Mastering the Art of Deliberate Practice for Recruiters & Sourcers, with Glen Cathey

By Glen Cathey

10th Jun. 2025 Last updated: 10th Jun. 2025

Recruiting

Introduction: Unleashing Your Full Potential Through Deliberate Practice

Every professional journey begins with potential – but only those who embrace deliberate practice unlock the true depth of their abilities.

Whether you’re a seasoned recruiter or just starting out in sourcing, the difference between good and exceptional lies in your approach to growth.

This playbook isn’t about quick fixes or shortcuts.

It’s a roadmap to transforming how you work – one focused, intentional step at a time.

Imagine tackling every task with precision. Improving with each attempt. Pushing beyond what you thought was possible. That’s the power of deliberate practice: a structured, purposeful approach that consistently elevates performance and separates top recruiters from the rest.

What You’ll Learn

1. Master the fundamentals of your craft

2. Refine your techniques through repetition and feedback

3. Challenge yourself to consistently raise the bar

4. Focus on the process – not just the outcome

5. Understand why talent alone isn’t enough

Ready to move beyond the ordinary?

With this playbook as your guide, you’ll sharpen your skills, expand your mindset, and redefine what success looks like in sourcing and recruiting.The journey starts here – because mastery isn’t about where you begin.

It’s about how far you’re willing to go.

Section 1: There Is No Such Thing as Talent

Have you ever wondered where real skill in sourcing and recruiting comes from? Is it an innate gift that only a few are lucky enough to possess? Here’s the truth:

The idea that some people are simply born great at sourcing and recruiting is a myth.

Skill doesn’t come from talent – it comes from practice. Specifically, deliberate, purposeful practice.

A Personal Realization

Early in my career, I enjoyed being told I had a “natural” talent for sourcing. It felt good. But over time, I realized that kind of praise could be misleading – especially for others. When I began training people, some assumed they’d never reach a high level of skill because they weren’t “born with it.” The truth is simple:

Sourcing and recruiting are learned skills – built through hard work, curiosity, adaptability, and repetition.

Like Learning an Instrument

Think of a musician.

They might learn theory in a classroom, but mastery comes from hours of practice, trial and error, and refinement.

In the same way, great recruiters don’t just gain knowledge – they turn knowledge into expertise by doing the work, learning constantly, and evolving with the industry.

Five Principles to Transform Your Approach

Keep Learning
Stay updated with new sourcing methods and technologies.
Try New Things
Work across different roles, experiment with strategies, and embrace variety.
Adapt to Change
Stay flexible and responsive as markets and tools evolve.
Connect with Peers
Learn from others, share insights, and build your professional community.
Reflect and Improve
Regularly review your work, gather feedback, and make intentional adjustments.

Practice matters – but not just any practice.

Deliberate practice is what drives true growth. It’s about identifying your weaknesses, seeking feedback, and stretching beyond your comfort zone.

This mission is your opportunity to build those habits. Because mastery doesn’t depend on where you start – it depends on how you grow.

Section 2: Introduction to the Concept of Deliberate Practice

Picture yourself as a pro athlete performing incredible feats on the field. Those skills didn’t appear overnight – they’re the result of years of focused, intentional practice.

Top athletes don’t stop working on the basics.

They refine the fundamentals again and again, and that’s what sets them apart. The same is true in sourcing and recruiting.

What Is Deliberate Practice?

While talent might offer a head start, world-class skill is built through something deeper: Deliberate practice.

Made famous by cognitive psychologist Anders Ericsson, deliberate practice proves that true expertise doesn’t stem from natural ability – it comes from a specific, structured way of practicing.

Deliberate practice isn’t just repetition. It’s intentional. It’s focused. And it’s designed to improve performance.

