Recruitment Agency Guide

A lot of candidates think that recruiters get to choose who gets hired and who doesn’t, but for many industries & roles, this couldn’t be further from the truth.  → Yes, recruiters play a really important role in quarterbacking the hiring process.  → But the interviewer panel has a lot more say over whether someone’s the right fit.  → And while recruiters help facilitate debriefs, hiring managers ultimately choose who to hire. The inverse is also misunderstood where hiring managers think recruiters have a lot more influence over whether a candidate chooses to accept.  → Ultimately, candidates decide based on a ton of factors, and are oftentimes more influenced by the role fit, company fit, comp, and the entire panel they met than the recruiter. Recruiters are facilitators, recruiters are strategic partners to candidates & hiring teams, but they aren’t the final decision makers.

WORD OF WARNING JOB SEEKERS! A dear friend of mine was recently contacted by someone presenting as a recruiter about a role with a well-known software company. He provided very specific details — the role, company, salary, and benefits. He even boasted that the candidates he puts forward “always get interviews” because he prescreens their references and submits both the resume and the references to the client. Trusting the process, she provided several references. Soon after, all of those contacts received calls — not about her candidacy, but with sales pitches for the recruiter’s services. Here’s what she uncovered: there was no job. When she called the company directly, they confirmed they weren’t hiring for that role and had never heard of his recruiting firm. She documented everything with screenshots and reported him to LinkedIn. Red flags to watch for: • Requests for multiple references before you’ve had any interview or confirmation of candidacy. • A recruiter who emphasizes “prescreening” or “special access” to gain your trust. The job market is challenging enough without tactics like this. Sharing this as a reminder to all candidates: protect your network, and trust your instincts.

📱 My phone’s been blowing up lately—colleagues on both sides of the hiring game are venting about the same thing. Job seekers can’t land roles, and hiring managers can’t find people who actually stay. About half of my network who were job-hunting have found something, but the other half are still stuck in the grind. Meanwhile, companies tell me that even when they do make a hire, retention is a nightmare—new employees are bouncing within six months. The disconnect is real: companies are hiring, candidates are applying, but something is clearly broken. Traditional hiring—bloated job descriptions, ATS black holes, and never-ending interview rounds—is failing everyone. So, what needs to change? 🔄 Here’s what I’ve seen work: ✅ Ditch the ATS Dependence – Get back to human recruiting instead of relying on keyword filters. ✍️ Fix Job Descriptions – Make them clear, real, and relevant—cut the jargon. 🤝 Prioritize Personal Connections – Hiring managers should actively engage instead of passively posting. 🎯 Focus on Skills, Not Just Titles – Look at what candidates can actually do, not just where they’ve been. ⏳ Speed Up the Process – The best talent won’t wait around for a four-week approval cycle. 💬 Improve the Candidate Experience – Give real feedback and make the process transparent. Here’s a real-world fix I put in place: At a previous company, the hiring pipeline was a mess—ATS filters blocked great candidates, and the process dragged on. I introduced a referral-first hiring approach, tapping employees’ networks before posting publicly. We also replaced multiple early-stage screenings with a 30-minute call with the hiring manager. 📉 Time-to-hire dropped 35% 🎯 Quality of hires improved—better fits, fewer regrets 📈 Retention rates increased—candidates knew exactly what they were signing up for 🔑 Bottom line: Hiring is broken, but it doesn’t have to be. The best hires come through real connections, not algorithms. What’s been your biggest hiring (or job search) frustration lately? Drop a comment 👇 #Hiring #Recruiting #JobSearch #TalentStrategy #HR #FutureOfWork

As an agency recruiter, it's critical to make sure you don't work any dead jobs*. *Dead jobs are jobs that are complete time wasters that don't result in placements assuming you serviced it properly with solid candidate quality and quantity Here's how you sniff one out: ✅ Dig deep during client intake/job spec call Don't just ask surface level questions. - Why can't they just divert resources and/or promote someone internally? - Who else is servicing the req? - How's the internal TA support? - Why not do retained on the search if the need is so "serious"? These questions will help you find the heart of the issue and are good to test the client. 🚩 Those who say "money isn't a problem" 9/10 they're up to no good. I ain't ever met a client that would just frivolously throw out money without thinking. Money matters, despite what clients may say in order to dangle the carrot for you to waste your time. Those who boast about their money bags are rarely the ones that find the recruitment fee inconsequential when it comes time to pay up... 📖 Take note of how they behave after candidates are submitted - How fast are they responding to request an interview? - How engaged are they for debrief processes? - How quickly do they follow up on subsequent scheduling for next steps? - Are they finding excuses to just see candidates or are they showing serious buying behavior? Evaluate the search and client about 2 weeks into the process. If you see something off, say something. But hopefully you won't run into too many issues if you've done your job right at the outset. Anything else to add here? #r2r #rec2rec #sales #clients #bd #recruitment #recruitmentraining #recruiters #recruiter

