The Elite Recruiter Podcast

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.

Brianna Rooney, the Millionaire Recruiter who built and sold recruiting firms and trains high-performing billers. She reveals the Sourcing Map for mapping team patterns, how to hunt by company signals not just keywords, and a rapid outreach system using the 4 U's (Urgent, Unique, Ultra-specific, Useful). She pushes speed over perfection, tracking rejects, and habits to scale sourcing and close deals faster.

Mike Anderson, elite BD trainer and former high-volume agency biller who now coaches recruiters, walks through a repeatable system to create demand on command. He covers time protection, process-focused KPIs, calculating your true hourly value, LinkedIn voice-note outreach, and the lone-wolf advantages of owning relationships. Short, tactical, and unapologetically proactive.

Mike Anderson, a top-performing recruiter turned solo operator and coach, built multiple revenue streams and the Recruiter Billprint. He breaks down when leaving an agency makes sense. Short takes on the mindset shifts, the financial runway you need, why partnerships fail, and the BD skills required to survive solo. Practical warnings and real talk for anyone weighing the leap.

Hiring froze. Budgets stalled. Confidence disappeared. Yet some recruiters stayed busy—and kept billing while others panicked. 🔥 JOIN THE 30-DAY BD CHALLENGE (KICKS OFF FEB 9TH) 2026 is the year of action. We are launching a 30-day challenge to help you crush your business development goals, build accountability, and implement the strategies from this podcast. Join The Elite Recruiter Community to participate: https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community Why This Episode Matters When the market tightens, activity alone stops working. This episode breaks down how elite recruiters protect revenue, win clients, and stay relevant during hiring freezes—using smarter business development, sharper qualification, and relationship-driven execution in an AI-disrupted recruiting market. If your desk feels stuck or unpredictable, this conversation shows exactly how to regain control.  What You’ll Learn The mindset shift veteran recruiters use to stay productive when pipelines slowThe hidden job-qualification mistake that wastes months of effort in down marketsThe exact moment to walk away from a search—and why it boosts billingsWhy engaged searches outperform contingency when hiring confidence dropsThe candidate question that prevents late-stage offer blowupsHow top recruiters are using AI recruiting tools to uncover BD targets fasterThe relationship-first outreach approach that still opens doors when budgets freeze   About the Guest Sean Rigsby is the founder of Rigsby Search Group and a 30+ year recruiting veteran with more than 900 placements nationwide. Specializing in environmental consulting, Sean has survived multiple downturns and built a durable desk that continues to produce through market volatility.  Why This Will Change Your Desk If your desk feels slower, this episode delivers clarity—not hype. You’ll hear how experienced recruiters adjust when hiring cycles drag, how to protect time and margins, and why trust-based relationships outperform volume during downturns. Apply these lessons and your pipeline becomes calmer, more predictable, and positioned to surge when the market rebounds.  Listen Now Don’t wait for the market to “come back.” Queue this up and learn how top recruiters keep billing when hiring freezes. Timestamp Highlights 00:02 – Why most recruiters freeze during downturns (and how to avoid it)06:45 – Starting recruiting with no experience and brutal odds11:40 – Why nearly everyone quits early—and why Sean didn’t16:35 – Leaving a 19-year firm and betting on relationships21:05 – How political and regulatory shifts crushed hiring demand26:15 – Staying focused when bad news dominates the market30:10 – The pivot from contingency to engaged searches34:35 – How engagement doubled fill rates and raised fees38:45 – Eliminating low-level roles to protect margins45:25 – Advice every recruiter needs in a down cycle54:00 – Firing a nightmare client—and why it paid off 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 Summit + Community 🎯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 Free Trial: Pin → https://www.pin.com/ Email List → https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe YouTube Episode → https://youtu.be/q6iaRm1MKX0 Guest LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrigsbyenvironmentalrecruiter/ Host Website → http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/ Benjamin Mena on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/ Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/

Jacob Stripling, a 10-year recruiting veteran and founder of Future State Careers and WholeStory.me, champions human-centered recruiting. He breaks down why transactional recruiting is obsolete in 2026. He explains the 4 Tiers of Differentiation, how to surface true cultural sacrifices, and how to shift from volume-driven tactics to high-value, authentic candidate storytelling.

Shad Tidler, senior sales consultant at Lucian who helps recruiting and staffing firms scale from $5M to $25M+, shares a four-part growth framework: Strategy, Structure, Staff, and Skills. He talks about mapping processes to stop recurring failures. He explains why leaders often become the bottleneck and how to build repeatable sales systems and accountability that stick.

