The episode of "Recruiting Trailblazers" features host Marcus Edwardes in conversation with Natalie Sarmiento, founder of Engage Engineer Search, a niche headhunting firm specializing in the forensic engineering industry. Natalie shares her journey from an HR professional to starting her own agency, which was motivated by the recognition of a gap in the market for dedicated and knowledgeable recruiters in forensic engineering.

Natalie discusses the challenges she faced in HR, particularly how generalist recruiters often failed to present qualified candidates. This realization drove her to establish a more specialized recruiting firm, which earned her a place on Forbes America's Best Professional Recruiting Firms list in 2023.

The conversation covers Natalie's strategies for connecting with top talent in a highly specialized and confidential field, emphasizing the importance of building quality relationships and trust. She talks about her recruitment approach, which includes understanding both the client's needs and the candidate's career aspirations, ensuring that placements are not just transactional but transformative for both parties.

Throughout the podcast, Natalie shares insights into the intricacies of forensic engineering, the importance of industry-specific knowledge, and the ethical considerations in recruiting for such a niche market. Marcus and Natalie also reflect on the mutual benefits of developing genuine, long-term relationships with clients and candidates, highlighting the satisfaction that comes from positively impacting people's careers and businesses.

Natalie closes with advice for other recruiters, stressing the importance of integrity, professionalism, and genuine relationship-building in achieving success in recruitment.

In today's episode, our host Marcus Edwardes sits down with Jeremy Jensen, founder and CEO of Encore Search Partners, a 40-person direct-hire recruitment agency. With a focus on headhunting revenue producers and tech professionals, Jeremy shares his expertise on navigating the evolving hiring landscape and the keys to success in the recruitment business.

Overview:
- The conversation dives into the functional verticals served by Encore Search Partners, including wealth management, law firms, and technical product companies.
- Discussion on the hiring market, especially post-pandemic trends and current conditions.
- Jeremy explains the technical competency required by clients and the nuances of different job roles.
- Commentary on the difference between contingency and retained recruitment models.

Strategies:
- The strategies used by Encore Search Partners for headhunting, including outbound headhunting and leveraging cold outreach.
- The importance of deep technical understanding in recruitment.
- Building trust and credibility quickly with clients.
- The significance of understanding clients’ real needs and potentially redefining job roles to meet business challenges.
- Establishing long-term relationships and becoming a trusted advisor to clients.

Market Challenges and Opportunities:
- Discussion on modern challenges in the recruiting market, including remote work impacts and the current state of agency recruiting.
- Opportunities presented by companies lacking internal recruiting sophistication due to sudden growth from new funding.

Company Culture and Growth:
- Insights on Encore's aggressive recruiting culture and outbound headhunting approach.
- Strategies for growing and maintaining a successful recruiting business.
- The importance of continuous improvement, accountability, and maintaining high standards.

Closing Thoughts:
- Jeremy’s views on the key to success in the recruitment business—emphasizing continual improvement and gratitude.
- Concluding remarks and appreciation for Jeremy’s insights shared during the podcast.

Biggest Takeaways:

1. Technical Competency and Market Understanding:
Jeremy highlights the increasing importance of recruiters possessing a deep understanding of the technical aspects of the roles they are filling. This not only helps in finding the right candidates but also in establishing credibility with clients.

2. Value Proposition and Differentiation:
The aggressive headhunting approach and the ability to poach top talent from competitors set Jeremy's firm apart. This strategy is particularly effective in industries where specialized knowledge and technical skills are paramount.

3. Continuous Improvement and Accountability: Jeremy underscores the importance of continuous learning and improvement for recruitment success. Holding the team accountable to KPIs and instilling core values like excellence and resilience are crucial for maintaining high performance and growing the business.

This episode of Recruiting Trailblazers with Marcus Edwardes features a deep dive into the evolving world of recruitment with guest Will McGee.

Will McGhee has over a decade of top performing agency recruiting experience under his belt. Averaging over 500k yearly billing and now the Founder of Recruiting With Dynamite he is on a mission to help recruiters everywhere get better every day.

Will shares his insights on how the recruitment landscape is changing and what recruiters need to adapt to stay effective. This thought-provoking conversation covers a range of topics from the impact of technology to the power of relationship building in recruiting.

- How to initiate the first conversation with potential clients:
Marcus inquires about strategies for engaging new clients in meaningful dialogue, emphasizing the challenges recruiters face in today's market. Will suggests focusing on content creation, social proof, and addressing specific pain points to make initial outreach more impactful.

- The role of AI and technology in recruitment:
Discussion around the implications of technological advancements on the recruitment process, with a particular focus on how automation and AI are reshaping the demand for recruiters.

- Importance of a strategic approach:
Both highlight the necessity for recruiters to adopt a more consultative and strategic role in addressing hiring needs, moving beyond traditional transactional methods to offer tailored solutions.

- Creating value through productization:
Will talks about transforming recruitment services into productized offerings, enabling recruiters to solve specific client problems in a scalable way, and showcasing examples from his own experience.

- Candidate experience and relationship management:
Insights on the significance of building deep, trusting relationships with candidates and clients alike, focusing on understanding their needs and being genuinely invested in their success.

Three Key Takeaways:

1. Adaptability is Key: In the face of technological advancements, recruiters must evolve from being purely transactional to adopting a consultative approach that addresses the specific needs and pain points of their clients.

2. Productization as a Differentiator: The concept of productizing recruitment services offers a unique value proposition to clients by systematically solving recruitment challenges through scalable, replicable solutions.

3. The Power of Relationships: Despite the rise of automation and AI, the human element remains central to recruitment success. Building genuine relationships and being strategically involved in both candidate and client journeys is crucial.