Episode Summary

In this episode of the Digital Recruiter Podcast, Clark Wilcox interviews Denise Chaffin, President of Top Source Talent and host of the Talking TA podcast. With over 30 years of experience in recruiting, Denise shares her fascinating journey, from starting in the industry with cold-calling and physical directories to adopting modern AI and automation tools. She reflects on how the core principles of relationship-building in recruiting have remained vital, even as the industry evolves.

Denise highlights the importance of balancing traditional methods with innovative technology. While tools like AI and automation can increase efficiency and reduce administrative burdens, she stresses that recruiting is ultimately a people-focused business. Building authentic relationships with candidates and clients continues to be the cornerstone of successful talent acquisition, regardless of the tools used.

The episode also explores how Denise uses her podcast and LinkedIn presence to connect with others in the industry, gain insights from diverse sectors, and expand her network. She emphasizes the value of staying curious, adapting to change, and embracing new technologies while maintaining the human touch that defines effective recruiting. Her blend of experience, adaptability, and forward-thinking offers valuable lessons for recruiters navigating today’s dynamic talent landscape.

Denise’s Bio

Denise Chaffin is the President of Top Source Talent, LLC, a Phoenix-based minority, woman-owned small business specializing in Talent Acquisition and workforce solutions. With over 30 years of experience, Denise is a subject matter expert in recruitment strategies, DEI, and employee retention for domestic and global companies. In 2023, she launched the Talking TA podcast, featuring thought leaders in HR and talent acquisition. An Arizona native and ASU magna cum laude graduate, Denise is dedicated to community outreach and supporting impactful initiatives.

You can find Denise on LinkedIn or check out https://topsourcetalentllc.com/podcast/ Get the best and most current digital recruiting insights, tips, and strategies every Sunday—straight to your inbox, for free: https://www.digitalrecruiter.io/drnewsletter

For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter

Episode Summary

In this episode, Clark Wilcox interviews Julia Arpag, CEO of Aligned Recruitment, about her journey from corporate recruitment to launching her own agency after being laid off during maternity leave. Julia, a mother of four with years of industry experience, shares how she reached $700,000 in revenue within her first year by focusing on revenue-generating activities and embracing a simple, streamlined approach. She initially used Google Sheets for tracking and managing client relationships, enabling her to prioritize growth and efficiency until she could invest in more sophisticated systems.

Julia and Clark discuss her use of LinkedIn content and automation tools, to build her client base. By posting daily and focusing on value for hiring managers, Julia established herself as a trusted expert. For Julia, authenticity and relationship-building are essential to sustainable growth, driving client loyalty and strong, consistent revenue.

Beyond her business strategies, Julia highlights her guiding principles, including her faith and commitment to family, which anchor her decisions and future aspirations. As a foster parent, she dreams of one day opening a retreat center for foster and adoptive families. Julia’s story illustrates a successful, values-driven approach to entrepreneurship, offering inspiration to those looking to build a purpose-led business.

Julia’s Bio

Living the dream!

By day, she hires top talent for her clients and leads the greatest team on the planet at Aligned Recruitment.

By night, she spends time with her delightful family, including her biological kids, foster kids, and her awesome husband.

She loves what she does, especially partnering with high-growth tech companies. She doesn't hire just to check boxes and fill roles; she hires to build A-player teams and drive peak company performance.

She's a Christian, a mom, a wife, and a passionate advocate for her clients and candidates.

You can find Julia on LinkedIn or check out https://www.alignedrecruitment.com/ Get the best and most current digital recruiting insights, tips, and strategies every Sunday—straight to your inbox, for free: https://www.digitalrecruiter.io/drnewsletter

For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter

Episode Summary

In this episode, Clark Wilcox interviews Amy Yackowski, founder of Painted Porch Strategies, to explore change readiness, particularly in high-stakes organizational transformations. Amy, with over 20 years in HR, staffing, and tech implementation, shares her insights on “Phase Zero,” a concept she champions to help organizations prepare for complex change initiatives. She explains that many projects miss their potential by neglecting this readiness phase, which involves aligning leadership and teams on shared goals and ensuring each member is prepared to adapt to new systems or practices. Amy and Clark discuss the parallels between preparing for change in organizations and the intense pre-game training athletes undergo. For Amy, effective change readiness means cultivating an environment where leaders, teams, and individuals are trained not only in the mechanics of a new process but also in collaborative problem-solving and communication skills. She highlights the importance of fostering trust and healthy conflict within teams, pointing out that these elements are critical for making well-informed decisions and achieving sustainable transformation. The episode also covers common pitfalls, like the urgency that can drive teams to skip essential groundwork. Amy emphasizes that short-cutting Phase Zero leads to failures like prolonged timelines, budget overruns, and resistance among team members. Her approach at Painted Porch Strategies is built on helping organizations confront these underlying challenges, guiding them to establish strong foundations before embarking on major projects, so they can confidently navigate change and achieve meaningful progress.

