Recruiting has never been more competitive or more crucial, than it is in 2025. Talent shortages in specialized industries, the rise of AI-driven hiring tools, and a growing emphasis on diversity and inclusion have transformed the recruiter’s role into that of a trusted advisor, strategist, and brand ambassador. To meet these demands, recruiters are turning to expert coaches, industry veterans who have mastered the art and science of hiring and now share their knowledge with the next generation.
The best recruiting coaches don’t just offer tips; they build mindsets, instill discipline, and give recruiters the tools to thrive in volatile markets. They bridge classic sales fundamentals with modern technology, helping recruiters connect authentically while leveraging automation and data-driven insights.
In 2025, these coaches stand out for their influence, track record, and ability to help recruiters not just survive but thrive. Each brings a unique approach, but all share a common goal, empowering recruiters to deliver exceptional results for their clients and candidates.
List of the Best Recruiting Agencies’ Coaches
1. Steve Finkel
Few names in recruiting carry as much weight as Steve Finkel. With decades of hands-on experience in both running a desk and building successful recruiting businesses, Steve is known for his no-nonsense, results-driven approach. He has trained recruiters around the world, guiding both solo practitioners and large firms to achieve measurable increases in performance and profitability.
Steve’s coaching is grounded in time-tested principles: disciplined daily habits, effective candidate sourcing, value-based client relationships, and mastery of the recruitment sales cycle. He teaches recruiters to become true consultants rather than order-takers, enabling them to close more placements, increase repeat business, and gain client trust.
What sets Steve apart is his ability to simplify complex concepts into actionable steps. Whether he’s teaching how to convert cold calls into long-term relationships or how to negotiate higher fees without losing clients, his advice is precise, proven, and adaptable across industries. In 2025, with many recruiters struggling to differentiate themselves in an AI-driven market, Steve’s back-to-basics yet highly strategic methods remain more relevant than ever.
2. Clark Willcox
Clark Willcox is a strategist at heart. His coaching is built around designing and implementing efficient recruiting systems that can scale, sustain performance, and deliver predictable results. For Clark, recruiting success is about more than finding the right candidate; it’s about building a repeatable process that works consistently, regardless of market shifts.
Clark specializes in helping recruiting firms refine their workflows, from sourcing and outreach to interview coordination and client reporting. He introduces tools and metrics that make performance transparent and measurable, enabling recruiters to focus on high-impact activities. His approach blends operational discipline with creative problem-solving, ensuring that teams can adapt to changing hiring demands without losing momentum.
In today’s fast-paced environment, where hiring cycles can be shortened or extended at a moment’s notice, Clark’s process-oriented coaching is invaluable. He equips recruiters with the ability to not only hit their targets, but to maintain quality and efficiency even under pressure.
3. David Stephen Patterson
David Stephen Patterson—affectionately known as DSP—is the Chief Growth Officer and founding force behind The Digital Headhunter. With nearly two decades of executive search experience, he pivoted into digital marketing and coaching in 2017, carving out a distinctive niche that blends recruitment expertise with modern marketing principles. Using his proprietary Lighthouse Method™, DSP emphasizes the importance of “Omnipresence & Relevancy,” helping nearly 500 search firms punch well above their weight in today’s competitive landscape. He also nurtures a vibrant community of over 13,000 search firm owners and recruiters through his popular Headhunters LIVE webshow—and remains committed to the three E’s in every session: Educate, Entertain, and Elevate.
DSP’s approach is dynamic, delivering coaching through engaging live shows, robust community support, and real-world tested systems. His energy and authenticity shine through as he guides recruiters not just in sourcing candidates, but in building sustainable growth through digital marketing, scalable processes, and compelling personal brand building. It’s this fusion of proven recruiting know-how with digital-age strategies that sets him apart as a transformative coach in today’s recruitment arena.
4. Gary Stauble
Gary Stauble is the founder of The Recruiting Lab and a seasoned peak performance strategist whose career spans nearly 30 years. With a background rooted in psychology and human performance, Gary has personally coached over 500 executive search firms and reached thousands more through his seminars, roundtable sessions, and signature “2‑Minute Coaching” newsletter, delivered bi‑monthly to 25,000 subscribers.
His coaching philosophy centers on instilling structure, productivity, and high-impact daily routines within recruiting businesses. Gary is known for guiding recruiters through transformative shifts, such as pivoting from contingency to retained search—a change that not only elevates revenue predictability but redefines their professional identity. Through his engaging style, attention to peak performance, and practical mindset shifts, Gary equips recruiters to become more strategic, confident, and impactful in their business.
