RecTalk Podcast - Explore Recruitment Insights

Welcome to RecTalk, the UK's biggest recruitment industry podcast on YouTube and a Top 15% Video Podcast on Spotify!Hear from trailblazers in the recruitment industry who want to have their say on all things recruitment - unbiased, unfiltered, unscripted.

RecTalk Podcast - Explore Recruitment Insights is a business podcast hosted by Nitin Sharma, founder of rectools.io, with 333 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80.

Nitin Sharma, founder of rectools.io hosts RecTalk Podcast - Explore Recruitment Insights, a business show with 333 episodes published.

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  RecTalk Podcast - Explore Recruitment Insights

  Recruitment Unfiltered: Candidate Experience, AI, 360 Recruiters & the Fundamentals That Matter

  Oct 2, 202657 min

  What really makes a recruitment agency successful in today's market? In this special RecTalk Roundtable Masterclass, Nitin Sharma brings together four recruitment industry experts to debate a series of deliberately provocative “unpopular opinions” about the recruitment industry. Joining the conversation are: Jeremy Snell – Co-Founder of Your People Engine , helping recruitment business owners improve learning, development, performance and productivity. Kan Mallawathantri – Founder of Avensys Tech , a recruitment and IT services specialist working with hundreds of recruitment businesses across the UK. Ross Thompson – From Infinity Staff Global , specialising in offshore recruitment solutions for UK recruitment businesses, from marketing support through to 180 and 360 recruitment consultants. Gordon Webb – Sales Director for Europe at Shazamme , providing recruitment websites and marketing technology to recruitment brands globally. The panel gets stuck into some big questions, including: • Are recruitment agencies struggling because of the market, or because they aren't delivering a strong enough candidate experience? • What does great candidate experience actually look like – and should it differ depending on the candidate? • Are AI tools helping recruitment agencies win, or have they simply created another layer of distraction and technology noise? • Why recruitment businesses need to focus on fundamentals such as relationships, business development, communication and service. • Do clients really want recruitment partnerships, or do many simply want a fast and cheap service? • Why defining your ideal client profile can help agencies avoid the race to the bottom. • When should an agency walk away from a client because the problem is price rather than service? • Is the traditional 360 recruiter model dying, or are businesses simply struggling to develop people who can succeed in a 360 role? • Could separating business development and candidate delivery create a more effective recruitment operation? • How technology can support recruiters without replacing the human relationships at the heart of recruitment. The discussion finishes with a lightning round on the biggest reasons agencies may be struggling right now: chaos, process, technology and uncertainty. It's an honest, entertaining and occasionally argumentative conversation about what recruitment businesses should actually be focusing on – and whether the industry's obsession with new technology is distracting from the fundamentals. WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR: Recruitment business owners, agency directors, recruitment leaders, 360 recruiters, business development professionals, recruitment operations teams, RPO and outsourcing providers, and anyone interested in the future of recruitment technology and agency models. GUESTS Jeremy Snell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/recruitmentsalestraining/ Kan Mallawathantri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kan-avensystech/ Ross Thompson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/ Gordon Webb: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gordonwebb1/ HOST — Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/ Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/ GET IN TOUCH WITH THESE RECOMMENDED SUPPLIERS SourceWhale: https://www.sourcewhale.com/?utm_source=Rectools&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=podcast_TRN_paid_2026h2&utm_content=shownotes Ascen: https://www.ascen.com/rectalk CoRecruit: https://corecruit.com/ Agile Partnering: https://www.agilepartnering.com/ Listen to RecTalk on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/ #RecTalk #Recruitment #RecruitmentIndustry #RecruitmentAgency #RecruitmentLeadership #CandidateExperience #RecruitmentTechnology #AIinRecruitment #RecruitmentAI #360Recruiter #BusinessDevelopment #RecruitmentSales #RecTech #RecruitmentTrends #RecruitmentBusiness

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  RecTalk Podcast - Explore Recruitment Insights

