How to find a great tech recruiter - as an employee, not an employer
April 11, 2022 3:05 PM Subscribe
How does an experienced software engineer find a great independent tech recruiter who can match them up with smaller companies, based on specific hard-to-Google-for criteria?
I currently know multiple people passively looking for a new job, whom most tech companies would love to hire -- think senior software engineers with Recognizable Name industry experience on their resume. But those people are in a position to be highly selective about their next job. For example, one would like to work for a tech company with an environmental-net-positive mission/product, or even in-house at an environmental non-profit; oh, and it needs to be full remote. Another wants to work on backend infrastructure OR biotech OR internal tooling for engineers/scientists, and also needs the company overall to pass an ethical gut check (i.e. no Facebook/Meta or Amazon).
When my friends complain about their job searches and ask me for suggestions, I keep thinking, "there must be an independent recruiter out there whose job it is to find these unicorn companies." So I suppose my question really is -- how does one find a good tech recruiter, one that can put up with strong candidates who will probably turn down most offers to even interview?
I currently know multiple people passively looking for a new job, whom most tech companies would love to hire -- think senior software engineers with Recognizable Name industry experience on their resume. But those people are in a position to be highly selective about their next job. For example, one would like to work for a tech company with an environmental-net-positive mission/product, or even in-house at an environmental non-profit; oh, and it needs to be full remote. Another wants to work on backend infrastructure OR biotech OR internal tooling for engineers/scientists, and also needs the company overall to pass an ethical gut check (i.e. no Facebook/Meta or Amazon).
When my friends complain about their job searches and ask me for suggestions, I keep thinking, "there must be an independent recruiter out there whose job it is to find these unicorn companies." So I suppose my question really is -- how does one find a good tech recruiter, one that can put up with strong candidates who will probably turn down most offers to even interview?
Agree with above that there just aren't companies like this. There are certainly industry-specific recruiting firms that you can reach out to and then can try to match you with an opportunity for one of their clients, but the clients pay them so that's who their priority is.
Their best path is to make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date, turn on the setting that shows recruiters you're open to work (you don't have to show this on your profile), and be selective about which recruiter InMails you respond to. I have been told that making a trivial change (like adding/removing a period) to your profile on a regular basis makes you filter up to the top of recruiters' lists, but I can't confirm this.
posted by radioamy at 3:31 PM on April 11, 2022
Their best path is to make sure your LinkedIn profile is up-to-date, turn on the setting that shows recruiters you're open to work (you don't have to show this on your profile), and be selective about which recruiter InMails you respond to. I have been told that making a trivial change (like adding/removing a period) to your profile on a regular basis makes you filter up to the top of recruiters' lists, but I can't confirm this.
posted by radioamy at 3:31 PM on April 11, 2022
AFAIK, this type of recruiter doesn't exist. Like the previous comments mentioned, the incentives don't really work out. Recruiters are paid by the company that's looking to hire. They aren't trying to find the right company for any given person, they are looking for the right person for the company/companies paying them.
Since you can't algorithmically filter by the ethics of any given company, the best approach might be to:
A) Look for feeds of job postings for "known-good" companies and filter those results.
B) Look for job postings that match the desired criteria outside of ethics, and do the hard work of researching each company. Maintain a list of "known-good" companies (setting up part A for those), and "known-bad" companies to filter out.
posted by arcolz at 3:37 PM on April 11, 2022
Since you can't algorithmically filter by the ethics of any given company, the best approach might be to:
A) Look for feeds of job postings for "known-good" companies and filter those results.
B) Look for job postings that match the desired criteria outside of ethics, and do the hard work of researching each company. Maintain a list of "known-good" companies (setting up part A for those), and "known-bad" companies to filter out.
posted by arcolz at 3:37 PM on April 11, 2022
If you go down arcolz route B, The Pragmatic Engineer Job Board seems to have a pretty solid employee-quality-of-life filter on which companies can post.
posted by rivenwanderer at 3:55 PM on April 11, 2022
posted by rivenwanderer at 3:55 PM on April 11, 2022
Hired lets you exclude companies with certain attributes as well as allowing you to pre-emptively block certain companies.
