The 🔟 seconds every recruiter needs

I first heard the phrase “Ten seconds of courage” from my brother in a speech he gave.

He later admitted he’d pinched it from an elite Australian athlete, which tells you everything you need to know about my family – well, my brother, mostly.

But the origin doesn’t matter.

The idea matters.

Because while ‘courage’ sounds dramatic for a white-collar desk job, recruitment demands bravery every single day.

The best recruiters stretch themselves constantly.

They lean into the critical moments of truth — the ones that influence outcomes, build trust, and shape reputations.

And those moments are never easy.

It’s the discomfort of:

• Telling a candidate she didn’t get the job before she rings to ask why we ghosted her.
• Telling a client that his interview technique—not the market—is the real barrier to hiring.
• Selling exclusivity for the first time, heart thumping, palms sweaty.
• Dealing with a fee negotiation with an important, but demanding client
• Asking for a client meeting
• Acting as a leader and having the tough conversations your team doesn’t want to hear but desperately needs to hear.

These moments separate the average recruiter from the trusted advisor.

The procrastinator from the outcome creator

And here’s the tip — simple but profound:

Do your planning. Think through your strategy.

Then, as the nerves rise… tell yourself you only need ten seconds of courage.

Just enough to start.

Watch the video snippet from the Savage Recruitment Academy training library and read the full story below.

Once you begin, you’re in the conversation.

And once you’re in, you’re almost always fine.

Momentum takes over.

The fear dissolves. You get through it. I learned this early.

I began my recruiting career in retained executive search at age 21 — three years out of boarding school in Africa, sitting in meeting rooms with CEOs twice my age and fifty times my confidence.

Imposter syndrome was my daily companion.

I remember gripping the steering wheel outside a client’s office, terrified.

I had prepared, rehearsed, strategised… and still doubted myself.

But every time, the same message played in my mind:

“Be brave. Just start.”

Recruitment is not easy— anyone who says otherwise hasn’t lived the reality of the hard conversations this job demands.

And they are constant.

Every day, in every role, in every market.

But ten seconds of courage?

You can find that.

And it will change everything.

Start the call. Start the truth-telling. Start the conversation that matters. And suddenly you’re doing it. And suddenly you’re through it.

Ten seconds of courage.

That’s all you need.

It’s not dramatic. It’s not complicated.

But use it daily, and it will transform your career.

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The video above is a short snippet from the 200 + hours of recruitment training available on the Savage Recruitment Academy

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Six hundred fifty recruitment companies have subscribed to the Academy. If you are a subscriber and wish to view the entire original video that this snippet is based on, you can view it here. (Link). “Video Link” Column F

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