In this episode of Recruiting Trailblazers, host Marcus Edwardes interviews Darren Koontz, the founder and CEO of Mavic Ventures. Darren discusses his journey from playing football at Boise State University to establishing Mavic Ventures in 2018, a company focused on providing flexible recruiting solutions for startups. Darren explains the unique on-call model Mavic offers, allowing startups to use recruiters on a flexible, hourly basis. He also touches on the challenges faced by recruiting agencies in today’s market, emphasizing the importance of maintaining quality relationships and adapting to the evolving industry landscape. Darren shares his innovative approaches to candidate outreach, including the use of benchmarking and personalized messaging to cut through the noise in candidates’ inboxes. He also delves into the mental and emotional aspects of the recruiting business, highlighting the importance of resilience and adaptability for recruiters in a challenging market.

00:00 Introduction and Guest Welcome
00:29 Darren Koontz’s Background and Career
01:07 Favorite Film and Concert
02:01 Introduction to Mavic Ventures
03:13 Mavic’s On-Call Model and Market Fit
06:44 Challenges and Opportunities in Recruiting
10:17 Effective Candidate Outreach Strategies
20:45 Crafting Effective Outreach Messages
22:19 Building Relationships with Candidates
24:33 Understanding Company Culture
28:31 Challenges in Leadership and Recruitment
35:24 Leveraging Technology in Recruitment
38:59 Future Opportunities and Market Outlook
41:34 Conclusion and Final Thoughts