  The Real Client Experience of Offshoring Recruitment Support to South Africa

  Sep 30, 202626 min

  What does it actually feel like to hire and integrate an offshore recruitment resource into your business? In this episode of RecTalk, Nitin Sharma hands hosting duties over to Ross Thompson , Director of Infinity Staff Global , for a candid “voice of the customer” conversation with Jeremy Snell , recruitment trainer and Co-Founder of Your People Engine . Jeremy is a client of Infinity Staff Global, and he openly shares his experience of exploring South African talent, defining the role, hiring Bianca, onboarding her into the business and integrating her into the team. The conversation goes beyond the usual sales pitch around offshoring. Jeremy talks about what actually worked, what surprised him, and what he believes recruitment business owners should consider when deciding whether to offshore. The episode covers: • Why Jeremy’s business started looking at offshore talent in the first place • Why South Africa was chosen over other offshore locations, particularly because of time-zone alignment • How to create a genuinely useful hiring specification rather than simply writing a job description • Why soft skills and cultural fit were just as important as technical capability • The importance of defining exactly what you want before seeing candidates • How quickly Infinity Staff Global presented a suitable candidate • Jeremy’s “Google whack” analogy for finding an exceptionally close-fit candidate • How a structured two-week onboarding programme helped Bianca understand the business and workflow • How Bianca became increasingly independent while remaining integrated into the wider team • Why location is becoming less significant when work can be performed effectively remotely • Which recruitment tasks and processes Jeremy believes are particularly suitable for offshoring • Using offshore talent to address bottlenecks in a recruitment business • Potential applications including business development, SDR activity and repetitive, process-driven work • Technology, broadband, equipment and connectivity considerations when working with South African talent • Jeremy’s experience of being the client rather than the recruiter during the hiring process • The importance of clear communication between the client and recruitment team • The practical experience of invoicing and back-office support • What Infinity Staff Global could have done better — including candidate care and communication • And, most importantly, whether Infinity Staff Global delivered the right person, at the right time, with the right skills and attitude This is a refreshingly honest conversation about what offshore recruitment support looks like once the sales conversation is over and the person is actually inside the business. GUESTS Ross Thompson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/rossnthompson/ Jeremy Snell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/recruitmentsalestraining/ Learn more about Infinity Staff Global: https://www.rectools.io/product/infinity-staff-global/ HOST — Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/ Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/ GET IN TOUCH WITH THESE RECOMMENDED SUPPLIERS SourceWhale: https://www.sourcewhale.com/?utm_source=Rectools&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=podcast_TRN_paid_2026h2&utm_content=shownotes Ascen: https://www.ascen.com/rectalk CoRecruit: https://corecruit.com/ Agile Partnering: https://www.agilepartnering.com/ Listen to RecTalk on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/ #RecTalk #Recruitment #RecruitmentIndustry #RecruitmentBusiness #Offshoring #SouthAfrica #RecruitmentOutsourcing #RecruitmentLeaders #Staffing #TalentAcquisition #RecruitmentTechnology #InfinityStaffGlobal #RecruitmentTraining #JeremySnell #RossThompson

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  RecTalk Podcast - Explore Recruitment Insights

  TALKING TALENT - From HSBC to Steven Bartlett: How Hannah Coley is Building a Modern Talent Function

