Fresh off a round-the-world sprint (and a brutal back recovery), Louise Archer and Jordan Taylor tackle the biggest myth in retained search: that taking a fee upfront means you’re guaranteeing a fill. They reframe retained as a governed process that delivers certainty, not luck-especially on those “nightmare” briefs everyone avoids. You’ll hear the surgeon analogy that flips risk on its head, where retained doesn’t make sense, and the exact moves to close stalled projects without becomi...
We sit down with Jordan Shlosberg, founder & CEO of Atlas, to unpack how an AI-native, memory-driven CRM is changing the way executive search firms win work and deliver. Jordan shares the journey from building an expert network to architecting Atlas’s “remember-everything” engine, why retrofitting old CRMs with AI won’t cut it, and how features like Magic Search and BD signal tracking turn every conversation into a competitive edge. You’ll learn: Memory as a moat: Why storing everything y...
What if the best path to growth is doing more with less? We sit down with James Ward, founder of Clarity R2R, to unpack how a leadership-focused, values-driven R2R firm can scale in the United States without chasing headcount. From Manchester beginnings to a Miami base, James explains why a less saturated US market - with around 25,000 staffing firms serving 350 million people - creates space for specialist search across technology, life sciences, and financial services. We get candid about h...
Want to know why retained search works in one of the toughest arenas - search-to-search - and how boutique firms are turning that challenge into a competitive moat? We sit down with Candice Bourne, Director at Bourne Consulting to unpack the real mechanics of retained search for recruiter-to-recruiter hires: from patient sourcing of passive originators to brand signals that actually move the needle. Candice traces her pivot from a contingent background to a partnership-first model, showing ho...
Louise Archer, Sophie Robertson, David Wolstenholme and Adrian Byra come together to announce their exciting Sydney Masterclass Event taking place on October 23rd at the Sydney Harbour Marriott Hotel, designed to help Australian recruiters navigate changing market conditions with innovative strategies. You'll Learn How to win exclusivity and commitment in cautious markets, avoid costly delivery pitfalls, and guarantee fill rates that keep clients coming back.How to uncover hidden temp oppor...
Pete Watson, founder of Mint R2R and Recruitment United, offers a refreshingly honest look at the realities of Australian recruitment today. With over 21 years building Australia’s longest-serving Rec to Rec business, Pete brings a unique perspective on how the industry is evolving and why community might be the secret ingredient most recruiters are missing. Pete's journey from running pubs in Manchester to becoming a recruitment entrepreneur began with a simple phone call from a friend boast...
The recruitment landscape is shifting fast and AI is handing boutique search firms the edge to compete with industry giants. In this conversation, we unpack how artificial intelligence is transforming workflows, enhancing capabilities, and reshaping competitive dynamics in executive search without losing the human touch. Jord shares how he went from using ChatGPT as “Google on steroids” to fully integrating AI into his day-to-day, like building a laser-targeted prospect list in minutes that o...
In this episode, Paul Press, founder and managing partner of Press Associates, joins us to unpack how ChatGPT and other AI tools are transforming recruitment. From automating time-consuming tasks to enabling anyone to launch a search firm with minimal investment, the possibilities are limitless. We explore: Which CRMs are best for search firms, and why HubSpot is emerging as an AI-powered favouriteThe single biggest AI-driven time-saver for recruitersThree tiers of AI adoption—native, assiste...
Ever wondered why most recruitment CRMs feel like they're designed for management rather than consultants? Manan Shah, co-founder of Recruiterflow, reveals how his accidental journey into recruitment technology led to creating a system that prioritizes consultant productivity over top-down control. Manan's insight is simple yet revolutionary: traditional recruitment software gets implemented when management "shoves it down the throat of consultants," creating adoption problems because it doe...
How do you go from paying AU$50 a day just to shadow recruiters... to founding a national healthcare talent firm backed by a global partner? Paris Matin, founder of Healtii People, joins us to share his remarkable journey from chasing tennis dreams to redefining how Australia recruits for allied health, aged care, and social services. What started with pure hustle has evolved into a consultative, scalable, and sophisticated recruitment business with a mission to move beyond transactional hiri...
