Confessions of a Recruiter is a podcast built for recruiters who want more than surface-level stories. We’ve stepped into a new era with a sharper look and a stronger voice. This rebrand isn’t just about a new logo. It reflects our commitment to real conversations, genuine insight, and a brand that matches the impact we’re making in the recruitment industry. If you're keen to be part of the journey, email us at info@confessionspod.com
Chris Barr | No Rooms, No Excuses: The Cold-Calling Rule That Built a Career | COAR S3 E5
Send us Fan Mail Your career can look “successful” on paper and still feel wrong in your gut, and that’s where this chat with Chris Barr lands straight away. Chris is State Director Queensland at Six Degrees Executive, and he’s refreshingly honest about what it really takes to build a recruitment career in Australia: making the calls when you’re nervous, doing the reps when you’d rather hide, and sticking with the long game even when the market turns. We walk through Chris’s path from running 51 supermarkets in the UK to starting recruitment after a life jolt, six months travelling the east coast, and interviewing from a Brisbane backpackers hostel. From there, we get into the real skills that separate average from great in agency recruitment: a tight feedback loop, learning by osmosis in a strong team, and why investing in candidates early pays off years later. We also talk about the “playbook” culture in bigger firms, how it can crush authenticity, and why being yourself is not a soft extra, it’s part of your brand and performance. Leadership is a big theme too, from inheriting teams and building social capital, to stepping into a State Director role and dealing with imposter syndrome. Chris shares how he thinks in clear buckets (people, performance, customer), why a personal board matters, and what he’s doing with AI in recruitment to buy time back for real human conversations. If you’re curious about practical AI use, you’ll love his example of building a Claude app to prep better one-to-ones and reclaim hours every week. If you got value from this, subscribe, share it with a recruiter mate, and leave a review so more people can find the show. Support the show · Our Website is: xrecruiter.io
The team one-to-one cheatcode | COAR S3 E5 Snippet
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The Reality of Starting Your Own Recruitment Agency | COAR S3 E3 Clip
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Rikki Tiwari | From Selling Timeshare to Running His Own Recruitment Business | COAR S3 E4
Send us Fan Mail Rikki Tiwari became a recruiter purely by accident. He arrived in Sydney with $500 in his pocket and no plan, having spent his early UK career on corporate sales floors, then in sales coaching and NLP training. Robert Half in Sydney threw him straight into it, and year one tested him hard even when he was doing everything right. His first major placement came from a move most recruiters avoid: meeting a client when there was no live job at all. From there it was Ourpath, then in February 2020, walking away from the corporate ladder to build ARCQ Talent, his own agency, niched into the Microsoft ecosystem across infrastructure, cloud, dev, data, security and AI/ML. Going solo meant learning the hard way that you're also the marketer, the finance department and the delivery team, and that the loneliness is real. So he built the systems and SOPs to protect his family time, while staying stubbornly human-first on the phone with clients and candidates. If you enjoyed this conversation, subscribe, share it with a recruiter mate, and leave a review to help more people find the show. Support the show · Our Website is: xrecruiter.io
“The safest bet you’ll ever make is on yourself” | COAR S3 E3 Clip
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Max Kozin | The Blue Collar Recruiter Who Bet on Himself | COAR S3 E3
Send us Fan Mail He landed his first deal within days of launching Trade Plus Recruitment. No inherited database. No clients waiting. No one telling him what to do next. We sit down with Max Kozin to talk through the part nobody glamorises: payroll exposure, insurance, health and safety compliance, and the mental load of starting a blue-collar recruitment agency from scratch. We get into the systems he built to move fast. Max uses Loxo to send candidates a structured pre-screening form that updates his database automatically, so when a client needs carpenters tomorrow, he can sort by tickets, location, and availability in minutes. If you've ever tried to phone-screen hundreds of applicants, you'll understand why this changes everything for labour hire. We also dig into niche strategy and BD. Max breaks down how his niche tightened over time, why "carpentry" alone is still too broad, and why focusing on self-delivering builders makes the desk more profitable. He shares how he approaches market mapping, uses tools like Firmable, and why going interstate made sense once he truly knew his market. The thread running through all of it: back yourself, build better processes, and make your edge the fact that clients deal directly with the person who cares most. If you're thinking about starting a recruitment agency, scaling a labour hire desk, or just sharpening your niche, this one's for you. Support the show · Our Website is: xrecruiter.io
Every Recruiter Falls for This Trap | COAR S3 E2 Clip
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Rav Prasad | From Selling Gym Memberships to Founding His Own Agency | COAR S3 E2
