I’ll be the first to admit it — I’m a tech junkie.
I get the new phone every year, I love trying out new platforms, I even code in my spare time. I geek out over the shiny stuff. But I’ll also be the first to admit this: sometimes I hate it.
There’s a moment when it all starts to feel like noise. New AI tools, a hundred apps, ten inboxes, endless updates and suddenly, you’ve spent an entire day “working” without actually doing what matters.
Tech Doesn’t Replace the Work. It Supports It. At the end of the day, I’m a recruiter. My business is human connection. It’s introductions, conversations, and sendouts. And here’s the truth:
It’s hard to get sendouts when you’re glued to a screen all day.
No tool, no app, no automation replaces the core foundation of what makes executive search work. The tools change. The mission doesn’t.
How I Use Tech Without Letting It Use Me Over the years, I’ve built a rhythm that keeps me productive and sane and it’s all about making the tools work for me, not instead of me.
1. Focus on Sendouts — Always. I start every day with one goal in mind: get people in front of people. That means conversations. Not tweaking campaigns. Not optimizing automation flows. Conversations.
2. Use Simple Tools to Reach Employers. I don’t need a tech stack a mile long. I use:
- The phone
- Cold email
- Video messaging (quick, personal, high impact)
That’s it. It’s not flashy, but it works.
3. Use Smarter Tools to Find Candidates. For sourcing, I lean into:
- Apollo.io
- Social media platforms
- Direct outreach with value to our network and referrals
- We've developed a job syndication system that automatically distributes our openings to hundreds of online platforms directly from our website, allowing us to reach top talent without paying for individual job postings.
Once I connect with the right people, they all go into my CRM, the central hub where the real work begins.
4. The Common Thread: Access Every tool I use has one job — get me access. Access to the right candidates. Access to decision-makers. Access to conversations that move the ball forward.
That’s it. If a tool doesn’t serve that goal, I cut it.
Final Thought You don’t have to chase every shiny new app that launches. And you don’t have to be anti-tech either. The best recruiters find that middle ground where technology becomes a lever, not a leash.
Because this business is still about people. The tools are just how we get to them.