From Retail to Recruitment Leader: Jamie Burrows on Talent, Branding & Better Hiring

Welcome to the season finale of In The Mixx, hosted by Chris and Gemma of the MIXXOS Group. And we’re closing Season 1 with a bang — joined by none other than Jamie Burrows, founder of a recruitment training and coaching practice transforming how organisations develop their people and build high-performing teams.

This episode dives deep into the realities of the modern recruitment and talent landscape, why human connection is becoming the biggest competitive advantage, and why many TA teams are unintentionally falling behind agency recruiters. Jamie brings a mix of raw honesty, hilarious storytelling, and practical frameworks you can actually use.

🔥 In this episode, Jamie breaks down:
How he went from retail, to being sacked, to becoming a top-billing recruiter and respected trainer
Why COVID reshaped recruitment by 15+ years overnight
The real differences between agency recruiters and internal TA — and why one is often more strategic
Why 2026 will reward recruiters who show up offline, not just behind a keyboard
The power of building “little black book” passive-talent pools
Why most job adverts are atrocious and how to actually write one that works
How internal teams can finally get buy-in from senior leadership for training
Why multichannel outreach (calls, voice notes, video, WhatsApp, direct mail) beats “spray and pray”
Jamie’s biggest pet peeves in talent right now — including terrible advert writing and hidden salaries
His top career advice: Seek forgiveness, not permission.

As the In The Mixx hosts share their own COVID survival stories, client realities, and experiences with talent branding, this becomes one of the most relatable episodes yet — packed with guidance for anyone in hiring, HR, TA, or leadership.

👥 Who this episode is for
Talent Acquisition professionals
Internal recruiters navigating capacity and stakeholder challenges
Agency recruiters wanting to level up strategy
HR managers and people leaders
Recruitment founders
Anyone looking to improve how they attract, develop, or engage talent
Anyone interested in the future skills recruiters need in a world dominated by AI

🔗 Connect with the guest
Jamie Burrows:   / jamie-burrows-training  

🔗 Connect with the hosts
Gemma:   / gemmadowning4  
Chris:   / chrismappsomnium  

MIXXOS Group: https://mixxos.com/

Listen to In The Mixx on another platform: https://linktr.ee/inthemixx_podcast

#InTheMixx #RecruitmentPodcast #TalentAcquisition #RecruitmentTraining #FutureOfWork #PeopleDevelopment #HRTalent #RecruiterLife #InternalRecruitment #AgencyRecruitment #HiringStrategy #CandidateExperience #2026Hiring #RecruitmentAdvice #MIXXOS