We place recruiters for a living. That means we spend our days talking to people about what makes this job worth doing and what makes it unbearable. These are five of our own consultants, in their own words, no script.
The Best advice We've Received as recruiters
Five ARC recruiters on the interview questions, red flags, and AI boundaries that actually shape a placement.
Table of Contents
Then vs now
Ai in recruiting
THE BEST RECRUITER ADVICE
Four of our five recruiters weighed in here, and their answers all circle back to slowing down and actually paying attention. This shows up as seeing how serious a candidate takes a conversation long before they ever reach a client, listening closely for what someone isn't saying, and leading with real curiosity about how a person ended up in this industry in the first place.
What's the best advice you were ever given about the craft of recruiting?
Best Advice On The Craft
"My best advice on reading a candidate that someone gave me was if they seem like 'a lot,' or if they need to reschedule your initial screening call multiple times, it's not worth it to send them over to the client. A candidate who is not taking this process seriously will usually make you do a lot of work for not sticking in the process"
Best Advice On The Craft
"The best advice I've received is to listen for what a candidate isn't saying, not just what they are saying. A resume can tell you where someone has worked, but a real conversation shows you what motivates them, what they're running from, and what they actually want next. The best recruiting happens when you slow down, ask the right follow-up questions, and genuinely understand the person, not just whether they check the boxes"
Best Advice On The Craft
"Be real with people and add humor to the conversation. I start by asking how they got into staffing or search, and I ask questions to get the conversation going comfortably."
Best Advice On The Craft
"I began my career in the very fast paced world of light industrial. I was speaking with my old CEO about moving into a different vertical and she said, 'if you take the mentality and the hustle you have in the light industrial field, and bring it to any other vertical, you will always win.' That has stuck with me ever since."
The Worst Advice They Got
Almost every recruiter we asked came back and said recruiting is not a numbers game. It's a quality over quantity game. We also see the dangers in over-sharing details with candidates about the role or company before a real conversation happens, and in leaning on email instead of picking up the phone.
What's the worst advice you were ever given about recruiting?
Best Advice They Got
"That this is a numbers game. Not always, and sometimes chasing numbers takes away the art of strategizing and choosing your time wisely. Numbers mean nothing if you're going after volume for volume's sake."
Best Advice They Got
"Giving out too much information about the opening before you get someone on the line. One, if you give out the name of the client, they can just go behind your back and apply directly. Two, less is more with recruiting in terms of giving out initial information. People will talk themselves out of talking with you if they see just a hint of something in a job description that they interpret a certain way. It's best to get them on the phone and talk it over with them."
Best Advice They Got
"The worst advice I've received is that recruiting is purely a numbers game. Activity matters, but more calls and messages don't automatically lead to better hires. If you're not intentional about who you're contacting, asking the right questions, and building genuine relationships, you're just creating noise. The best recruiters focus on both quality and consistency, not volume for the sake of hitting a metric"
Best Advice They Got
"Don't reach out to talent if they don't exactly fit the requisition. LinkedIn profiles don't show everything."
Best Advice They Got
"I don't think anyone ever gave me bad advice. I think I inherited some bad habits earlier in my career that I had to break, though: quantity over quality, not picking up the phone to ask a candidate a question and emailing instead, and being too transactional with candidates rather than actually building relationships with them."
The Question They Always Ask in the interview
No two recruiters here asked the same question, but every one built theirs to get past a rehearsed answer, whether that meant reading a candidate's guard, their current situation, or what would actually make a move worth it.
What's one question you ask in every candidate interview?
Best AdviceBest Interview Question to ask
"What does your heart tell you what you 'want' to do, and what you 'don't' want to do? This question takes their guard down. Avoids canned answers and helps us get to the root of what opportunity will be best."
Best AdviceBest Interview Question to ask
"What does your current situation look like? This is an all-encompassing question. Are you open to new roles? Are you just seeing what's out there? Are you in the process of leaving? Are you only looking for more money, better hours, more work-life balance? It's an open ended, up-to-interpretation question that will get candidates to divulge more information to you."
Best AdviceBest Interview Question to ask
"I always ask, 'What would need to be different in your next role for you to feel like making a move was worth it?' It goes beyond salary and gets to what they're actually looking for: better leadership, growth, flexibility, culture, or stability. It helps me understand their real motivation and avoid presenting opportunities that may look good on paper but won't truly make them happy."
Best AdviceBest Interview Question to ask
"Looking at your career, where were you the most fulfilled, and why."
Best AdviceBest Interview Question to ask
"I ask them what they're ideally looking for, and what they want. And then I truly listen to them! Sometimes a candidate will tell us everything we want to hear because it's so natural to do when you're interviewing, but asking them what they want can sometimes throw them for a loop. I was asked this question once and it took my career a totally different way, which is why I make sure it's something I'm asking."
