The Lone Recruiter

How do you treat someone when you don’t think they’re the person you need to impress?
A conversation with Beth in my office got me thinking about the way some people treat support staff, EAs, receptionists and the people standing between them and the person they actually want to speak to.
Most people are brilliant. Some, however, are dismissive, abrupt or just plain rude.
And here’s the thing: it gets back to the person you’re trying to impress.
This is particularly relevant in recruitment, where it’s easy to become so transactional that you start viewing people as obstacles rather than humans simply doing their jobs.
That EA you’re trying to get past? They organise the CEO’s calendar. They speak to them every day. They have more influence over how you’re perceived than you might realise.
So today’s message is very simple: treat everyone with respect, not just the people you want something from.
Because people talk. And how you treat the people around someone says a lot more about you than how you treat the person you’re trying to impress.

What happens when AI starts automating people’s jobs?
IKEA has given us a pretty interesting answer.
Rather than simply using automation as an opportunity to slash headcount, they re-skilled thousands of customer service employees into new roles. For me, it’s a brilliant example of what AI integration could actually look like when businesses bring their people along for the ride.
It also got me thinking about what we’re doing in our own businesses.
I’ve started telling my team that part of their job is to automate the mundane and repeatable parts of their role. I don’t want people hiding from AI because they’re worried they’re making themselves redundant. I want them actively looking for ways to use it, and being rewarded for doing so.
Because the opportunity here isn’t necessarily to achieve more by continually adding headcount. It’s to dramatically increase the productivity of the people you already have.
And that changes recruitment too.
As AI takes care of more routine work, the skills that become increasingly valuable are the ones that are hardest to automate: judgement, emotional intelligence, adaptability and genuine human connection.
AI is here. The question is whether we use it simply to replace people, or use it to make our people significantly better.

What if you’re doing all the “right” things for your health, but you’re still not operating at your best?
I train five days a week. I eat pretty consciously. I supplement. I don’t drink a hell of a lot. On paper, I’m doing alright.
But a lot of it is still guesswork.
So I decided to find out what’s actually going on under the hood.
In this ep, I’m joined by health and high performance coach Luke Maslin from Total Performance Living, who recently put me through a seriously comprehensive health assessment. We’re talking around 100 blood markers, a DEXA scan, body composition, blood pressure, respiratory testing and a deep dive into my health, lifestyle and habits.
And the results were pretty bloody interesting.
We unpack what my testing revealed around inflammation, liver function, cholesterol, vitamin deficiencies, thyroid function, testosterone, blood sugar, body composition and more.
But more importantly, Luke explains why you can’t just look at one dodgy marker and try to fix it in isolation.
We get into:
👉 Why “normal” blood test results don’t necessarily mean optimal health👉 What my results actually revealed👉 Why free testosterone can tell a very different story to total testosterone👉 The problem with jumping straight to supplements, peptides or testosterone👉 Why sleep, stress, breathing and recovery come first👉 Luke’s “pyramid of problems” and how he prioritises what to fix👉 Why health is the foundation of sustainable high performance👉 What all of this means for your energy, focus and performance on a recruitment desk
Recruitment is a high-performance job. You need energy. You need concentration. You need to be sharp on the phone. And you need to be able to do it consistently.
You can keep pushing yourself for a while without looking after the foundations. But eventually, something gives.
This ep is a fascinating look at what happens when you stop guessing and actually get the data.

Today, I’m giving you permission to do something that sounds completely wrong for a recruiter: don’t pick up the phone.
Hear me out.
We’re trained to answer calls. Client calls, candidate calls, callbacks... the phone rings, we pick it up. But what happens when you answer and you’re not actually ready for the conversation?
I recently watched a colleague do exactly that. A callback came through, they couldn’t quite remember what they needed to discuss, but they answered anyway. The result? A clunky conversation spent fumbling around trying to remember the point of the call.
And it made me think: why did you have to answer it right then?
Tune in for:
👉 Why you don’t need to answer every call immediately👉 The difference between being responsive and being prepared👉 Why every recruitment call should have a clear purpose👉 How 20–30 seconds of preparation can completely change a conversation👉 Why letting a call ring out can actually make you a better recruiter
If a client or candidate calls and you’re not crystal clear on what you need from that conversation, let it ring. Pull up your notes. Gather your thoughts. Know what you want to achieve.
Then call them straight back.
The goal isn’t to spend less time on the phone. It’s to make the calls you do have count.
As always, have an amazing day and make all your deals come true.

The Australian jobs market is slow, tougher and uncertain right now. But what does that actually mean for us as recruiters?
I’m joined by SEEK Chief Economist Blair Chapman to cut through the headlines and look at what the data is really telling us about the Australian employment market.
Employment is still growing, but at a much slower rate than we’ve become accustomed to. Job switching is at historic lows, candidates are more hesitant to move, businesses are watching costs and some sectors are facing a much tougher outlook than others.
But it’s certainly not all doom and gloom. There are still pockets of strong demand, and some major demographic shifts could create significant opportunities for recruiters over the next five years.
We cover:
👉 Why employment growth has slowed and what that means for recruiters👉 The industries currently doing it toughest👉 Where Blair is seeing stronger demand and growth opportunities👉 What’s happening with advertised salaries👉 Why job switching could be one of the most important numbers for recruiters to watch👉 How AI and offshoring are affecting the employment market👉 What needs to happen before the market really turns a corner👉 Why Australia’s ageing workforce could create a huge replacement market👉 The labour market indicators I’d be watching if I were running a recruitment agency
There’s a lot of noise around the jobs market right now. Blair brings the numbers, but more importantly, helps translate those numbers into what they could actually mean for your recruitment desk.