  Sep 29, 202626 min

  In this episode of Talking Talent, Sean Kennedy sits down with Hannah Coley, who recently made the move from almost 12 years at HSBC to join Steven Bartlett’s fast-growing organisation, giving her the opportunity to build and transform a talent function from the ground up. The conversation gets into the realities of working within a large corporate environment, navigating bureaucracy, challenging processes that don't add value, and using technology to transform recruitment. A major focus of the episode is recruitment technology and AI. Hannah explains why she's looking beyond a traditional ATS and wants to build a genuinely proactive talent function with strong CRM capabilities. She discusses experimenting with AI sourcing tools, including Nova, and how different AI sourcing approaches can uncover completely different candidates from traditional LinkedIn searches. Hannah also talks about what she's looking for in the next generation of recruiters: people who are creative, proactive and willing to challenge the status quo rather than simply posting jobs and waiting for applications. Other topics discussed include: • The difference between recruiting in a large corporate and a high-growth company • How to transform recruitment from reactive to proactive • Why CRM capability is becoming increasingly important in talent acquisition • AI-powered sourcing and how it is changing the recruiter's workflow • The limitations of traditional ATS platforms • Multi-brand recruitment workflows and candidate experience • Using recruitment data, newsletters and click-through analytics to drive wider business value • Why candidate profiles and a joined-up candidate journey matter • Choosing recruitment technology for scale • What makes a great recruiter • Creativity, curiosity and "guerrilla marketing" in recruitment • Building a recruitment team around passion, technology and cultural alignment • Giving recruiters the autonomy to challenge processes and introduce new ideas WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR This episode is for talent acquisition leaders, recruiters, recruitment technology professionals, HR leaders, sourcing specialists and anyone interested in how AI and modern technology are changing the way recruitment teams operate. GUEST — Hannah Coley: https://www.linkedin.com/in/hannahcoley/ HOST — Sean Kennedy: https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanthetaguy/ Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/ GET IN TOUCH WITH THESE RECOMMENDED SUPPLIERS SourceWhale: https://www.sourcewhale.com/?utm_source=Rectools&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=podcast_TRN_paid_2026h2&utm_content=shownotes Ascen: https://www.ascen.com/rectalk CoRecruit: https://corecruit.com/ Agile Partnering: https://www.agilepartnering.com/ Listen to RecTalk on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/ #RecTalk #TalkingTalent #Recruitment #TalentAcquisition #RecruitmentTechnology #AIRecruitment #RecruitmentAI #TalentTech #Sourcing #RecruitmentLeadership #HRTech #FutureOfRecruitment

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  RecTalk Podcast - Explore Recruitment Insights

  Is Your IT Provider Really Working in Your Best Interests? | Kan, Founder of Avensys Tech

  Sep 25, 202657 min

  In this episode, Nitin sits down with Kan Mallawathantri of Avensys Tech for a wide-ranging conversation about IT, cybersecurity, MSPs, business growth, hidden costs and what recruitment businesses should actually expect from their technology provider. Recorded at the offices of Niyaa People in Birmingham City Centre, this episode gets into some uncomfortable questions around the traditional MSP model — including supplier lock-in, opaque pricing, unnecessary add-ons, configuration, margins and whether customers always know what they are actually paying for. Kan shares how Avensys Tech has grown significantly since his previous appearance on RecTalk, while maintaining its focus on standards, customer service and doing things properly from day one. The conversation covers: • Why IT standards can slip as businesses scale — and how Avensys Tech is trying to prevent that • Why changing IT suppliers can feel far more painful than it actually is • The problem with MSP lock-in and making it difficult for customers to leave • What recruitment businesses should understand about Microsoft 365 and the tools they may already be paying for • Hidden configuration, licensing and service costs • Whether businesses are paying for products and services they don't necessarily need • The difference between a genuine markup and an invisible markup • Why Kan believes IT providers should build systems that customers can take with them if they leave • Cybersecurity and the shared responsibility between businesses, their IT providers and software platforms • The risks of using public Wi-Fi and assuming a VPN solves every security problem • Why cybersecurity isn't just an enterprise issue — even small recruitment businesses need proper foundations • The importance of proactive IT support when something inevitably goes wrong • Why relying on DIY IT can create problems through configuration drift • The reputational and financial consequences of IT failures for recruitment businesses • Unmanaged AI tools, confidential information and the growing risks of employees using AI without proper governance • The potential dangers of becoming overly reliant on AI platforms and vendors • Why Kan believes the next stage of AI adoption could create new challenges for organisations There is also plenty of healthy debate between Nitin and Kan, with Nitin deliberately challenging some of Kan's views around margins, commercial models and whether businesses should be allowed to make money from the services and products they sell. WHO THIS EPISODE IS FOR • Recruitment business owners and directors • Recruitment operations leaders • Heads of IT and technology • MSP and IT service providers • Anyone responsible for cybersecurity within a recruitment business • Businesses considering changing IT suppliers • Recruitment leaders thinking about how AI should be governed within their organisation GUEST — Kan Mallawathantri: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kan-avensystech/ Learn more about Avensys Tech: https://www.rectools.io/product/avensys-tech/ HOST — Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/ Episode filmed at the offices of Niyaa People: https://www.niyaapeople.co.uk/ Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/ GET IN TOUCH WITH THESE RECOMMENDED SUPPLIERS SourceWhale: https://www.sourcewhale.com/?utm_source=Rectools&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=podcast_TRN_paid_2026h2&utm_content=shownotes Ascen: https://www.ascen.com/rectalk CoRecruit: https://corecruit.com/ Agile Partnering: https://www.agilepartnering.com/ Listen to RecTalk on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/ #RecTalk #Recruitment #RecruitmentIndustry #RecruitmentTechnology #IT #MSP #CyberSecurity #AI #ArtificialIntelligence #RecruitmentBusiness #Tech #Microsoft365 #BusinessGrowth #RecruitmentLeaders #AvensysTech

