Do I use AI? Yep. And honestly? It's made me a way better recruiter.

Let me break it down.

Last week I was sourcing for a millwright role at a manufacturing client. Ten years ago, that meant hours of digging, calls, and crossed fingers. Now? AI helps me screen faster, find the right candidates (not just the loudest resumes), and craft outreach that actually sounds like me. Not a robot blasting 200 people with "Hi {{FirstName}}."

Here's where it gets good though......

I use AI to dig deep into my clients, their culture, their projects, what their shop floor actually looks like, what kind of person thrives there. Pair that with my own background in skilled trades and engineering, and I can tell within a conversation whether someone's going to fit or flame out.

That's not AI doing my job. That's AI handing me a magnifying glass.

The human part? Still 100% me.
The gut feel on a call. The "this candidate's going to crush it" instinct. The trust I've built with clients over years. None of that comes from a prompt.

AI isn't replacing recruiters. It's outputting my role x10, if you know how to use it.

The ones who lean in are going to eat. The ones who don't… well.