Blogs by tag - Data · Barclay Jones

Vodcast: Is AI Recruitment's Superpower, Or Its Blind Spot?

Is Recruitment AI the Superpower Everyone's Raving About? Or Are You Missing Something Obvious?I recently caught up with George Whalley from Bullhorn for the latest in my recruitment leaders' vodcast series. AI, automation, cost reduction, compassionate recruitment, manual work, and dogs, were the topics.George's day job is bringing net new clients onto Bullhorn and then, unusually, staying on as their account manager afterwards. So unlike a lot of people selling you tech, he actually has to live with the consequences of what he sells you. That makes him worth listening to.We had 22 minutes to talk about the reality of AI in recruitment and what recruitment leaders need to factor into growing their businesses with this vital tech.💰 Your data is your superpower, so stop buying more of itI started by by asking George, a very pertinent question:How is AI (and automation) actually impacting recruitment right now?George's answer was basically - not as much as it should be. Why? Because recruiters are only using it for the boring bit (generating text) and ignoring it to help them monetise the data goldmine already sat in their own Bullhorn.Anyone can scrape LinkedIn.Anyone can buy the same 100,000 candidates as their competitor.That's cold data.Anyone can use AI to find and clean data - but don't get blindsided. It's what you do with it that counts!What George calls your actual superpower is the stuff already living in your notes and conversations that never made it into a proper field, that you can use AI to "power up" your pipeline.Recruiters are "crawling over warm data on their Bullhorn to get to cold data outside of Bullhorn". Sounds mad when you say it like that, doesn't it? But that's most agencies right now.What's the fix? (Watch the video to find out!)👇🧠 What can humans actually do that AI can't?This was George's favourite question and I can see why.His answer was blunt - AI can do a LOT to save time and costs, and drive process, but AI can't put a suit on and sit in a room with a client.It can't understand the stuff that actually matters more than the business on paper. We chatted about why 40% of consultants have left the industry in the last 18 months.Not because they were bad at their jobs.Because recruitment stopped needing what they were good at, and started needing something they'd never had to be good at before. Then George said something that's been rattling round my head all week - is AI really dehumanising recruitment, or is it de-manualising it?Humans = manual. Really? Is that as good as it gets?Watch the video 👇for more insights on how to de-manualise your recruitment process and do what only humans can do!🐕 Are you using tech to do what your website says you do?(And what has that got to do with your dog's God complex?)We chatted about the open secret in recruitment: what recruiters say they do - and what they really do - often poles apart. Too much data, and too little process makes for a lack of productivity and ultimately profit.It also makes for a very expensive tech stack, which leaves the average recruitment leader wondering why they need to spend so much money on tech just to stand still.What did George suggest you need to do to manage the threat and opportunity? Watch the video to find out...👇My recruitment leaders' vodcast with George is a cute 22minutes long. Grab a coffee and get watching!Bullhorn ATS / Analytics / Automation / AI ROIWe are Bullhorn experts obsessed with how recruiters can increase sales, reduce costs, speed up sourcing, and improve productivity.We help you weaponise your people, data, time, and tech, so you can recruit and sell!Our Bullhorn Vision and Buddy service helps generate best-in-class processes, adoption, head space, and ROI.BOOK A FREE BULLHORN ROI CONSULTATION
How Can Recruiters Place More Candidates Quicker?

How Can Recruiters Place More Candidates Quicker?I've been in recruitment since 2000 and spent a good chunk of that time helping recruitment businesses do what we call "Bullhorn1st" - automating their sourcing, screening, sales, and placements.Along the way I've picked up a fair bit about data, automation, AI, and what actually makes a recruitment process profitable.Here's what still holds true, and what's changed.1. 📊 Too Much Recruitment Data, Not Enough PipelineMost recruiters have plenty of data. Often too much.They're sourcing it, buying it, scraping it, storing it - but not turning it into fees. A lot of it sits in systems outside the CRM, which just creates lag, cost, and risk.Data only has value if you actually do something with it. Candidate applications and client leads go cold fast if you don't get to them quickly.Most recruiters are trying to manage far more records than they can realistically keep on top of. There's a reason Dunbar's number keeps coming up in this conversation - people can only maintain so many real relationships at once.Get real about what you can actually manage, and focus there.2. 📱 All the Gear, No IdeaPlenty of recruiters still aren't showing up with any confidence in the channels where their candidates and clients actually spend time. Candidates expect more than phone and email now, and that gap has only got wider.The default response is usually "get on the phone more." That doesn't hold up when the average recruiter is sitting on thousands of records.Even where the tech is there to help, a lot of teams were never properly trained to use it. Distraction, FOMO, and a habit of leaning too hard on LinkedIn and job boards still cost recruiters time and money.3. 📉 Leads Generated, Sales SuppressedRecruiters are generally good at generating leads. They're much less consistent at converting them.Leads go cold within about 24 hours. It typically takes 8-15 touches to convert one - yet most recruiters give up after three.That gap between generating leads and actually closing them is where a lot of revenue quietly disappears.4. 