Amy’s Bio

You can call me Amy Yack; my friends do. I’ve spent the last 19+ years (some would argue since pre-school) seeking out and partnering with others to design programs that connect people and systems to a clear purpose, strategic vision, and noble mission. Through challenging business as usual, we can navigate the sea of change and build amazing teams, focused on contribution, service, and connection.

You can find Amy on LinkedIn or check out https://www.paintedporchstrategies.com/amy Get the best and most current digital recruiting insights, tips, and strategies every Sunday—straight to your inbox, for free: https://www.digitalrecruiter.io/drnewsletter

For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter

Episode Summary

In this episode, Clark Wilcox speaks with Julian D’Angelo, co-founder and CEO of Talin.ai, a cutting-edge automation tool designed for recruiters. Julian shares his unique journey from growth marketing in SaaS to building a recruitment tech company without any prior recruitment experience. He explains how his background in scaling processes and leveraging automation for efficiency gave him a distinct advantage when entering the recruitment space. This led him to develop Talin.ai, a platform that helps recruiters automate manual workflows like data enrichment, email sequencing, and ATS updates, all while keeping the human element at the core of the recruiting process.

The conversation delves into how Talin.ai works by integrating multi-channel campaigns across email, SMS, and in-mail, with AI-powered personalization to improve response rates. Julian highlights the importance of automating tasks that don’t require human touch, like sourcing candidates, so recruiters can focus on relationship-building. They also discuss the evolving role of AI in recruitment and how automation tools like Talin.ai can help recruiters handle more roles, improve efficiency, and maintain personalization, despite the increasing prevalence of AI in the industry.

Julian and Clark also explore the broader impact of AI on the future of recruiting, emphasizing that while automation will continue to improve, the human aspect—understanding candidates' needs and building trust—remains irreplaceable. Julian’s story is one of innovation, resilience, and the ability to blend tech-driven solutions with the recruiter’s traditional role of connecting people, ultimately transforming how recruitment agencies operate.

Julian’s Bio

After 7 years working with early and mid stage SaaS startups as a growth marketer, He began his own SaaS venture: Talin.

While building out growth teams for startups, He dove head first into learning the recruitment process.

What he found were broken, fragmented workflows that resulted in wasted resources and frustrated recruiters.

The root cause of these problems faced by recruitment teams were solvable. The tech existed - it just hadn't been packaged and designed to work for recruiters.

Talent professionals faced bad workflow problems that forced manual tasks sales and marketing teams had streamlined a long time ago. So he built Talin - an automation platform designed to streamline the sourcing, data enrichment, and outreach process so that talent teams can spend less time on spreadsheets, and more time on people.

You can find Julian on LinkedIn or check out https://www.talin.ai/ Get the best and most current digital recruiting insights, tips, and strategies every Sunday—straight to your inbox, for free: https://www.digitalrecruiter.io/drnewsletter

For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter

Episode Summary

In this episode, Clark Wilcox sits down with Tim Gandee, founder and executive recruiter of Packaging Recruiter Pros, to discuss Tim's journey in the recruitment industry and how he rebuilt his business after hitting a major roadblock. After over 25 years of experience in recruiting and background screening, Tim found himself at a standstill between November and March, facing zero productivity and struggling with unideal clients. He even began questioning whether he should switch industries altogether. That’s when he discovered Clark and the Digital Recruiter program, which completely changed his approach to business development and client outreach.

Tim shares how, after dedicating just two weeks to implementing the Digital Recruiter’s Business Development and Content programs, the results were immediate. By March 21, he secured his first retainer search cash-in, and by July, he had multiple placements and another retainer in the pipeline. The system helped Tim streamline his processes, allowing him to land high-quality clients and quickly source qualified candidates. With over $150K in potential placements and $80K in offers within just one week, Tim credits Digital Recruiter for helping him turn his business around and thrive in the recruitment space again.