The Core Elements of Deliberate Practice

Here’s what deliberate practice involves:

Improving by Design: Identify specific areas you want to develop. Set clear, trackable goals for growth.
High Repetition: Choose key techniques and practice them repeatedly with focus and intensity.
Continuous Feedback: Actively seek out feedback from peers, mentors, or experts to refine your performance.
Challenging Yourself: Take on tasks that push your boundaries. Growth comes from discomfort.
Putting in the Hard Work: Excellence requires effort. Stay committed, especially when things get tough.
Focusing on the Process: Don’t just chase quick wins. Concentrate on how you’re learning and evolving.
Metacognition: Reflect on how you think and work. Recognize both strengths and blind spots.
Continuous Improvement: Progress, not perfection. Mastery is a journey, not a destination.

Putting It Into Action

Want to apply deliberate practice to your role as a recruiter? Start by identifying specific skills you want to improve – like:

Candidate engagement
Sourcing strategies
Writing stronger outreach messages
Reducing time-to-fill
Increasing response rates

Set measurable goals. Schedule time to practice. Get feedback. Reflect. Tweak. Repeat.

Also: immerse yourself in the craft. Attend workshops. Read deeply. Learn from others. Engage with the recruiting community.

Deliberate practice is hard. But it’s worth it. Every step you take brings you closer to excellence – and unlocks capabilities you didn’t know you had.

Section 3: Improving Your Performance by Design

Take a moment to reflect on how you approach your daily work in sourcing and recruiting. Are you:

Simply going through the motions?
Repeating the same tasks just to check them off the list?

Or are you actively working to get better every day? If you want to become exceptional, you need to transform how you work. You need to make your work work for you.

What Deliberate Practice Looks Like in Action

Deliberate practice is all about intentional improvement – Identifying what needs work, and pushing yourself to go a little further each time. Think of athletes who improve by consistently competing with slightly stronger opponents. That’s the mindset to adopt.

Here’s how you can apply it to your recruiting workflow:

1. Tackle Tough Jobs

Start with the hardest roles – the “purple squirrels.” Early in my career, tackling these roles made me the go-to person for hard-to-fill positions. They forced me to level up in ways I wouldn’t have otherwise.

2. Aim for the Best Matches

Don’t stop at “good enough.” Ask: “Are these the best people I could find?” Even when others are satisfied, raise your own bar. This mindset sharpens your judgment and improves outcomes over time.

3. Make Every Communication Count

Each message is a chance to practice. Whether it’s an email, voicemail, or LinkedIn InMail, work on refining your tone, structure, and clarity. Small tweaks compound into major improvements.

4. Set Challenging Goals

Target specific growth areas – like: increasing response rates, reducing time-to-fill, or mastering new tech or outreach styles. The key is to make these goals measurable and trackable.

5. Learn from Every Experience

After each recruitment cycle, pause and reflect. Ask yourself:

What worked?
What didn’t?
What can I tweak or test next time?

Use metrics, feedback, and intuition to guide your evolution.

6. Track Your Progress

Keep tabs on your performance over time. This creates a loop of goal-setting, experimentation, feedback, and adaptation. That loop is the engine of deliberate practice.

Work Smarter, Not Just Harder

Getting better doesn’t mean piling on more tasks. It means treating every search, every message, every interaction as a learning opportunity.
The more intentional you are, the more expertise you’ll build. Mastery is a mindset – and it starts with how you show up to the work every day.

Section 4: High Repetition

“I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.” — Bruce Lee

This quote captures the heart of high repetition – a critical pillar of deliberate practice. Take Kobe Bryant also. He aimed to shoot 800 jump shots a day – not for the sake of repetition alone, but to get better with each one.

That’s the mindset to bring to sourcing and recruiting.

Why Repetition Matters

Repetition isn’t just about doing the same task again and again. It’s about:

Refining technique
Recognizing patterns
Learning from every single attempt

The more you practice – with purpose – the more skilled you become. You can apply high repetition to your daily work by:

Running and refining multiple searches per job using an agile approach
Critically reviewing and shortlisting a large pool of candidates for each role
Reaching out to more potential candidates every day

For example:

Recruiters who engage with 40 candidates daily have twice the opportunities to learn and succeed compared to those who reach out to just 20.

