Episodes

Thursday May 16, 2024
Thursday May 16, 2024
Join your host, Alison Humphries, for an enlightening conversation on recruitment pricing strategies with Jon Brooks, Pricing Consultant & Founder of The Value Advantage.
In this episode, you can expect Alison and Jon to discuss alternative pricing models that focus on the true value your business delivers, delve into the psychology for pricing and negotiation, and piece together a part of the productivity picture that may be currently ignored…
This episode is a must-listen for recruitment professionals seeking to hear a balanced and nuanced discussion on pricing, with real-life examples and questions on pricing that you probably have, but have never asked.
Gain valuable insights and practical strategies on optimising your pricing strategy to reward your hard work and reflect the impact you make.
Timestamped Guide:
00:46 - Introduction to Jon
02:26 - This industry has been forever stuck basing it’s pricing of a percentage of salaries. Why do we do that? And why is the industry so wedded to it, in your opinion?
04:47 - I remain unconvinced thatsalary percentage reflects the amount of work involved. What are your thoughts, Jon?
10:20 - Do you have any quick points of advice for people who are having to consider clients terms?
13:3 - What are your thoughts on offering them a choice, where a contingency cost is higher, and a retained cost is lower?
22:02 - For the sake of those who may not have looked at this before, should we just review some of the other variables that we can bring into a discussion about fees?
29:58 - What are your tips and advice for the successful implementation of a new pricing strategy?
Connect with Jon on LinkedIn
Jon’s newsletter: pricing.substack.com
Interested in speaking to Alison about a holistic conversation including pricing and conversation?
Get in touch, today!

Thursday Apr 11, 2024
Thursday Apr 11, 2024
Join your host, Alison Humphries, for a thought-provoking discussion on the evolving landscape of AI and automation in recruitment in this episode with James Kingston, CEO of Kingston Barnes.
In this episode, you can expect Alison and James to explore the strategic implementation of automation and AI tools within the recruitment process, with practical tips for onboarding and measuring success.
Tackling whether robots and recruiters can really work together, key topics explored include:
A critical analysis of automation tools: We delve into James' practical experience with LinkedIn automation and TriplePhi at Kingston Barnes, examining the potential benefits and inherent risks associated with these technologies.
Learning from the past: We dissect the case of Amazon's unsuccessful recruitment AI, highlighting the importance of careful testing and responsible management when adopting new systems.
Actionable insights for leaders: James offers practical guidance for recruitment leaders looking to implement automation effectively. Setting clear objectives, rigorous testing, audience segmentation, and staff empowerment are all crucial elements for success.
Measuring the impact: We explore the challenges and considerations involved in quantifying the return on investment for automation tools, and why “softer” measures such as candidate experience are just as vital as financial gains.
A shift in industry perspective: We delve into the evolving attitude towards technological advancements in recruitment, which is moving towards a collaborative and nuanced approach that leverages technology for its strategic advantages.
The human element remains paramount: James emphasises his belief that AI will ultimately serve as a supportive tool, not a replacement for human interaction.
This episode is a must-listen for recruitment professionals seeking to navigate the ever-changing talent acquisition landscape. Gain valuable insights and practical strategies for harnessing the power of automation, while ensuring that a human-centric approach to your recruitment process remains.
Timestamped Guide:
00:50 - About James and his journey with automation and AI: how did you start implementing it? And why?
10:13 - So, thinking about the whole landscape, what other parts of the recruitment workflow have you decided to automate? And can you also talk to us about your choice of partners to work with to do that?
15:08 - What top bits of advice would you give other business leaders when they're implementing a new system implementation?
05:11 - Why it’s important that recruiters understand their own commission schemes
26:46 - Not one of the companies I know can give me a positive answer when I asked them “Yes, but has an overall performance per billing consultant, has it actually improved?” - what are your thoughts on that?
31:06 - Have you found that you need to consider your three markets separately when implementing any automation?
33:23 - How do you anticipate the use of AI in the recruitment sector?
37:18 - James, you're also an author - would you like to just tell the audience about your book?
Connect with James on LinkedIn
James’ book: https://amzn.eu/d/55xBaMp
Interested in speaking to Alison about your business strategy?
Get in touch, today!