What do 100 door-knocks in a day and record-breaking recruitment billings have in common? Everything according to Jeron van den Elshout. In this high-impact episode, Jeron shares how he went from nearly getting fired in his first sales job to founding a global recruitment business operating across the US, Middle East, and Europe. You’ll hear how persistence turned rejection into revenue, and how a single conversation changed everything, catapulting him from frustrated jobseeker to top biller....
What does it take to escape the race-to-the-bottom world of contingency recruiting and build a high-impact retained search firm? In this episode, the wise and deeply experienced Clark Waterfall shares the lessons he's learned over decades in search, from placing hourly workers in the printing industry to founding Boston Search Group (BSG), a retained executive search firm serving private equity-backed businesses. Clark shares about the moment he realized contingency recruitment had become com...
Contingent or retained - what’s the better recruitment model? It's a question that’s sparked debate for decades. But maybe we’ve been asking the wrong question all along. Our host for this episode, Hishem Azzouz, steps into the role of moderator and questions two industry experts with very different experiences and perspectives: Louise Archer, a passionate advocate for retained search, and Chris Moylan, who’s built successful businesses with a contingent-first mindset. What unfolds isn’...
What would you do if you got fired while sipping wine on vacation in France - even as the top biller at your firm? For Benjamin Mena, that shocking moment became the spark he needed to bet on himself and build a thriving government contracting recruitment agency. In this heartfelt and unfiltered conversation, Benjamin shares the real story behind his career pivot, from a struggling rookie recruiter nearly let go for not closing deals (despite hitting every metric), to launching a business and...
Nick Hoadley shares his transformative journey from insurance broker to founder of Insurance Search, a successful retained executive search firm serving the UK, US, and Bermuda insurance markets. But the path wasn’t linear. Nick opens up about how working in contingent recruitment chipped away at his confidence and professional identity. “You don’t really want to mention to people that you’re a recruiter because of the stigma that comes with it,” he reflects, describing how even major compani...
In this LinkedIn Live replay, Ryan and Paul reveal how they transformed their recruitment businesses by shifting from contingent chaos to retained success, right in the middle of Japan’s notoriously tough talent market. One hit his annual target by Valentine's Day. The other landed a $700,000 single fee. What changed? Everything. Japan’s recruitment market is no walk in the cherry blossom park, with only 4% LinkedIn usage, a rapidly aging population, and a small pool of globally-minded, Engli...
From members who've doubled their revenue after transitioning from contingent to retained work, to recruiters who've fallen back in love with their profession, the transformations are nothing short of remarkable. One of our members went from struggling to bill £140K in contingent work to effortlessly generating £300K through retained search—while working fewer hours and with greater satisfaction. Another has completely converted their most skeptical clients who had "sworn never to go retaine...
All the way from New York and New Jersey, Sean and Tom from The Locke Group joined us to share their journey—from feeling stuck in the contingent grind to becoming valued partners in retained search. The contingent model held them back from offering the consultative partnerships their clients truly needed. Shifting to retained search changed everything—not just for their business, but for their team. “The whole staff is just much happier being valued by our clients,” Tom shares. And as Sean p...
In this episode, we’re joined by Gemma Beasley, who shares her journey from the corporate world to launching her own recruitment business, Hudson Cooper Search, specializing in construction recruitment. We’ll explore how she made the leap from the UK to the U.S. market, the unique challenges she faced, and the realities of building a business focused on relationships over transactions. Gemma also reveals how moving to 50% retained search has given her a competitive edge—and why increasi...
Ever felt the frustration of chasing contingent recruitment leads only to see them slip away? In this episode of The Retained Search Show, we sit down with Ross Sanderson, Group Director of Solutions at STR Group, as he shares his transformative journey from contingent recruitment to mastering retained search. We explore the challenges, the mindset shifts, and the impact on both business success and personal fulfillment. Plus, Ross gives us a glimpse into the future of his team and how struct...