Presented by ClearanceJobs and Carahsoft
“Recruiting is sales,” said Tommy Weinert, founder of Mount Indie, during his conversation at ClearanceJobs Connect 2025. “It’s about understanding people’s motivations and aligning them with the right mission.”
Weinert acknowledges that some recoil at the sales analogy. “We’re dealing with people’s careers and lives,” he said. “But when done with empathy, recruiting is about helping someone take the next right step.”
In the cleared community, competition for talent is fierce. “You’re offering people an opportunity and a paycheck—but that’s not enough,” he said. “You need to understand what would make them uproot their lives and join your team.”
Transparency, he noted, is what candidates want most. “They want to know the opportunity is real, that the recruiter is trustworthy, and that their conversations are handled securely,” he said. “Especially in the cleared space, legitimacy is everything.”
Weinert also stressed the value of authenticity in marketing. “Great companies are leveraging their workforce as brand ambassadors,” he said. “When recruiters build trust in their personal networks, it’s more powerful than any corporate campaign.”
He encourages organizations to see recruiters as marketers and relationship builders. “They’re not just filling jobs—they’re representing the mission,” he said.
Closing, he added, should never be coercive. “You can’t push someone into a job that doesn’t fit,” Weinert said. “If you do, they’ll leave in sixty days. The goal is alignment: mission, motivation, and mutual trust.”
Listening, he concluded, is the recruiter’s most powerful tool. “Listen to the candidate. Listen to the company. If you understand both sides, the right fit becomes obvious.”