The Staffing Playbook Podcast, Powered by YES

The AI-Native Recruiter

Most firms rolled out AI to 50 recruiters on a Monday. By Friday, they're using it to clean up emails.
That's not adoption. That's an expensive mailing list.
New episode of The Staffing Playbook — Part 2 with Jason Alexander of ChiefAI. He scaled staffing companies to $100M before he ever built an AI roadmap, so he knows the difference between buying a tool and actually using it.
The frame: giving a recruiter an AI agent is like handing them an intern. Most recruiters were never taught to delegate. 
So we asked the harder question — what happens when the intern outgrows the manager?
What we got into:→ Only 28% of employees know how to actually use their company's AI tools. → The shift from "doer" to "quarterback." → The veteran problem: your top biller thinks AI is a fad. How do you bring them along without losing them? → Why leaders who talk AI but don't use it get found out.Jason's advice for anyone who's never opened these tools — your first prompt is: "I'm a recruiter. How do I use you?"
For me, the proof it's working wasn't a dashboard. It was a recruiter saying, "I filled all my roles, my interviews are done — I think I'll go visit some clients."
That's the whole game.

The Audit That Could SAVE Your Career

Travel agents in 2001 still had full calendars. Their managers were happy. Their numbers looked fine.The hollowing-out had already started — they just couldn't see it from the inside. When the next downturn hit, the role got restacked overnight.That's the shape of what's happening in staffing right now. Stable on the surface. Foundation already changing underneath.In Ep. 73 of The Staffing Playbook Podcast, Powered by YES, I walk through a 60-minute career audit — TCLD — that every recruiter, ops lead, and executive should run on themselves while they still have agency.T = TheaterC = CommodityL = On the LineD = DurableMost people find T + C is a much bigger slice of their week than they're comfortable admitting. And that's the slice sitting on the thinnest ice.This isn't about AI taking your job in a clean replacement event. It's about the parts of the work that were quietly propping up the rest of the story you tell yourself about your value.

AI Is Already Reshaping Staffing: What the Data Actually Shows.

Everyone in staffing is talking about AI.
Almost nobody is looking at the actual data.
I spent the last two weeks pulling numbers from SIA, ASA, Bullhorn's GRID report, and Stanford's Digital Economy Lab. What I found was a story that neither the optimists nor the doomsayers are telling.
The staffing industry did $184 billion in US revenue in 2024. Then 2025 hit — temp employment dropped 8.5%. Revenue contracted. And quietly, behind the headlines, something structural shifted.
Entry-level employment in AI-exposed roles fell 13%.Senior-level employment in those same roles grew 6–12%.Staffing firms using AI are now 4x more likely to be top performers.And 22% of the highest-growth firms are filling orders in 3 days or less.
The middle is disappearing. Not the middle class — the middle tier of staffing firms. The ones that are "competent enough" but haven't changed how they operate.
I recorded a solo episode breaking all of this down — the data, what it means, and exactly what I think staffing leaders need to do about it.

The AI-Driven Sales Playbook for Staffing Spray and pray is dead.

The staffing firms winning right now aren't making more calls — they're making better ones. And the ones falling behind? They don't have a sales problem. They have a control problem.In Episode 71, I sat down with two industry heavyweights to break down exactly where deals die — and what to fix first:Jamie Lupo — 20+ years in staffing, 18 at LHH where she rose to VP of Strategy. She rebuilt flatlined offices into record-breakers and recently launched Lupo Advisory to help small and midsize staffing firms sharpen their sales execution and go-to-market strategy. Jamie doesn't sugarcoat it: if your reps are "waiting to hear back," you're already losing.Valentine Kapture — 15+ years in staffing strategy and analytics, also an LHH and Robert Half alum. He launched KAPTURE to bring Fortune 500-level AI and workflow automation to the small and midsize staffing firms that need it most.Here's what we got into:→ Why sales-recruiting alignment is where staffing firms go to die → The discovery question gap that's killing your close rate → How one team hit their highest temps-out in 4 weeks by fixing their data → Where AI removes the drag vs. where it needs to stay out of the way → Why every irrelevant touch trains the buyer to ignore you → A 7-day challenge you can start tomorrowThis one is tactical. No fluff. Just the plays.📅 Thursday, April 16th | 1:00 PM MDT

Stop Buying AI, Start Using What You Have

Most staffing firms don't have an AI problem.They have a utilization problem.They're buying tools they never fully implement. Stacking subscriptions nobody uses. Chasing the next shiny platform before they've squeezed value out of what's already on the shelf.My next guest lived this firsthand.Jason Alexander was the #1 sales rep globally at Robert Half. He co-founded and scaled BANKW Staffing to $100M in revenue. His own business partner used to call him the easiest sale in the world when it came to buying new software.Now he runs ChiefAI and helps staffing firms stop the bleeding — starting with what they already have.On Episode 70 of The Staffing Playbook Podcast, Powered by YES, Jason breaks down:→ Why 95% of the firms he assesses don't even have a business plan, let alone an AI roadmap
→ The AI agent he built that creates a 3-year rollout plan in 15 minutes
→ Why you should "bleed ChatGPT dry" before you buy anything else
→ What custom GPTs are and why almost nobody paying for ChatGPT is using them
→ The difference between handing a recruiter an AI tool and actually training them to use it
This one is packed with tactics you can act on today — not next quarter.