Thursday Mar 14, 2024
Scaling your Recruitment Business for Success with Ollie Whiting, CEO at La Fosse
Thursday Mar 14, 2024
Thursday Mar 14, 2024
Join your host Alison Humphries, as she speaks with Ollie Whiting, CEO at La Fosse and discover Ollie’s secrets of successfully scaling recruitment businesses. This includes growing La Fosse Associates to over 300 employees, $7.6+ million in EBIT, and reaching number 26 in the Recruiter Hot100 this year.
The discussion highlights key themes for successful recruitment businesses that have scaled, such as:
- Delegation, leadership and data-driven decisions
- Customer-centric growth and diversification
- Addressing skills shortages and showcasing the value proposition to clients.
- Creating a culture for success to attract and retain good people
- Embracing an entrepreneurial mindset.
- Utilising employees for diverse perspectives and innovation
Timestamped Guide:
00:50 - About Ollie and his experience
03:07 - What separates the founders and leaders of enterprise recruitment businesses, from those smaller, SME businesses
06:33 - What are the skills that need to be brought in externally as a business grows?
05:11 - Why it’s important that recruiters understand their own commission schemes
11:49 - What skills have you brought in to La Fosse?
14:15 - Could you talk through the different recruitment solutions La Fosse now offer?
16:21 - Could you give listeners an insight into what the academy does and the challenges around that?
19:44 - How did you go about spotting opportunities with your clients and promoting that as a service?
23:22 - How do you ensure that your team keep their periscopes up and are actually open to hearing those needs?
25:24 - How do you plan as a leader in a volatile environment?
29:06 - Employee advisory board
33:53 - What did you do well when entering international, and what mistakes did you make?
37:11 - What, in your view, makes LaFosse distinctive? Is there anything that makes your leadership distinctive?
39:28 - Any predictions for this year?
Connect with Ollie on LinkedIn or email him at ollie.whiting@lafosse.com
Interested in speaking to Alison about your business strategy?
Get in touch, today!
💬 alison@recruitmentleadership.co.uk

Thursday Feb 15, 2024
Thursday Feb 15, 2024
Join your host Alison Humphries, as she is joined by industry veteran Lysha Holmes, founder of Qui Recruitment, to unpack the secrets to retaining top talent in the face of a challenging recruitment landscape.
Drawing on her 18 years of experience of running Qui Recruitment, Lysha offers invaluable insights on creating a thriving work environment that fosters loyalty and engagement.
From the hidden reasons behind recruiter turnover to cultivating a culture of belonging and empowering individuals through intrapreneurship, Lysha shares practical tips, tricks and insights that recruitment business leaders can use to build recruitment teams that thrive, despite challenging market conditions.
Timestamped Guide:
01:04 - Tell us about how Qui Recruitment got it’s name
02:18 - Why do experienced recruiters get in touch with you
06:27 - What do you think internal and agency recruiters have in common and how do they differ?
05:11 - Why it’s important that rcruiters understand their own commission schemes
10:14 - What are your thoughts on recruitment business owners using surveys to measure staff wellbeing as a retention tool
14:12 - What do you look for in a client before you go ahead and work with them?
19:41 - What are your thoughts on the processes that you see recruitment business following for their internal recruitment?
27:28 - Is there a right retention level in the recruitment industry?
30:50 - What other steps should recruitment leaders take to retain staff? Is there a difference between support staff and earning staff?
35:28 - What are your thoughts on references?
40:14 - What are your thoughts on L&D in the context of retaining our own recruiters?
45:19 - Tech and marketing: what do people need to retain their staff?
Connect with Lysha on LinkedIn or email her at lysha.holmes@quirecruitment
Interested in speaking to Alison about your business strategy?
Get in touch, today!
💬 alison@recruitmentleadership.co.uk

Thursday Jan 11, 2024
Thursday Jan 11, 2024
In the latest episode of the Recruitment Leadership Podcast, your host, Alison Humphries is joined by DeeDee Doke, Editor at Recruiter.
If you (somehow) don’t recognise her name - DeeDee is an industry legend having been Editor at Recruiter since 2005, a leading source of news and business intelligence both via their website and magazine.
It’s safe to say she has an unbeatable network and encyclopaedic knowledge of the recruitment industry, making her the perfect person to hear from 11 days into 2024!
From covering decades of disruption in the industry and what’s to come in 2024, crafting award entries that win and building partnerships with internal recruitment teams that work; DeeDee’s worldly wisdom means there is plenty of insights so you can level up your knowledge of the recruitment industry and get ahead for the year!
Timestamped Guide:
00:50 - Introduction to DeeDee
01:39 - What have been the three most important changes in the industry you’ve seen?
06:27 - What do you think internal and agency recruiters have in common and how do they differ?
09:01 - When external recruiters and internal talent teams work together, what does it take from your perspective for that to be a successful partnership?
15:13 - Recruitment award entries
22:22 - What advice would you give to those companies who are thinking of entering for awards for the very first time?
29:59 - How do you get on the Recruiter Hot 100 and Fast 50 lists?
32:56 - Do you have any predictions for 2024?
Connect with DeeDee on LinkedIn or email her at deedee.doke@recruiter.co.uk.
Interested in speaking to Alison about your business strategy?
Get in touch, today!
💬 alison@recruitmentleadership.co.uk

