Recruitment agency owners, looking for honest feedback.
We generate exclusive hiring leads through paid ads + qualification funnels (not scraped leads, not shared with multiple agencies).

Since we’re spending money to acquire these leads, success-fee-only is difficult. Thinking about a model like:

• monthly commitment fee + success fees %
• Pay per qualified intro/lead
• Pay per signed client contract

What would you realistically accept or change? Not selling anything or DMing offers — just trying to build a fair structure with low risk for both sides.

We run a recruiting agency, and this is something we've been discussing internally a lot.

A huge part of what justified agency fees over the years was the amount of manual work involved. Finding candidates, screening resumes, coordinating interviews, following up, keeping everyone in the loop. It was a people-heavy business.

Now we're building and using AI workflows that automate a surprising amount of that work. Sourcing, matching, screening, interview coordination, follow-ups, and a lot of the repetitive recruiting operations can happen with very little human effort.

It makes me wonder what happens to the business model over the next few years.

If it costs significantly less to deliver a successful hire, do agencies keep charging the same 15–30% commission? Or does pricing naturally come down because the cost of delivery has changed?

Maybe agencies become more profitable because they can handle far more roles with the same team. Or maybe everyone has access to the same AI tools, competition increases, and margins shrink.

It almost feels like recruiting could shift from being a people-heavy service business to something much closer to a software business.

We're still figuring this out ourselves, so I'm curious what others think.

If you own an agency, have you started thinking differently about pricing because of AI?

And if you're a founder, would you still be comfortable paying traditional placement fees if most of the recruiting process was automated?

Do companies actually find such a model attractive if they have high volumes?

Hi everyone,

I’ve been working in recruitment for a while (mostly contingency-based), and I’m currently exploring different ways to structure pricing for SMB clients (roughly 20–200 employees).

I’m trying to step back from the “standard” contingency model and understand what actually feels most fair and trustworthy from the client’s perspective in today’s market.

From my experience, SMBs often struggle with:

• paying a large fee upfront when hiring is uncertain
• concerns about early attrition
• lack of transparency around recruiter effort vs outcome

So I’m looking at a few possible models and would love honest feedback from people who’ve been on the buying side (founders, hiring managers, operators, etc.):

1) Traditional contingency model

• Standard % of first-year salary
• Paid when the candidate starts
• 60–90 day replacement guarantee

2) Reduced fee + milestone-based billing

• Lower overall fee
• Payments split across the first 30–45 days of employment
• No change in total fee, just timing spread out

3) Subscription + small success fee hybrid

• Monthly fee for sourcing / recruiting support
• Small success fee per hire

My goal is not to “reinvent recruiting,” but to understand:

• Which model feels most predictable and low-risk as a client?
• What would make you more likely to work with a new agency?
• What immediately feels like a red flag or too complex?

I’d really appreciate any honest perspective — especially from people who’ve actually hired recruiters for SMB roles.

Thanks in advance 🙏

For those that started their agency, what LinkedIn plan did you get in the beginning and when did you sign up for the $10K+ plan?

I built an AI application for C2C/contract/full time staffing consultancies, got a few real paying clients, and proved to myself the core problem is worth solving.

What I didn't account for: I know very little about B2B SaaS sales and marketing. So instead of faking it, I'm asking.

Three things I'm looking for:

Recruiters to test and critique the product (paid) - Specifically people who work in contract or C2C staffing. I want unfiltered feedback, not polite validation.

A sales partner (base + commission) - Someone who understands the staffing or HR tech space and wants to help take this to market. Early stage, real upside.

A mentor on B2B SaaS - Growth strategy, positioning, pricing. I want to learn from someone who's done it. Open to discussing what that relationship looks like.

Not going to spam the post with feature lists. If you're any of these people, or know someone who is, DM me. I'll share the website, a full product walkthrough, and whatever else helps you decide if it's worth your time.

Appreciate anyone who reads this far.

After reading a lot of discussions from recruiters and HR professionals, one thing keeps coming up:

Most teams already use AI for things like drafting emails, summarizing interviews, writing job descriptions, and documentation.

But very few seem comfortable letting AI actually decide who gets hired.

So I'm curious: what's the one repetitive recruiting task you wish AI handled completely, so you could spend more time with candidates?

I'd love to hear what's still the biggest time sink in your day.

Hi recruiters, with the rise of AI and startups like Juicebox or Sourcewhale, how have your jobs fundamentally changed (if at all)? I am wondering if in the long-term, there will be a structural decline in middle-men (recruitment agencies like Randstad, Adecco, Hays etc) since recruiters will have the tools to source talent on their own?