The Stalled Labor Market: Why 2026 Rewards Execution, Not Hustle

We’re back with a new episode of The Staffing Playbook Podcast:Ep. 69 | The Stalled Labor Market: Why 2026 Rewards Execution, Not HustleOn March 20 at 1:00 PM MDT, I’ll be joined by David Wilson from "The Ring of Hire Show" for a timely conversation on what’s really happening in the labor market right now.
A lot of leaders are still waiting for the market to “turn.” I don’t think waiting is the move.
This kind of market exposes the difference between activity and execution.When things stall out, the firms that win are not the ones doing more random hustle.
They’re the ones operating better.They’re tighter.More disciplined.Closer to the customer.Better at follow-up.Better at decision-making.Better at execution.
In this episode, we’ll dig into what a stalled labor market means for staffing leaders, where companies get stuck, and what practical moves actually matter in 2026.
If you lead in staffing, recruiting, sales, operations, or workforce strategy, this one is for you.

AI & Change: Why Most Staffing Firms Are Failing at Both

🎙️ Episode 68 of The Staffing Playbook Podcast is LIVEAI & Change: Why Most Staffing Firms Are Failing at Both🗓 March 5, 2026⏰ 1:00 PM MDT🎤 Guest: Lauren B. Jones 🐐In this episode, I sit down with Lauren Jones, Founder & CEO of Leap Advisory Partners — a true force in workforce innovation and digital transformationLauren doesn’t sugarcoat it.We talk about:Why buying AI tools doesn’t equal transformationThe leadership blind spots killing momentumChange fatigue inside staffing firmsWhat real operational redesign actually looks likeAnd how to build teams that embrace technology instead of resisting itIf you’re a staffing leader who:Feels pressure to “do something with AI”Has invested in tech but isn’t seeing ROIKnows your operating model needs to evolveOr wants to lead change without blowing up your culture…This conversation is for you.Lauren brings the rare combo of operator, strategist, and transformation architect — and she’s not afraid to challenge the status quo.The firms that win the next 5 years won’t just adopt AI.They’ll redesign how they work.Join us live on March 5th at 1:00 PM MDT.Let’s stop talking about AI hype…And start talking about execution.The Staffing Playbook Podcast, Powered by YESSponsored by Staffing Referrals

AI Strategy in Staffing — What’s Real, What Wins

There’s a LOT of noise around AI in staffing right now.Most of it sounds impressive.Very little of it actually moves the needle.That’s why I sat down with Pankaj Jindal, Co-Founder of Sense, someone who’s been building AI inside staffing long before it became a buzzword.This episode cuts straight through the hype and gets into:✅ Why AI should augment recruiters, not replace them✅ The difference between shiny tools vs. real business impact✅ Where AI is already driving measurable wins (sourcing, engagement, matching, productivity)✅ Why data quality + workflow design matter more than model selection✅ How leaders should think about AI as a strategy, not a featureOne big takeaway:AI doesn’t fix broken processes. It amplifies them. If your foundation isn’t solid, AI just makes the cracks show faster.If you’re a staffing leader trying to decide where to place your bets in 2026, this episode will help you focus on what actually works.📅 Feb 19, 2026⏰ 1:00 PM MDT🎧 The Staffing Playbook PodcastDrop a comment if you’re actively testing AI in your agency — I’d love to hear what’s working (and what isn’t).#StaffingLeadership #AIinStaffing #FutureOfWork #RecruitingTech #TheStaffingPlaybook #StaffingPodcast

3-Pillar Playbook for Scaling a Staffing Firm in 2026

Scaling a staffing firm in 2026 isn’t about working harder.
It’s about building the right operating system.
 
On the next episode of The Staffing Playbook Podcast, I’m joined by Matt Buffington, CEO & Founder of KinISO, to break down the 3 pillars every staffing leader must master to scale profitably in today’s market:
✔️ Sales
✔️ Service / Operations
✔️ Recruiting
 
Matt has spent 15+ years across technology, staffing, and sales, and now leads KinISO — a platform built to fundamentally change how staffing firms launch, operate, and scale.
 
We’ll dig into:
🔹 Why most firms stall between $10M–$50M
🔹 Where technology actually drives leverage (and where it doesn’t)
🔹 How to design a scalable operating model
🔹 What the best-run firms are doing differently heading into 2026
 
If you’re a staffing owner, executive, or leader serious about building a durable, scalable business — this episode is for you.
 
📅 Feb 5, 2026
⏰ 1:00 PM MDT
🎙️ Live on The Staffing Playbook Podcast, Powered by YES
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The State of Staffing 2026 — Live Roundtable

🎙️ The State of Staffing 2026 — Live Roundtable The Staffing Playbook Podcast, Powered by YES📅 January 22 ⏰ 1:00 PM MDTThe staffing industry isn’t “changing.” It’s already changed.
In this live roundtable, we cut through the noise and talk honestly about what staffing leaders are walking into in 2026—and what actually matters if you want to win.
Tom Erb & Mark Winter go head to head in this compelling conversation
We cover:Why 2026 is the Year of the Customer, not sales, not growth-at-all-costsThe real gap between AI hype vs. operational realityWhy agencies that treat staffing like a commodity won’t surviveWhat leaders must fix now in operations, accountability, and experienceHow trust, consistency, and execution are becoming the true differentiatorsThis isn’t theory.
 It’s lived experience from operators who are in it every day—dealing with margin pressure, client expectations, talent shortages, and technology that only works if your fundamentals are solid.
If you’re an owner, executive, sales leader, or operations leader in staffing, this conversation will challenge how you’re thinking about 2026.👉 Join us live on January 22 at 1:00 PM MDT 🎧 The Staffing Playbook Podcast