Where AI Actually Helps Recruiters (And Where It Doesn’t) - w/ Derry Holt (EP 75)

What if AI isn’t the silver bullet recruiters think it is?

In this episode, I’m joined by Derry Holt, Founder & CEO of OneUp Sales, to break down where AI actually helps recruiters, and where it causes more problems than progress.

Derry works closely with recruitment founders and leaders on sales performance and execution, giving him a front-row seat to how agencies are really using AI and automation day to day. We talk candidly about what’s working, what’s not, and why many agencies are panic-buying tech without fixing the fundamentals underneath.

This is not an AI hype episode. We strip recruitment back to process, discipline, and behaviour, and explore how AI amplifies strengths, but also exposes weak habits, average performance, and broken sales systems.

If you’re a recruiter, leader, or founder trying to use AI properly, protect selling time, and avoid costly distractions, this episode will give you much-needed clarity.

We cover:

✅ Where AI actually helps recruiters

✅ Where AI creates friction and false productivity

✅ Why recruitment doesn’t have an AI problem, but a process problem

✅ Internal automation vs client-facing automation

✅ How AI exposes weak sales fundamentals

✅ The danger of panic-buying recruitment tech

✅ Why average performance gets exposed faster with AI

✅ Sales discipline, consistency, and execution

✅ What recruiters should automate, and what they shouldn’t

✅ The future recruiter skillset

✅ What founders should rethink right now

✅ Derry’s 1 Percent Better tip for recruiters and leaders

⏱ Timestamps:

00:00 – Intro and episode context

03:00 – Derry’s background and OneUp Sales

08:00 – AI hype vs reality in recruitment

14:00 – Why process beats tech

21:00 – Where AI helps recruiters

29:00 – Where AI causes problems

38:00 – Internal vs external automation

47:00 – Sales discipline and performance fundamentals

55:00 – What average recruiters should be worried about

01:03:00 – Advice for recruitment founders

01:10:00 – Derry’s 1 Percent Better tip

🐋 Podcast Sponsor – SourceWhale

This episode is sponsored by SourceWhale, the multi-channel outreach platform I personally use and recommend to recruiters and founders.

SourceWhale helps you combine email, LinkedIn, calls, and tasks into one structured, consistent BD workflow, without relying on spray-and-pray automation. If you want better conversations, not just more activity, this is worth a look.

👉 Book a demo here:

https://sourcewhale.com/book-demo/?utm_source=partner&utm_medium=podcast&utm_campaign=&utm_term=charles_kyriakou&utm_content=book_a_demo

Mention The 1 Percent Better Recruitment Podcast or my name, Charles Kyriakou, when you book.

🔗 Connect with Derry Holt

💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/derryholt/

🔗 Connect with Charles Kyriakou

💻 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskyriakou1/

📲 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charles.kyriakou

🎙️ Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/46LjJfw

📰 LinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7244346543967731712/

🌐 Website: https://www.inf1nitelearning.com/

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