Which Recruiters Are Helping You With Your Job Search?
External recruiters are a high-leverage and underused part of a comprehensive job search. Here is why — plus five recruiters I trust enough to introduce you to.
Which recruiters are helping you with your job search? If the answer is none, then you’re probably missing out.
A comprehensive job search strategy includes applying to online job listings, actively working your network, and leveraging external recruiters. That order was intentional — from least effective to most effective.
External recruiters are independent or with an agency; think of them as contractors to the companies doing the hiring. They don’t technically work for you, which is something to keep in mind. The rest is upside:
- They’re happy to connect with solid candidates (they’re not likely to ghost you the way most online applications do).
- They’re a source of job listings that aren’t always public.
- They can get the attention of the hiring manager — get those eyes on your resume.
- Once you’re in their network, they’ll be a source of opportunities for the rest of your career.
- They’ll give you advice on your resume, your LinkedIn profile, and interview preparation.
- You don’t need to be exclusive to one recruiter.
- Their services are free to you.
Why wouldn’t you want this?
Five external recruiters I know and trust
Feel free to reach out to them, whether you’re a job seeker or a company looking to scale up hiring or fill those difficult-to-fill positions. I asked each what types of candidates they were looking for at the time of this post — their answers are below.
In alphabetical order:
- 📌 Rory Bebbington at Fabric Staffing — staff/tech-lead, engineering manager, director, and VP of engineering.
- 📌 Sean Card at Strategic Employment Partners (SEP) — software engineering, data engineering, database, DevOps, systems/network, QA, project/product management, and executives across all of the above.
- 📌 Carlos Cymerman at Recruiting for Good — engineering and IT.
- 📌 Melanie Dabu at DK Recruiting LLC (Certified B-Corp) — engineering managers, software engineers, mobile product designer, GTM SaaS leaders.
- 📌 Jorge Lizarraga at Kinect — always looking for good tech candidates from IC to executive.
Parting thoughts
- I am not being paid for this post. I’m giving tips to job seekers and shouting out a few people from my network that I’m fond of.
- Not all companies use external recruiters, which is one reason they’re only one part of a comprehensive strategy. Don’t neglect job boards, and put real time into networking strategies for your job search.
- If you want a structured walkthrough of your full search strategy, see career and interview coaching.
