What if the best way to scale a recruiting firm… was to never hire recruiters?
Josh Volinsky, President and Co-Founder of Synergy Search, built a finance and accounting recruiting firm that grew to nearly $3M in its first year and about $5M in year two by doing something completely unconventional — hiring accountants instead of recruiters and training them from scratch.
In this episode of The Elite Recruiter Podcast, Josh breaks down the exact blueprint they use to turn industry professionals into high-performing recruiters, including:
• Why he refuses to hire experienced recruiters
• How rookie recruiters at his firm bill $400K+ in their first year
• The training system that gets new hires placing candidates within 45 days
• How accountability and KPIs helped rebuild their culture after a tough downturn
• The simple BD strategy that still wins clients today
• The mindset that separates average recruiters from elite ones
If you're trying to grow your recruiting desk, build a recruiting firm, or become a top biller, this episode is packed with lessons you can apply immediately.
Connect with Josh Volinsky
Josh Volinsky
President & Co-Founder — Synergy Search
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/joshvolinsky/
Synergy Search
https://synergysearch.com
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Subscribe to The Elite Recruiter Podcast
Apple Podcasts
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/why-i-never-hire-recruiters-and-built-a-%245m-firm/id1547241660?i=1000754839542
Spotify
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Connect with Benjamin Mena
LinkedIn
https://www.linkedin.com/in/benjaminmena/
Website
https://www.eliterecruiterpodcast.com
Chapters
00:00 Introduction
03:30 Why Josh left a record-breaking recruiting career
08:00 Launching a recruiting firm during COVID
17:40 Growing to $2.7M in year one
21:40 Why he only hires accountants, not recruiters
30:00 The recruiting market crash and cultural reset
37:00 Implementing KPIs and accountability
46:00 How rookie recruiters bill $400K+
55:00 The mindset elite recruiters share
1:04:00 Advice for recruiters who want to go elite