Send us Fan Mail A recruiter who still loves picking up the phone after 16 years is either wired differently or has figured out something most people miss. Rav Prasad joins us to unpack how he went from selling gym memberships to thriving inside major agencies, then stepping out on his own and building Humanistics in Brisbane. Along the way we get into what the Michael Page environment demands, why standards and internal reputation can shape your career, and how those early years harden the skills that matter when markets turn. We compare agency cultures and recruitment KPIs in real terms, including what the Robert Half contracting engine feels like, why activity and connected calls change everything, and the downside of being siloed when you spot a great lead. Rav breaks down why he stayed in accounting and finance recruitment, how Brisbane has become more transactional, and why human connection is still the edge when everyone is moving fast. If you care about candidate experience, client trust, and doing business development without burning out, there are plenty of practical cues you can steal. We also go deeper on leadership and building a recruitment business. Rav shares the mistakes he regrets, why focusing on titles can pull you off track, and what “consistency” looks like day to day when you run your own desk. Then we look forward: AI in recruitment, where automation genuinely helps (admin), where it falls short (context), and why meeting people face to face still gives you information you cannot get on Teams. If you enjoyed the chat, subscribe, share it with a recruiter mate, and leave us a review so more people can find the show. Support the show · Our Website is: xrecruiter.io
Redundancies: The Hardest Part of Leadership | COAR S3 E1 Clip
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Darren Buchanan | The Man Behind Hays Queensland’s Rise to #1 | COAR S3 E1
Send us Fan Mail You don’t often get to hear from someone who’s spent 32 years inside one of the world’s biggest recruitment agencies and still has a clear view of what matters. Darren joins us to share how he “fell into recruitment” in early 90s London, survived the boiler room pace, and eventually helped build Hays into a powerhouse across Queensland. We dig into the real differences between UK recruitment and Australian recruitment culture, especially in Brisbane and regional Queensland. London can be transactional and outcome-first, while Queensland recruiting often rewards relationships, trust and showing up in person. Darren explains how the same recruitment methodology can land very differently depending on the market, and what that means for client management and candidate experience. We also get practical on systems and leadership: why CRM and ATS rollouts are so hard in big agencies, how to win buy-in (including pulling sceptics closer), and how to manage KPIs when your most experienced recruiters operate on instinct and deep networks. Darren shares why compliance and customer service can’t be an afterthought, plus what the GFC taught him about redundancies, humanity and leading when it hurts. If you’re building a recruitment agency, running a team, or trying to stay sane while chasing targets, this one is packed with grounded lessons. Subscribe, share it with a recruiter mate, leave us a review, and tell us: what’s the hardest change you’ve had to lead in your business? Support the show · Our Website is: xrecruiter.io
Theo Elliott - Rover Recruitment | COAR S2-E6 Snippet
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Mastering Candidate Experience: Blue Collar Recruitment | COAR S2-E6
Send us Fan Mail We sit down with Theo Elliott from Rover Recruitment to unpack the real first-year story behind a fast-growing labour hire desk in Brisbane and the Gold Coast, including the ugly parts recruiters don’t post about: rejection, cashflow stress, and learning suburbs on the fly while still trying to win work. We get practical about what moved the needle early. Theo shares why he doubled down on manufacturing, warehousing and logistics recruitment, how he approached market mapping, and what it took to do 1,000 business development calls in two weeks. We also dig into the quality versus quantity debate, why activity creates better outcomes over time, and how speed-to-market affects candidate attraction in blue-collar hiring where applicants disappear fast. Then we go deeper into operations and risk. Theo breaks down how he runs a lean 360 model, when he hired support, and how remote recruitment professionals help with sourcing, screening and contractor flow while he stays focused on client acquisition and account management. We also talk bad debt and liquidation risk, the warning signs he wishes he acted on earlier, and the lesson he wants every recruiter to take away: get on site, understand the culture, and manage expectations with clients before you promise anything. If you’re building a recruitment agency, scaling a labour hire desk, or trying to improve candidate attraction and temp-to-perm outcomes, this one will sharpen your thinking. Support the show · Our Website is: xrecruiter.io
Dan Newberry, Shadow Gate Partners | COAR S2 SPECIAL SNIPPET
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Defence, Intelligence & Space : Dan Newberry, Shadow Gate Partners | COAR S2 Special
Send us Fan Mail The defence industry is hard enough. Now try recruiting for intelligence missions where the best candidates cannot be found on job boards, some people barely exist online, and you are not even allowed to talk about certain details in public. In this special episode we are joined by Daniel Newberry, founder of Shadowgate Partners, to get a rare look at what modern intelligence recruitment and space-related hiring actually involves. We talk through Daniel’s path from internal talent acquisition at major defence primes to launching his own specialist recruitment agency, then deliberately niching down into signals intelligence and space capability. He explains the early credibility problem, what it is like trying to navigate defence procurement. If you have ever wondered how recruiters source “cleared” talent when LinkedIn is not enough, this is the playbook: internal sourcing, program mapping, and relationship-led headhunting. Daniel also shares why Shadowgate runs retained search instead of contingent recruitment, why some clients only want to see one CV, and what “delivery” looks like when relocations, family impact, and mission outcomes are on the line. We finish with founder-level lessons on picking a niche, not scaling too fast, and building a process that earns trust in the intelligence and defence space. If you enjoy conversations about defence recruitment, security clearance hiring, signals intelligence, Australia’s space industry, and building a recruitment agency that can operate across Australia and the US, press play. Support the show · Our Website is: xrecruiter.io
