In this episode of RecTalk, Nitin Sharma sits down with Andrew Philipson, Founder of JOBBA, to unpack one of the biggest problems in recruitment today: why businesses hate agencies, why great recruiters are getting punished, and what a fairer model actually looks like.

Andrew shares the real story behind building JOBBA — a platform designed to connect businesses directly with independent recruiters, cutting out bloated agency margins while increasing transparency, trust, and outcomes for everyone involved.

They dive deep into:

• Why the UK recruitment market is flooded with “cowboy recruiters” and how that’s damaged trust
• How JOBBA removes agencies entirely and empowers solo recruiters to earn more for their work
• Why businesses can reduce fees by up to 80% without sacrificing quality
• The difference between business development skills and true recruitment delivery
• How JOBBA’s open market model gives hiring managers access to dozens of specialist recruiters instantly
• The power of candidate verification to stop CV spamming and misrepresentation
• Why candidates are becoming the real scarce commodity again
• How JOBBA can act as a lifeline for out-of-work TA professionals, in-between gigs, on maternity leave, or going solo
• What JOBBA Teams are, and how companies can build their own on-demand recruitment squads
• Lessons learned from 18 months of MVP testing, fundraising struggles, and building a product recruiters actually want

Andrew also opens up about his personal “why” — frustration with seeing brilliant recruiters tarred by the same brush as bad actors — and his mission to create an ecosystem where good recruiters can finally thrive.

This episode is a must-listen if you’re questioning traditional agency models or thinking about what recruitment should look like in 2026 and beyond.

🔗 Connect with the guest

Andrew Philipson: https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewphilipson/

Check out JOBBA: https://www.rectools.io/product/jobba/

🔗 Connect with the host

Nitin Sharma: https://www.linkedin.com/in/nitin-rectools/

Discover recruitment tools and services: https://www.rectools.io/

New episodes of RecTalk, including Founder Diaries and Talking Talent, drop every Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

Look out for new episodes of The Mixed Grill — the official podcast of the Recruitment Curry Club — dropping on Thursdays.

https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-recruitment-curry-club/

Listen on another platform: https://rectalk.co.uk/

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