🤖 AI Has Moved the GoalpostsThis is the bit that's changed most since I last wrote about this.Bullhorn's latest GRID research found that only 35% of candidates now go to a recruitment agency first when job hunting - down on the year before, with job boards picking up the difference. That's not great news on its own.But the same research found candidates respond well when agencies actually use AI properly:77% report a positive experience with AI in the process88% rate voice agents as good as, or better than, a human interviewAutomated onboarding pushes candidate loyalty up to 85%87% of contingent workers who get the hours they want stick with the firm that placed themNone of that means recruiters get replaced. It means AI and automation are now doing a decent job of clearing up the data and process problems from points 1 and 2.That frees recruiters up to spend their time on the bit candidates still can't get from a job board - a person who actually knows them.5. 🧭 It's All About the Journey (and Dunbar, Again)Most recruiters put too much effort into the start of a relationship - adverts, acknowledgements, screening. Not nearly enough goes into what happens after "hello."That's still the fix: less effort front-loaded, more consistent contact throughout.It usually comes down to three things: too much data, not enough process, and not really knowing what candidates and clients want. AI and automation can sort out the first two. The third is still down to you.✅ TakeawaysTreat your data like your most valuable asset - less hoarding, more placing.Get real about what a recruiter can actually manage in a day; less is more.Use automation and AI to keep your data warm and turn it into fees.Free up your recruiters to do the job they're actually paid for: building relationships and closing deals.Bullhorn ATS / Analytics / Automation / AI ROIWe are Bullhorn experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses to increase speed and sales.We help you weaponise your people, data, time, and tech, so you can recruit and sell!Our Bullhorn Vision and Buddy service helps generate best-in-class processes, adoption, head space, and ROI.BOOK A FREE BULLHORN ROI CONSULTATION
Vodcast: Recruitment AI ~ How to Use Tech Without Losing the Human Touch

Is Your Recruitment Tech Stack Keeping You Human, or Just Keeping You Busy? And Where Does AI Fit and Not Fit?I recently sat down with Raymond Pennie, the founder and CEO of Kyloe Partners, for as part of my recruitment leaders' vodcast series that went deep into the messy, exciting, and often confusing world of recruitment technology, and AI.If you’ve ever felt like your Bullhorn CRM/ATS is more of a "data graveyard" than a goldmine, or if the mere mention of AI makes you want to hide under your desk, this conversation was for you.Raymond and I didn't just talk about "plugging things in"; we talked about why so many recruitment leaders are currently suffocating under a mountain of manual admin, and tech and data, while trying to "stay human."Here’s a teaser of the big questions we tackled (and why you’ll want to catch the full recording):🤔The Recruitment AI Paradox: Why Leaders Overestimate Short-Term AI and Underestimate Long-Term ImpactAI is the smallest word having the biggest impact right now.Raymond dropped a truth bomb: most people are overestimating AI in the short term but massively underestimating it in the long run.Is AI going to be your best manager - keeping you on track and stripping away the boring bits - or your worst nightmare by micromanaging your every missed task?🤖We also discussed a terrifying new reality: AI vs. AI.When every candidate uses AI to craft a "perfect" resume/CV that matches your job description exactly, how do you actually screen for talent?Raymond shares a simple strategy to use recruitment technology to prioritise the right candidates and clients so you can get back to the human-to-human influence that AI simply can't touch.⛔Why Buying AI Recruitment Tools Isn't Enough (The 'Bandwagon' Problem)One of my favourite parts of our chat was about the "AI Bandwagon."Raymond’s advice?Buy the AI, but for heaven's sake, use it.Too many leaders buy recruitment tech as a defense mechanism or a "quota" to feel better about themselves or feel that they can at least say that they have what they need, only to end up trapped in long contracts with tools they don't understand.Ultimately the goal needs to be Bullhorn ROI, not simply lots of tech.We talked about the "Bruce Lee method" of recruitment leadership: why you might need to slow down in order to speed up.💸Data Enrichment in Recruitment: Working the Funnel from the Money EndWe moved on to the "V" word: Value. Not the fluffy kind, but the actual monetization of your data. Raymond explained why you should stop trying to "clean" a million records just for the sake of it. Instead, he shared a targeted approach—working from the "money end" of the funnel backwards.If you want to know how to stop "throwing crap at the wall" and start using data enrichment to find replacements before a candidate even leaves their role, you need to hear Raymond’s take on "Data Enrichment 101."The Bottom Line?Efficiency is one thing, but effectiveness is the next level. Don't let your recruitment technology prevent you or your recruiters from being human. Use it to ring-fence your candidate and client time so you can actually deliver a sustainable recruitment pipeline.Stay curious, stop panicking, and start picking the one or two things that actually resonate with your recruitment business goals.Ready to spend a speedy 19 minutes thinking about how to make your recruitment process more human with tech?Watch my 19 Minute Vodcast with RaymondBullhorn ATS / Analytics / Automation / AI RoIWe are Bullhorn experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses to increase speed and sales.We help you weaponise your people, data, time, and tech, so you can recruit and sell!Our Bullhorn Vision and Buddy service helps generate best-in-class processes, adoption, head space, and ROI.BOOK A FREE BULLHORN ROI CONSULTATION
Vodcast: Death to Spreadsheets: Is Your Agency’s Future Hiding in a Tab?

