{"podcast":{"title":"The Resilient Recruiter","slug":"the-resilient-recruiter-1198157","podcast_index_feed_id":1198157,"rss_url":"https://feeds.flightcast.com/ei60b9pldwy2h1ex3nfe21er.xml","website_url":"http://recruitmentcoach.libsyn.com/wesbite","image_url":"https://assets.flightcast.com/workspaces/n94me6ubrrxiulkehmu7h27e/podcasts/ei60b9pldwy2h1ex3nfe21er/nli9wxtizv31kgqtlu0vzdnc.jpg","author":"Mark Whitby","episode_count":283,"summary":"Join \"the Recruitment Coach\" Mark Whitby as he and his guests unpack the secrets of what it takes to be a profitable and long-lived professional in the recruitment industry.","last_synced_at":"2026-07-29T14:20:32.372169+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-resilient-recruiter-1198157"},"episode":{"title":"She Lost Everything in 2008. Then Built a Recruiting Firm with a 94% Retention Rate","slug":"she-lost-everything-in-2008-then-built-a-recruiting-firm-with-a-94-retention-rate","published_at":"2026-04-09T10:44:50+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-resilient-recruiter-1198157/she-lost-everything-in-2008-then-built-a-recruiting-firm-with-a-94-retention-rate","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-resilient-recruiter-1198157","url":"https://episode.flightcast.com/wma812np19ykv8teblxaktcj.mp3","audio_url":"https://episode.flightcast.com/wma812np19ykv8teblxaktcj.mp3","summary":"Carol Ann Wentworth lost her business, her home, and nearly everything she owned in 2008. Within 10 days of clarifying her next step, three recruiting firms reached out. She had a job offer in two weeks. That same clarity is what built Wentworth Executive Recruiting into a ten-year retained practice with a 94% retention rate. She made 48 placements with one Silicon Valley client and supported their growth through to IPO. She works with five core clients. Two keep her consistently busy. That's the model. In this episode, Carol Ann breaks down the exact process behind her retention rate, the mindset framework she used to rebuild after losing everything, and what a sustainable recruiting practice actually looks like after 35 years in executive search. This is a different way to build a recruitment business. If you're building one and wondering whether scaling is the only path to success, this is worth your time. What you'll learn: • Why Carol Ann sends three candidates per search instead of thirty, and what that demands upfront • The two-hour candidate interview process that produces a 94% retention rate • How she uses social media screening to assess candidates beyond the CV • The clarity, commitment, and consistency framework she used to rebuild after the 2008 crash • The difference between ego and confidence — and why it matters when everything falls apart • What a sustainable retained practice looks like after ten years • Why scaling isn't the only model for a successful recruiting business Timestamps: Chapters 00:00:00 Intro 00:03:54 From international modeling agency founder at 26 to executive search 00:06:00 Relationships and curiosity: the foundations of early success 00:14:40 The mindful recruiting methodology and what real listening looks like 00:15:39 A 94% ret…","meta_description":"Carol Ann Wentworth lost her business, her home, and nearly everything she owned in 2008. Within 10 days of clarifying her next step, three recruiting fir…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3846,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-resilient-recruiter-1198157/episodes/she-lost-everything-in-2008-then-built-a-recruiting-firm-with-a-94-retention-rate/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-resilient-recruiter-1198157/she-lost-everything-in-2008-then-built-a-recruiting-firm-with-a-94-retention-rate.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}