Chris Relth's Linkedin Analytics

I used to take failed placements personally. If, after weeks of work, a candidate rejected an offer… I'd get frustrated and throw things around the office. Then, one day, I had a realization. The placements that upset me the most were the ones where I’d spotted red flags early but ignored them. > I didn't mention the brutal commute. > I avoided discussing their compensation concerns. > I sidestepped the misalignment in work-life expectations. Because I was afraid addressing issues would scare candidates away. So I crossed my fingers and hoped they'd overlook these problems. And they never did. That's when I developed my "positive pessimist" approach… I actively found reasons a candidate WOULDN’T take the job, and then addressed them upfront. Instead of avoiding difficult conversations, I started saying: "This role requires relocation. Let's discuss how that would impact your family." "The compensation is 10% below your target. Is that a deal-breaker?" The results were immediate: > Higher interview-to-placement ratios. > Less time wasted on doomed processes. > More confident, prepared candidates. When you identify obstacles early, you either solve them or disqualify candidates before investing weeks of everyone's time 🙂

Artemis 𝗶𝘀 𝗵𝗶𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗺𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝗿𝗼𝗹𝗲𝘀 𝗶𝗻𝗰𝗹𝘂𝗱𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗧𝗮𝘆𝗹𝗼𝗿'𝘀 𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺. 𝗜𝗳 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝗶𝘀 𝗼𝗳 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗽𝗹𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝘁𝗼 Taylor Wildman 𝗱𝗶𝗿𝗲𝗰𝘁𝗹𝘆. At Artemis, we've revolutionized how full desk recruiters operate by eliminating the mundane activities that often bog them down. Our innovative support system allows recruiters to spend their time on high-leveraged activities and, most importantly, building, and nurturing relationships. Our internal research team is here to make your life easier by taking care of candidate sourcing, gathering contact information, and handling data entry. This means you can get half your day back to focus on executing searches effectively. Additionally, our dedicated marketing team will create and run your campaigns, ensuring you have everything you need to succeed. If this sounds like something you'd be interested in, or if you know someone who might be interested, please don't hesitate to reach out to Taylor.

This company’s core product was becoming obsolete. So they asked candidates one brilliant question. Here’s how it transformed their aerospace business… I'll never forget this search I did for an aerospace manufacturing client. For decades, they'd made lighting for commercial aircraft. Then new technology disrupted everything, and their core product was on the verge of obsolescence. So, rather than conducting standard interviews, they took a radically different approach. Each finalist was asked to present their vision for an entirely new business direction – one that could leverage the company's existing strengths. Most candidates played it safe. But one executive delivered a game-changing insight. He proposed an air filtration and scent system for aircraft cabins – something that could tap into their existing airline relationships and manufacturing capabilities. It wasn't just a good idea. It was a strategic revelation nobody inside the organization had considered. They hired him immediately and pivoted their entire business model. This story is a great reminder that when hiring senior leaders, don't just evaluate what they've done in the past. Ask them to show you how they'd think about your future. The answers might just transform your business.

I am very proud to be part of the team here Artemis and what we are building. https://lnkd.in/gZng2bHG

I met with a client last week who learned a painful lesson. They found their dream candidate So they went all-in (Guess what happened next?) They focused entirely on this one person, neglecting other qualified candidates in their pipeline. Then disaster struck. Their "perfect" candidate received a counter offer too good to pass up. Just like that, my client was back to square one. The other interested candidates? Long gone. The hiring momentum? Completely lost. The position? Still vacant after three months. This is why I always tell clients one thing: Never put all your eggs in one recruitment basket, especially with passive talent Keep at least four candidates moving past first interviews. Advance at least two toward the offer stage. Yes, it requires more effort upfront. But when that "perfect" candidate falls through (and they often do), you're not starting from scratch. Because recruitment isn't about finding one perfect person. It's about building a robust pipeline that protects you from the unpredictability of human decisions.

Great work in support of Miracles for Kids!

This Salesperson obsessed over base salary. But completely ignored the commission structure. (It's how I knew he wasn't a top performer.) I recently interviewed a candidate for an enterprise sales role with one of my clients. On paper, he looked impressive - eight years of experience, impressive logos, and decent numbers. But something felt off. When we discussed compensation, he fixated entirely on the base salary. > "What's the base salary range?" > "Is there room to negotiate on the base?" > "How does the base compare to the market?" Not once did he ask about the commission structure, quotas and the ability to hit them, or the accelerators. Which immediately raised a red flag in my mind. Top performers know that while base salary provides security, the real money comes from commission. And they're confident in their ability to exceed targets and unlock those higher tiers of compensation. When I finally asked him about his commission expectations, his answer was revealing. He hadn't even considered how the company's commission plan might impact his long-term earnings. (I explained that if he produced at the same level, my client’s commission structure would net him an additional $50,000 annually. Over five years, that's $250,000 left on the table by focusing solely on a $10,000 base salary difference.) The best salespeople always drill into the commission structure and ask questions about quota attainment levels, acceleration points, payment schedules, and cap policies. Because they know that's where the real earning potential lies. So when a candidate obsesses over base salary instead of commission structure… It tells me everything I need to know about their confidence in their abilities.