In our latest vodcast, which could be renamed as "Keeping Up with the Joneses," I sat down with Carl Jones, founder of Konquest, to tackle a truth that many recruitment leaders are still trying to avoid: the era of "wit and whiteboard pens" is officially over.If you’re still running your recruitment agency’s most critical processes on disparate spreadsheets, you aren’t just being "old school" - you might be making your business completely uncompetitive in an AI-driven market. Here are the 3 big questions we posed that every leader needs to answer1️⃣Is Your Data "Siloed" or Scalable?Carl highlighted a terrifying reality: as you scale, spreadsheets become "damaging".They are slow, corruptible, and unauditable.But the real FOMO trigger?If your data isn't in a scalable, database format today, you will be "completely screwed" when trying to leverage the AI agents of tomorrow. ❓Ask yourself: Are you building a data asset you can interrogate, or are you just "hoping" your team knows what’s going on? 2️⃣Are You Leading by "Facts" or "Feelings"?We’ve all been there. We've made decisions based on gut instinct or ego. But in a shifting market with new legislative changes and complex compensation needs, "facts not feelings" is the only way to retain your best staff. ❓The Question: Can you answer why you’re making a strategic change with "unequivocal data," or is it just subjective guesswork? 3️⃣What Are the Most Profitable Agencies Doing Differently?💡This was the "money shot" of our conversation.Carl revealed that Konquest has identified a dozen different "signals" that separate the fastest-growing agencies from the rest. These are signals from how they incentivise managers to the specific nature of their commission thresholds. Most recruitment leaders are getting commission wrong simply because the data hasn't been available.❓Are you overpaying or underpaying your recruiters? Or is your management setup simply years behind the industry standard? 🚨Stop Scrambling and Start SystematisingThe goal isn't just to have "shiny buttons" on a CRM/ATS.It’s about creating an "objective reality" for your business. As Carl put it, we are entering a period where leaders will soon be "scrambling" to get their data out of spreadsheets. Don't be the recruitment leader left behind while your competitors (which includes your own clients) are already using their data as a high-value weapon. Want to see how you benchmark against the rest of the industry? Carl and the team at Konquest have launched a live, free Recruiter Commission Census. It provides a personalised report on those 12 secret signals so you can finally see if your agency is at risk or ahead of the curve. Ready to spend a speedy 17 minutes thinking about your recruitment data and how to get it powering your recruitment business?Watch the full 17 minute vodcast with Konquest now. Bullhorn ATS / Analytics / Automation / AI RoIWe are Bullhorn experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses to increase speed and sales.We help you weaponise your people, data, time, and tech, so you can recruit and sell!Our Bullhorn Vision and Buddy service helps generate best-in-class processes, adoption, head space, and ROI.BOOK A FREE BULLHORN ROI CONSULTATION
Before You Jump on the AI Bandwagon: How Recruitment Leaders Get Tech Right

Buying Recruitment AI might not fix a broken recruitment process — it may just help you break it faster.I recently had an inspiring chat with a recruitment leader, and it struck me how many recruitment businesses are currently throwing themselves into tech pilots - especially AI - just because they don't want to get left behind.The pressure is real, but if you aren't careful, you’ll end up with a business full of "shiny new things" that don't actually fix your biggest recruitment problems.Here are 5 ways I believe recruitment leaders can cut through the noise and ensure they are getting the right tech for their recruitment businesses.1️⃣You Aren't Testing Tech; You’re Fixing a Business IssueThe biggest mistake I see is recruitment businesses testing a system rather than the thing they are trying to fix. Before you even look at a new tool, ask yourself:What is the actual problem? Is it data health? Recruiter productivity? Speed to market? Sales? Stronger client and candidate relationships?Does this process even need to exist? Sometimes we buy tech to "fix" a process that we should have just deleted in the first place.2️⃣Beware of "Frankenstein" Processes and DataOver the years, many recruitment firms have built what I call "Frankenstein tech" - those extra bits and pieces plugged in that create more complexity than they solve. (Expensive luxuries...)Frankenstein Data: Are you spending money to enrich data that you then do nothing with? Frankenstein Processes: Are your recruiters multitasking to the point of exhaustion because the tech doesn't serve a clear purpose? AI / Automation / Analytics should be the surgeon that cuts away the "Frankenstein" parts, not another bolt-on limb.3️⃣Tackle the "Admin Tax" and "Integration Debt" (and Myths)Every time a recruiter has to manually format a CV or move between non-integrated systems, they are paying a "tax" with their time.The Win: One leader I spoke with successfully rolled out a CV formatter that turned a half-day wait into a minutes-long task. This solved a genuine business problem: time to submit.The Debt: If your tech doesn't talk to each other, your recruiter becomes the "integrator," stuck in the middle of chaos. Be sure of what that means and how you manage that.The "Fully Integrated" Myth? I'm often told by leaders that they want a fully integrated tech stack. They want everything joined up... But, you may still need humans to be