Great recruiters don’t use these words

Your words reveal your mindset.

And your mindset dictates your actions.

And your actions—or lack thereof—will dictate your results and reputation.

Here are three phrases that signal a recruiter is veering off track. Or perhaps has never been on track.

They are casual comments. Throw-away lines. However, they reveal flawed belief systems. In my experience, they are signs that a recruiter is missing great opportunities.

But don’t be alarmed if, in a moment of self-honesty, you admit to using them. All is not lost.

I have used them all. However, I have learned the underlying dysfunction they stem from.

You can, too.

Let’s start with a beauty.

1: “My client loves me”

Often combined with “Oh, don’t worry about that client. She only ever uses me.”

No, your client does not love you. And she almost certainly does not use you alone. Or maybe she does, for now. But will flip to a competitor at the smallest prompt. And inevitably does

These phrases reveal complacency. Hubris even. Overconfidence. And once that sets in, we stop doing the small things that built the relationship in the first place. If you have a client who gives you consistent work, treats you with respect and acts as a partner, then you double down! See that client more often. Ask what you can do better. Lift your service levels. Be paranoid. Hyper-vigilant. Never assume the client is ‘yours forever‘. Clearly, that is not true unless you work at it every day.

2: “I am  a good recruiter, just so unlucky”

Or it’s flip-side-twin when talking about another recruiter: “That recruiter? She is so lucky”.

You hear it every day.

‘I had another unlucky quarter.’
‘That placement was pure luck.’
‘You are so unlucky to have three offers turned down this week.’

With apologies to Oscar Wilde.

“To have one offer turned down may be regarded as a misfortune; to have three looks like carelessness.”

Let me be clear.

There is no luck in recruitment.

No good luck. No bad luck.

Of course, I know things go well, and things go wrong for the most bizarre and uncontrollable reasons. Sometimes everything you touch turns to gold, and sometimes it turns to mud.

It’s the same with life.

However, over time, luck is not a factor in recruitment.

Hard work, fundamental skills and consistent activity are what create excellent outcomes.

That recruiter who was ‘so lucky’ to have the right candidate for that hard-to-fill job? Yeah, because she built up an online brand, approached the candidate via LinkedIn, and interviewed her at 7 pm. That is why. Not luck.

That really ‘unlucky colleague’ who always seems to have offers turned down and candidate counteroffers all the time? Yeah, that’s not luck either. That’s a lack of process and influencing skills.

When you have a good day, week, or even year, soak it up, be grateful and ride it for all its worth.

When you are going through s**t, bear it with courage and work your way out of it through effort and process analysis. It’s not luck.

The ‘God of Recruitment‘ is not frowning on you. I tell you for free; she always smiles on the hardworking and the consistent learners. Always.

Focus on the things you can control.

Skills. Learning. Attitude. Relationships. Reputation. Hard work.

You will be amazed how ‘lucky‘ you get if you do.

 
3: “I don’t need training. I have 10 years’ experience.”
 
Or often voiced as ‘I am the biggest biller here.‘

Here is the bad news. Frequently, a recruiter who claims to have ’10 years’ experience’ as a badge of honour, needs to be told that they don’t have 10 years’ experience at all. They have one year’s experience repeated 10 times over. They are no better now than they were after 12 months as a recruiter. It’s harsh – but sadly, it’s often true. In Agency recruitment, we are quick to applaud early success. Hold our big builders up to great acclaim and adulation. It is indeed true that great results deserve recognition. But it can lead to complacency and inertia. It means we stop learning. And if there is one industry where that is fatal, it is ours.

Great recruiters are hungry to learn, adapt, and stay fresh to stay ahead.

Witness the legions of recruiters who currently bill half, even a third of what they billed in the past. Of course, they attribute that to ‘the market,‘ but it is not the market. Or at least not only the market. It’s because you are recruiting in the past. You have not upskilled. Be vigilant about your ‘skills briefcase’.

So, be honest and be self-aware. Do you say or even think these things?

If so, banish these words and this thinking from your professional life.

Stay sharp. Stay humble. Always strive to remain relevant in a shifting landscape.

*******************************************************************************************************

I’m looking forward to speaking at #Emerge2025 on July 22 – a conference that brings together the people shaping professional recruitment in Australia.
Hosted by APSCo Australia, this one-day conference provides an opportunity to step back from the noise, reconnect with your strategy, and hear from individuals who are navigating the same challenges you face.
I’ll be joining over a dozen speakers from across recruitment – check out the agenda here for a full run-down: In my keynote at leaders who need help to face the realities of leading a recruitment business in 2025 and beyond.
As a speaker, APSCo has provided me with a special ticket rate for my network: $450 + GST. If you’d like to come along, email carly@apscoau.org, who will arrange this rate for you.
I hope to see many of you there…

📅 July 22 | NSW Parliament House, Sydney

*******************************************************************************************************