I was a Top Biller for 5 years straight  My secret? Time-blocking with 4 quadrants. I had a system… and we still use it today Ten years ago, I was a completely different recruiter. While most of my colleagues were jumping from email to call to LinkedIn without any structure… I had a system. Every day, I blocked my time into four distinct quadrants: > Candidate activities - sourcing, interviewing, and follow-ups. > Client activities - business development, client calls, and pitches. > Admin work - processing paperwork, writing up notes, updating systems. > Operational work - planning, strategizing, and reviewing metrics. The key is strategically planning the day before how much time each quadrant will need Instead of making a phone call, checking email, answering a text message, then making another call... I would batch similar activities together and get into a rhythm. When I was calling candidates, I was JUST calling candidates. No distractions, no context switching, just pure focus. And this helped me build momentum that dramatically increased my productivity. We use the exact same system in my business today! Remember - top performers don't just work harder. They work smarter by optimizing their time and attention.

While everyone else is automating outreach.  Our tech division leader is scheduling coffee, lunch, and dinner meetings. Now, he’s one of our Top Billers… In recruitment today, volume and automation dominate. Most recruiters hide behind LinkedIn messages and cold emails, hoping to connect with decision-makers through sheer numbers and clever copy. But our tech division leader takes a completely different approach. He genuinely enjoys building connections, creating win/win relationships, learning from others, and helping people. He meets very high-level CIOs in person—not to pitch services, but to build genuine relationships. His approach is refreshingly human: He shares his life story, including peaks and valleys. He listens more than he speaks. He focuses on building trust before business. "By the end of our conversation," he told me, "they've usually opened up about their own journey. We've built something real." This isn't just a feel-good story about connection. It's paying serious dividends. When these CIOs eventually need talent, guess who gets the first call? Not the recruiter who sent them 15 automated messages, but the person they've broken bread with and come to trust. The industry has gotten so transactional that authentic relationship-building has become a strategic advantage. Your biggest competitive edge might not be your tech stack or your candidate database. It might be your willingness to step away from the screen and connect face-to-face with the humans on the other side.

I've been working out every morning for 15 years. Not because I love burpees at 5am. Because I believe in doing the hard stuff first. This philosophy applies to everything, especially recruitment. The average recruiter starts their day with comfortable tasks - checking emails, scrolling LinkedIn, "organizing" their desk. Anything to avoid the hard stuff. Meanwhile, the top billers are already making BD calls while everyone else is still deciding which mug to use for their second coffee. Hard conversations with clients about rates? Do it first. Telling a candidate they didn't get the job? Do it first. That difficult feedback session with your junior consultant? Do it first. When you tackle the uncomfortable things early, everything else feels easier by comparison. Your day has momentum. You've already cleared the biggest hurdles. This isn't just about productivity. It's about training yourself to run toward challenges instead of away from them. Success isn't found in ease and comfort. It's found in consistently doing what others aren't willing to do.

In most recruitment agencies, there's an unspoken hierarchy: Sales is king. Delivery is necessary (but not glamorous). This mindset is killing companies At most firms, recruiters start in delivery. If they're good, they "graduate" to sales, and the recruiter becomes a second-class citizen. But this creates a dangerous disconnect. Who cares if you sell if you can't deliver? I've built my business on a different philosophy: our delivery function is just as important as sales (if not more).   Because delivering exceptional candidates to clients is your most powerful selling tool. When a client receives a perfectly matched candidate who thrives, they remember that experience. Five years later, when that client moves to a new company, guess who gets the first call? The recruiter who changed their business with an outstanding placement. Great delivery builds evangelists who tell your story for you, which creates a compound effect over time. While others focus on short-term sales, the firms that elevate delivery build relationships that last decades. When you deliver well, clients can't help but come back for more. So sometimes, the best sales strategy isn't about sales at all 🙂

I would call the same 10 prospects 10 times.  My competitors thought I was crazy.  (Until they saw my billing numbers)... Everyone thinks volume is king in recruitment. But I learned something different when I hit my first $2M billing year. While others send 500 messages hoping for a 2% response rate… I took a radically different approach. I would focus intensely on just 10 top-tier prospects. And not just once or twice. I’d connect 6, 7, sometimes 10 different times. The results aren't even comparable. For clients, this deep-dive approach means I truly understand their needs, not just their job descriptions. And for candidates, persistent follow-up shows I'm genuinely invested in their career journey, not just filling my quota. The math is simple - reaching out to 10 prospects ten times takes the same effort as contacting 100 prospects once. But the relationship quality? The conversion rate? The reputation I've built? Completely different game. This approach isn't just more effective, it's more fulfilling. I'm no longer another recruiter playing the spam game.   Because depth beats breadth every single time.