part of the integration. I'm ok with that - just be sure which parts of the recruitment lifecycle you genuinely need them to do and when... But please, please aim for as much integration as you can.4️⃣Solve the "What’s In It For Me?" (WIIFM)Your recruiters might be scared of AI, Automation, and Analytics. They think it’s coming for their jobs.To get buy-in, you have to move past "this will make the company more money". Would you believe that there is an ever increasing strata in recruitment that are not motivated by earning more?Find their motivation: Is it a shorter lunch break? More time at the gym? Getting home to their kids? The Enabler: Position tech as the tool that lets them go faster and stay human.5️⃣Remember the "DAD" ModelWhen analysing your current processes, run them through this filter that I often use with my clients when conducting a Bullhorn RoI Vision program:Delete: Do you really need this process? Automate/AI/Analytics: Can these tool do this better and faster? Delegate: If you can’t automate / Ai / analyse it, can you give it to someone else? (in-source / outsource?Final Thought: Slow Down to Go FasterDo what Chuck Norris and Bruce Lee advocate: Slow down to go faster. (Thanks for the insight, Jo!)Don't be afraid to take stock, briefly pause your pilots, and ensure your tech is truly moving the needle on your bottom line - not just adding to the noise and cost.Are you ready to audit your "Frankenstein" processes? Let’s chat about how we can get your humans and tech working in harmony. BOOK A FREE BULLHORN ROI CONSULTATIONBullhorn ATS / Analytics / Automation / AI RoIWe are Bullhorn experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses to increase speed and sales.We help you weaponise your people, data, time, and tech, so you can recruit and sell!Our Bullhorn Vision and Buddy service helps generate best-in-class processes, adoption, head space, and ROI.BOOK A FREE BULLHORN ROI CONSULTATION
Vodcast: Rehumanising Recruitment ~ Recruiters Versus Tech

Your Bullhorn already holds 95% of the answer, but most agencies just keep buying tools to avoid looking at it.I recently had the absolute pleasure of sitting down with a true recruitment "myth and legend," Keith Southern.For those who don't know Keith, he was the seventh person to join Progressive - the company that eventually became the global powerhouse S3.With a career spanning back to the early 90s, he has seen it all: the highs, the recessions, and the technological revolutions.Today, Keith leads The Power Hive, a community of over 170 recruitment leaders dedicated to helping agency owners move from just working in their business to working on it.Over a speedy 19minutes, we dove deep into why the "old school" ways, coupled with data, automation, and AI, might actually be the key to every recruitment leaders' future.💪Beyond ROI: The Power of "Return on Effort"We started by discussing a concept close to both of our hearts: Return on Effort (ROE). In an industry obsessed with the next shiny recruitment tech tool, many recruitment leaders are accidentally building what we called "Frankenstein tech stacks" - collections of expensive tools and data that don't talk to each other and often create "integration debt" and more admin than they solve. (I call this "Admin Tax".)We talked about how many sales floors today are eerily quiet because recruiters are hiding behind CRMs and marketing tech instead of picking up the phone, and Keith's ideas for:Using recruitment tech to free your consultants up to have more human conversations (and removing the "admin tax").Auditing your tech stack to see if you’re actually using what you’re paying for, or whether you're actually in "integration debt".🪙Turning Old Data into GoldOne of the most striking parts of our conversation was about the "gold nuggets" sitting right under our noses. Your "old to gold" could be data, processes, tech, people...Keith argues that most agencies already have 95% of the data they need in their own CRM, yet they continue to spend a fortune on expensive external job boards and LinkedIn licenses.We discussed "rehumanising" the process by using technology to lift the heavy weights so that recruiters can focus on building resilience and genuine relationships.We chatted about how to:Preventing your recruiters heading straight to LinkedIn / Job Boards to resource instead of looking "back home" at your own database.Training your recruiters to master the fundamental tasks, like a perfect candidate interview prep, before moving to the next part of the process.🤔Are You the Recruiter Your Website Says You Are?We ended with a challenge for the industry. Many agencies claim to be "at the heart of their sector" on their websites, but the reality is often a messy database and a reliance on reactive advertising. Keith’s advice for this year is simple: stop the abdication to technology and start driving your business with strategy again.This vodcast was a masterclass in recruitment leadership. Watch it to hear more about Keith's "war stories" from the S3 days and how to weaponise the data, systems, and people you already have.Ready to spend a speedy 19 minutes thinking about your recruitment process and how to keep it human with tech?Watch the full 19minute vodcast with The Power Hive now.Bullhorn ATS / Analytics / Automation / AI RoIWe are Bullhorn experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses to increase speed and sales.We help you weaponise your people, data, time, and tech, so you can recruit and sell!Our Bullhorn Vision and Buddy service helps generate best-in-class processes, adoption, head space, and ROI.BOOK A FREE BULLHORN ROI CONSULTATION
Are Hairdressers Putting Your Recruitment Business at Risk?