This episode delves into the power of automation and niche focus in recruitment, highlighting Tim’s renewed confidence in the industry. By sharing his success story, Tim emphasizes how valuable Digital Recruiter has been in helping him regain traction, improve client relationships, and secure a pipeline of high-quality candidates—all while managing his workload efficiently. Despite his initial hesitation to reveal this game-changing strategy to potential competitors, Tim believes that what Digital Recruiter can do for the industry is too powerful to keep secret.

Tim’s Bio

With 20+ years in full-cycle recruiting, he works with distributors and manufacturers across all aspects of the packaging and automation industry to help them find and hire experienced candidates in the packaging industry. By conducting in-depth conversations with carefully selected candidates for each search, he'll only introduce candidates that he is confident are on target, so as not to waste their time. He finds candidates that are currently employed, relatively happy, and doing a good job. By doing this, he is able to locate candidates that are not responding to job postings. Hiring teams are stretched thin. As a result, they "Post & Pray" to fill key roles, which results in too few candidates and hundreds of resumes to weed through, most of which are not in the industry. The entire focus of his job is actively and creatively seeking out and engaging with the passive candidates his clients need. Not all recruiters "get it". As a specialized recruiter, he understands the nuances within specific roles and stringent industries, allowing him to quickly hone in on suitable candidates. As a partner, he helps companies find their dream employees through open communication and balancing patience with persistence.

You can find Tim on LinkedIn or check out https://packagingjob.com/ Get the best and most current digital recruiting insights, tips, and strategies every Sunday—straight to your inbox, for free: https://www.digitalrecruiter.io/drnewsletter

For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter

Episode Summary

In this episode, Clark Wilcox interviews Scott Morris, founder of Propulsion.ai, an AI-powered tool designed to help recruiters and hiring managers streamline the job description process. Scott shares his background in HR and talent management, having spent 25 years in the industry, including 20 years as a Chief People Officer. His extensive experience in learning and development, talent acquisition, and compensation led him to identify inefficiencies in the recruitment process, particularly the challenges of creating clear, effective job descriptions.

Scott explains how Propulsion.ai was built to address these inefficiencies. The tool leverages AI to assist in:

-Writing job descriptions in seconds

-Creating interview guides

-Performing competitor talent analysis

And more, all while engaging the user in a dynamic conversation. This allows recruiters to save hours of time per role, making the hiring process faster and more efficient.

The conversation touches on how clear job descriptions lead to better hiring decisions, as candidates can better align their skills with the job's expectations. Scott emphasizes that the tool is not just for hiring but can also be used for role redesigns and performance management.

Clark and Scott discuss the broader implications of AI in recruitment, noting that while AI can streamline processes, the human element—such as understanding client needs and building relationships with candidates—remains essential.

They explore how tools like Propulsion.ai can help recruiters and HR teams focus on what truly matters: connecting with people and making informed hiring decisions, rather than being bogged down by administrative tasks.

Scott’s Bio

Scott Morris is a visionary leader with 25 years of expertise in People Ops and Talent Acquisition. His career, including nearly two decades as a Chief People Officer, has been marked by a unique ability to blend proven methods with innovative approaches.

Currently, Scott is the CEO and founder of PropulsionAI, established in 2023. This venture represents the culmination of a career-long mission to help evolve the HR landscape through technology.

Scott's experience spans organizations ranging from 200 to 15,000 employees across North America and Latin America, and extends across five industries, with particular depth in manufacturing and healthcare.

You can find Scott on LinkedIn or check out https://getpropulsion.ai/ Get the best and most current digital recruiting insights, tips, and strategies every Sunday—straight to your inbox, for free: https://www.digitalrecruiter.io/drnewsletter

For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter

Episode Summary

In this episode, Clark Willcox interviews Manan Shah, CEO and co-founder of Recruiter Flow, an ATS platform designed for recruitment agencies. Manan shares how his journey into recruitment was an accidental shift from his original background in engineering and AI analytics. After building his first startup, he realized there was no software that could efficiently run a recruitment process like a well-oiled sales team. This insight led to the creation of Recruiter Flow, which started as a sales enablement tool for recruiters but evolved into a robust ATS built around customer feedback and a user-friendly approach.

