What does it actually take to fill a niche Director of Dairy Sourcing role in the middle of Wisconsin… when the client isn’t even sure what they really need yet?

That’s the recruiting challenge we unpack in the latest episode of Recruiter Wins with George Blomgren, Recruiting Manager at Kinsa Group and 20-year talent acquisition veteran in food & beverage.

This one hit home for anyone working tough, specialized searches where every variable seems stacked against you:

• a brand new, poorly defined role (that turned out to be all about ultra-filtered milk purchasing)
• a relocation-only opportunity in a mid-sized town
• a function (procurement) where most top candidates want to stay remote
• an amazing client… with a rusty hiring process thanks to years of low turnover

George breaks down how he turned this into a true recruiting win by:

- Turning vague reqs into real clarity, asking, “What problem do you really want this hire to solve?” and using every rejected candidate as a source of market intel

- Going beyond the job ad to make sure that the best candidate was willing to relocate, researching schools, crime, recreation, DEI factors and even local food options and houses of worship

- Coaching a low-turnover client on candidate experience, from simple things like interviewers introducing themselves to building a process that doesn’t scare off A-players

The line that stuck with me:

“If you get an expert on the phone, even if they’re not a fit, don’t rush off. Learn everything you can from them.”

If you recruit for niche roles, manage relocation-heavy searches or work with clients who “don’t know what they don’t know” about a role, this episode is packed with practical scripts, questions and mindset shifts you can use on your very next search.

Every recruiter remembers their first placement.

But what if that one placement didn’t just launch your career…

…it became the clearest proof that AI will never replace what you do?

On this week’s episode of Recruiter Wins, I sat down with George Santos, Managing Director & Head of Marketing at 180 Engineering, to unpack the story of his very first placement and how it shaped his entire view of recruiting.

George went from retail to recruiting, got thrown into a highly technical software engineering search for a casino gaming company and felt like an impostor talking to senior engineers who’d been doing this longer than he’d been in the workforce.

What changed everything wasn’t his technical knowledge. It was realizing where his real value was.

Here’s what really stuck with me:

- Any placement can turn a job into a career. The software engineer George placed is still at the same company almost 12 years later.

- A recruiter needs to hold their candidate's hands through difficult changes. Candidates might only change jobs 5 to 6 times in their life. You do this every day. Helping them navigate fear, doubt, and “is this normal?” is the real differentiator.

- AI is a tool, not a replacement. George is pro-AI for sourcing, admin and polish but when it comes to “Am I making the right move for my family?”, a bot can’t sit with that anxiety the way a human can.

If you’ve ever:

- Wondered whether your work really changes lives

- Felt that nervous energy on your first (or next) big search

- Worried about where AI fits into your future as a recruiter

…this episode will hit home.

Listen to my conversation with George Santos on Recruiter Wins and get a fresh reminder of why great recruiting will always be a human-first profession.