Many recruitment leaders I work with want their recruitment CRM to generate fees, but often recruiters are all too happy to jump back into spreadsheets, LinkedIn, notebooks and “going by memory” rather than use their CRM system properly. This blog is a quick 3-minute read to create some perspective and give you some ideas for a “CRMFirst” strategy.The above results in a nightmare for recruitment leaders who are looking to grow their business, become “GDPR-proof”, use AI, Analytics, and Automation to be more efficient and productive, and of course become more profitable.It above also results in a problem I call “Hairdresser Syndrome” – a term I’ve used for many years to describe a recruitment business that needs to get a grip on its processes and data to see real growth and ROI.(Note: I originally wrote this blog in 2018. Many years have passed and so much has happened to recruitment, but I've barely needed to update this content...)Do You Have a Recruitment Firm, or an Office Full of Desks For Rent?I have been with my hairdresser for 8 years. He knows my taste in magazines, some of my secrets and all of my roots. A few years ago he was based in a large salon in the city, where he rented a chair.The rest of the salon staff barely knew I was there, and I didn’t really notice them either – zero interaction. Perhaps if I was lucky my hair would be washed by one of the juniors. I’d pay the girl at the till on the way out, but my hairdresser was my only real contact at the salon.One day he very quietly commented that he was opening his own salon, and would I like to move with him? I bit his hand off – why wouldn’t I? I had no relationship with the salon. They kept no details on me, perhaps they didn’t even know I existed. Would they miss my business?For me, he was the salon.Are Your Recruiters Hairdressers?Can you see any similarities between your recruitment consultants and my hair dresser?They have exclusive relationships with the clients. Are you simply the “girl” taking my money at the till?Do they use stuff in your business, such as hair washers, tea makers, reception (IT, HR, Finance, Admin) that their fees contribute to, but that I am totally oblivious to?Are your consultants simply logging data at the point of sale to get the cash in but the juicy stuff which is about me, what I like, how I buy is in his/her head?If they left and took “clients” with them, would you know? And don’t forget you’ll only know what data they’ve taken and who’s migrated with them if they told you about these relationships in the first place.Even if you had the data on the client, would it be enough for you to continue the relationship going forward?Are your clients engaging with your business or the consultant? Are their loyalties to the brand or their perceived face of the brand, the consultant (the hairdresser)?I’m still seeing “30-second recruiters” who enter a candidate in the CRM just to place them and board the invoice. That may work for them in the short term, but they’re missing out on opportunities to be more effective and profitable whilst putting the business at risk.CRMFirst (Bullhorn1st): Hairdresser Prevention for Recruitment LeadersThis year needs to be about CRMFirst ~ Bullhorn1st ~ getting your candidates, clients and consultants addicted to your systems.It needs to be about data hygiene, recruiters building effective, retained relationships and recruitment firms focusing on effectiveness and growth.A CRMFirst (BullhornFirst) culture can create a valuable pool of great data that will put you ahead of your competition and create a hidden asset that your clients (and prospective clients!) want access to.Your recruitment CRM should be a USP – a unique selling point. Your recruitment software can be an addiction for your recruiters, your clients, candidates, and investors. All of which does the one job you bought it for – to make your life easier and make you more money.Swap the Salon Culture for CRMFirst Culture…Instilling a culture of data quality is challenging, but highly rewarding. Define the strategy, instil this into your culture and reduce the risk of bad data impacting the recruitment business.Get your recruitment consultants engaged with your system and train them on best practice so they understand why great recruitment process is profitable for them, as well as your business.📌Stop them from simply renting a desk.Once they can see and feel the benefits of following your processes (improving performance, profit, and ROI for themselves as well as the business) then your CRM can become a business growth tool, rather than an expensive data dump.Bullhorn ATS / Analytics / Automation / AI RoIWe are Bullhorn experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses to increase speed and sales.We help you weaponise your people, data, time, and tech, so you can recruit and sell!Our Bullhorn Vision and Buddy service helps generate best-in-class processes, adoption, head space, and ROI.BOOK A FREE BULLHORN ROI CONSULTATION
Why Your Bullhorn Stack is the Secret to Rehumanising Recruitment

In the high-stakes world of UK recruitment, there’s a nagging anxiety that sits like a ghost in the machine: the "roboticisation" of the industry.Many recruitment agency owners I speak with worry that leaning too heavily into their tech stack (specifically a powerhouse like Bullhorn) risks turning their recruiters and resourcers into data-entry admins and their candidates and clients into mere serial numbers.There's a distinct lack of picking up the phone, at a time when it's never been more important.But if you’re viewing recruitment technology as a barrier to human connection, you’re looking at it through the wrong end of the telescope.RehumanisationThe primary goal for almost every high-performing recruitment and staffing agency I partner with isn't to automate people out of the business.It is to use technology to rehumanise the process.Here are 3 ways how we move beyond the theory of tech driving stronger relationships and rehumanising the recruitment process.1️⃣The Paradox