EP 40 – Rugby, Recruitment & Robots: AI and High-Performance Teams w/Gary Trueman
When ex-professional rugby player Gary Trueman stepped off the pitch and into the world of tech recruitment, he brought with him a relentless drive for high performance — and a mindset shaped by elite sport.
Now leading Arrows Group and pioneering AI adoption in recruitment, Gary joins me on The 1% Better Recruitment Podcast to break down how automation, data, and mindset are transforming our industry — and what recruiters must do to stay relevant.
We explore:
✅ Will AI replace recruiters, or just the lazy ones?
✅ How to actually use tools like ChatGPT (without sounding like a robot)
✅ The future of sourcing, resourcing, and admin-free recruitment
✅ What recruiters must learn from athletes about pressure and focus
✅ How to build a high-performance team culture in 2025
✅ Why your biggest performance edge is emotional intelligence — not tech
✅ ADHD, burnout, algorithm overload & how to stay focused in a noisy world
Whether you’re leading a recruitment business or just trying to stay one step ahead — this episode will change how you think about the future of our industry.
📲 Connect with Gary Trueman
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/garytrueman/
📲 Connect with Charles Kyriakou
🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskyriakou1/
📸 TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charles.kyriakou?is_from_webapp=1&sender_device=pc
⏱️ Timestamps
00:00 – Intro & pre-recording conversation
01:35 – Gary’s journey from rugby to recruitment
06:10 – Why AI is already changing the recruitment game
10:50 – The real impact on resourcers & sourcing roles
15:40 – Automation tools Gary’s team is using right now
21:25 – Prompt engineering 101: how to talk to AI
27:19 – The irreplaceable human side of recruitment
32:02 – Getting consultants to embrace AI
38:41 – Where AI frees up time (and where it doesn’t)
43:22 – Data, ethics & the risk of hallucinations
49:18 – Using AI for personal coaching, therapy & productivity
54:00 – Lessons from elite sport for building elite teams
1:00:15 – Traits of high-performing recruiters
1:06:29 – Data-led management vs gut-led guessing
1:13:40 – Gary’s favourite AI tools & use cases
1:17:52 – Final thoughts: what 1% better means in 2025