Quality and Quantity

You may have heard the argument: “Quality over quantity.” But in reality, this mindset can become an excuse for playing it safe. The truth?

You need both.

Top recruiters combine volume with intentional learning – constantly refining their technique as they go.

How to Integrate High Repetition into Your Routine

Set Daily Goals: Define how many candidates to source, screen, and message. Make your targets ambitious enough to stretch your capabilities.
Learn from Every Interaction: Reflect on your outreach. What landed well? What didn’t?
Seek Feedback: Get input from peers, mentors, and even candidates themselves.
Challenge Yourself: Tackle complex roles or unfamiliar industries. This sharpens your adaptability and builds new muscles.
Review Your Performance: At the end of each day, analyze what you did – and how you’ll improve tomorrow.

High repetition isn’t mindless. It’s intentional, measured, and growth-driven. Every rep is a chance to level up.

By integrating high repetition into your workflow, you’ll boost both your productivity and your performance – building skill and confidence one task at a time.

Section 5: Continuous Feedback

“Feedback is the breakfast of champions.” — Ken Blanchard

Imagine learning to play the piano. You’d need:

Instant feedback – to know when you hit a wrong note and correct in real time.
Guided feedback – from a teacher offering deeper insights to speed up improvement.

Without that, you’d be like someone playing a piano with no sound. No way to tell if you’re doing well. No opportunity to get better. That’s exactly what sourcing and recruiting is like without feedback.

Why Feedback Fuels Growth

In deliberate practice, consistent feedback is essential. It tells you:

What’s working
What’s not
And what you should adjust to improve

From my own experience, I always asked for feedback after submitting candidates: “What was good? What was missing? How could I improve next time?”

It wasn’t just about surfacing better candidates – it was about presenting them more effectively and learning through every step.

Lessons from the Field

In my early days, I got caught off guard by hiring manager questions I hadn’t anticipated. I’d have to go back to candidates for answers, which was… uncomfortable! But it taught me to:

Anticipate what hiring managers would ask
Gather information proactively
Be more prepared and confident in future conversations

I also sought out feedback from top recruiters on my outreach messages. Their insights helped me refine my tone, tighten my messaging, and increase response rates.

How to Build a Daily Feedback Loop

Make feedback part of your everyday workflow by doing the following:

Track Your Metrics: Monitor key data. Who you source, who’s a good fit, and who moves forward. Use those numbers to spot trends and identify what to adjust.
Seek Advice from Peers: Ask colleagues, mentors, or managers to review your messaging, sourcing strategies, or screening techniques.
Engage Candidates: Ask candidates about their experience – your communication, clarity, follow-up. Use this insight to improve how you represent yourself and your organization.
Listen to Hiring Managers: Regularly ask for feedback on candidate quality and how you’re aligning with their expectations.
Reflect and Implement: Don’t just collect feedback – internalize it. Think critically about what it means and how to apply it.

Feedback isn’t just a nice-to-have. It’s a cornerstone of excellence. By making it a daily habit, you’ll sharpen your sourcing, strengthen your communication, and continuously improve your outcomes.

Section 6: Embrace Challenges

“If you want to grow a muscle, you have to push yourself out of your comfort zone.” — Tony Robbins

This principle applies not just to athletes, but to recruiters and sourcers too. Real growth happens when you deliberately take on challenges, even when it feels uncomfortable.

The Comfort Zone Trap

Think about a runner training for a marathon: They don’t improve by repeating the same 5K loop every day. They progress by gradually increasing distance, pace, and intensity. The same is true in your role.

If you’re always doing what’s familiar, you’re not evolving.

It’s tempting to stick with easy wins. But as Les Brown says: “Do what is hard and your life will become easy.”

Real growth happens when you take on the tough roles, test new strategies, and stretch your abilities. And science backs this up – through myelination, your brain creates faster neural connections when faced with difficult tasks. Over time, that’s how you become more efficient, more skilled, and more confident.