5. Kim Henderson
Kim Henderson, Managing Director of Cobalt Compass Solutions, brings more than 28 years of staffing and recruiting leadership to her coaching practice. Her extensive background includes roles as SVP of Client Services & Global Accounts, where she oversaw strategic account development, built the Government Solutions vertical, and drove national sales strategies across product lines.
In her current role, Kim champions comprehensive training and consulting services that span the full lifecycle of sales and recruiting. Her approach emphasizes deeply understanding client challenges, enhancing account penetration, and operating with operational excellence—skills she has shared across numerous platforms, including articles for key industry publications and presentations at summits like the World Staffing Summit. Her strategic acumen, combined with credentials such as an MBA, PMP, and Six Sigma Lean certifications, makes her coaching methodology both grounded and forward-looking.
6. Terry Edwards
Father Terry Edwards and son Drew Edwards run the business.
At Make More Placements, we help Recruitment and Executive Search Business Owners win more clients, charge higher fees, and make more placements without working harder.
Through our proven APEX System™, we show recruiters how to build predictable pipelines, secure retained and exclusive roles, and grow profitably with less stress. With nearly three decades of recruitment experience, we’ve been on both sides of the desk, and now we use that expertise to help recruiters transform their businesses.
We’re also keynote speakers and authors of three books on recruitment success, all available on Amazon.
Our mission is simple: to help recruiters stop competing at the bottom and start winning at the top.
7. Mike Gionta and The RecruiterU
The RecruiterU was founded by Mike Gionta in 2006. Mike spent 25 years, both billing on his desk and simultaneously growing his recruiting firm to several million dollars per year.
The RecruiterU is the only training & coaching company serving the recruiting industry that combines strategic training, coaching & consulting, along with 1:1 mindset coaching to help you get over the biggest obstacle in your business. Yourself!
The RecruiterU helps both solo operators and those who want to scale their business with specific training/coaching on every topic one needs to grow and scale a recruiting firm. This includes new business development, getting money upfront, and how to go from being an annoying ‘vendor’ to a ‘trusted advisor. They deal with the psychology of call resistance as well as how to add value to the prospect in your marketing efforts, leading to more assignments at higher fees. Also, how to go from ‘roller coaster revenue” to “PREDICTABLE Placement Income” in your business.
8. Roy Ripper
Most recruitment coaches focus on making consultants bill more. Roy Ripper focuses on something far bigger: helping recruitment founders break free from founder-dependence, scale profitably, and prepare their business for a high-value exit.
With over 40 years serving the recruitment industry, Roy has personally coached hundreds of founder-led firms in the UK and globally. His speciality? Taking businesses at the £2M+ turnover / 20–50 headcount stage and helping their owners scale to £5-10M+, while reducing their personal workload by up to 70%.
As Roy says, “You didn’t build this business to become its busiest employee. I help recruitment MDs escape that trap — fast.”
Common Threads Among the Best
While each of these five coaches brings a unique approach, several common themes emerge:
- Client-Centric Thinking – They teach recruiters to focus on solving client problems, not just filling jobs.
- Process Discipline – Success is built on systems, daily habits, and measurable outcomes.
- Adaptability – Whether through digital tools or human connection, they prepare recruiters to thrive in shifting markets.
- Brand Building – In 2025, recruiters must market themselves as trusted advisors.
- Long-Term Relationships – Placements are transactions; relationships are assets.
Why Coaching Matters More Than Ever in 2025
The recruitment industry has undergone seismic shifts in the past few years. AI tools can source faster, automation can schedule interviews in seconds, and job boards can reach millions overnight. Yet, none of these replace the judgment, influence, and trust-building that human recruiters bring.
Recruiting coaches bridge the gap between technology and humanity. They help recruiters leverage the best tools available while avoiding the pitfalls of over-automation. They ensure recruiters remain indispensable by cultivating skills that AI cannot replicate empathy, strategy, negotiation, and creative problem-solving.
In a market where clients expect both speed and quality, and where candidates have more options than ever, the value of great coaching is undeniable.
Final Thoughts
Whether you’re looking to refine your sales skills, build scalable systems, deepen relationships, embrace inclusion, or dominate digital channels, these coaches offer the guidance to elevate your career.
In 2025, success in recruiting will not be about who works the hardest; it will be about who works the smartest, adapts the fastest, and connects the deepest. With the right coach, recruiters can not only keep pace with the industry but set the pace for others to follow.