Thursday Dec 14, 2023
Building Business Development Through Valuable Content with Wendy McDougall
Thursday Dec 14, 2023
Thursday Dec 14, 2023
In the latest episode of the Recruitment Leadership Podcast, your host, Alison Humphries is joined by Wendy McDougall, CEO of Firefish.
Business development is a big theme for recruiters at the moment, and many are struggling with this skill that has in recent years, become fundamental to the success or a recruiter.
In this episode, Wendy sits down with Alison to share her top tips when it comes to business development, drawing on her experiences both as a recruitment business owner, and as the CEO of Firefish, an all-in-one CRM, ATS and marketing tool.
Wendy explains why content is king when it comes to building relationships and generating leads over time, as well as sharing her advice to early stage recruiters and insights on measuring the impact of content.
Wendy and Alison also discuss some pearls of wisdom on automation, AI, personas and segmentation which can take your content to the next level 🚀
Timestamped Guide:
00:50 - Introduction to Wendy
01:11 - What do you think has brought about the change in the market that has made BD so important?
06:24 - What are your guiding beliefs about content, what works for you and what would work for recruiters?
11:24 - When your team produce content, are there any sort of guidelines that you ask them to observe about the what's actually in the messaging?
15:30 - How do you measure the impact of your content?
18:18 - Do you have any advice about customer personas and segmenting data
21:26 - Can you identify anything else that you would advise listeners to avoid doing in their sales and marketing process?
34:30 - Are there any trends or tips when it comes to business development efforts?
26:56 - What marketing do you think an early stage recruitment business should be doing from the start?
Connect with Wendy on LinkedIn or visit Firefish’s website.
Interested in speaking to Alison about your business strategy?
Get in touch, today!
💬 alison@recruitmentleadership.co.uk

Thursday Nov 16, 2023
Thursday Nov 16, 2023
In the latest episode of the Recruitment Leadership Podcast, your host, Alison Humphries is joined by Matthew Banks, Growth Manager at Red Nevada Tech.
Discussing how recruiters can leverage artificial intelligence, Matthew shares his experience as both a recruiter and tech salesperson.
He provides advice on where recruiters should focus their initial AI efforts, how to advise candidates and clients on using AI, while informing where AI works within the recruitment process and warning against fully automating the human aspects of recruitment.
Matthew demonstrates Red Nevada's platform, showing how it can generate job descriptions, adverts, interview questions and more to improve recruiter productivity and candidate evaluation.
To get the most out of the demonstration, it is well worth tuning into the video version of the episode which can be found on Youtube:
Timestamped Guide:
00:49 - Introduction to Matthew
01:55 - What is your advice to those people who have no outreach into AI, what should they prioritise?
08:18 - What advice on AI we should generally speaking be giving to candidates and clients?
10:35 - How do you see AI and automation being used badly in the recruitment industry?
14:27 - What about good examples of AI and automation that you've seen?
15:32 - Product Demonstration
34:06 - Discount code for one months free trial
34:30 - Why do you think AI is making some recruiters less productive?
36:55 - What behaviours do you think recruiters need to change or even stop to thrive in this new revolution 4.0?
Connect with Matthew on LinkedIn, visit Red Nevada’s website or email Matthew - matthew.banks@rednevada.ai
Use code RECRUITMENTLEADERSHIP for one months free trial of Red Nevada.
Interested in speaking to Alison about your business strategy?
Get in touch, today!
💬 alison@recruitmentleadership.co.uk

Thursday Aug 17, 2023
Using Psychometrics to Improve Recruitment Outcomes with Christian Hughes
Thursday Aug 17, 2023
Thursday Aug 17, 2023
In the latest episode of the Recruitment Leadership Podcast, your host, Alison Humphries is joined by Christian Hughes, CEO of MyPeople Group.
Many recruitment business leaders will have either listened to podcast episodes (including The Recruitment Leadership Podcast!) concerned with psychometrics, or know something about them from their own experience.
However, within the current market, MyPeople will be of specific interest to a lot of recruiters.
In this episode, Christian and Alison discuss, dissect and demonstrate how psychometric assessments can be used to evaluate culture fit and predict job performance.
Within a demonstration of MyPeople’s assessment tool, Christian showcases how they measure both a candidate's personality and values as well as a hiring manager's team culture. In turn, the tool aims to help recruiters make better hiring decisions by understanding how well a candidate will connect with and contribute to the existing team - pretty invaluable for both clients and internal hiring.
To get the most out of the demonstration, it is well worth tuning into the video version of the episode which can be found on Youtube: https://youtu.be/q3AgunXxP80
Timestamped Guide:
01:04 - Introduction to Christian
04:45 - Why did you think MyPeople was something new that was needed?
08:49 - Can you explain the context of MyPeople?
11:02 - Product Demonstration
16:21 - How would recruiters sell this to clients?
26:25 - Is there anything that MyPeople doesn't do?
27:29 - Lots of recruitment business owners that I know are trying to educate their clients about EDI? How does a product like this fit into that?
Connect with Christian on LinkedIn, visit MyPeople’s website or email Christian - c.hughes@mypeoplegroup.com
Use code RECL10 for access to discounts for use of the product.
Interested in speaking to Alison about your business strategy?
Get in touch, today!
💬 alison@recruitmentleadership.co.uk