of Manual LabourThe irony of modern recruitment is that the "human touch" is often killed by "robotic" manual tasks. When a consultant spends three hours a day manually parsing CVs, dragging files into folders, and sending "just checking in" emails, they aren't being human. They are acting like a slow, expensive algorithm.And they are likely missing the point of recruitment:Managing relationships.Spotting opportunities.Protecting pipelines.By the time they actually get a candidate or client on the phone, they’re drained and distracted.When we optimise Bullhorn by Bullhorn Automation, Analytics and AI, we aren't replacing the recruiter. We are stripping away the administrative "noise" that prevents them from being present. True automation handles the repetitive, low-value chores so your team can focus on the high-value, high-emotion conversations that actually land placements.Great analytics helps create meaningful time management and tasks to drive targets!AI creates space for mindful recruitment!📌These 3 As lead to a crucial 4th A - adoption! What's often missing from a recruiter's day is a great adoption of process.2️⃣Restoring the Candidate (and Client) ExperienceMany candidates have been on the receiving end of "robotic" recruitment: weeks of radio silence followed by a generic rejection email. Plus, clients often feel under managed and engaged with, and go elsewhere.That isn't the fault of the tech; it’s a failure to use it.📌A rehumanised process uses the ecosystem to ensure no one feels ignored.In a sophisticated Bullhorn setup:Speed is Empathy: Candidates and clients receive updates the moment a status changes because your workflow is triggered by their journey, not by a recruiter’s busy diary.Personalisation at Scale: You can reference a candidate's / client's specific niche, need, or career aspirations automatically, proving you’ve actually engaged with their profile.Consistency: Every contact receives a gold-standard experience, regardless of how many roles a consultant is juggling that week.3️⃣Data: The Compass for ConnectionData isn't cold; it’s context.When your Bullhorn data is clean and your tech is configured correctly, you gain a massive competitive advantage in relationship building. And your recruiters and resourcers value it, want to use it - RoI is achieved!Automations don't feel automatedAnalytics tell the right truth and drive brilliant activityAI releases procrastinationCandidates and clients are managed - everyone wins!Imagine a consultant calling a client and knowing exactly when they last spoke, the specific pain points mentioned six months ago, and exactly which candidate profiles resonated most. That isn't tech "taking over". Tech provides the insights needed to be a true consultant rather than just a CV chaser.💸💸The Bottom LineTechnology shouldn't be a wall between you and your market; it should be the bridge.My mission is to help you move past the "human vs. machine" debate and start seeing Bullhorn as the ultimate tool for liberation.When you automate the mundane, you empower your people to do what only humans can do: negotiate, empathise, and consult.I been in recruitment since 2000. This year, more than any other year, means that your human-connected-tech strategy has never been more important.Bullhorn ATS / Analytics / Automation / AI RoIWe are Bullhorn experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses to increase speed and sales.We help you weaponise your people, data, time, and tech, so you can recruit and sell!Our Bullhorn Vision and Buddy service helps generate best-in-class processes, adoption, head space, and ROI.BOOK A FREE BULLHORN ROI CONSULTATION
Tech-Rich but Time-Poor: Is Your Recruitment Stack a Frankenstein’s Monster?

In the recruitment world, we are currently "tech-rich but time-poor."The recruitment market is currently flooded with "cool tools" and creating the risk of a fragmented tech stack, which ironically creates more process lag.As recruitment agency owners, you’ve likely been told for years that the right tech is the silver bullet for your growth. Perhaps you’ve invested in:The best CRMs.The latest AI sourcing tools.And cutting-edge automation and analytics platforms. But for many of you, instead of a streamlined powerhouse, you may have ended up with a "Frankenstein’s Monster" - a collection of brilliant tools that don’t talk to each other (and a team of "disconnected recruiters" with the best will in the world still delivering relatively manual processes.)The next Power Hive eventswill dive into how you move past the hype to find the actual gold. Because here is the hard truth: RoI isn't found in the features of a single tool; it’s found in the flow between them.The Problem: Integration DebtWhen your tech stack is fragmented, your team pays the price in "manual labour".If a recruiter has to spend 20 minutes a day moving data from a sourcing tool to a CRM, or manually updating a spreadsheet to track marketing leads, or worse, paralysed by choices and poor data, you aren't just losing time, you’re losing the very RoI you bought the tech to generate.📌Technology is not as a standalone pillar. It's the engine that powers your Recruitment Business, Recruiters, and Marketing. If the engine isn't connected to the wheels, you aren't going anywhere.3️⃣Pillars for Maximum Tech RoITo get a real return on your investment, your ecosystem needs to solve 3 specific challenges...1. The "Single Source of Truth"RoI starts with data and process integrity.If your rectec tool finds a "purple unicorn" candidate but that data doesn't instantly sync to your CRM, that candidate is essentially invisible to the rest of your business.📌To maximise RoI, your CRM must be the heart of the business, with every other tool acting as a limb that feeds it information in real-time.2. Reclaiming the "Human" in RecruitmentI'm delighted to be a part of The Power Hive. It's built on the mission of Making Human Connections.Ironically, the best way to be more human is to be more automated. Maximum RoI happens when tech removes the "click-work." Imagine a world where a candidate applies, an AI agent screens them, a calendar invite is sent, and the CRM is updated, all while your recruiter is on the phone actually consulting. That is where the profit lies: buying back your people’s time so they can do what they do best.