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  RecTalk Podcast - Explore Recruitment Insights

  Building Wealth & Preparing for Exit, with Christian Mather & Matt Fox

  Sep 23, 202657 min

  *Get in touch with Christian or Matt below to learn more about their private workshop event on 14th October.* What does your recruitment business actually need to be worth for you to live the life you want? And what happens if you decide you want out before you're financially ready? In this episode of RecTalk, Nitin Sharma is joined by Christian Mather of One Day Wealth and Matt Fox of Exitus Advisory to explore the intersection between recruitment business growth, personal wealth and exit planning. Christian and Matt have developed a strong working relationship because their services complement each other: Christian focuses on helping recruitment founders understand their personal financial goals and "freedom number", while Matt works with recruitment businesses on growth, value creation and selling the business. Rather than keeping the conversation theoretical, they discuss real-life examples of recruitment business owners they've worked with, including: • A successful logistics recruitment business whose founders were ready to sell and how the business was prepared for a targeted buyer process • Why using generalist business brokers can create issues around fees, confidentiality and incentives • How recruitment founders can underestimate the value of their businesses • Why distressed business sales are fundamentally different from planned exits • A recruitment founder who built a successful contract recruitment business and needed to think beyond simply accumulating cash in the company • How personal financial planning can influence the way a recruitment business should be structured and grown • The importance of understanding your "freedom number" and working backwards from the life you actually want • Why business partners and spouses can have very different expectations about an eventual exit • Why exit readiness should be considered even if you have no immediate intention of selling • How client concentration, contracts, management structure, profitability and other factors can affect business value • Why founders shouldn't wait until they're exhausted, ill or facing a crisis before thinking about their options • How to build a recruitment business that can generate wealth for the founder even without an eventual sale There is also a discussion around the psychology of running a recruitment business — from the pressure of managing people to the point where founders start to feel differently about the business they've built. The central message is simple: your recruitment business should ultimately help you create the life you want, rather than becoming the thing that prevents you from living it. GUESTS Christian Mather: https://www.linkedin.com/in/christianmather/ One Day Wealth: https://www.rectools.io/product/one-day-wealth/ Matt Fox: https://www.linkedin.com/in/matt-fox-50b10311/ Exitus Advisory: https://www.rectools.io/product/exitus-advisory/ HOST — Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/ Episode filmed with TaylorMade Podcasts: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylorpattinson/ Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/ GET IN TOUCH WITH THESE RECOMMENDED SUPPLIERS SourceWhale: https://www.sourcewhale.com/?utm_source=Rectools&utm_medium=Youtube&utm_campaign=podcast_TRN_paid_2026h2&utm_content=shownotes Ascen: https://www.ascen.com/rectalk CoRecruit: https://corecruit.com/ Agile Partnering: https://www.agilepartnering.com/ Listen to RecTalk on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/ #RecTalk #Recruitment #RecruitmentBusiness #RecruitmentIndustry #RecruitmentEntrepreneurs #RecruitmentFounders #BusinessExit #ExitPlanning #BusinessValuation #RecruitmentMergersAndAcquisitions #WealthManagement #FinancialPlanning #BusinessGrowth #RecruitmentLeadership #Entrepreneurship

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