Most recruiters talk about “quality.”

Richard Locke built an entire firm around it.

On the latest episode of Recruiter Wins, I sat down with Richard Locke, founder of Locke Search Group (founded in 1983)—and instead of one “big recruiting win,” Richard shares the playbook behind building a national agency that’s thrived through recessions, industry booms, and massive shifts like LinkedIn + AI.

A few moments that hit hard:

• He started as a one-person shop… and drove a taxi at night during a brutal recession to keep the dream alive.
• Growth wasn’t random—it was opportunistic + intentional, including a defining moment in 1999 when his firm won a nationwide project to build an entire specialty sales force across Canada.
• His “secret sauce” isn’t sourcing tools… it’s knowing the story behind the story (and protecting clients from time-wasters).
• He’s adamant about something too many recruiters forget: candidates are clients and clients are candidates. Treat both with the same respect.
• And the big one for every agency owner: your business has to pivot. What worked 10 years ago won’t carry you now.

If you run a desk, lead a team, or own a firm—and you’ve felt the pressure of a changing market—this episode is full of timeless lessons (and a few lines you’ll probably steal for your own training doc).

Listen to this week’s Recruiter Wins with Richard Locke wherever you get your podcasts.

Most recruiters say they “specialize” in an industry.

Daryl Rosenstein actually lives his niche.

In the latest episode of Recruiter Wins, Daryl Rosenstein of The Rosenstein Group shares how one recruiting win turned into 16 placements with the same company.

What stood out most from this conversation:

• Follow your passion, not just a vertical - Daryl’s interest in the product and space made him naturally go deeper than a transactional recruiter ever will.
• Do the “competitor homework” before you ever pitch - He earned credibility by naming competitors, understanding the landscape and asking the best question: “What are you doing differently that’s going to lead you to win in this market?”
• Turn one placement into an account - After delivering, he didn’t disappear. Instead, he introduced himself to other leaders and made sure the wider team knew he was a resource.
• Bring market intel, not just resumes - Daryl shared industry news stories and changes at competitors to add value between searches.
• Real expertise takes real time. Daryl spends 10–15 hours a week staying on top of his market because that’s how you stay relevant to top performers.

If you recruit in sales/marketing (or any competitive niche), this episode is a masterclass in how to become the recruiter clients keep and candidates trust.

Listen to the full episode of Recruiter Wins with Daryl Rosenstein wherever you get your podcasts.

What does it really look like to turn a high-pressure search during COVID into a long-term win for the client and the candidate?

On this week’s episode of Recruiter Wins, I sat down with Aman Sodi, recruiter at Summit Search Group, who shared how she navigated a Director of People & Culture search in late 2021, right in the middle of school closures, parenting chaos and shifting employee expectations.

This wasn’t just “fill the role fast and move on.”

It was about:

• Balancing a client who needed someone in-seat ASAP with a top candidate who had just taken a family-focused career break.
• Building flexible start date options (modified schedules, delayed ramp-up) before things went sideways.
• Framing tough conversations about salary and flexibility with data, market benchmarks and real options (not just “sorry, that’s the market”)
• Treating the placement as the beginning of the relationship: one week, one month, three month, 6+ month check-ins that turn today’s placement into tomorrow’s client

Fast forward almost four years: that candidate is still in the role, has built out an HR team and is thriving.

That’s the win.

If you’re a recruiter who’s:

• Juggling misaligned expectations on comp or flexibility
• Trying to push back on clients without damaging the relationship
• Wondering how to build a real partnership model vs. one-and-done placements

…this episode will give you a super practical playbook.

Check out my conversation with Aman Sodi on Recruiter Wins and steal some of her frameworks for your next tough search.

What does it actually take to fill a niche Director of Dairy Sourcing role in the middle of Wisconsin… when the client isn’t even sure what they really need yet?

That’s the recruiting challenge we unpack in the latest episode of Recruiter Wins with George Blomgren, Recruiting Manager at Kinsa Group and 20-year talent acquisition veteran in food & beverage.

