In this episode, Marcus Edwardes speaks with John Boyd, Founder of Cirrus Group Consulting, a search firm specializing in providing top Cloud computing talent to companies who need those skills.

According to Jim’s LinkedIn headline: “We provide the industry’s most ridiculously capable Cloud techies.”

Listen in as Jim explains why it pays to home in on a specific niche in the recruiting industry, build a system around that specialization, and go all-in on that niche. He illustrates his own success in applying this lesson through Cirrus Group’s focus on Cloud technologies.

Jim breaks down the Cirrus approach to harnessing systems and automations to scale a recruiting business, using a playbook followed by both offshore resources and internal staff. He covers the process from beginning to end, from his go-to automation tools, to the initial outreach, to his system for tracking applicants, all the way to the onboarding stage.

What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

●      [02:35] Putting a strong system in place for your business

●      [06:20] Jim’s vision for Cirrus Group

●      [12:00] The benefits of requiring everyone at Cirrus to be Cloud-certified

●      [15:00] Business development at Cirrus

●      [21:36] Cirrus’ go-to automation and email contact-finding tools

●      [26:15] How Cirrus conducts intake calls

●      [29:54] Sourcing candidates at Cirrus

●      [41:01] Cirrus’ applicant tracking system

●      [45:09] How automation has impacted Cirrus

●      [49:56] The candidate interview

Key quotes:

●      “75% or so of franchises are successful while 75% or so of non-franchise small businesses are not successful. Why? Franchises have systematized their businesses and built playbooks. They’ve tweaked, attempted, tried, and learned.”

●      “One of the top things that people look for when they buy a company is a system, a structure, a playbook, so that you, the owner, can be kicked out and the business does not take a hit.”