What Embracing Challenges Looks Like

It could be:

Writing more compelling job ads
Finding creative ways to engage passive candidates
Reducing time-to-fill on hard-to-fill roles
Trying a new sourcing tool, script, or outreach strategy

If your day-to-day is starting to feel too easy, that’s your signal to level up.

How to Embrace Challenges Daily

Push Yourself: Set a target for reaching out to passive candidates – even if it feels like a stretch.
Get Feedback: Ask others to review your sourcing and engagement strategies. Use their perspective to improve.
Aim Higher: If you’re hitting goals easily, raise the bar. Try new methods or tackle more complex roles.
Reflect on Your Work: Ask: Are you consistently finding the best candidates, or just the easiest ones? Look for ways to refine and elevate your approach.

Staying comfortable means staying still. Growth happens when you step into discomfort and commit to improving. By embracing challenges, you’ll build resilience, sharpen your skills, and stand out as a top performer in sourcing and recruiting.

Section 7: Focus on the Process, Not the Outcomes

Reading Talent is Overrated by Geoff Colvin completely shifted my mindset. I realized the best performers don’t obsess over the end result – they focus on the steps that get them there.

Whether it’s making a sale or hiring a candidate, the real key lies in how they approach the process.

The Shift in Thinking

Early on, I stopped setting goals for how many hires I needed each month. Sure, I wanted to be the best, but instead of fixating on hire numbers, I focused on:

Finding the most candidates
Finding the best candidates
And doing it faster than anyone else

That mindset led me to an equation I still use today.

Quality × Quantity × Quickness = Results

Let’s break it down:

Quality	Quantity	Quickness	Score
9 (Excellent)	8 (High)	6 (Average)	432
6 (Good)	10 (Max)	9 (High)	540
10 (Top-tier)	5 (Low)	8 (Fast)	400

These examples show how balancing the equation can lead to strong outcomes – even when one factor is weaker.

The takeaway? You can’t rely on just one pillar. You need a consistent focus on all three: quality, volume, and speed.

A Lesson from the Football Field

This principle reminds me of Nick Saban, one of the greatest coaches in college football. His mantra? “Don’t worry about the score. Focus on executing each play.”

That mindset leads to consistent wins because the process is the path to the result. The same is true in sourcing and recruiting:

Focus on the work. The outcomes will follow.

How to Focus on the Process

Prioritize Daily Effort: Pour your energy into sourcing, engaging, and refining your outreach – every single day.
Refine Each Step: Improve the way you search, connect with candidates, and prep them for hiring stages.
Track Your Inputs: Monitor your quality, quantity, and speed. Look for patterns and opportunities to adjust.
Set Goals, But Obsess Over Execution: Targets matter, but they’re the byproduct of great work done consistently.

When you master the process, the results take care of themselves. By showing up with intention and striving for excellence in every task, you won’t just hit your targets – you’ll surpass them.

Section 8: Making Metacognition Work for You

The best performers don’t just do the work – they think about how they’re doing the work.

This is the essence of metacognition: The practice of understanding and monitoring your own thinking.

Psychologist John H. Flavell defined metacognition as “thinking about thinking” – a way of understanding how you learn and solve problems. And in Talent is Overrated, Geoff Colvin emphasizes that top performers across every domain make metacognition a core part of how they improve.

Why It Matters in Recruiting

In sourcing and recruiting, metacognition helps you move from doing to mastering. It sharpens your awareness, prevents stagnation, and ensures that every action becomes an opportunity to get better.

Start with the Right Questions

When analyzing a job or building a search strategy, pause to ask yourself:

How well do I understand this job?
What assumptions am I making?
What might I be overlooking?
What alternative job titles could candidates be using?
How might candidates describe their experience differently?
If essential skills aren’t listed, how else might I identify them?

These questions lead to deeper insight – and smarter sourcing.

Apply Metacognition Across Your Workflow

Metacognition isn’t limited to search – it applies to every part of your recruiting process.