Last week, I got two different emails about the exact same "job" from two completely different recruiters at the same “company”—both claiming there’s a role that urgently needs my talents in recruiting automotive manufacturing talent. Same job. Same wording. Two different recruiters. Either I’m in high demand (flattered!), or it's fake job spam. Here’s the thing: not all recruiter outreach is legit. And while this might be a real job, this kind of scattershot approach is not a good look for any company trusting an agency to represent their employer brand. It screams “we’re not aligned” and makes job seekers question what’s real and what’s a phishing expedition. Red flags to look out for: 🚩Multiple outreach messages from different people about the exact same role from an agency you've never heard of or looks sketch. 🚩Broken formatting, typos, or vague contact details? 🚩Unrealistic or misaligned requirements, salary or hiring process. See 2+ years experience and then later in the post 0-20 years experience. 🤣 Always vet the recruiter. Look them up on LinkedIn. Check the company website to see if they are in deed hiring and/or review the recruiters website. It's better to be safe than sorry. #recruiting #jobsearch #talentacquisition

When a potential client reaches out eager to pay you, it’s tempting to say yes immediately. But hold on! ⏸️ Before you accept that job, there’s one crucial test you need to do: Ask them, “Have you tried solving this problem before? What happened?” Their answer reveals everything. If they’ve repeatedly switched providers, consistently blame others, or have lengthy gaps without seeking help, these are red flags 🚩 signaling poor leadership, micromanagement, or stinginess. Good leaders keep good people around. Period. If your potential client has a track record of stable partnerships and clear reasons for seeking new help, you’ve likely found a winner. But if their past is riddled with “bad luck” or frequent provider changes, it’s time to RUN, not walk. Choose your clients wisely—your future self will thank you!

Back in June we went to Alex Hormozi's two day business workshop And biggest takeaway was that we were not spending enough time focused on the boring work We were chasing too many big ideas instead of focusing on the fundamentals One of those fundamentals was our recruiting and hiring process Here is our current hiring process that has allowed us to decrease time spent hiring new roles by 50% while evaluating 3x more candidates This is the same process I used to hire 7 new roles in the past two weeks managing 100% of the process while having time to focus on my other priorities The roles hired: 1x Sr. TikTok Shop Strategist 3x Influencer marketing & Community manager 1x TikTok Shop Coordinator 1x Influencer Coordinator 1 Influencer Operations Coordinator Our process: 1. We got set up with LinkedIn Recruiter This has saved me so much time and the quality of candidates has drastically improved 2. Post a job using one of our open job slots instead of using linkedin's pay per click job post 3. Use recruiter to filter people that have the exact experience we need 4. Mass invite them to open jobs 5. Send mass messages + automated follow ups using recruiters CRM directing candidates to go through a video interview process using MyInterview Instead of reviewing applications one by one and sending individual messages to each candidate, We can do a first pass at their job history and mass message all qualified candidates + schedule automated follow ups with one click This step also replaced our first round interview We set up 5-6 interview questions that each candidate answers related to the role 6. Watch videos interviews and create a short list of our top 10-15 candidates and set up first round interviews 7. Invite top 3 candidates to a second interview to go deeper on culture related questions 8. Ask for 5 references from each candidate (front door references) Schedule calls with each reference and have template questions that I ask 9. Reach out to 1-2 back door references - these are people that weren't included but had a working relationship with the candidate (usually one of the previous managers at company they no longer work at) 10. Make an offer LinkedIn recruiter + video interviews have given me more time back to dedicate to reference checks to make sure we're hiring the best possible candidate Before Hormozi, our recruiting and hiring process was embarrassing We mostly hired out of convenience and we paid the price for it I've completely cut out chasing big ideas to focus 100% of my time on the "boring" work The best part is that I love recruiting now Theres nothing boring about finding the best people to join our mission Lmk your best interview questions below