This one hit home for anyone working tough, specialized searches where every variable seems stacked against you:

• a brand new, poorly defined role (that turned out to be all about ultra-filtered milk purchasing)
• a relocation-only opportunity in a mid-sized town
• a function (procurement) where most top candidates want to stay remote
• an amazing client… with a rusty hiring process thanks to years of low turnover

George breaks down how he turned this into a true recruiting win by:

- Turning vague reqs into real clarity, asking, “What problem do you really want this hire to solve?” and using every rejected candidate as a source of market intel

- Going beyond the job ad to make sure that the best candidate was willing to relocate, researching schools, crime, recreation, DEI factors and even local food options and houses of worship

- Coaching a low-turnover client on candidate experience, from simple things like interviewers introducing themselves to building a process that doesn’t scare off A-players

The line that stuck with me:

“If you get an expert on the phone, even if they’re not a fit, don’t rush off. Learn everything you can from them.”

If you recruit for niche roles, manage relocation-heavy searches or work with clients who “don’t know what they don’t know” about a role, this episode is packed with practical scripts, questions and mindset shifts you can use on your very next search.

Every recruiter remembers their first placement.

But what if that one placement didn’t just launch your career…

…it became the clearest proof that AI will never replace what you do?

On this week’s episode of Recruiter Wins, I sat down with George Santos, Managing Director & Head of Marketing at 180 Engineering, to unpack the story of his very first placement and how it shaped his entire view of recruiting.

George went from retail to recruiting, got thrown into a highly technical software engineering search for a casino gaming company and felt like an impostor talking to senior engineers who’d been doing this longer than he’d been in the workforce.

What changed everything wasn’t his technical knowledge. It was realizing where his real value was.

Here’s what really stuck with me:

- Any placement can turn a job into a career. The software engineer George placed is still at the same company almost 12 years later.

- A recruiter needs to hold their candidate's hands through difficult changes. Candidates might only change jobs 5 to 6 times in their life. You do this every day. Helping them navigate fear, doubt, and “is this normal?” is the real differentiator.

- AI is a tool, not a replacement. George is pro-AI for sourcing, admin and polish but when it comes to “Am I making the right move for my family?”, a bot can’t sit with that anxiety the way a human can.

If you’ve ever:

- Wondered whether your work really changes lives

- Felt that nervous energy on your first (or next) big search

- Worried about where AI fits into your future as a recruiter

…this episode will hit home.

Listen to my conversation with George Santos on Recruiter Wins and get a fresh reminder of why great recruiting will always be a human-first profession.

What if your “biggest win” as a recruiter wasn’t a placement but helping someone buy the company they were hired to run?

That’s exactly what happened in this week’s episode of Recruiter Wins with my guest, Matt Erhard, Managing Partner at Summit Search Group.

Matt tells the story of a commercial cleaning company in Winnipeg (yes, one of those “unsexy” industries candidates usually don’t line up for) that needed a GM so the founders could step back.

This company had no prior experience working with a search firm, no talent pipeline for this kind of role and an industry most candidates turned down on sight.

Matt not only filled the role but two years later, the GM he placed bought the business and is now growing it and creating opportunities for others.

A few things that really stuck with me from this conversation:.

• Unsexy industries can hide incredible opportunities.
  When you stop leading with “commercial cleaning” and start leading with ownership path, stability, and growth, the whole conversation with candidates changes.
• In-person networking still works if you treat it like a marathon.
  Matt’s relationship with this client started in a local business association he’s attended every Friday for 14 years. He never hard sells but instead simply shows up week after week.
• You don’t always want industry experience.
  The winning candidate came from transportation, not cleaning but brought sales leadership, entrepreneurial drive and ambition that matched the owners’ long-term vision.

If you’ve ever wondered how to:

• Win business from long-standing local companies
• Sell “boring” industries to high-caliber talent
• Play the long game with relationships and still drive ROI

…this episode will hit home.