Reading Resume Gaps
None of the five treat a gap or a termination as an automatic red flag here. The approach across the board is the same: ask directly, without judgment, and let the person explain.
Best AdviceOn Resume Gaps
"I just ask the questions simply. Why did you leave X company? If laid off, I probe: was it structural change, or because of performance? A recruiter can't be afraid to ask these types of questions. It's our job to get to the reality of the situation. Our clients expect that of us. Not every layoff is a dealbreaker, either."
Best AdviceOn Resume Gaps
"I am just up front and honest. I will say, 'I see you have a one-year gap, what were you doing during that time period?' As someone who has had a work gap on my resume, I know there is a very good reason 85% of the time: COVID related, death of a loved one, health issues, etc. We are all human, and clients also realize that people need grace."
Best AdviceOn Resume Gaps
"I approach it with curiosity, not judgment. I'll ask what happened and give them space to explain it in their own words. I've learned that a gap or termination rarely tells the full story: layoffs happen, companies change, and sometimes a role simply isn't the right fit. One moment shouldn't define someone's entire career. Giving candidates grace creates a more honest conversation and helps me understand what they learned, how they handled it, and who they are now."
Best AdviceOn Resume Gaps
"I see you have a gap in your work history. Are you comfortable sharing more details about that? Life happens, and it doesn't always mean people are not fee-worthy placements."
Best AdviceOn Resume Gaps
"When I see gaps in a resume, or a candidate tells me they were let go from a previous employer, I don't immediately see it as a negative. Sometimes life happens and things happen that are completely outside of your control, so if that results in a gap in employment, let's have an honest conversation about it. I've heard so many different reasons for gaps: medical reasons, family, childcare, etc. I've also had candidates be very honest with me about why they were let go, even when the reason wasn't necessarily a good one. A lot of those candidates have been able to tell me what they learned from the experience and how they've grown from it, and I have a lot of respect for that. To me, that says much more about someone than simply having a perfect resume."
How They've Changed
Everyone who answered here pointed to being more intentional and slowing down. Early-career instincts toward activity and people-pleasing gave way to slower interviews, sharper questions, and a willingness to walk away from a client who's just window shopping.
What do you do differently now than you did in your first few years at a desk?
Best Advice on Recruiting
"I have 25 years behind me so I can identify potential roadblocks ahead of time and know how to pivot much faster. My intuition is a main driver and not to lead with emotion, but logic. "
Best Advice on Recruiting
"My first few years I would bend to whatever the client wanted. After a couple of years you realize that you are there to give them industry knowledge that they do not know. Also, we are contingency based so you never want to spin your wheels for a client who is just window shopping. "
Best Advice on Recruiting
"I’m much more intentional now. Early on, I focused heavily on activity and moving quickly because I thought that was what made a great recruiter. Now, I slow down enough to ask better questions, understand what someone truly wants, and make sure the opportunity actually makes sense for them. I’ve learned that a strong placement isn’t just about filling the role—it’s about creating a match that will last."
Best Advice on Recruiting
"Now, I value building relationships with my candidates, and listen to what they’re telling me rather than trying to fit them into the client’s job description- if it’s not the right fit for them, that’s ok! I’ll find them something and find my client what they’re looking for. I also feel like my interviews are so much more conversational now and flow organically whereas when I was when I was first starting out, they likely sounded like I was asking questions to check off a box."
Best Advice on Recruiting
"Always profile strong candidates and leaders. This industry is based on relationships and timing. If I don’t have what they want now, it may come in next week. "
The Next Five years
Nobody here predicted AI disappearing from the job. What the group agreed on is where it stops: firms that use it to support the human side of recruiting, rather than replace it, are the ones they expect to be trusted five years from now.
A five year outlook on recruiting
Best AdviceThe 5-year Outlook
"I strongly believe that firms that keep the human touch front and center will be light years ahead of the others. No matter how big AI gets, people still want to talk to other people. Just like when you have to call the doctors office to make an appointment, how frustrated do you get when the automated line bounces you around and you inevitably say “speak to a representative”. It is always easier to speak with a human "
Best AdviceThe 5-year Outlook
"I think the firms that use technology to support the human side of recruiting, not replace it, will stand out the most. In five years, automation will probably be the norm, so genuine relationships and personal communication will become even more valuable. The firms that keep that human touch will build stronger trust with both candidates and clients, create better long-term matches, and develop a reputation people actually want to work with."
Best AdviceThe 5-year Outlook
"We may do less business, being less transactional, but the work will be more meaningful."
