How Top Recruiters Keep Billing When Hiring Freezes
Hiring froze. Budgets stalled. Confidence disappeared.
Yet some recruiters stayed busy—and kept billing while others panicked.
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Why This Episode Matters
When the market tightens, activity alone stops working.
This episode breaks down how elite recruiters protect revenue, win clients, and stay relevant during hiring freezes—using smarter business development, sharper qualification, and relationship-driven execution in an AI-disrupted recruiting market.
If your desk feels stuck or unpredictable, this conversation shows exactly how to regain control.
What You’ll Learn
- The mindset shift veteran recruiters use to stay productive when pipelines slow
- The hidden job-qualification mistake that wastes months of effort in down markets
- The exact moment to walk away from a search—and why it boosts billings
- Why engaged searches outperform contingency when hiring confidence drops
- The candidate question that prevents late-stage offer blowups
- How top recruiters are using AI recruiting tools to uncover BD targets faster
- The relationship-first outreach approach that still opens doors when budgets freeze
About the Guest
Sean Rigsby is the founder of Rigsby Search Group and a 30+ year recruiting veteran with more than 900 placements nationwide. Specializing in environmental consulting, Sean has survived multiple downturns and built a durable desk that continues to produce through market volatility.
Why This Will Change Your Desk
If your desk feels slower, this episode delivers clarity—not hype.
You’ll hear how experienced recruiters adjust when hiring cycles drag, how to protect time and margins, and why trust-based relationships outperform volume during downturns.
Apply these lessons and your pipeline becomes calmer, more predictable, and positioned to surge when the market rebounds.
Listen Now
Don’t wait for the market to “come back.”
Queue this up and learn how top recruiters keep billing when hiring freezes.
Timestamp Highlights
- 00:02 – Why most recruiters freeze during downturns (and how to avoid it)
- 06:45 – Starting recruiting with no experience and brutal odds
- 11:40 – Why nearly everyone quits early—and why Sean didn’t
- 16:35 – Leaving a 19-year firm and betting on relationships
- 21:05 – How political and regulatory shifts crushed hiring demand
- 26:15 – Staying focused when bad news dominates the market
- 30:10 – The pivot from contingency to engaged searches
- 34:35 – How engagement doubled fill rates and raised fees
- 38:45 – Eliminating low-level roles to protect margins
- 45:25 – Advice every recruiter needs in a down cycle
- 54:00 – Firing a nightmare client—and why it paid off
Sponsors
🚀 Atlas – AI-first ATS & CRM
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Try it free or book a demo → https://recruitwithatlas.com
Summit + Community
🎯 2026 Sales and BD Recruiter Summit
https://bd-sales-recruiter-2026.heysummit.com/
💼 Join the Elite Recruiter Community
(All summits, replays, Billers Club + Split Space)
https://elite-recruiters.circle.so/checkout/elite-recruiter-community
Tools & Links
Free Trial: Pin → https://www.pin.com/
Email List → https://eliterecruiterpodcast.beehiiv.com/subscribe
YouTube Episode → https://youtu.be/q6iaRm1MKX0
Guest LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/seanrigsbyenvironmentalrecruiter/
Host Website → http://www.selectsourcesolutions.com/
Benjamin Mena on LinkedIn → https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/
Instagram → https://www.instagram.com/benlmena/
