Recruiter training for people who want to be listened to.

The move from taking orders to advising the business. Influencing, engagement, process leadership and the data to back it up, practised on your real requisitions.

Order takers get orders. Advisors get a say.

Reqs accepted, not challenged

The intake is a form-filling exercise, so the search starts from someone else’s assumptions.

No seat at the table

Recruiters are told the decision instead of shaping it, then blamed for the pipeline.

Data that describes, not persuades

Reports on time to fill that nobody acts on, because they answer no question the business asked.

What the training actually works on.

Being a talent advisor is a set of behaviours, not a job title. We work on the conversations where the shift actually happens: the intake, the pushback and the update.

Step 1

Run the intake differently

Ask the questions that reframe the role, surface the real constraint, and get agreement on the bar before you source anyone.

Step 2

Influence with evidence

Bring market data and pipeline reality to a hiring manager in a way that changes the brief rather than annoying them.

Step 3

Lead the process

Own the loop, the pace and the candidate experience, and hold the business to its side of it.

What your recruiters learn.

Scenario-based practice on the conversations recruiters usually avoid.

Reframe the role

Turn a wish list into a hireable brief, in the intake, without losing the room.

Use market data

Show what the role is really worth and what the search will take.

Push back well

Disagree with a hiring manager in a way that gets you invited to the next one.

Source with intent

Skills-first searching that widens the pool instead of narrowing it.

Run the loop

Keep the process moving and the panel accountable to the bar.

Sell and close

Engage passive talent, gather acceptance criteria early, and close without overselling.

Hold the standard

Say no to a hire that will not work, with evidence rather than instinct.

Report so people act

Turn recruiting data into the two sentences an executive will actually use.

Delivered however your teams work best.

In person

Scenario-based workshop with a recruiting team, using your live requisitions.

Live virtual

Shorter sessions across a few weeks, with practice between them.

Online, self-paced

The Recruiter Academy modules, for new starters or a refresher.

Order takers get orders. Talent advisors get a say in the decision.

John defined the talent advisor model that much of the industry now works from.

Teams who changed how they hire.

Quotes from the teams who have run this programme.

Bloomberg

He really understood our problems, culture, and opportunities, and made the content really relatable and actionable.

Recruiting Manager

The Gap

Best sourcing training I have had in my entire career.

Senior Recruiter

Illumina

I found a ton of value in every slide, every conversation, every tool shared.

Senior Recruiter

Amazon.com

Feedback was great, professional, entertaining, and respectful of their intelligence and time.

Recruiting Director

Slack

This has been one of the best trainings I have taken, after having worked 21 years in the industry.

Recruiting Director

Disney

Awesome content and applicability. I left with a toolkit to be a better leader.

Recruiting Manager

Starbucks

I can leave today and immediately implement these strategies and tools.

Tech Hiring Manager

Google X

Amazing. Worth every penny. Highly recommend.

Recruiting Leader

Nike

Engaging, credible expert who spoke our language. Extremely helpful to move this organization forward.

Recruiting Director

FAQs

The questions buyers ask before committing. Replace with the ones you actually get.

A half day or a full day in person, or two to three live virtual sessions. We recommend a shape once we have seen your interview loop.

Always. We build around your real roles, levels and hiring bar. Off the shelf is not what we do.

We cap most sessions near 20 so everyone practises and gets feedback. Larger groups run as multiple cohorts.

It depends on format, group size and how much tailoring is involved. Tell us the shape you need and we will give you a number.

You keep the guides and scorecards. Most teams add a follow-up once the new process has run a few real loops.

Free tools to start with.

Three diagnostics you can run on your own hiring this week, before you talk to anyone, including us.

  • Hiring Manager Maturity Model

    A self assessment that shows where your hiring managers actually sit today, and what moving them up a level would be worth.

    Get the download

  • Talent Advisor Self-Assessment

    Two diagnostic guides to check whether your recruiters are really operating as talent advisors, or just taking orders faster.

    Get the download

  • Interviewing Effectiveness Diagnostic

    A diagnostic you can run on your own interview loop this week, built from work with thousands of hiring managers.

    Get the download

Contact us

Tell us what is not working in your hiring. If we are not the right answer we will say so, and point you at who is.