The Recruitment Leadership Podcast

Available Episodes

5 of 76

Naughty, Nice, or Just Inefficient? The Leadership Mindset Shift Recruitment Needs in 2026 with Alison Humphries & Zoe Jephtha
Welcome to the latest episode of the Recruitment Leadership Podcast, where we’re shaking things up, just a little. This time, our host becomes a guest, as Alison Humphries hands the mic to Zoe Jephtha to reflect on the year so far, unpack the challenges facing recruitment businesses in 2025, and introduce a new way for leaders to assess where they stand. It’s a conversation about performance, leadership, and how to take the real lessons of 2025 and turn them into smarter, sharper planning for 2026. 🚨 Alongside this episode, Recruitment Leadership has launched a brand new website, featuring a free-to-use Recruitment Business Health Check tool, designed to give you real-time insight into your business performance, from commercial health to operational efficiency. Together, Alison and Zoe explore: 🎯 What the best recruitment businesses are doing differently right now 🎯 Why some agencies thrived in 2025, while others struggled to stay afloat 🎯 The problem with chasing outputs (and how to shift your focus upstream) 🎯 How the Recruitment Business Health Check Tool works, and what Red, Amber and Green scores really mean 🎯 The biggest mindset shift successful leaders are making before 2026 🎯 And what definitely belongs on the “Naughty” and “Nice” lists this year… Whether you're planning for growth, navigating challenge, or just want a clearer sense of where your business stands, this episode is packed with practical takeaways - and a few hard truths. 💡 Plus: Hear why inputs matter more than ever, and how even small changes in mindset or leadership rhythm can transform outcomes next year. 🧰 Take the Benchmarking Tool now - https://bit.ly/4rEDe1R If you’re ready to look forward, but start with a little reflection, this episode is your starting point. Want to discuss this topic further with Alison? 💬 Email her at [email protected].
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Scaling a Values-Driven Recruitment Brand: Growth, Culture, and Curiosity with Amy Griffith & Emma Symonds, Co-Founders of True North Talent
Welcome to the latest episode of the Recruitment Leadership Podcast, hosted by Alison Humphries. What happens when two experienced recruiters decide to build the kind of agency they always wanted to work for? In this episode, Alison Humphries is joined by Amy Griffith and Emma Symonds, Directors of True North Talent - a fast-growing specialist in food and drink manufacturing recruitment. They launched the business after a single (slightly tipsy) conversation, but what followed was anything but casual. Since then, they’ve grown a £2m turnover business, built around quality, consistency, and a strong internal culture - all while sticking firmly to their values. Together, they unpack: 🔹 The reality of launching a recruitment business from scratch 🔹 Balancing delivery, branding, BD and ops in year one 🔹 Why your first hire shouldn’t be another recruiter 🔹 Getting intuitive recruiter know-how out of your head and into a process 🔹 The difference between great billing and real leadership 🔹 What it takes to build a repeatable, scalable model, without losing the magic Amy and Emma share why consistent BD, internal culture, and curiosity have helped them grow in a tough market - and what they’d do differently if they were starting again. If you're thinking about starting your own agency, or want to build a business that actually lasts, this one’s packed with the kind of insight only hands-on founders can give. Connect with Amy Griffith and Emma Symonds on LinkedIn. Want to discuss this topic further with Alison? 💬 Email her at [email protected].
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Reinventing High-Volume Recruitment: AI, Efficiency, and Candidate Experience with Blake Carter, Sales & Partnerships Director at VOAI.app
Welcome to the latest episode of the Recruitment Leadership Podcast, hosted by Alison Humphries. What if your recruiters could screen 10,000 candidates in just three days - without adding extra headcount? In this episode of the Recruitment Leadership Podcast, Alison Humphries is joined by Blake Carter, Founder and Sales & Partnerships Director of VOAI.app, to explore how AI is changing the way high-volume recruitment gets done. Blake shares the story behind VOAI - an AI-led platform that’s already helping agencies and corporates slash admin time, boost candidate engagement, and deliver a return on investment that traditional processes just can’t match. Together, Alison and Blake dig into: 💡 Why AI works best in candidate-facing roles (and where it really shouldn’t be used yet) 💡 How sentiment analysis and multilingual capabilities can transform candidate experience 💡 A real case study where AI delivered 200% growth in candidate volume - with half the staff 💡 The implementation process (spoiler: it’s easier than most leaders think) If you’re a recruitment business owner looking for smarter ways to protect profitability, free up your consultants, and still keep the “human” in recruitment, this episode is for you. Connect with Blake Carter on LinkedIn. Want to discuss this topic further with Alison? 💬 Email her at [email protected].
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Supercharging Business Development with Tech: Building Credibility and Consistency with Darren Westall, CEO of Paiger
Welcome to the latest episode of the Recruitment Leadership Podcast, hosted by Alison Humphries. In this episode, Alison is joined by Darren Westall, CEO and Co-founder of Paiger - a platform originally known for personal branding, but now a powerful engine for business development enablement. Darren shares the story behind Pager’s evolution - from a social scheduling tool into a BD productivity platform trusted by over 1000 staffing businesses. Together, he and Alison explore what recruiters really need to build a pipeline effectively, especially in today’s saturated and cautious market. In this conversation, they cover: 💡 Why BD performance is stalling in so many firms, and what’s really behind it 💡 The gap between “doing more” and “doing better” 💡 How Pager helps recruiters find vacancies, research clients, and automate intelligently (without losing the human edge) 💡 The psychology behind “phone fear”, and how better prep removes it 💡 What recruitment leaders often get wrong about tech implementation 💡 Why smart automation supports BD, but doesn’t replace it 💡 Where AI is heading in recruitment, and the unexpected challenges it may bring 🎁 Darren also offers an exclusive bonus for Recruitment Leadership Podcast listeners - the first 10 people to contact Pager and mention this episode or Alison Humphries will unlock a special offer. Details on how to claim it are included in the episode. Whether you're leading a sales team, implementing new tech, or just trying to get more consistent BD from your consultants - this is essential listening for agency owners and sales leaders alike. Connect with Darren Westall on LinkedIn. Want to discuss this topic further with Alison? 💬 Email her at [email protected].
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Building a Better BD Strategy: Recruitment Sales Lessons with Ben Browning, Founder of Resonant
Welcome to the latest episode of the Recruitment Leadership Podcast, hosted by Alison Humphries. In this episode, Alison is joined by Ben Browning, Founder of Resonant and host of the Recruiting Better Podcast, to tackle one of the biggest (and most neglected) challenges in recruitment: business development. With insights drawn from Resonant’s recent State of BD report - covering over 500 firms - Ben shares why so many recruitment businesses still treat BD as a reactive, last-minute scramble… and what high-performing agencies are doing differently. Together, they unpack: 💡Why 76% of recruiters lack a consistent BD strategy 💡What’s driving underperformance - and what to fix first 💡 How to position your service around real business problems, not just open vacancies 💡 The 5 pillars of account development - and how to use them to boost revenue and retention 💡 Why systems and strategy matter more than charisma when it comes to sales You’ll also hear practical ideas for improving sales culture, creating accountability, and building a repeatable process that doesn’t rely on one “superstar biller” to hit the target. 🎁 Ben is offering listeners a free Blueprint Call - a no-pressure opportunity to review your current BD strategy and spot opportunities for improvement. Details on how to claim it are in the episode. If you're a recruitment leader looking to build a more confident, consistent and commercial approach to sales - this is essential listening. Connect with Ben Browning on LinkedIn. Book your Blueprint Call. Want to discuss this topic further with Alison? 💬 Email her at [email protected].
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