Reflective Sourcing

Are your search terms truly surfacing the right candidates? Could a tweak in filters, keywords, or platforms unlock better results?

Candidate Conversations

During interviews or outreach, ask:

Am I uncovering the candidate’s true motivations and concerns?
Am I clearly explaining the role and aligning expectations?
How can I improve rapport, engagement, or even ask for referrals more effectively?

Learning from Results

After each hiring cycle:

Why did some candidates move forward while others stalled?
What behaviors or strategies led to successful placements?
Are there patterns that point to areas for improvement?

The Value of Metacognition

Metacognition turns repetition into reflection – and reflection into refinement. It’s what separates routine from deliberate practice.

When you regularly question, evaluate, and adapt your approach, you’re not just doing the job. You’re actively improving at it.
This mindset will keep you evolving, improving, and advancing toward mastery. Because metacognition isn’t just a tool – it’s a transformative way of operating that empowers you to reach your full potential.

Section 9: Focus on Continuous Improvement

“Could I have done this better or faster?”

If you’ve ever asked yourself this after filling a role, you’re already tapping into one of the most powerful drivers of success: self-reflection. Continuous improvement is what transforms solid recruiters into exceptional ones.

It’s the mindset that keeps you learning, evolving, and staying ahead in an industry that never stands still.

Why It Matters

Sourcing and recruiting demand constant development. The landscape changes fast – new tools, shifting markets, evolving candidate expectations. Your best strategy?

Commit to improving every single day.

As Geoff Colvin writes:

“How we respond and change after looking at our results is what makes the difference between average and top performers.”

Leveraging Feedback for Growth

Feedback is your most powerful learning tool. Every interaction, outcome, or missed opportunity is a signal. Here’s where to look:

Candidate Reactions: Are they engaging with your outreach? If not, your messaging may need refining.
Hiring Manager Input: Their feedback tells you whether your sourcing is aligned with the true needs of the role.
Job Outcomes: Look at performance and retention. Are your hires thriving in the role and staying long-term?

Each of these touchpoints provides insight and an opportunity to adjust.

The Role of Self-Reflection

Self-reflection turns experience into insight. After each placement, pause and ask:

Could I have found a better fit?
What part of the process slowed me down?
What did I learn? How can I apply that next time?

This is how you raise your standards and drive better results with each cycle.

Practical Ways to Embrace Continuous Improvement

Review Feedback Regularly: Actively analyze input from candidates, hiring managers, and peers.
Set Higher Goals: Aim to beat your previous benchmarks – faster fills, better candidate engagement, stronger matches.
Stay Current: Follow trends, test new tools, and apply fresh thinking to your approach.
Reflect and Plan: Schedule time to review what worked and plan how to improve next time.
Seek Diverse Perspectives: Don’t just rely on your own view – ask others for honest input.
Celebrate Progress: Improvement doesn’t have to be massive to be meaningful. Small wins compound.

Continuous improvement isn’t about being perfect. It’s about being deliberate, curious, and committed to growth. By staying reflective and open to change, you’ll not only elevate your results – you’ll build a reputation as a recruiter who’s always getting better.

Conclusion

There’s no shortcut to becoming exceptional in sourcing and recruiting. But there is a clear path.

Through deliberate practice, you can sharpen your skills, deepen your insight, and build lasting expertise. It’s not about talent. It’s about focus, feedback, repetition, reflection, and a commitment to getting better every day.

Top performers don’t just work hard – they work smart. They embrace challenges, analyze their actions, and never stop improving.

Use this playbook as your guide to:

Think intentionally
Practice purposefully
Grow continuously

Mastery isn’t a destination – it’s a mindset. And now, you have the tools to make it your own!

About the Author:

Glen Cathey is a globally recognized expert in sourcing and recruiting, best known for his Boolean Black Belt approach and innovative strategies. With over 20 years of experience, he helps recruiters work smarter through data, tech, and deliberate practice. On SocialTalent, Glen shares practical, thought-provoking content that challenges recruiters to think deeply and perform at their best.