EP 62 - Habits of a Top Biller: How To Master Business Development w/Jay Gurney

What if your dream job offer fell through the week before you started — and the world went into lockdown?In this episode, I’m joined by Jay Gurney, Director of Radiology at Projectus, who went from working warehouse shifts during COVID to becoming one of the company’s top global billers and leading its US expansion.Fun story, I actually interviewed Jay in 2020 to be my resourcer! We dig into Jay’s journey from rejection to resilience — from packing boxes and delivering food to billing hundreds of thousands in medical technology recruitment and relocating to Austin, Texas. He opens up about how he built his desk from scratch, the mindset shifts that turned him into a top performer, and how he approaches business development, candidate relationships, and consistency at scale.We explore:✅ How losing his job offer before COVID became a turning point✅ The grind of starting from scratch during lockdown✅ How to go from resourcer to top biller✅ Building a niche and becoming the go-to recruiter in your space✅ Transitioning from transactional recruiter to true consultant✅ The power of commercial curiosity & information gathering✅ Why the best recruiters think like businesspeople✅ Lessons from moving to the US & building credibility abroad✅ Confidence, resilience & consistency in recruitment successIf you want to understand what it really takes to rise through the ranks in recruitment, build a market from the ground up, and turn setbacks into fuel — this episode is a must-listen.⏱ Timestamps:00:00 – Welcome & Jay’s background02:00 – The job offer that fell through before COVID05:40 – Working in warehouses & deliveries to survive08:40 – Getting the Projectus opportunity & starting from scratch11:00 – Early BD strategies & finding market gaps14:00 – From resourcer to top biller mindset18:20 – What it means to be a true consultant24:00 – Jay’s cold call approach that actually works30:00 – Losing the fear & taking clients off a pedestal37:00 – Niching down & building credibility41:00 – Team builds vs. transactional placements45:00 – The US move: challenges & breakthroughs52:00 – Cultural differences in US recruitment59:00 – Lessons from building a US desk01:04:00 – Jay’s 1% Better tip🔗 Connect with JayLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jay-gurney-🔗 Connect with Charles KyriakouLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/charleskyriakou1/TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@charles.kyriakouApple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/1-better-recruitment-podcast/id1775201502YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@charleskyriakouLinkedIn Newsletter: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/7244346543967731712don't forget to get your ticket for the live podcast - https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/1-better-recruitment-live-podcast-how-to-thrive-in-challenging-markets-tickets-1777948464719?aff=oddtdtcreator