Recruiter catfishing seems to be the latest online scam, impacting recruiters and job seekers alike. Catfishing is when a person takes information and photos that belong to someone else and uses those details to create a new identity. For recruiters specifically, it’s becoming more frequent, and harder to detect as AI tools allow better-quality fakes at scale. If you’re a recruiter, here are some things to know: Read the rest of this entry »
Global Recruiting
Recruiter Catfishing: What You Need to Know
by Veronica BlattRecruitment Firm Differentiation: Becoming the Obvious Choice in Your Niche
by Veronica Blatt
The recruitment industry has never been more competitive. Clients have more options, candidates have more visibility into the market, and technology continues to lower barriers to entry. Yet when buyers need help filling a critical role, they rarely choose the firm that simply shows up in a search result. They choose the firm that already occupies a place in their mind as the expert.
That is the essence of recruitment firm differentiation. It is not about claiming to be the best recruiter in your market. It is about becoming the obvious choice for a specific audience because your expertise, visibility, and reputation consistently reinforce one another. Read the rest of this entry »
The Hiring Trust Problem: Why Independent Executive Recruiters Matter More Than Ever
by Liz Carey
Hiring has always required a degree of trust.
Candidates trust employers to accurately describe the opportunity. Employers trust candidates to represent their experience honestly. Both sides trust that the process will be handled professionally and that the time invested in interviews, conversations, assessments, and negotiations will lead somewhere meaningful.
In 2026, that trust is under pressure.
A recent report highlighted by Human Resources Director paints a troubling picture of the current recruitment landscape. According to findings from Resume Genius, 86% of employers said they have ghosted candidates because they had too many applicants to respond to, while another 86% cited indecision and 82% cited candidates’ salary expectations exceeding the available budget.
The problem goes beyond ghosting. Ninety percent of hiring managers surveyed said they intentionally post “ghost jobs”—positions they don’t plan to fill immediately. And 64% acknowledged that they have misrepresented some aspect of a role during the hiring process.
For executive hiring, where the stakes are higher and the candidate pool is smaller, these trends should be a wake-up call. Read the rest of this entry »
The Rise of Fake Candidates: How Recruiters Can Protect Themselves (and Their Clients)
by Liz Carey
The hiring market has always had its share of embellished resumes and exaggerated accomplishments. But today’s recruiting landscape is facing something entirely different: sophisticated fake candidates.
Artificial intelligence has made it easier than ever to create convincing resumes, fabricate employment histories, generate polished interview answers, and even alter voices and video during virtual interviews. Organized fraud rings are also targeting remote jobs, using stolen identities or proxy interviewers to land positions they have no intention—or ability—to perform. Read the rest of this entry »
Are You Looking for Experience—or Looking for Talent?
by Liz Carey
Every recruiter has a placement that didn’t make sense on paper.
The candidate’s résumé wasn’t packed with the “right” titles. They came from a different industry. Their career path zigged when everyone else’s zagged. If you had relied on a keyword search alone, they probably never would have made it into the interview process.
And yet, they’re the person who went on to become one of the strongest hires.
It’s a good reminder that résumés tell us where someone has been. Conversations reveal where they can go.
That’s where great recruiting makes all the difference. Read the rest of this entry »
Hiring Demand Remains Positive—But Cooling Slightly
by Veronica Blatt
The latest ManpowerGroup Employment Outlook Survey offers a timely snapshot of both where hiring demand is strengthening and where caution is emerging. For independent recruitment firm owners, the message is clear: opportunity remains strong, but success will depend on focus, adaptability, and positioning. Read the rest of this entry »
What World Cup Coaches Can Teach Us About Hiring Winning Teams
by Veronica Blatt
Every four years, the World Cup captures global attention and reminds us of an important truth: talented individuals and truly effective teams are not the same thing. Success rarely comes from assembling the biggest names. The squads that lift the trophy rely on leadership, cohesion, and a shared approach to achieving results.
Recruitment firm owners and hiring managers face a strikingly similar challenge. Strong hires bring more than impressive résumés. Like elite players, they need to perform within a system, support their colleagues, and contribute to long-term success.
So, what can the world’s best coaches teach us about building rosters that win? Quite a lot, as it turns out. Here are five lessons that translate directly into smarter hiring strategies. Read the rest of this entry »
How to Mitigate the Risks of AI Tools in Your Workplace
by Veronica Blatt
If you are using free AI tools to speed up work, cut costs, or solve problems fast, it is worth asking about the risks of AI tools and what they may be taking in return. I was reminded of this at our recent PowerUp Americas conference in San Antonio by our keynote speaker Lance Haun. The old rule still applies: if you are not paying for the product, you may be the product. And don’t forget the caveats: (1) You’re about to become the product and (2) you’re about to start paying for it. That idea becomes far more serious when employees paste sensitive company information into free versions of LLMs and other AI platforms. A quick prompt can expose client data, internal strategy, financial details, source code, or confidential documents in ways your business never intended. What feels like a harmless shortcut can create real legal, operational, and reputational risk. You may not realize you are uploading information to external servers that can be accessed by a wide range of users. Or even that your content winds up being used to further train the tools – for everyone, not just you. Read the rest of this entry »
9 Tips for Formulating an Inbound Recruitment Strategy
by Veronica Blatt
Today’s guest blogger is Stormie Haller. She is the Director of Marketing at Tracker, an AI-native CRM and ATS platform serving recruitment agencies worldwide. With over a decade of experience helping staffing agencies and tech companies shape their marketing strategy, she has become a trusted voice on brand, growth, and the human side of technology adoption. In the post below, Stormie shares insights on inbound recruitment as part of your candidate attraction efforts. Tracker is an Endorsed Enterprise Partner of NPAworldwide.
When people are actively looking for jobs, it’s good news for businesses, as they have more qualified candidates to choose from. However, these people are applying for multiple roles, and you have to attract them to your organisation and build relationships with them. This is why more and more companies are focusing their efforts and time on enhancing their inbound recruitment strategies.
Hence the question: “What is inbound recruitment, and how can you launch one?” Continue reading to find out more. Read the rest of this entry »
AI-Related Legislation Impacting Recruiters
by Veronica Blatt
If you think you’ve had enough on your plate trying to stay ahead of all the new legislation regarding pay transparency, job advertising/posting, website accessibility, and more … it’s about to get worse. There is a plethora of new AI-related legislation that is going to impact both recruiters and their clients. Here are just a few: Read the rest of this entry »