In your experience, if you have ever engaged a middle man like Randstad or Hays, has the value proposition lived up to your expectations and are the services that they offer really worth paying for rather than doing in house? have a pending offer from a recruitment agency and want to know if that pocket of the industry actually has a future

Curious about how to think about the evolution of the recruitment scene and my place in it as someone who a recruiter, please share insights! Thank you!

Hi recruiters, with the rise of AI and startups like Juicebox or Sourcewhale, how have your jobs fundamentally changed (if at all)? I am wondering if in the long-term, there will be a structural decline in middle-men (recruitment agencies like Randstad, Adecco, Hays etc) since recruiters will have the tools to source talent on their own?

In your experience, if you have ever engaged a middle man like Randstad or Hays, has the value proposition lived up to your expectations and are the services that they offer really worth paying for rather than doing in house? have a pending offer from a recruitment agency and want to know if that pocket of the industry actually has a future

Curious about how to think about the evolution of the recruitment scene and my place in it as someone who a recruiter, please share insights! Thank you!

My partner has been trying for about three months to find a job in a new city, without any success. We are looking to hire a firm to help him in his job search. He’s mid career, 7-10 years experience, works in biotech. New city is a very large city but not a biotech hub.

We’re looking for a firm that has experience in mid career job search, ideally in biotech. Budget up to roughly \~$5k.

Would love to hear experiences if anyone has used such a service and if you have recommendations.

I was chatting with a recruiter recently, and they mentioned they still keep WhatsApp, email, spreadsheets, and notes open alongside their ATS.

It made me wonder—is that pretty common?

If you already use an ATS, what do you still rely on outside of it?

• Email
• WhatsApp
• Excel
• Sticky notes
• Something else?

What keeps you switching between different tools during the day?

Hey I’m a fellow recruiter looking for another recruiter like me. I was wondering if anyone knows any recruiters or is a recruiter in the YouTube/ creative industry. That has a really good understanding of finding editors, producers, thumbnail designers, etc. Any help would be appreciated!

Hi All!

Former healthcare staffing director turned SAHM. I want to start DH solo firm but desperately want to get out of healthcare. Any recommendations or advice on niche?

Hello!

I'm from the Philippines and has an offer going to Dubai for 3,800 AED. They'll sponsor my visa but I'll shoulder my plane ticket & accommodation. Given this offer, may I ask for any advise if is it suffice given I'll be shouldering the rent?

Thank you in advance for any advises!

Can anyone recommend a solid executive assistant recruiting firm that actually replies to resume submission and assist with employment? I had 7 recruiters find my resume, entice me with a job opportunity, and fall of the face of the earth!

What's going on in 2026?!? I remember the days that a recruiter would meet with you in an actual midtown Manhattan office, review your resume, coach you on what to say and not to say, and send you on actual interviews with real people.

Contract, straight perm, full time, part time ok. I'm searching for excellent customer service since they are making money off of me. Thank you!

NYC

I recently started working as a freelance recruiter and plan to set up my own LLC, brand, website, and business email shortly.

In the meantime, I have been trying to generate business rather than waiting until everything is fully set up. I have been contacting prospective clients from my personal Gmail account.

I have two questions:

1. Does using a personal Gmail address make recruiters look less credible or cause companies to assume the message is spam?
2. Are companies generally willing to work with an independent freelance recruiter who has not yet formally established an LLC or agency brand?

I plan to have the business set up within the next one to two months, but I do not want to lose momentum or sit on the sidelines while that is happening.

Has anyone started this way? Did the lack of a company email or formal entity make business development more difficult?

It’s really a total different story when you get hired via recruiting agency, expect the delayed response and slow process. Just be curious and don’t hesitate to follow up from any people from the agency. Expect the high expenses as well hahah. That’s all.

Genuinely want to know as I've gotten barely any and maybe once or twice but never heard back from them... I just want a good recruiter to be helpful and useful in giving the proper advice for the role. So yeah asking how do people get that attention - is it your LinkedIn profile? Projects? or just networking and if so how do I get in touch with a recruiter? Thanks

Agency recruiter here.

I reached out to someone on LinkedIn with a gloriously written (non-A.I. assist) message, personalized but not too pushy...in short "every body is open to something new". He responded he is. We agree to talk next week at a specific time. I call on that specific time and then he says he's got 10-15 minutes to talk and then he's onto 4 more calls.

I told him, "that's not something I want to do. Instead, more time is needed to get to know you and you me and we work together to find that great next position."

He says, "maybe we can talk Friday." I respond, "I'll message you soon on LinkedIn if that works for my schedule."

I'm a little pissed he didn't respect the professional process which included treating his career with respect. He wanted me to dump the perfect job on him without me actually knowing what perfect is? SMH.

But am I wrong? Should I have rushed through a 10 minute call with quick Questions and Answers and gotten his resume to my client? I truly believe I'm NOT wrong...However, it's June 2026 and finding great candidates seems to be increasingly difficult.