📌Move beyond the theory that tech "roboticises" recruitment, and move towards it rehumanising the process - which is the one goal most of my clients have.3. The Closed Feedback LoopWhen tech is connected, you can run faster, make data-driven decisions, and can see which source (Marketing) actually leads to a placement (Revenue).📌You can’t calculate RoI if you can’t track the journey from lead to cash.The "Power Move": Audit Your Stack (and Expect More!)Before you buy the next "shiny object" in recruitment, perform a quick audit of your current setup. Ask yourself: Keep, Kill, or Connect?Keep: Is it being used to its full potential?Kill: Is it a standalone "silo" that adds more work than it saves?Connect: Can this tool be integrated via API or middleware (like Zapier or Make) to automate a manual task?📌And rinse and repeat this process every year, even if you have no intention of buying new tech. It's just good sense to look your tech in the eye and ensure it is fulfilling it's purpose.Join the ConversationAt the upcoming events in Leeds and Manchester, we’re going to look at the practical "how-to" of connecting these dots. Some thmese will be:People - How do you get your people performing better?Technology - How do you get more efficiency from your technology stack for a better RoI?The goal isn't to have the most tech; it’s to have the most connected tech and recruiters. Have confidence that when the tech works, the people (and you) win.Find out more about the events here. Perhaps I'll see you there?Bullhorn ATS / Analytics / Automation / AI RoIWe are Bullhorn experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses to increase speed and sales.We help you weaponise your people, data, time, and tech, so you can recruit and sell!Our Bullhorn Vision and Buddy service helps generate best-in-class processes, adoption, head space, and ROI.BOOK A FREE BULLHORN ROI CONSULTATION
Vodcast: How Can Recruiters Be More Targeted with Their Time? Analytics

Recruiters have limited time to make a difference to their candidates, clients, colleagues, and pipeline. But this is the year when agile and focused performance is critical. But with so many systems, often too much data, being focused and targeted is hard.Everything, Everywhere, All At Once!Recruiters are often pulled in multiple directions all at once. Keeping candidates and clients happy, whilst navigating multiple platforms and dirty data sets, makes for a hopeful strategy. All of this is during a year where minds are being changed at speed.But ironically, recruiters have the data which can help target their time. And if analysed, data tells the truth:It speaks of past performanceIt predicts future performanceBut, in some recruitment businesses the truth hurts. Recruiters should be using analytics to tell the truth, then improve their performance. In the very least they could be using data to look for quick wins and business opportunities to, for example, recycle contractors, and focus their time on at-risk clients for repeat business.Recruitment Leaders Navigating Through Tough TimesRecruitment leaders could be using analytics to manage and lead their teams - and help them navigate through troubled times.Recent years have seen a seismic shift in the recruiting market. 1. Experienced recruiters leaving the market and taking their knowledge with them.2. Lots of new startups resulting from larger recruiters downsizing. 3. Recruitment leaders have likely scaled quickly, and during a booming year. New recruiters, new problems.This leaves knowledge gaps, process gaps, and opportunities for a 'spray and pray' approach to recruitment. This can only be fixed by luck and an active and analytical approach by leaders.Leadership would be wise to not wait for luck, but to analyse, automate, enable their recruiters, and yell "let's do this!"Let's Do This!As I'm writing this blog, I'm getting excited for my clients who have not shied away from the data. They are automating it, de-administrating their recruiters, and creating space for best practice and training. But, I'm also worried about the recruitment leaders who have heads in hands saying "make it stop". I get that, but now is the time to get suited-up and get cracking with the data, the analytics, the performance.Watch My Analytics Vodcasts with Andy...Bullhorn ATS / Analytics / Automation / AI RoIWe are Bullhorn experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses to increase speed and sales.We help you weaponise your people, data, time, and tech, so you can recruit and sell!Our Bullhorn Vision and Buddy service helps generate best-in-class processes, adoption, head space, and ROI.Can't wait for the webinar?BOOK A FREE BULLHORN ROI CONSULTATION
3 Ways to Automate Away the Counter Offer and Drop Out

Recruiters who want to prevent counter offers and drop outs have several choices.They sit and do nothing, assuming the candidate remained loyal to them and was not flattered or hood winked into accepting a counter-offer.They know that prevention is better than cure, and set manual reminders engage the candidate as and when they think it’s best.They use automation to engage and manage the candidate, whilst controlling the narrative and the process.💡Every successful recruiter knows that the key to eliminating dropouts lies in consistent, timely intervention.