Best AdviceThe 5-year Outlook
"Firms that keep the human touch front and center, in my opinion, will be the most desirable firms for both candidates and clients over the next five years. People understand that AI is the future, but I don't think they want it to replace everything. As recruiters, we're already using AI and will probably continue to use it more, but ideally it's helping us handle administrative tasks and work more efficiently so we can spend more time actually interacting with our candidates and clients. I think people will recognize and value that difference. They'll want to work with firms that use AI to enhance the recruiting experience, not firms that use it to eliminate the human interaction altogether."
Where AI Actually Helps
AI's role, according to everyone here, stays firmly administrative: notes, research, job descriptions, outreach. Not one of them uses it to run the actual candidate conversation, and one recruiter doesn't use it at all.
How has AI changed the way you work or approach recruiting?
Best AdviceUsing ai as a recruiter
"AI has changed my process. It has helped with taking notes during meeting, checking spelling and grammar on candidate write ups and messages. But, I do not use AI with LinkedIn messages. I feel like those can be spotted a mile away from most candidates. "
Best AdviceUsing ai as a recruiter
"AI has made me more efficient with things like writing outreach, organizing notes, building searches, and researching roles or markets. It helps me spend less time on administrative work and more time actually talking to people. Where I don't rely on it is reading candidates and building relationships. AI can help identify keywords, but it can't fully understand someone's personality, motivation, or potential. I still want every candidate to feel like they're talking to a real person, not receiving the same automated message as everyone else."
Best AdviceUsing ai as a recruiter
"It helps with writing job descriptions, job posts, etc. I also use it for research prior to starting a new search. That being said, I haven't found a tool that can update and clean my database like they say they can."
Best AdviceUsing ai as a recruiter
"AI has definitely made some of the more administrative parts of recruiting easier and faster: research, writing and cleaning up job descriptions or outreach, organizing information, etc. It gives me more time to focus on the parts of recruiting that actually require a human. Where I deliberately don't use it is in the relationship-building part of the job. I don't want AI having conversations with my candidates or clients for me, and I don't want to rely on it to tell me whether someone is a good fit based solely on their resume."
AI used in Screening and Interviews
The group here was unanimous, and mostly blunt, about AI-led candidate screening. A resume that looks perfect on paper doesn't guarantee a personality fit, and that's a judgment call none of them are willing to hand off.
Some firms are using AI to screen candidates and even conduct first-round interviews. What's your take on that?
Best AdviceOn AI Screening
"I think having a computer conduct a human interaction is not good at all"
Best AdviceOn AI Screening
"Honestly, I do not think it's a good idea. We have all been there: we see a candidate's resume and they are a perfect fit on paper, then you bring them in for an interview and they are not a fit personality-wise. I genuinely believe you need a human to conduct those interviews."
Best AdviceOn AI Screening
"I think it can be useful in a lot of ways to cut down on the administrative work, and to see if people are truly interested. ARC is a people-first organization, and we want people to know we see them as a human, not just another applicant."
Best AdviceOn AI Screening
"I don't like it for what we do in the search and staffing industry."
Best AdviceOn AI Screening
"I have to be honest here, I'm not a fan of using AI to screen candidates or do first-round interviews. I believe part of our job as recruiters is that we bring a people-first, human-touch approach that AI simply cannot learn. How is AI digging deep on what motivates a candidate? Who are they as a person, not just as a professional? When you hire someone, you're hiring the whole person, not just the person presented on a resume."
What are the downsides of AI In recruiting?
A bot-led first interaction, in this group's view, costs more than it saves: personal connection, context a resume can't capture, and for the firm, trust and candidates who don't fit perfectly on paper.
How has AI changed the way you work or approach recruiting?
Best AdviceDownsides of AI
"I believe candidates will not take an interview as seriously if they are talking to a bot rather than a human."
Best AdviceDownsides of AI
"The candidate loses the personal connection and the chance to be seen as more than what's written on their resume. A bot may recognize experience and keywords, but it can miss personality, potential, and the context behind someone's career. The firm loses trust, valuable insight, and sometimes great candidates who don't fit perfectly on paper. Recruiting is a people business, and the first interaction sets the tone for the entire relationship"
Best AdviceDownsides of AI
"I think some companies have been so focused on adopting AI and leaning into the future that they've forgotten candidate experience can make or break their future hiring. When your first interaction with a recruiting firm is with a bot instead of a person, it can immediately make a candidate feel like just a number. How can a recruiting firm, which is built around making the right career match for people, not have humans interacting with their candidates? Firms can lose a lot by taking the human element out of recruiting: candidates, clients, and potentially even good internal talent if their own employees don't believe in the experience they're creating. If you're going to preach a human-first approach, the candidate should actually experience that from the first interaction."
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