The Future of Recruiting Isn’t What You Think
Everyone’s talking about AI transforming recruiting. About how the latest tools will revolutionize how we find and place talent. They’re missing the point entirely.
The best recruiting isn’t about tools at all. It’s about fundamentals.
I learned this the hard way, starting in a scrappy startup where we couldn’t afford fancy software or automated solutions. We had to get creative. We had to build real relationships. We had to actually understand our clients’ businesses. Turns out, that constraint was the greatest gift.
Think about recruiting like growing a garden. You can buy the fanciest tools and automated watering systems, but if you don’t understand the soil, if you don’t know when to plant, if you don’t have patience - nothing grows. The tools just make you fail faster.
This is why I built my practice differently. While others chase quick wins and rely on percentage fees, I took the counterintuitive path: flat fees, longer relationship-building periods, and fewer clients. It’s like choosing to be a craftsperson instead of working on an assembly line.
The magic happens in the first 3-6 months of a relationship, long before any placement is made. That’s when you learn the client’s true needs, their culture, their challenges. No AI can do that. No automation can replace those coffee meetings and careful observations.
Yes, I use technology. Loom videos for personalized outreach. LinkedIn for research. Various tools to stay organized. But they’re like a bicycle - they enhance my natural capabilities rather than replace them. The fundamentals still drive everything: relationships, understanding, patience.
This approach isn’t for everyone. It means saying no to opportunities that don’t fit. It means potentially making less money in the short term. It means investing time in relationships that might not pay off for months.
But it works. Not just in terms of placements and fees, but in building something sustainable. Something that doesn’t burn you out. Something that lets you sleep at night knowing you’re doing right by both clients and candidates.
The future of recruiting isn’t about having the newest tools. It’s about using them wisely while doubling down on what actually matters: human connection, deep understanding, and genuine relationships.
The fundamentals haven’t changed. They’ve just become more valuable.