What recruitment tech to prioritise at each stage of growth

Kamal Ladwa on The Carrot & Stick, with Derry Holt (OneUp Sales)

Kamal joins Derry Holt on OneUp Sales' The Carrot & Stick podcast for a practical conversation about the technology a recruitment business should be thinking about as it grows. They work through three stages: startup, a team of 15 to 25 and a scaling business of 50 to 100 plus consultants. Along the way Kamal covers choosing a CRM, running LinkedIn automation safely, documenting processes and using AI in a controlled way.

Chapters

1. 0:00Introduction and Kamal's background
2. 3:33Choosing a CRM: it depends on your requirements
3. 5:55Startup: automate from day one
4. 9:48LinkedIn automation and staying visible
5. 15:57Startup tech: a data source and a CRM
6. 20:59Avoiding a siloed stack and justifying spend
7. 23:29Outbound tools and the system of record
8. 28:57Growing: 15 to 25 heads
9. 31:19Why processes matter and how to document them
10. 36:05Adoption: eight core workflows in the CRM
11. 39:10Automating inside the CRM
12. 42:51Scaling: 50 to 100 plus consultants and reporting
13. 46:12AI in recruitment
14. 48:57Quickfire questions and closing advice

What Kamal covers

• Why the best CRM is the one that meets your documented requirements, and why many agencies skip that due diligence
• The startup stage: automating the repetitive tasks that make money, such as LinkedIn networking and outreach, from day one and before worrying about the CRM
• Running LinkedIn automation without risking your account: replicate what a person would do, keep volumes sensible and be helpful rather than salesy
• What a small agency needs first: a good quality source of B2B data, an outbound tool and a CRM, joined up so the stack does not become siloed
• Three tests for any technology purchase: does it increase revenue, reduce cost or reduce risk
• The 15 to 25 head stage: documenting core processes so the business does not depend on knowledge held in people's heads
• Getting around eight core workflows through the CRM, covering lead generation, shortlisting, interviews, offers, placements and contractor compliance, and why moving from around 10 percent usage to 40 percent matters more than chasing 100
• Automating inside the CRM, such as prompting consultants to re-engage candidates and clients who have gone quiet
• The 50 to 100 plus stage: reporting and analytics, and why the data has to be captured properly earlier in the workflow
• Using AI in a controlled way, such as drafting introductions from enriched data and ranking candidates against a job spec

Who this is for

Recruitment agency owners and managing directors at any stage of growth who are deciding what technology to invest in next and in what order.