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.

A job seeker walked into a staffing agency looking for temp work.

No HR experience. No degree. No obvious reason for a recruiter to go the extra mile.

But Stephanie Mattice saw something most people would have missed.

A firm handshake, eye contact and a follow up message that same day are the kind of soft skills you can't teach.

So instead of filing her away, Stephanie did something different.

She sat down with this candidate, reworked her resume from scratch, translated her admin and customer service experience into HR language and then sent it to clients who weren't even hiring yet.

That move landed her an interview. She crushed it and got the job.

Fast forward a couple of years and that same woman is now an HR generalist, lighting up LinkedIn and about to become a mom.

One more thing?

She works at a food and beverage company. Stephanie now recruits in food and beverage. The candidate is becoming the client and everything has come full circle.

This week on Recruiter Wins, Stephanie Mattice from Kinza Group breaks down the whole story and drops real, tactical insight along the way.

The line that stuck with me most?

"People are going to remember how you made them feel. And if you're in it long enough, that's going to come back to you."

If you've ever wondered whether going the extra mile for a candidate is really worth it, this episode is your answer.

Zero industry experience. No relevant title. Not even close to what the client asked for.

Most recruiters would've moved on to the next candidate without a second thought but Sam Hodz didn't.

I sat down with Sam on this week's episode of Recruiter Wins and this story is a masterclass in what separates order takers from true recruiting partners.

Here's what happened: A business owner came to Sam looking for a technician. But instead of just taking the order and running, Sam dug deeper and realized what this client actually needed was an operations manager who could free them up to scale.

Then came a resume that checked almost none of the traditional boxes.

But Sam has a simple rule that told her to proceed:

"If there's a 75% match, if there's something at least 75% there, it's worth hearing the story to get the other 25%."

So Sam picked up the phone to explain why she was sending the resume before the client ever saw it.

That first meeting turned into a three hour lunch and today, they're building and growing the business together.

A few things from this conversation worth mentioning:

• The best recruiters consult. Sam's intake call completely reshaped what the client was hiring for.
• Trust is built before you ever need it. Because Sam invested time upfront understanding the company’s culture, personality and business goals, the client was willing to take a chance on an unconventional candidate.
• Never just send over a resume. Sam's approach of calling first and framing the "why" turned what could've been an instant rejection into a perfect match.

If you've ever wondered what it looks like to truly advocate for a candidate or if you want a reminder of why recruiting matters, this one's for you.

Most big recruiting wins don’t start with a perfect plan.

They start with one curious question asked at the right moment.

In the newest episode of Recruiter Wins, Zack Gallinger sits down with David Case (20-year vet in engineering + construction recruiting) to unpack a win that literally helped set the trajectory of his firm.

Here’s the short version:

David was a few months into building Advastar. He had no CRM, no database and no paid tool. Just a phone, a notebook and some hustle.

He makes a cold call that’s going nowhere until he hits the hiring manager with a simple pivot:

“What about the industrial plant side of your business?”

That one question turns into:

• 50 skilled trades roles needed ASAP
• A scramble to source candidates with basically zero infrastructure
• Six vetted candidates sent at 12:30am (same day)
• A reply waiting at 5:30am: “Great start. Keep them coming.”

And that “random” cold call?

It became a 15-year client relationship and one of the biggest revenue drivers of his career.

A few takeaways that’ll stick with you:

• Great recruiters are also investigators (curiosity wins deals)
• You don’t need the “perfect script”. You need to be real, listen, and ask the next question
• Sometimes the move is simply to say yes and then figure it out fast

If you’ve ever had a call dying on the vine or felt like you’re “not ready yet” to take on a big opportunity, this episode is for you.

Recruiting for a market leader is easy mode.

Recruiting for an underdog in a commoditized space where reps are basically “carrying feathers to a gunfight”?

That’s where you need a skilled recruiter.

In the newest episode of Recruiter Wins, I sat down with Steve Faulkner, a 23 year employee benefits recruiting vet, to unpack his biggest win.

What I loved about this conversation: Steve gets candid about the fine line between storytelling and deception.

He’s not trying to “put a butt in a seat”. He’s trying to make placements that stick so everyone wins long-term.

A few takeaways you’ll be thinking about after:

• How to position a “flawed” opportunity honestly without sugarcoating it
• Why some roles require candidates who can sell themselves as much as the company
• Why personal brand beats product when the market sees everything as a commodity

If you recruit in a niche market, work tough searches or ever have to sell an opportunity that isn’t perfect, this one’s a solid listen.

Many recruiters try to win business with a cold InMail and then wonder why nothing sticks.

This week on Recruiter Wins, I sat down with Ben Watkins (Executive Recruiter at Intrinsic Search) to discuss how his “biggest win” started by hosting paid, high-quality in-person events for senior B2B SaaS leaders.

A conversation at one of those events turned into a multi-year partnership helping a CEO build an entire European commercial team from scratch.

A few moments worth stealing for your own desk:

• How paid events drive high attendance and attract the right crowd
• How to turn a vague hiring idea into a real recruitment strategy (role clarity + a sellable story + timeline)
• The underrated power of locking in interview dates early to create momentum and commitment
• Ben’s simple way to cut through candidate noise: a 2-minute pitch video + instant calendar booking
• What makes Germany uniquely tough for startup hiring — and how to de-risk the pitch for A-players

If you recruit in SaaS, build client relationships or you’re trying to stand out in a sea of “vanilla outreach”, this episode is a playbook.

Listen to the latest episode of Recruiter Wins with Ben Watkins.

Some placements happen fast.

The best ones happen because you played the long game.

On the newest episode of Recruiter Wins, I sat down with Lindsey Bozzio (COO, SurfSearch) to unpack a recruiting win that every recruiter will recognize:

• Found the perfect Design / Product Development Engineer
• Candidate wasn’t ready to move
• The client paused the search
• Four weeks after restarting? Offer in hand

A few takeaways from this episode:

• Know your client deeply (culture + what “great” actually looks like) so you can spot the right person instantly.
• Keep A-players warm without being transactional. Conduct real check-ins with genuine curiosity.
• AI can help you track info but it can’t replace trust. Lindsey tested automated touchpoints and saw the same thing many of us have: if it doesn’t feel human, it doesn’t get replies.

If you’ve ever had a search go on hold, a candidate say “not right now,” or a deal come down to timing, this one’s for you.

Listen to Recruiter Wins with Lindsey Bozzio wherever you get your podcasts.

Most recruiters talk about “quality.”

Richard Lock built an entire firm around it.

On the latest episode of Recruiter Wins, I sat down with Richard Lock, founder of Lock Search Group, and instead of one “big recruiting win,” Richard shares the playbook behind building a national agency that’s thrived through recessions, industry booms and massive shifts like LinkedIn + AI.

A few highlights:

- He started as a one-person shop… and drove a taxi at night during a brutal recession to keep the dream alive.

- Growth was opportunistic and intentional, including a defining moment in 1999 when his firm won a nationwide project to build an entire specialty sales force across Canada.

- His “secret sauce” isn’t sourcing tool. It’s knowing the story behind the story (and protecting clients from time-wasters).

- He’s adamant about something too many recruiters forget: candidates are clients and clients are candidates. Treat both with the same respect.

- And the big one for every agency owner: your business has to pivot. What worked 10 years ago won’t carry you now.

If you run a desk, lead a team, or own a firm, and you’ve felt the pressure of a changing market, this episode is full of timeless lessons.

Listen to this week’s Recruiter Wins with Richard Lock wherever you get your podcasts.