Blake Coleman

TA/Recruiter job openings in the U.S. continue to climb (surprisingly!) For the first time in nearly three years, postings are holding steady above the 45,000 mark. The sharpest demand we’re seeing is from clients in Data Centers, AI, Aerospace Engineering, and VC-backed and pre-IPO tech. What’s especially interesting: this strength in TA roles is happening at the same time overall U.S. job openings are trending down (per the latest JOLTs report). August’s jobs report showed just 22K new jobs created nationwide, yet demand for recruiters is starting to surge. Why? My hunch: - Lowering interest rates are fueling capital expenditures in tech - IPO activity is picking up - VC funding is flowing again - Companies are positioning for broad hiring in tech Recruiting is often the “canary in the coal mine” for hiring cycles. If this momentum holds, it could signal a broader acceleration in tech hiring heading into 2026. 👉 Do you think this trend continues?

51

5 Comments

Nearly half of the staffing firms we work with tell us they can't afford to upgrade their tech stack right now, but they're bleeding thousands monthly through inefficient workflows and manual processes. The reality is, you can't afford NOT to upgrade. What we're seeing across recent implementations: ☑️ 35% reduction in time-to-fill ☑️ 42% improvement in recruiter productivity ☑️ Significant decrease in administrative overhead Here's what really gets me: one firm we worked with was spending 18 hours weekly on manual candidate tracking. After implementation? Down to 3 hours. That's 15 hours of productive recruiting time returned to their team every single week. The math is straightforward: modern staffing technology doesn't cost money, it generates it. Stop calculating what the upgrade costs and start calculating what staying put is actually costing you. The companies gaining market share are making these strategic investments while others are still analyzing the same decision six months later. If you're tired of calculating the cost of waiting versus moving forward, let's talk. 

37

4 Comments

🚀 Transitioning from Delivery to Sales in US Staffing. Here’s what you can learn: ✅ You Already Know the Market Having worked directly with candidates and hiring teams, you know the pulse of the job market better than anyone. This gives you an edge when pitching talent solutions. ✅ Candidate Experience = Sales Asset Your delivery experience means you can speak confidently about candidate pipelines, onboarding issues, and time-to-fill metrics—critical in client conversations. ✅ Relationship-First Mindset Delivery builds trust with candidates; sales builds trust with clients. The common thread? Authentic relationships—this mindset carries over naturally. ✅ Understand the “Why” Behind the Role Sales isn’t just about submitting resumes. It’s about understanding the client's business goals and positioning the right talent as the solution. ✅ Adapt Fast, Stay Resilient Sales cycles, rejections, client ghosting—none of it is easy. But coming from delivery, you already know how to hustle under pressure. Trust that grit. To all my peers in staffing: if you’re thinking of making this shift, don’t hesitate. Your delivery expertise is your secret weapon in sales. Would love to connect with others who’ve made this move—what was your biggest learning? #USStaffing #CareerTransition #DeliveryToSales #StaffingLife #RecruitmentSales #TechStaffing #StaffingIndustry #GrowthMindset

22

2 Comments

What’s Happening in Staffing & Recruiting Right Now? The hiring landscape is shifting—again. Companies are navigating a talent market that’s both competitive and unpredictable. Here are the key trends I’m seeing: ☑️ Engineering & Infrastructure Boom – With increased federal and state investments, the demand for skilled engineers, project managers, and civil specialists is skyrocketing. Finding top talent isn’t easy, but staying ahead of the competition depends on it. ☑️ IT & Cybersecurity Talent Crunch – As technology evolves, so does the demand for specialized IT, AI, and cybersecurity professionals. Companies with a streamlined hiring process are securing top talent, while others fall behind. ☑️ Flexibility Is Key – More businesses are turning to contract and project-based staffing to stay agile in an unpredictable economy. If you’re not leveraging flexible hiring models, you could be missing out on top candidates. ☑️ Retention vs. Recruitment – Some organizations are prioritizing internal development over external hiring. But is your workforce truly prepared for the challenges ahead? A proactive talent strategy is essential. At PEG, we match top talent with leading companies in engineering, IT, manufacturing, bioscience, health & human services, and finance. Whether you're growing, adapting, or planning for the future, we've got you covered. Let’s TALK—what’s your biggest hiring challenge right now? 👇 👇 👇 Drop a comment or send me a message! #staffing #recruiting #hiringtrends #talentacquisition #engineering #IT #infrastructure

11

Great session from Patricia Maroto Gómez and an important reminder about posting content that aligns with themes you genuinely believe in (not just Crystal Palace). The Region is driving demand for RPO/embedded solutions, but most approach with a misconception. They view embedded/RPO as simply placing a recruiter on-site at internal talent acquisition costs. This is the knowledge gap we’re addressing. When you embed Halian, you’re not hiring a recruiter but accessing Halian as a Service. Our entire recruitment ecosystem backs your dedicated client partner: global sourcing networks, AI-enabled tools, proprietary candidate databases, and proven methodologies refined across thousands of placements worldwide. The fundamental difference is between infrastructure and the individual. You’re not paying for a person. You’re investing in proven recruitment infrastructure that delivers faster fills, higher quality candidates, and scalable capacity without the overhead of building these capabilities internally. Halian as a Service (HaaS) 😜

