Ben Farber’s biggest recruiting win wasn’t just filling a role.

It was turning one search into two hires.

And not once.

Three separate times in a single year.

In this episode of Recruiter Wins, I sat down with Ben Farber, President of Bristol Associates, to talk about what actually makes clients expand a search, create new roles and trust you with bigger hiring decisions.

What stood out most?

Ben doesn’t believe great recruiting is just about finding people with the right experience.

He believes the real signal is how candidates show up.

How they communicate.
How they handle pressure.
How they come across in emails, screening calls and interviews.

Because in his words, retention often comes down to likability and ease of working with someone more than what’s written on their résumé.

A few strong takeaways from this conversation:

• Great candidate quality can completely reshape a client’s hiring plan
• Retained search creates stronger commitment from both clients and candidates
• The best recruiters listen for more than credentials. They assess presence, communication and temperament
• AI can speed things up but human judgment still has to lead the process

This is a great listen for recruiters who want to build deeper client trust, improve candidate quality and think more carefully about what actually predicts long-term success after the placement.

If you’ve ever wondered what separates recruiters who fill jobs from recruiters who truly influence hiring decisions, this episode is worth your time.