After years of working with candidates across all experience levels, there are fundamental misunderstandings about the recruitment process that consistently hinder job search effectiveness. Understanding these realities can dramatically improve your approach: Recruiters represent employer interests, not candidate interests. We're retained to solve specific hiring challenges for our clients, which means our primary obligation is to the hiring organization. Feedback limitations often stem from client policies or legal restrictions, not recruiter disinterest. When communication goes silent, it's frequently due to factors beyond our control. Qualification doesn't guarantee selection. Role alignment involves multiple factors including cultural fit, timing, and specific client requirements that may not be apparent from job descriptions. Professional courtesy matters long-term. How you handle rejection, communicate during processes, and maintain relationships affects future opportunity access within recruiting networks. The most successful candidates understand that recruitment is relationship-based. They maintain professional connections, communicate transparently, and approach interactions strategically rather than transactionally. Building positive recruiter relationships creates competitive advantages that extend far beyond individual job searches. What aspects of the recruitment process do you find most challenging or unclear? Sign up to my newsletter for more corporate insights and truths here: https://vist.ly/3zn48 #deepalivyas #eliterecruiter #recruiter #recruitment #jobsearch #corporate #candidateadvice #recruitmentprocess #careerstrategist

High performers audit your culture more than your leaders do. They don’t need surveys or onboarding decks. They’re looking for real signals. If your culture rewards politics over performance, they will know before you do. First, elite talent watches who wins. Promotions, praise, stretch roles. They track the patterns. If outcomes are not driving recognition, they opt out. Often silently. Second, they test merit quickly. The best talent wants to know: is this a company where impact wins? Or one where tenure, alliances, or noise matter more? They make that call in weeks, not quarters. Third, stars do not buy your internal narrative. Engagement surveys miss what they see. They read the unspoken rules, not the branded values. That is why you lose them without warning. Fourth, misaligned incentives break trust. When leaders reward loyalty over results, high performers disengage. They will not protest. They will outperform until they no longer care. Then they are gone. Fifth, A-players are free strategy audits. They see the disconnect between what is said and what is done. Most will not tell you unless you explicitly ask and prove you will act. Many will not stay long enough to bother. Sixth, culture shows up in who stays. Retention is not about perks. It is about whether top performers feel seen, stretched, and accelerated. If they are not answering recruiter calls, you are doing something right. Your best talent mirrors your truth. They see everything. Reward performance, not noise, or they will quietly walk. If your meritocracy isn’t real, your best hires will be the first to tell you. Learn more by reading the Talent Sherpa substack at https://buff.ly/BhSC0Wa

12 silent reasons your top talent quits. (and how you can retain them) This isn’t about perks—it’s about humanity. Your competitors retain stars effortlessly. Losing one employee costs 2x their salary. Your team’s loyalty hinges on invisible fixes. Here's what your best people won’t tell you: 1. Flexibility > Rigid Schedules → 9-5 rigidity burns out top performers. → Let them block “focus hours” guilt-free. 2. Recognize Effort Early → Praise before exit interviews. → Spotlight wins weekly, not annually. 3. Invest in Growth → Stagnation = silent resignation. → Fund courses, even unrelated to their role. 4. Kill Micromanagement → Autonomy fuels innovation. → Swap daily check-ins for weekly goals. 5. Pay Fairly, Not “Market Rate” → Underpayment breeds resentment. → Audit salaries before they get offers. 6. Protect Mental Health → Burnout isn’t a badge of honor. → Enforce meeting-free Fridays. Model boundaries. 7. Clear Promotion Paths → Ambiguity = “Why stay?” → Co-create 6/12/18-month career plans. 8. Let Them Disconnect → After-hours emails erode trust. → Ban non-urgent messages post-6 PM. 9. Fix Toxic Dynamics Fast → Ignored conflicts = endorsed dysfunction. → Train managers to mediate, not avoid. 10. Make Work Meaningful → “Hit KPIs” crushes souls. → Tie tasks to real-world impact. 11. Fix Broken Processes → Clunky tools = daily frustration. → Let them veto one pointless task quarterly. 12. Build Real Community → Forced fun fails. → Create peer mentorships, not pizza parties. Retention isn’t luck, it’s intentionality. Your culture is your currency, invest wisely. Which one hits the hardest? ♻️ Repost this and spread the word. P.S. It's always better to retain the best.