In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with Brent Orsuga, the top-rated logistics and supply chain recruiter, seven-figure entrepreneur, and founder of the award-winning advisory firm Pinnacle Growth Advisors.

Listen in as Brent discusses the art of reverse-engineering success as you define it. He talks about the importance of seeing your role as that of being a “talent advisor” or “subject matter expert”—beyond being simply a “recruiter”—in order to be seen as a valued partner in your candidates’ eyes.

Brent explains how to become known as the go-to expert on your space by homing in on a specific niche, and how he was able (and continues) to build his well-known brand as a recruiter without actually ever posting new jobs.

Finally, Brent talks about using “shoot-from-the-hip” video content creation as a business development tool, why he prefers contingent over retained search, and how he has been able to achieve massive success by seeing recruitment as a “high-touch, high-contact sport”.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

• [01:11] The benefits of doing a self-assessment at halfway through the year
• [05:43] How to be seen as a partner to candidates, as opposed to a vendor
• [07:25] The mindset that recruiters should adopt to thrive in today’s market
• [19:14] Defining “retained recruitment”
• [10:25] Company culture versus company identity
• [15:47] The importance of staying true to your niche
• [18:28] Building your brand via content creation
• [23:16] How Brent invests in himself
• [26:14] Why Brent only does contingency recruiting
• [28:58] Contingency versus retained search
• [31:46] Differentiating yourself as a recruiter
• [33:40] Standardizing every message
• [35:50] Why be transparent about compensation upfront
• [38:08] How to be a successful recruiter today

Key quotes:

• “As a recruiter, you’re either going to be viewed as a partner or a vendor.”
• “Confidence comes from competence.”
• “Culture is something you have to see and feel and almost hear yourself. You cannot show me a YouTube video or a static website and tell me about your culture.”
• “The ultimate sign of respect is when people give you their time—especially at their house or their office.”
• “You have to give value. LinkedIn and content cannot be self-serving.”
• “The reason people get emotional about recruiting is because they simply don’t have enough cooking. I tell our team: ‘You want to have ten people in process at all times.’”
• “Sales and recruiting are nothing more than exchanges of energy.”