Walid Benjelloun, founder of Walead, was recently a guest of Kemra Jaafar and Dorothée on their podcast Les Coulisses du Recrutement ("Behind the Scenes of Recruiting"). An episode about the model of an independent recruiter, available to watch on YouTube. Kemra also wrote a detailed article about it on her site (in French).
Why speed is our first criterion
An open role costs money every week: the sales pipeline runs slower for as long as the SDR or Account Executive is missing. At Walead, the goal is to go from brief to hire in under 20 days. It was the first point Walid expanded on with Kemra.
Two ways to work with us
Embedded recruitment (RPO): we plug into your teams, tools and processes to absorb a continuous hiring volume.
Success-based recruitment: you only pay fees if the hire goes through, with a 4-month replacement guarantee.
Who is Kemra Jaafar?
A former consultant at an international recruitment firm, Kemra has over 7 years of experience in HR and recruitment, with large groups as well as more agile companies. She founded her own training company, Qualiopi-certified, with one conviction: recruiting is one job, prospecting is another. Her mission is to reconcile recruitment consultants with prospecting.
A three-pillar method
Structure: clarify your target, your pitch and your cadence to move past improvisation.
Steer: track a few simple indicators to decide with numbers rather than gut feeling.
Adjust: test in real conditions, correct, and build steady progress.
She adds principles she stands by: measurement, a clear framework, high standards and confidentiality, a non-negotiable in a competitive industry.
How she supports recruiters
For independents: the Incubateur Solorecruteur, an intensive 12-week program in a small group (6 consultants maximum), combining individual and group mentoring. According to her site, more than 40 independent recruiters have already taken it.
One-to-one: an 8-session coaching program over 6 weeks, built on the consultant’s real prospects and real messages, for independents as well as agency heads who want to upskill a team member.
For agency teams: catalog trainings and tailor-made programs, eligible for OPCO funding thanks to the Qualiopi certification.
To get started: a 45-minute strategic audit to identify what holds back consistent results and pick the right format.
A podcast to understand the recruitment ecosystem
Les Coulisses du Recrutement publishes short monthly episodes with agency heads, independent recruiters, lawyers and trainers, on the changes, challenges and successes of the profession.
Why we’re talking about it here
Walead shares that conviction: performance comes from method and measurement, not talent alone. It’s the logic we apply to our own hiring work, with volume at the top of the funnel, demanding selection at the bottom, and conversion tracked at every stage.
Common misconceptions
"Prospecting is a matter of talent": for Kemra, it’s first and foremost a matter of method, something that can be learned and steered.
"A good recruiter doesn’t need to prospect": network and referrals bring qualified clients, but too rarely to drive growth. Walid says it himself in the episode: without prospecting, scaling is impossible.