Most recruiters aren’t underperforming — they’re over-filtering. Chasing “perfect” candidates is quietly costing you deals, speed, and money.  🎧 Tricia Tamkin & Jason Thibeault on Why Perfect Candidates Cost Recruiters Money 1. Episode Hook Chasing “perfect” candidates feels responsible. It’s also the fastest way to kill deals, slow your desk, and lose fees. 2. Why This Episode Matters Most recruiters are unknowingly playing the wrong game. They wait. They hesitate. They protect “standards.” And while they do, other recruiters close the deal. This episode shows how elite recruiters actually think about candidate fit—and how a simple mindset shift can unlock faster placements, higher billings, and more control in an increasingly competitive, AI-driven recruiting market. 3. What You’ll Learn The 70–80% fit rule top billers use to place candidates fasterThe hidden mistake recruiters make when they treat job descriptions as “non-negotiable”The exact way to present an almost-fit candidate without losing credibilityWhy waiting for perfect profiles quietly destroys momentum and time-to-fillThe conversation shift that gets hiring managers to lean in instead of push backWhen submitting a stretch candidate is smart—and when it’s a costly mistakeHow this approach directly increases confidence, revenue, and client trust 4. About the Guests Tricia Tamkin and Jason Thibeault are two of the most respected voices in recruiter training, known for helping recruiters and firm owners break outdated rules, move faster, and consistently close more deals without burning out or playing it safe. 5. Extended Value Tease If your desk feels stuck, slow, or overly dependent on “perfect” candidates showing up—this episode will reset how you recruit. After listening, you’ll stop second-guessing strong candidates, present with conviction, and move faster than competitors who are still waiting for ideal profiles that rarely exist. This is how recruiters separate from the pack and scale their desk with confidence. 6. Listen Now CTA Don’t skip this one. Queue it up now and learn how top recruiters stop waiting—and start closing. 7. Timestamp Highlights [00:01] Why “perfect fit” recruiting quietly costs recruiters money [03:55] The 70–80% rule elite billers actually follow [07:20] Why job descriptions are aspirational—not real [10:45] The dating analogy that reframes candidate submissions [14:30] When almost-fit candidates get hired anyway [18:10] How to sell the gap instead of hiding it [22:05] What hiring managers really decide on [26:40] When NOT to submit a stretch candidate [30:15] The confidence shift that changes your desk [34:50] How this mindset increases long-term revenue 8. Sponsors Section 🚀 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 9. Summit + Community 🎯 2026 Sales and BD Recruiter Summit https://bd-sales-recruiter-2026.heysummit.com/ 💼 Join the Elite Recruiter Community (All summits, replays, Billers Club + Split Space) https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community 10. Tools & Links Free Trial: Pin → https://www.pin.com/ Email List → https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe YouTube Episode → https://youtu.be/tHWJiPxhIfs Guest LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/triciatamkin/ and https://www.linkedin.com/in/jasonthibeault/ 🎙 Hosted by Benjamin Mena http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/ LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/

Michael Silverstein, a Pinnacle Society top-biller who built a scalable healthcare tech and life sciences recruiting practice, discusses trading cold outreach for relationship-driven inbound demand. He explains creating a curated network, programming monthly value-packed calls, sending viral talent mailers, and turning investor and operator mindshare into predictable revenue. He also covers investing/advising strategies and building a team that compounds over time.

1. Episode Hook Recruiters don’t have a talent problem right now. They have a client acquisition problem—and most are fixing it the wrong way. 2. Why This Episode Matters The last 18–24 months forced recruiters back into real business development. In this episode, Sharon Bondurant breaks down the simple, overlooked strategies that consistently win clients—even in tough markets—without burning out or hiding behind tools. If you want more job orders, more control, and more predictable revenue in 2025 and beyond, this episode is required listening. 3. What You’ll Learn The “Bullseye Strategy” for finding clients closest to the money (without cold-call paralysis)Why most recruiters start BD in the worst possible place—and how to flip itHow to turn everyday recruiting activity into new job orders using “Rabbit Hole Recruiting”The missed-placement audit that can uncover hidden $20K–$30K fees you’re already owedWhen automation actually helps BD—and when it silently kills dealsThe mindset shift that can double your income without doubling your hoursHow consistency beats elite sales skills every time in modern recruiting 4. About the Guest Sharon Bondurant is a 30-year recruiting veteran, founder of The Finders, Inc. 5000 alum, and creator of a modern brokerage model for elite recruiters. Her firm has generated $45M+ in revenue and placed over 5,300 professionals. 5. Extended Value Tease After this episode, business development stops feeling random and exhausting. You’ll know exactly who to call, what to focus on, and how to create momentum fast—using assets and relationships you already have. This isn’t hype. It’s repeatable, proven recruiting strategy from someone who’s seen every market cycle. 6. Listen Now CTA If you want more clients, cleaner BD, and a smarter way to grow in 2026—press play now. 7. Timestamp Highlights 00:03 – Why BD feels harder now (and what’s actually changed)05:30 – The mindset prerequisite most recruiters skip10:45 – How BD can literally double your income21:10 – The Bullseye Strategy explained27:15 – Why cold calling strangers first kills momentum29:00 – Rabbit Hole Recruiting in action35:20 – The missed placement audit most firms never run39:10 – When to automate—and when not to42:00 – Why consistency beats sales talent45:30 – Final advice for winning in 2026 8. Sponsors 🚀 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 9. Summit + Community 🎯 2026 Sales and BD Recruiter Summit https://bd-sales-recruiter-2026.heysummit.com/ 💼 Join the Elite Recruiter Community (All summits, replays, Billers Club + split space) https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community 10. Tools & Links Free Trial: Pin → https://www.pin.com/ Signup for emails → https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe YouTube: https://youtu.be/l1WR9UFoYmg Follow Guest on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/sharonbondurant/ Host Benjamin Mena → http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/ Benjamin LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/ If business development has felt heavier lately, this episode shows you how to make it lighter—and far more profitable.