About Tricia Tamkin

Tricia’s youth in the Chicago burbs was spent divided between reading and sports. She was the only girl in the boys’ league for baseball, and still managed to sneak in gymnastics, cheerleading, and a starring role in Grease.

Tricia’s prep school made college comparatively easy. When something is too easy, Tricia moves on. At 19, she interviewed for a job she’d never heard of – Headhunter. The day after her interview, she called the agency owner and told him she’d made a decision. She was going to be a recruiter, either for him or someone else. She was immediately hired, and went on to be the top producer in the firm before she was old enough to have a cocktail.

In the early days, Tricia was content to be the top biller anywhere she went. Then her boss told her she needed to play nicer in the sandbox with the other employees. A month later she opened Wolftec, her executive search firm.

Nearly a quarter century later, she’s been widowed twice, fought and won several court battles, given birth, and lost a parent. She’s expanded her staff to more than a dozen, and then slimmed it back down, outsourcing everything.

Then, a client asked her to stop recruiting tech salespeople, and instead to build them a recruiting team. With her years of owning a firm, constant professional development, and help from Jason, she did just that. She recruited the team, made the hiring decisions, trained them, and worked herself out of a client… but into a new industry.

Tricia has spent the last thirteen years speaking on the most prominent stages in the recruiting industry, developing and delivering acclaimed training programs, and coaching some of the highest producers in our industry. She’s an F’n gladiator, who does random acts of kindness every day. She also still makes cold calls and answers her own phone. 

Timeline

2026

Retirement. Balance. Joy. Peace.

2025

Began reclaiming personal identity and meaning through therapy

2024

MARS program launch. The most complete recruiter support program ever.

2023

Co-launches first ever ChatGPT program for the recruiting industry.

2022

After more than a year of having a waitlist for Private Coaching, co-launched Group Coaching program for the recruiting industry.

2021

Major overhaul of both sourcing and sales programs, and development of over 100 hours of new recruiting training.

2020

Heads down in Church of Executive Search Private Coaching Practice. Help dozens of recruiters generate millions of dollars.

2019

Presented Keynotes and Breakout Sessions at 14 conferences in one year.

2018

Co-Founded Church of Executive Search, while simultaneously training and recruiting.

2017

Attended Tony Robbin’s Business Mastery- overloaded with ideas.

2016

Expanded Moore eSSentials staff and focused on building training and speaking business.

2015

Launched Client Cornucopia. Married again, third time’s a charm.

2014

Taught Pinnacle Society for the first time (top 80 headhunters in North America) to rave reviews.

2013

Co-launched first ever Facebook sourcing class, 18 days after Facebook launched Graph Search.

2012

First time speaking at ASA, traveled around North America and Canada training recruiters.

2011

Taught first Sourcing Class and first Private Training for an executive search firm.

2010

Retained to recruit, hire, train and build external recruiting department for client.

2009

Second Husband dies, better knock this off. Let everyone go and moved recruiting desk home.

2008

Build Wolftec to 10 recruiters and 3 support staff.

2007

Launch FastGround, a web-based real estate collaboration platform.

2006

Win award from Cognizant Technology Solutions for executive search excellence.

2005

Son is born, husband is diagnosed with terminal blood cancer.

2004

Closed Lockwood Ross (it was profitable, but not fun!) Returned to sole focus in recruiting.

2003

Generate 1M from one client for first time (Accenture).

2002

Launch Lockwood Ross, an outplacement firm. Married second husband.

2001

Closed $150K engaged deal (50/50/50), biggest to date.

2000

Tech bubble bursts, closed Padigent, bought Disney property.

1999

First husband dies, started traveling extensively and launched Padigent, and HR company for startup firms.

1998

Only accepted 100K jobs. Blanked for 5 months. Closed 11 deals in 10 weeks. Took 3 months off.

1997

Started Wolftec, an executive search firm still running today, took first class in Boolean.

1996

Top internal recruiter with 72 starts, 94% of which were unassisted with over 19% executives.

1995

Accepted internal recruiting position at Whitman Hart.

1994

Top producing recruiter in 15-person agency, billing 272K in first twelve months.

1993

Left college after 2 years to become a commission only agency recruiter in IT.

1991

Graduated from St. Francis High School, and began college at Eastern Illinois University.

1985

Won essay contest to be the Attorney General of Bloomingdale for a day.

1978

Played the Grand Prize Game on Bozo’s Circus and missed the first bucket.

1973

Born September 17th, an only child.

Enthusiastic Love from Tricia's Clients

Erik Lopez

Sr. Technology Recruiter/ Partner Empire Staffing Group INC

The library you and Jason created is sick, and I’m blown away. If someone buys this and it doesn’t improve their desk, it’s their fault. I’ve never seen this level of detail and step-by-step in any training I have done. It’s a master’s & PhD in running a desk.

Tanya Calkins

Executive Talent Consultant | Trusted Partner & Advisor

Tricia and Jason are two of the best trainers in the recruiting industry. They are brilliant with their ideas and how to implement them. Their training has had a significant impact on my business. Did I mention how fun they are too! I highly recommend if you are looking for someone to help elevate your ability to deliver better results for your clients and candidates!