41

Locum VMS/MSP Model: -Health System brings one on being promised vendor neutrality and bringing cost down by increasing competition. -I am personally no longer aware of a true vendor neutral VMS/MSP as most if not all are owned by a staffing agency. (Trust me, I know people at pretty much every company and I know exactly what they do) -The success rate has historically been very low in locums due to it not really being a volume game. Can work well in Travel Nursing and Allied due to volume, but not locums. -Health System fires VMS/MSP to sign on another that promises vendor neutrality and competitive rates. The circle continues. How many times are these places going to keep signing on new VMS/MSP's before realizing maybe it doesn't work well due to the industry. 🙃 Insanity.

126

29 Comments

The most dangerous question for staffing firms in 2026: “How much can we grow?” The better question is harder, and more honest: "Where can we grow profitably, predictably, and sustainably?" This is where firms get tripped up: - Chasing volume that erodes margin - Saying yes to high-chaos, low-trust accounts - Confusing activity with progress Growth that looks good on paper but drains focus isn’t growth. It’s noise. In selective growth environments, clarity beats speed. And restraint becomes a competitive advantage.

8

2 Comments

Healthcare staffing is being redefined by tech, and fast. SIA’s July 2025 report shows firms are rapidly shifting to modular, cloud-native platforms with built-in compliance, automation, and AI. 🔹 AI is making a real impact in search & match, credentialing, and workforce planning 🔹 Mobile-first, self-serve tools are becoming the norm for clinicians and clients 🔹 Integrated, flexible systems are replacing outdated, disconnected tech stacks The takeaway? Technology isn’t just supporting healthcare staffing, it’s driving it. Ceipal Healthcare is leading this shift with a unified, AI-powered platform that simplifies every aspect of healthcare staffing, streamlining front, middle, and most of the back office. From credentialing and compliance to scheduling, onboarding, reporting and communication, Ceipal makes it all easier. Ready to future-proof your tech stack? Let’s talk. #HealthcareStaffing #StaffingTechnology #AIinStaffing #SIAInsights #CeipalHealthcare #ComplianceTech #WorkforceInnovation #DigitalTransformation

17

If you’ve been in staffing long enough, you’ve probably taken a job order that made you question your life choices. This one? This was that job order. It started with a panicked call from a rural hospital. “We need an X-ray tech,” they said. Simple enough… until it wasn’t. 🚩 One Job, Three Modalities, Zero Reality The hiring manager said they needed someone with: • ARRT certification in Radiography • CT experience (preferably certified) • Mammo capabilities Oh—and they’d be alone on nights, weekends, and on-call rotations. They’d average 55 hours a week… MINIMUM. I pushed back. Hard. I explained the market rate. I explained the scope. I explained how multi-modality techs are specialists—and specialists don’t come cheap. They insisted this role had to be filled “as is,” and “quickly.” At that point, I should’ve politely declined. But like every recruiter who’s ever wanted to prove they could do the impossible, I took it on. I used LinkedIn Talent Insights to survey the market, I actually found a few unicorns—multi-modality technologists with the exact experience and availability. But guess what? They’d already been contacted… by the same hiring manager. And each one had the same feedback: “She was rude.” “Totally dismissive of my certifications.” “Told me the pay was non-negotiable, then asked if I’d be willing to ‘train others.’” At that point, I realized something crucial: It wasn’t the candidate pool. It wasn’t the visibility. It was the client. Here’s what I learned: 1. Unrealistic expectations are not a recruiting problem—they’re a leadership problem. And no amount of hustle will fix a toxic culture or bad reputation. 2. Your credibility matters more than their chaos. Pushing unrealistic roles damages your candidate relationships. Period. 3. Data doesn’t lie—use it. LinkedIn insights helped me confirm what I suspected: This role had already been shopped to death and ghosted into the void. 4. Sometimes, you need to fire your client. If they won’t listen, if they treat talent poorly, and if they refuse to adapt to reality—walk. You can’t build long-term success on short-term desperation. Staffing is about partnership, not servitude. And when a client treats every candidate like they’re disposable, it’s only a matter of time before they treat you the same way. So here’s my takeaway: You don’t have to set yourself on fire to keep your clients warm. Have you ever had to walk away from a toxic client? I’d love to hear how you handled it. Misery loves company—and sometimes, it writes the best playbook.

