RecTalk Podcast - Explore Recruitment Insights

In this RecFest 2025 special, Nitin Sharma and co-host Sean Kennedy sit down with Rebecca Collis , founder of GearUp Talent , to explore how recruitment is shifting in a world obsessed with efficiency, AI, and quick fixes. Becca shares her personal journey — from redundancy to launching her own fractional TA consultancy — and explains why scale-ups (300–500 employees) and HR tech vendors desperate...

Live from RecFest 2025 , Nitin Sharma and co-host Sean Kennedy sit down with Dominic Joyce of Maverick Otter and Tim Browning of Supermassive Games for a lively discussion about the real state of AI in recruitment. In this episode, we dive into: The AI gold rush in recruitment tech – why vendors are pushing efficiency over genuine productivity. “Harassment as a Service” – the dark side of automate...

RecTalk is back, and this time, we’re live from the heart of RecFest 2025 – the biggest festival in recruitment! In this special introduction episode, host Nitin Sharma teams up with guest co-host Sean Kennedy to set the stage for an exciting series of conversations recorded at the event. As the Official Podcast Partner of RecFest 2025, RecTalk is bringing you the unfiltered energy, ideas, and ind...

In this essential RecTalk episode, host Nitin Sharma sits down with Adrian Marlowe — founder of Lawspeed and one of the UK’s most trusted legal experts for the recruitment sector. Adrian shares the hard-earned lessons from decades of protecting recruitment businesses, covering: Why having watertight terms of business is non-negotiable How outdated contracts can cost you six figures (real case stud...

Welcome to the final instalment of a no-holds-barred 3-part solo series with your host , Nitin Sharma , Founder and CEO of Rectools.io – the only whole-of-market directory of recruitment suppliers. In this episode of RecTalk , Nitin steps out of his comfort zone to break down a real-world strategy that’s helping recruitment consultancies diversify revenue – without picking up the phone for more BD...

In this no-holds-barred solo episode, host Nitin Sharma—founder of Rectools.io—dives into part two of his game-changing three-part series on rethinking recruitment. If you’re still treating recruitment like a sales job, you're behind. It’s time to start running your agency like a professional service business —and yes, that means charging for the work you’re already doing for free. Nitin breaks do...

In the first of a powerful three-part solo series, host Nitin Sharma , founder of Rectools.io , takes the mic solo to dive deep into the psychology of sales —and why it's the secret weapon most recruiters are overlooking. This isn’t your typical “go back to basics” talk. This episode challenges the outdated sales tactics still lingering in recruitment and repositions business development as a...

Is your company’s wellbeing strategy actually doing more harm than good? In this eye-opening episode of RecTalk , Nitin Sharma sits down with the straight-talking and brilliant Katie Maycock , founder of Get Your Sh*t Together , to dive deep into the mismatched relationship between business strategy and employee wellbeing. Katie, an ex-nutritionist turned workplace wellbeing and performance expert...

In this no-fluff, high-signal episode of RecTalk , Nitin Sharma sits down with Ben Fielding , founder of Quinset , for a deep-dive on what recruiters are doing wrong—and what they should be doing right—when it comes to email marketing. Off the back of their first conversation on email deliverability (link below!), this sequel goes straight into practical, strategic advice on building brand equity,...

In this game-changing episode of RecTalk , host Nitin Sharma is joined by the ever-insightful Jeremy Snell , founder of the Rectools-recommended Rookie2Recruiter , to unpack the evolution of recruitment training in today's high-pressure market. Jeremy returns to RecTalk to debut the next chapter of the Rookie2Recruiter platform — a fully-fledged accountability framework designed to bring context t...

In this powerhouse episode of RecTalk , Nitin Sharma chats with Keith Davidson of Recruitment Funding Solutions (RFS)—a back-office powerhouse and Rectools.io recommended supplier. With over 20 years of experience in funding, payroll, and all the “unsexy” but critical parts of running a recruitment business, Keith brings a rare combo of practicality, wisdom, and real-world examples that any recrui...

In this eye-opening episode of RecTalk , host Nitin Sharma sits down with Ross Thompson, founder of Infinity Staff Global, to explore why South Africa is rapidly emerging as a powerhouse for recruitment outsourcing . Ross shares the unique journey behind Infinity Staff Global — from launching in Australia to scaling across the UK — and why their offshore recruitment and back-office staffing model...

In this power-packed episode of RecTalk , Nitin Sharma sits down with Kris Holland , founder of the recruitment marketing powerhouse Kitto , for an unfiltered, insight-rich dive into how recruitment agencies can stop “redefining recruitment” in words—and start doing it in action. If you've come to terms with the fact that recruitment isn't just a sales job and you're finally ready to take marketin...