I have no idea how selective they are about who they accept to their "platform", but I strongly suspect that experience with a name-brand company will get you past their filters pretty readily.
Indeed used to have a competing product (Indeed Prime? something like that), but I suspect it no longer exists (I haven't had a email from them in years, but I may have unsubscribed).
posted by hoyland at 4:41 PM on April 11, 2022
I have no idea how selective they are about who they accept to their "platform", but I strongly suspect that experience with a name-brand company will get you past their filters pretty readily.
Indeed used to have a competing product (Indeed Prime? something like that), but I suspect it no longer exists (I haven't had a email from them in years, but I may have unsubscribed).
posted by hoyland at 4:41 PM on April 11, 2022
Triplebyte can sort of operate like this - they interview you and have you fill out information about what kinds of roles you’re interested in, and if you pass the interview process they match with companies that they work with for an expedited interview process. If you choose to go with a company they match you with, company pays them a finders fee. It’s easier for candidates because you have to go through fewer interviews to find multiple jobs that are a fit for your interests and skills. You can read their manifesto here.
A number of smaller startups that I know are on their platform because they access a better candidate pool than they would otherwise get through retaining traditional recruiter. They won’t all pass your friends’ filters, but some of them definitely would and it’s more of a one stop shop than anything else that I’m aware of.
posted by A Blue Moon at 5:04 PM on April 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
A number of smaller startups that I know are on their platform because they access a better candidate pool than they would otherwise get through retaining traditional recruiter. They won’t all pass your friends’ filters, but some of them definitely would and it’s more of a one stop shop than anything else that I’m aware of.
posted by A Blue Moon at 5:04 PM on April 11, 2022 [1 favorite]
Indirect answer, but your friends might take a look at companies who are BCorp certified. It’s not a perfect model, but is a great way to identify companies with demonstrated positive social and environmental impact, strong worker support, etc. Their job board isn’t great, sadly, but the list of companies itself is quite useful for starting a search.
posted by suviko at 10:05 PM on April 11, 2022
posted by suviko at 10:05 PM on April 11, 2022
Look for recruiters who used to work at some of these companies. That’s usually going to be the connection. Paid LinkedIn search might be the best way to find them if you’re not in a position to run into them or hear about them at industry events.
posted by michaelh at 11:45 PM on April 11, 2022
posted by michaelh at 11:45 PM on April 11, 2022
Best answer: Recruiter with twenty-five years of experience (not in your field) to offer perspective. There is a way to get what you want. More on that in a minute. (Hint: You won't like it.)
You are probably operating with the assumption that you can find a recruiter who will deliver exactly the service that you want, while being compensated by the employer who hires you. That means, of course, that this recruiter needs to identify, introduce you to, and get you hired by one of-by your own admission-a very small universe of employers. And, if that employer is attractive to you for the reasons you've articulated, the chances are that this employer is equally attractive to many other potential candidates. (You don't really think you're the only one with those parameters, do you?)
This, in turn, means that this employer (or others in that small universe) might well have candidates lined up at the door. And if that's the case, then the employer has no incentive to pay a recruiter to introduce, and help them hire, you.
So what can you do? Offer to pay the recruiter yourself.
posted by John Borrowman at 11:54 AM on April 12, 2022
You are probably operating with the assumption that you can find a recruiter who will deliver exactly the service that you want, while being compensated by the employer who hires you. That means, of course, that this recruiter needs to identify, introduce you to, and get you hired by one of-by your own admission-a very small universe of employers. And, if that employer is attractive to you for the reasons you've articulated, the chances are that this employer is equally attractive to many other potential candidates. (You don't really think you're the only one with those parameters, do you?)
This, in turn, means that this employer (or others in that small universe) might well have candidates lined up at the door. And if that's the case, then the employer has no incentive to pay a recruiter to introduce, and help them hire, you.
So what can you do? Offer to pay the recruiter yourself.
posted by John Borrowman at 11:54 AM on April 12, 2022
Rand's Leadership Slack is a great resource for tech job seekers (and many other reasons). There's a channel for finding people that work at a specific company which can help you get a referral.
posted by elmay at 6:41 PM on April 12, 2022
posted by elmay at 6:41 PM on April 12, 2022
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