🪄This is where automation transforms a good process into a great one.In our previous blog "Stop Losing Placements: Your 3-Step Plan to Pre-empt the Counter Offer or Drop Out" we offered a straightforward guide to preventing counter offers, armed with the data you need to make the case.Try Our 3️⃣ Powerful Ways to Use Automation to Prevent Counter Offers and Drop Outs1️⃣️ Automated "Reality Check" Content DripYou need to proactively arm candidates with the necessary data before they even receive an offer. This content drip focuses on education, addressing the emotional allure of a counter offer with cold, hard facts.How to Automate: Set up an email automation sequence that triggers immediately after a candidate successfully completes a key interview stage (e.g., after the screening or first stage interview, or when a final offer is imminent).The Content: The sequence should deliver the statistics we discussed (e.g., 9 out of 10 people leave anyway, the cost to the employer, etc.) and explore the non-monetary reasons for leaving. Use short, sharp emails with a professional, advisory tone.Goal: To normalise the counter offer as a business tactic and pre-frame it as a short-term distraction from their long-term career goals. This makes the eventual counter offer less of a surprise or a compelling "olive branch."2️⃣ 📝 Automated Counter Offer Acknowledgment FormThis tool formalises the discussion you have with the candidate, ensuring they have verbally and electronically confirmed their awareness of the risks.How to Automate: Integrate a simple form into your candidate management system or send it via an automated link after the final offer is extended.The Requirement: The form should ask the candidate to confirm that they have:Discussed the likelihood of a counter offer with their recruiter.Reviewed the long-term career statistics associated with accepting a counter offer.Understood that the underlying reasons for their resignation (e.g., culture, progression) are unlikely to be resolved by a temporary pay bump.Goal: The act of filling out this form forces one last moment of reflection, significantly reducing the chances of an impulsive, emotional decision, and provides a documented record of the candidate's commitment.3️⃣ 📅 Automated "Resignation Prep" ResourceThe most dangerous time is the moment of resignation, often delivered in a high-pressure, emotional meeting. Automation can deliver a just-in-time resource to guide the candidate through this moment.How to Automate: Set up a final email to be delivered the day before the candidate plans to hand in their notice.The Content: This resource is a concise, step-by-step guide on how to resign professionally. Crucially, it includes:Scripted Responses: Suggested brief, professional phrases to use when a counter offer is made (e.g., "I appreciate the offer, but my decision is final and based on long-term career factors, not just compensation.").Focus Points: A checklist of their original motivations for leaving (e.g., "Remember why you started this search: lack of flexible working, no clear path to management.").Goal: To help the candidate manage the conversation gracefully, stick to their pre-agreed decision, and resist emotional manipulation in the moment.🔐The Automation Advantage: Protecting Your Fee and Their FutureThe counter offer is a recruitment industry reality, but a drop-out is not an inevitability.By combining pre-emptive, data-driven candidate coaching with a strategic approach to automation, you move beyond simply hoping a candidate will decline a counter offer.Instead, you build a robust, repeatable recruitment process that manages risk, documents commitment, and ensures your candidate resigns fully prepared and focused on their long-term career move.💡Embracing automation isn't about replacing the human element; it's about making the human element.Your invaluable advice and counsel is more impactful. It guarantees the right advice is delivered at the right time, securing your placement and protecting your candidate from a decision they would almost certainly regret down the line.Be sure to not run your recruitment process on good intentions - back it up with the tech you need to boost your process and pipeline!Automation Buddy / Bullhorn RoIWe are Automation Buddies set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses who want to increase speed and sales.We coach to inspire, and build your automations so you can recruit and sell!Plus, through our Bullhorn Vision service we help generate serious ROI from your Bullhorn, data, and people.READ MORE ABOUT OUR BULLHORN VISION SERVICEREAD ABOUT OUR AUTOMATION BUDDY SERVICEBOOK YOUR FREE CONSULTATION
Vodcast: How Can Recruiters Use Data to Drive Performance?

Recruiters - Your data is one of your most important assets. Data coupled with your time, your process, and your wit, can make for a super slick and profitable recruitment process. But if you don’t know your numbers, and you don’t work your data, you are simply a recruitment administrator, being busy, but not being very effective. In my vodcast with Tracey O’Neill from The Data Consultant we chatted about how you can: Work your data. Control your process. Be a profitable Recruitment Consultant and Leader.Whether you’re a recruitment leader wanting a sustainable recruitment business with high-performing recruiters, or a recruiter that wants to run a successful recruitment desk, this vodcast is a great listen (or watch).Sexy / Clients / RoEI chatted with Tracey about how to use data to be a more effective recruiter:Data: A sexy asset which can drive your recruitment candidate and sales pipeline.Clients: Own their data, work it, and drive your relationships!RoE: What is it and what's it got to do with data and recruitment?What key takeaways does Tracey have for recruiters and recruitment leaders regarding how they can use data to run their desks and businesses?Recruitment leaders and recruiters – buckle up and get at least one takeaway to help you improve performance.Watch My 3 Recruitment Data Vodcasts with Tracey O'NeillBullhorn ATS / Analytics / Automation / AI RoIWe are Bullhorn experts set on helping ambitious recruitment businesses to increase speed and sales.We help you weaponise your people, data, time, and tech, so you can recruit and sell!Our Bullhorn Vision and Buddy service helps generate best-in-class processes, adoption, head space, and ROI.Can't wait for the webinar?BOOK A FREE BULLHORN ROI CONSULTATION