Tuesday Aug 01, 2023
AI in Recruitment Masterclass, with Vladimer Botsvadze
Tuesday Aug 01, 2023
Tuesday Aug 01, 2023
In the latest episode of the Recruitment Leadership Podcast, your host, Alison Humphries is joined by Vladimer Botsvadze, an award-winning, marketing thought leader.
Vladimer is a world-renowned advisor, mentor and speaker with an extraordinary CV. He has particular expertise in the marketing and artificial intelligence areas and as such, this episode has a keen focus on the impact of AI on the recruitment sector.
From the ROI metrics you should be looking at, the risks that come with AI and what the future of recruitment looks like thanks to AI: Vladimer covers every facet you may need to know, supported by eye-opening stats - such as the prediction that 85 million jobs will be replaced by AI by 2025.
Vladimer also covers why he is strongly against sales pitches and why instead, you should be tapping into the power of community and storytelling to build your recruitment businesses brand.
Join Alison and Vladimer for a masterclass in all things AI, sales and recruitment!
Timestamped Guide:
00:49- Introduction to Vladimer and his expertise
05:21 - What impact do you think AI will have on the recruitment industry in the next two to five years??
09:41 - In your opinion, which jobs are more likely to be replaced
12:13 - What is your opinion on sales pitches?
22:59 - What advice would you give people who were reluctant to make that investment and how could they measure the return on that investment?
24:32 - Tell us about your fears surrounding AI. Are there any fears that particularly apply to the recruitment marketplace?
27:30 - When it comes to AI bias - what do the risks look like? And how we can guard against them?
30:02 - Summary and how to get in touch with Vladimer
Connect with Vladimer on LinkedIn or reach out to him at https://www.vladimerbotsvadze.com/
Interested in speaking to Alison about your recruitment business strategy?
Get in touch, today!
💬 alison@recruitmentleadership.co.uk

Thursday Jun 22, 2023
The Automation Advantage: Exploring the future of RecTech with James Lawton
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
Thursday Jun 22, 2023
In the latest episode of the Recruitment Leadership Podcast, your host, Alison Humphries is joined by James Lawton, host of The Staffing RecOps podcast and Enterprise Account Executive at Mployee.
James joins Alison to share his hot take on tech and automation in recruitment; starting with CRM (ATS) systems, and then venturing onto the wider tech stack, before exploring AI implementation and ChatGPT.
In terms of his background, James started his 17-year recruitment career as a recruiter himself, understanding the pain points that come with the territory of being a consultant.
Since then, he has worked for numerous recruitment CRM companies, most recently at Mployee, and founded The Staffing RecOps podcast.
The Staffing RecOps podcast was born after James spotted a gap in the market for a recruitment podcast that is dedicated to those that are operating recruitment businesses and the nitty-gritty of what goes into the operations around them.
Join James and Alison for an enlightening conversation about the common mistakes recruiters make when choosing a CRM, measuring ROI and implementation; advice on determining the best tech stack; and that all-important analysis of AI and how James sees it shaping the future of recruitment - in ways you may not expect!
Timestamped Guide:
00:45 - Introduction to today’s episode
03:06 - What are the common mistakes that recruiters make when choosing a CRM?
04:49 - Considerations when implementing a new CRM
09:40 - How to measure ROI
15:12 - How to determine the best tech stack
22:36 - Why did you decide to join Mployee.com?
27:28 - In my experience, the implementation and training provided by CRM providers is hopelessly inadequate for recruitment businesses. What do you think?
30:59 - Bullet points advice for business owners, if they are rolling out a new CRM or any new tech?
35:13 - Implementation of AI in the recruitment industry? (37:15)
Connect with James on LinkedIn or reach out to him at james@mployee.com
Salesforce world tour at London Xcel on 29th June: https://www.salesforce.com/uk/events/london/
Interested in speaking to Alison about your business strategy?
Get in touch, today!