How Candidate-Led Business Development Wins Real Search Work | COAR S2-E5 Preview
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Mastering Candidate Experience: Creative & Digital | COAR S2-E5
Send us Fan Mail Ghosting, dropouts, slow feedback, messy shortlists, and clients who “just want the CVs” aren’t random problems. They’re symptoms of a process that doesn’t build trust early and doesn’t make the work visible. We’re joined by Ryan Kelly from Creative Natives to talk about candidate management and candidate control in a way that’s practical, human, and built for the 2026 recruitment market. We get into employer value proposition and employer branding that actually moves the needle: turning a role brief into a 30-second video, distributing it on LinkedIn, and using it as both candidate attraction and free PR for the client. Ryan explains why his agency positions itself as a true 50-50 partner to both client and candidate, plus the impact-led choices that back up those values, including incentives for hiring return-to-work parents. From there we go deep on content marketing for recruiters, inbound business development, and what to measure when likes don’t tell the full story. Ryan shares how webinars, newsletters, and community (including Slack groups) create a slower burn that converts passive candidates into warm, trusting relationships over time. We also cover the nuts and bolts that lift interview-to-placement results: weekly update meetings, presenting shortlists live, capacity limits, interview prep calls, and the follow-up email that too many candidates never send. If you want a smarter retained recruitment process and a better candidate experience without grinding harder, hit play. Subscribe, share this with a recruiter mate, and leave us a review with your favourite takeaway. Support the show · Our Website is: xrecruiter.io
If You Want The Best, You Have To Pay For It | COAR S2-E4 Preview
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Send us Fan Mail A near million-dollar blue collar desk, a life jump to Japan, a return to Melbourne during COVID, and a pivot into tech and enterprise accounts, Ena Colo has lived the full recruitment rollercoaster. We sit down and unpack what actually works when you’re trying to build a long-term career in recruitment, not just hit this month’s number. We talk about the difference between reactive recruiting and a true account director approach: becoming a single point of contact, earning trust across talent acquisition and line managers, and doing the relentless groundwork before the market “tap” turns on. Anna shares how she measures success through account growth, how she runs 15+ client meetings a week when needed, and how that effort compounds when hiring freezes lift and roles finally flow. From the delivery side, we get practical on standards and alignment. Why sending two excellent CVs beats uploading six average ones, how to tighten feedback loops with delivery consultants, and what the one percenters (formatting, spelling, rate clarity, super) do to your credibility. We also go deep on employer branding, managing expectations when a client has a poor reputation, coaching hiring managers to move faster, and keeping candidates engaged with clear communication and personalised outreach. If you want better candidate experience, stronger client relationships, and a more consultative recruitment style, you’ll take plenty from this chat. Follow the show, share it with a recruiter mate, and leave a review, what’s one recruiting standard you refuse to compromise on? Support the show · Our Website is: xrecruiter.io
"Building a leading Recruitment Brand on LinkedIn" | COAR S2-EP3 - Preview
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Mastering Candidate Experience: Insurance industry | COAR S2-EP3
Send us Fan Mail Most recruiters treat candidate experience as an afterthought. Nathan and Jett from Impact Talent have made it their competitive advantage. In this episode of Confessions of a Recruiter, the co-founders of Impact Talent break down exactly how they've mastered candidate experience in one of Australia's most relationship-driven industries — insurance. From the moment they make first contact to the final offer, Nathan and Jett share the frameworks, conversations, and mindset shifts that have helped them build a reputation where candidates actively want to work with them. We cover why setting clear expectations from day one changes everything, how they deliver honest feedback without burning bridges, the "accept on your behalf" close that transformed their offer success rate, and why pulling a candidate from a process is sometimes the most powerful thing you can do. If you've ever lost a placement at the offer stage, had a candidate ghost you, or struggled to stand out in a crowded market — this episode will change the way you operate. Impact Talent specialises in placing insurance brokers, claims managers, underwriters, and loss adjusters across Australia. Do not miss this episode! Support the show · Our Website is: xrecruiter.io