Ever wondered if your commission structure is doing more harm than good? In this episode of RecTalk , Nitin Sharma sits down with Carl Jones, founder of Konquest, the red gorilla shaking up the world of recruitment incentives. Konquest helps agencies move from clunky spreadsheets and vague commission plans to automated, transparent, and gamified incentive systems. But this chat goes deeper than so...

In this dynamic episode of RecTalk , Nitin Sharma is joined by the vibrant Lysha Holmes —Founder of Qui Recruitment and host of her own insightful podcast series, The Recruiter’s Recruitment Podcast . Lysha brings nearly 30 years of Rec2Rec experience to the mic, and together, they deep-dive into the ever-evolving state of recruitment, leadership, generational shifts, and what it really means to r...

This week on RecTalk , Nitin Sharma sits down (again!) with the brilliant Kan Mallawathantri , co-founder of Avensys Tech , to talk all things cybersecurity —but from the lens of recruitment businesses like yours. Think you’re too small to be hacked? Think again. In this brutally honest episode, Nitin opens up about how he once saw cybersecurity as just "scaremongering"—until Kan breaks...

In this insightful and no-holds-barred episode of RecTalk , Nitin Sharma sits down with Nick Beecroft — formerly one of the hottest free agents in SaaS and now making serious waves at Televerde . Broadcasting from Televerde’s Glasgow office, the conversation dives deep into the reality of recruitment technology, AI, market fatigue, and what recruiters actually need versus what they’re being sold....

In this fire-powered episode of RecTalk , filmed once again at Firefish HQ ( https://www.firefishsoftware.com/ ), Nitin Sharma sits down with the unstoppable Ajmal Mushtaq —law grad turned corporate consultant turned food industry juggernaut—to unpack the explosive growth of Boss Pizza , the UK’s fastest-growing pizza franchise. Ajmal shares the behind-the-scenes grind that turned a single kitchen...

In this fiery and insightful episode of RecTalk , Nitin Sharma sits down with the candid and always-on-point Tom Brown — one of the voices behind Root Embedded Talent and creator of Talivo . If you're tired of spray-and-pray outreach, cringe at chest-thumping cold emails, and want to know what really makes Talent Acquisition teams tick, you’ll love this one. Tom shares why most recruitment age...

This time on RecTalk , Nitin Sharma takes the mic live from the iconic Aquarium at Firefish HQ in Glasgow, joined by none other than Louise Cunningham, Director of Customer Success at Firefish Software. In this refreshingly honest and highly practical episode, Louise breaks down how recruitment agencies can lift key strategies from SaaS customer success models— without turning into a software comp...

In this laugh-out-loud and deeply inspiring episode of RecTalk , Nitin Sharma sits down with Chris Fahey , founder of AGPayroll and former goalkeeper for Celtic, Albion Rovers, and more. They delve into Chris’s unconventional route into the payroll industry after an early football career that included contracts with Scottish giants and run-ins with rival fans, lap-dancing billboard sponsors (!), a...

In this incredibly moving and heartfelt episode of RecTalk , host Nitin Sharma welcomes Roisin McCabe to share the life, legacy, and enduring impact of her late husband, Ryan McCabe—CEO of Odro and a true giant in the recruitment world. Filmed at Firefish HQ ( https://www.firefishsoftware.com/ ), this conversation goes beyond recruitment—it’s a story of resilience, fatherhood, entrepreneurship, an...

In this power-packed episode of RecTalk , Nitin Sharma sits down with Paul Sangster, the dynamic Sales & Marketing Director at itris , for a candid conversation on what it really takes to build brand trust, evolve from cold calling to consultative selling, and lead a tech brand in a recruitment world that's changing by the day. With 14 years at itris, Paul shares his journey from dialing-for-d...

In this episode of RecTalk , Nitin Sharma sits down with Kerry Greenland , Founder of Vantage Recruitment and TEAM Member of the Year 2024, to talk about the realities of running a successful recruitment business in a world of AI, KPIs, and burned-out consultants. Kerry doesn't just share insights—she drops truth bombs. From her anti-KPI philosophy to her donut-powered BD strategy, she reveals how...

In this powerful and unfiltered episode of RecTalk , Nitin Sharma sits down with Daen Fox from In-house Recruitment —a name synonymous with bold, honest conversations in the talent acquisition world. Daen opens up about life as a neurodivergent professional in recruitment, as we challenge the industry’s obsession with "superpowers" and stereotypes. Instead of sugarcoating neurodiversity, this epis...