Manan and Clark dive into the balance of adding innovative features while maintaining simplicity. Shah emphasizes the importance of gradual implementation, encouraging recruiters to start with basic processes and then layer on advanced tools like automation and AI. They discuss how Recruiter Flow’s Chrome extension is a favorite feature for sourcing candidates and how the platform helps recruiters with email and SMS marketing while minimizing the risk of spam issues. Shah also shares that customer retention, rather than acquisition, has become the strongest indicator of long-term success for recruitment agencies.

The conversation highlights the growing role of AI in recruitment, with Manan explaining how Recruiter Flow uses AI for tasks like job-to-candidate matching and predictive analytics. However, both he and Clark agree that while AI can enhance efficiency, the core of successful recruiting remains rooted in strong human relationships and understanding client and candidate needs. Manan's vision for the future of recruitment tech is clear: AI will be impactful, but the human touch will always be irreplaceable.

Manan’s Bio

Over the years, he has built a few software products that have made life easier for others. His journey began in 2013, when he and his friends built "Retention.ai," aiming to provide product managers and marketers with visibility into user churn. After raising a million dollars in funding and successfully scaling the business, they sold it to Inshorts.

Recruiterflow was born out of years of frustration with outdated recruiting tools. One day, he gave up trying to stitch together different tools and decided to build one that he and his team would have loved to use. At Recruiterflow, their goal is to help recruiters put more people to work—faster!

When he’s not working, he loves spending all his free time with his baby boy. He’s also obsessed with chess, Liverpool FC, and anime!

You can find Manan on LinkedIn or check out https://recruiterflow.com/ Get the best and most current digital recruiting insights, tips, and strategies every Sunday—straight to your inbox, for free: https://www.digitalrecruiter.io/drnewsletter

For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter

Episode Summary

In this episode of the podcast, Clark Wilcox interviews Andrew Lewis, a seasoned recruiter and content creator who grew to 40,000 followers on LinkedIn. Andrew shares insights into his professional journey, starting with his unexpected entry into recruiting through Aerotek after pursuing a degree in exercise physiology. He candidly discusses the challenges he faced in the highly competitive field of physical therapy and how his skills in sales and networking eventually led him to recruitment.

Andrew describes his time at Aerotek as a pivotal learning experience, working in staffing, cold-calling, and sourcing candidates for tough markets. He emphasizes how starting in a challenging environment like staffing taught him the fundamentals of recruitment, such as cold outreach and relationship-building. From there, Andrew moved into corporate recruitment, landing a role at Hertz, where he transitioned to internal talent acquisition. He reflects on the differences between agency and internal recruiting, explaining how internal roles require more strategic thinking, stakeholder management, and the ability to navigate compensation issues and market dynamics.

One of the major highlights of Andrew's journey was his entrepreneurial venture with Express Employment Professionals. He opened a staffing branch in Scottsdale, Arizona, just before the COVID-19 pandemic, and despite the immediate setbacks, he grew the branch to just under $2 million in billings within 18 months. Andrew shares how the early days were a mix of door-to-door business development, outside sales, and learning to build trust in the market from scratch. His team lost most clients during the initial COVID freeze, but by focusing on relationship-building during downtime—sending care packages and staying in touch—he was able to capitalize when the market rebounded. By mid-2020, they were billing thousands weekly, ultimately scaling the branch with sheer persistence and strategic outreach.

Throughout the episode, Andrew shares key lessons on the value of networking, emotional intelligence (EQ), and adaptability in the ever-changing recruiting landscape. He also dives into his journey as a content creator, explaining how writing has helped him sharpen his recruiting skills and connect with a broader audience. His content creation, rooted in authenticity and practical advice, has led to opportunities like speaking engagements and building his newsletter, Talent Operator, which aims to provide recruiters with tactical and strategic insights.

Andrew's story is one of perseverance, adaptability, and the power of genuine connections in both recruiting and content creation. His ability to simplify complex recruiting concepts makes him a valuable voice in the industry, and his dedication to helping others is a recurring theme throughout the conversation.

Andrew’s Bio

Andrew is a 9-year recruitment vet who has done everything from building a $2 million staffing agency to leading talent acquisition operations at startups, and everything in between. He currently leads the Talent function at a B2B ClimateTech company called Worldly, and is the founder of the Talent Operator newsletter.

You can find Andrew on LinkedIn or check out https://www.talentoperator.com/ Get the best and most current digital recruiting insights, tips, and strategies every Sunday—straight to your inbox, for free: https://www.digitalrecruiter.io/drnewsletter

For more information about Digital Recruiter, click HERE ---＞ https://linktr.ee/thedigitalrecruiter