Joel Berger

President & Founder Meridian Legal Search

Tricia Tamkin isn’t just an instructor — she’s the kind of presence you wish you’d met years earlier. She doesn’t just teach you the material — she teaches you how to think like a recruiter who wins. She shows up early, stays late, and somehow still finds time to send clear, thoughtful answers to questions at night, weekends, and between classes. Her explanations are crisp, memorable, and full of real recruiting strategy, not trite tips. What sets Tricia apart is her mix of sharp intelligence and genuine care. She notices when someone is struggling and steps in before they even ask. She brings humor, her war stories, and a pace that keeps you engaged from start to finish. Every session feels like a master class. If you want an instructor who brings high energy, deep experience, and a personal commitment to seeing you improve, Tricia is in a class of her own

Laura Klein

Search & Recruiting | Specialty Care & MedTech

Wow, I highly recommend Tricia Tamkin and the Moore eSSentials training programs. If you want your recruiting team (or yourself) to be smarter and more profitable in the new world of AI, you absolutely must take the AI4 training. It is simply the best AI training in the industry tailored for recruiting professionals. The Client Cornucopia module provides game-changing techniques for business development, leveraging Tricia’s 30+ years of best practices. The systems she provides are easily implementable, allowing you to immediately take them to your desk and start seeing significant gains in your business. Tricia is also exceptional trainer. Her genuine and authentic delivery effectively meets you where your skills are and provides actionable, clear systems for results immediately. The partnership with Jason adds a fun and memorable dynamic to the entire experience. Tricia’s training is a necessary investment for modern recruiting success.

Mario Karth

Director Elexis Recruiting

Tricia is one of the best Trainers for Recruiters and Search firm owners . Her approach and willingness to tackle every aspect of it makes her stand out . I would recommend her training for any agency that is looking to grow . Infact I want to get my whole team trained by her .

Jim Sullivan

President, Executive Recruiter, Professional Headhunter Galaxy Management Group, Inc.

I have been participating in the AI4 Recruiters program and I found it to be one of the most informative and practical recruiting experiences I’ve had in a long time. Tricia and Jason have recruiting experience and a deep understanding of how AI is transforming our industry. The sessions are well-structured with relevant content, and immediately applicable to my day-to-day work as an executive recruiter. I highly recommend Tricia, Jason, and the AI4 program to any recruiter serious about staying ahead of the curve.

Lileah Akiode, CSP

Recruiting Consultant 10X Recruiting Partners

The AI4 Recruiters program has made a huge impact on me and my business thanks to Tricia Tamkin and Jason Thibeault. They’ve become the Chief AI Officers for my business. Tricia does an amazing job of taking complex AI strategies and breaking them down so they actually make sense and feel doable. Her decades of recruiting expertise are invaluable because she truly understands what we’re dealing with as recruiters and shows you exactly how to make AI work for your specific challenges. Then there’s Jason, who brings this fascinating perspective I’ve never encountered before. He helps me understand the technical side and also the psychology behind why and how certain things work. I find myself thinking differently about how I engage with people because of his insights. His explanations are clear and thoughtful, and he’s constantly helping me see things in new and unique ways. What I love most about this program is that Tricia and Jason created something that goes way beyond just learning new tools. They have taught me how to create tools on my own. The custom GPT workflows alone have saved me hours each week. I can’t recommend them enough!

Angela Chambers, FCPA,FCMA,CPC

President and Managing Partner | Mercer Bradley

The AI4 Recruiters program is a practical and innovative resource. It goes far beyond theory —it is is packed with actionable insights and recruiter-specific tools that I’ve applied directly in my day-to-day work. Thanks for leading the pack on this!

Mike Ruane

Sr. Recruiter/ Executive Search Consultant

I participated in the eSSentials training program in January 2012, with Tricia and her partner, Jason, as the Trainers. Tricia was very knowledgeable in her training and methods; Tricia’s training on advanced Boolean search strings for ‘next-level’ recruiting were very informative and have undoubtedly increased not only mine, but our entire recruiting staffs productivity and ability to source passive, and often hard-to-find candidates. I have lofty goals for annual billings, and I’m sure the methods and techniques learned through Tricia’s eSSentials Training Seminar will assist me (and our company) in attaining this goal. Thank you for providing the ‘building blocks’ to continue down the path of success in our industry! I would recommend Tricia to any recruiter looking to improve their searching/ sourcing capabilities.

Patrick (Pat) Corrigan

Career Fiduciary to Elite Producers

I’ve had the privilege of working with Tricia as my business coach for over two years. It’s hard to put into words the impact she’s made on my entrepreneurial journey. Her ability to combine strategic vision with practical, actionable steps sets Tricia apart. She has helped me at every step, from the pre-launch company conception to rapid team expansion. Her deep understanding of the recruitment industry and business acumen provided uncanny insights. Beyond the business stuff, Tricia has been an invaluable sounding board and mentor. She’s not afraid to challenge assumptions or push for better solutions but always does so constructively and with the business’s best interests in mind. If you’re in recruitment, Tricia is the person you want in your corner. Her impact on our business has been transformative, and I couldn’t recommend her more highly.