(Disclaimer: I promise I typed this out with my own actual human hands. If I used ChatGPT to write this, it would probably be using words like "delve" and "tapestry" right now.) I have been reading a lot of posts lately about AI in our industry. It seems like the reaction is usually split: people are either completely ignoring it, or they are terrified about data privacy. I run a recruitment agency and I completely get the hesitation. The idea of feeding sensitive candidate data into a public model sounds like a nightmare. But avoiding the tech completely because of fear is a mistake. To stay relevant, you have to find ways to utilize these tools safely. I used to spend hours on manual admin, but I realized I was spinning my wheels on the same dumb tasks day in and day out. Here is how we are saving about 15 to 20 hours a week using LLMs (text AI) without compromising security: 1. Sourcing without the headache I stopped manually guessing keywords. Now, I use AI to generate high quality Boolean strings based on the Job Description. I run those in LinkedIn and it cuts the sourcing time in half. I also built a workflow where the AI checks candidate profiles against a specific requirements list to see who is actually a fit. 2. The "Closed" Knowledge Base (Safe Training) This is the big one for security. We use tools (like NotebookLM) to train a bot *only* on our own documents. The data stays contained. We use it for: * Drafting policies based on our past docs. * Summarizing investigation interviews or long transcripts. * Creating "podcast style" overviews of complex documents so I can listen to a summary instead of reading 50 pages. 3. Checking for Bias People say AI introduces bias, but we actually use it to help remove ours. We run our JDs and emails through the system with prompts like: *"Hey, is there any language here that’s not inclusive? Or what about exclusionary language?"* It catches things we miss. 4. The Grunt Work It handles the stuff that breaks my focus. turning images of text (like resume screenshots) into bulleted lists, creating timelines from scattered dates in client notes, or doing quick math and Excel formulas.

My grain of salt :) If you've tried cold email outreach, you're probably familiar with Instantly. What many people don't know (including myself), is that Instantly and Smart Leads offer very affordable google account they create and setup for you for the email campaigns. In Smartleads it costs me $4 each account, while on Google is around $16 per account. (you cannot use this accounts outside their platforms) Maybe this has been an option for a while, but I didn't know about it. 🙃 Do you guys have any other tips for cold emails?

As a millionaire, I know many people are having a tough time with bills lately, and I’d like to do something small to help. I’m giving $15K each to 20 people as part of a personal community-support project. Send me the word “GRACE.” I’ll follow up with details. Please only reach out if this would genuinely help you

Hey everyone, I've noticed quite a few people in this group are struggling with cold outreach and wanted to provide some value from my experience: Cold outreach in recruitment can feel intimidating at first, but the truth is, recruitment is sales. You’re selling yourself to the prospect, and you’re selling candidates to them too. And in sales, it doesn’t matter how good your “product” is if nobody knows about it. Cold outreach is the bridge and there’s no skipping it, so the faster you get comfortable, the faster you’ll grow. That being said, here are a few things that helped me early on: - Take a deep breath. At the end of the day, you’re talking to people, not “big scary decision makers.” They’re just humans with families, hobbies, and inboxes full of messages. If you go in tense, they’ll feel it. Relaxed energy always lands better. - Keep it short. Your best emails are 3–4 sentences max. The first line should be personalized to them (not your pitch), and the subject line should make them curious enough to click. No gimmicks, just genuine curiosity. - Test & tweak. Your open rate tells you how strong your subject line is. If nobody’s opening, either your subject line needs work or your email/domain isn’t warmed up (spam issue). If opens are good but replies are low, then focus on improving your copy. - Make the CTA light. Instead of asking for a “call this week,” try something simple like “Would it make sense to chat?” or “Open to exploring this?”. It feels less heavy and gets more responses. - Don’t rely only on email. A quick LinkedIn note or even a voicemail drop after your second or third email can make you stand out. Sometimes being visible in more than one channel is all it takes. - Detach from the outcome. Most prospects won’t respond and that’s normal. The goal isn’t to get a “yes” every time, it’s to keep showing up consistently. That mindset shift takes a lot of pressure off. If you’re new to cold outreach, my biggest advice is: Just start. You’ll learn 10x faster by hitting “send” and seeing what happens than by waiting until you think your emails are perfect.

Hi, What key elements should be included in an introductory email to clients when aiming to secure a recruitment contract? Should the focus be solely on asking about their current vacancies or recruitment needs, or is it advisable to also include our rates and terms of service in the initial outreach?