27

2 Comments

Two weeks into my new journey in technology consulting, and I’ve been reflecting on the transition after spending nearly 25 years in staffing. I’ll be honest: I truly miss staffing. It’s fast-moving, immediate, and rewarding—clients say “we’re hiring,” and you find the candidate, place them, and deliver impact almost overnight! Consulting, however, is very different. The sales cycle is longer. It requires time to deeply understand client needs, assess opportunities, and craft outcome‑based solutions that can transform businesses. And yet…this challenge is exactly why I’m here. What’s made the difference? Mentors. My team—Rob Robinson, Duncan Kaye, Ben Doltis, and Adam Fawsitt—has been invaluable. External mentors in the industry have also given time and guidance I’ll never forget. Your network really is your net worth. Over these past weeks, every conversation with leaders and clients has left me inspired: people have said they’ll work with us, introduce us to the right networks, or even want to partner directly. Everyone is talking about AI these days—but what makes me confident is our team’s credibility and track record. Whether it’s AI modernization, digital transformation, cloud/data migration, automation, or broader consulting, we’re focused on outcome‑driven solutions that actually move the needle for clients. Pivoting careers isn’t easy—it’s scary. But if you go all‑in, ask the right questions, lean on your people, and work ridiculously hard with the right solution‑minded partners, the world really can be your oyster. A few lessons I’d share with anyone looking for a new role or even a career change: Keep your head up. It’s a numbers game. I was speaking to a world‑class CIO who reminded me—get out there, work the numbers, and opportunities will come. You can pivot. No matter how late you think it is. After a quarter of a century in staffing, I’m proof that skills are transferable. Ask for help. I’ve probably asked Rob and Ben too many questions already—but people want to help if you let them. Fear comes from the unknown. I can’t control the future, but I can control the controllables: 💡 Work hard 💡 Believe anything is possible 💡 Aim ridiculously high 💡 Listen, Learn, Apply - Repeat. When you do that, the outcome becomes inevitable... And as for me? I’m all in. This is my Endgame. 🚀

66

11 Comments

Happy CDI Week, CDI professionals everywhere! I admire all that you do. You can’t see me right now but I am celebrating with a sheet cake, conical paper hat and noise maker, as always. I’ve had a chance to go through the ACDIS CDI Week Industry Overview survey. Link below; check it out. Nearly 800 respondents answered questions related to engagement, denials, outpatient CDI, productivity, and more. That means the results are legit; reading it is a great way to keep your pulse on the state of the industry. Let’s dive in with some of my observations. Provider engagement is OK but still not where it needs to be. About 57% of respondents said that providers are “somewhat engaged,” meaning “they understand CDI concepts but inconsistently put them into practice or do so incorrectly.” 32% stated their providers were very engaged, meaning they “understand the importance of CDI and actively participate in documentation integrity efforts.” Those numbers should be flip-flopped. Inpatient chart review productivity remains surprisingly flat. I’m surprised widespread chart prioritization and AI powered diagnosis surfacing tools haven’t moved the needle further. Prioritization software (77% use it) is ubiquitous, and computer assisted physician documentation (CAPD) tools are poised for more growth. Yet most respondents (60%) reported averaging 6-10 new reviews and 6-10 re-reviews (35.05%) daily, about the same YOY. This is not a criticism of CDI professionals, just my surprise that productivity hasn’t changed much. I do think this likely speaks to the complexity of patients (higher bar to admission = higher SOI) as well as the sheer number of quality and reimbursement methodologies at play and the burden of a chart reviewer tasked with quality and mortality. See my related article below. GOOD: Outpatient CDI is growing! The number of respondents who said their organization has a stand-alone OP CDI department with dedicated outpatient reviewers rose this year, from 26% to about 31%. Cracking 30% is good but this number should be at 60-70%, IMO. The case for OP CDI is crystal-clear, the ROI and SOI left on the table is staggering. Consistent with previous years most (76%) review for risk adjustment, and 51% focus on HCC capture. HCC capture was also the most common departmental KPI (55%), a large increase from 2023 (42%). Risk Adjustment Factor (RAF) score came in second at about 47%, up from 38% in 2023. Just 9% (?) track OP CDI denials. PROBLEM: A large majority of respondents (75%) said they don’t know how many of their inpatient claims result in a denial. Your average front-line CDI doesn't need to know exact numbers but they should know ballpark. The largest denials bucket is private payers (30.67%). UnitedHealthcare, Humana, and Blue Cross Blue Shield lead the way, with Aetna close behind per ACDIS. No surprises there. *** Last, Melissa Varnavas RIP. My old ACDIS colleague, never forgotten.

36

7 Comments

I recently joined Tony Moore on Timpl’s podcast to talk about the real challenges staffing agencies face with tech, automation, and scaling operations effectively. We covered a lot of ground, including: - Why data hygiene is the foundation for successful automation and AI - The importance of a “crawl, walk, run” approach to modernizing your tech stack - How to improve recruiter efficiency with the right tools and integrations - What it really takes to deliver a candidate experience that drives long-term engagement - And why change management isn’t optional—it’s essential If your firm is investing in tech but not seeing ROI, or you're unsure where to start with automation, this conversation offers valuable information. Check out Tony's blog here: https://lnkd.in/eThms2MC Check out the full video here: https://lnkd.in/euw8JcrF #staffingandrecruiting #bullhorn #salesforce #automationstrategy #candidateexperience #datadrivenrecruiting #PARQA

13

1 Comment