‘Reverse recruiting’: With employment at a standstill, job seekers are paying recruiters to find their next gig

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Vawn Himmelsbach

6 min read

It isn’t easy out there for new grads or white-collar workers who’ve been laid off (or are worried about being replaced by AI).

Though the headline numbers from the January jobs report gave some reason for optimism, the details are less encouraging and suggest many workers face a prolonged and difficult job search (1).

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With a labor market described as “frozen” thanks to weak job growth, layoffs in key sectors and an increasing number of workers holding onto the jobs they have, it’s not a great time to be looking for work (2). Add in AI filtering with unclear criteria into the recruitment process, and it’s no wonder so many job-seekers are feeling demoralized.

Only 45.6% of Americans feel they could find a new job within three months if they were to lose their current job, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of New York (3).

So it’s no surprise that, in this environment, job seekers are looking for any advantage they can get. Some are even paying recruiters to help them land a job, a practice known as reverse recruiting.

In such an unstable job scene, is that investment worth it? Here’s what you need to know.

While job growth “unexpectedly accelerated” in January, the largest increase in payrolls “likely exaggerates the labor market’s health, as revisions showed the economy added only 181,000 jobs in 2025 instead of the previously estimated 584,000,” Reuters reports.

“The only jobs being filled in January are in health care and social assistance, along with some non-residential specialty trade contractors probably related to AI facilities, all of which do not guarantee the economy’s future success,” Christopher Rupkey, chief economist at FWDBONDS, told Reuters (4).

The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Job Openings and Labor Turnover Survey, released earlier in February, showed a continued decline in non-farm job openings in December 2025. They hit a five-year low. This included month-over-month declines in white-collar job openings such as professional and business services (-257,000) and finance and insurance (-120,000) (5).

“College graduates are having a hard time getting jobs. MBAs from top schools aren’t getting jobs. We are seeing white-collar layoffs, and employers are pausing hiring,” Liz Bentley, a New York-based executive coach, told CBS News.

In this frozen labor market, some candidates are hiring recruiters to help them find positions — a twist on the traditional model of companies paying recruiters to help them fill jobs.

Paid recruiting was once a practice reserved for high-level executives, it’s now a strategy being employed by recently laid-off mid-career professionals who feel like traditional job searching just isn’t cutting it.

“When companies pay recruiters, it’s because talent is scarce,” Bentley told CBS News. “When candidates pay them, it’s because jobs are scarce” (6).

Not only are jobs scarce, but the application process can be frustrating, and demoralizing, with “ghost” postings for jobs that don’t exist or that employers don’t plan to fill right away, wasting applicants’ time (7).

That’s why some job seekers are turning to reverse recruiters who will contact potential employers on their behalf and, in some cases, help with branding and positioning, finesse their résumé and shore up their social media presence. Some even offer career coaching.

Reverse recruiting can be costly, but so can unemployment — and these agencies claim they can cut down on the amount of time it takes to find a job.

Reverse Recruiting Agency, for instance, charges $1,500 per month and then takes 10% of your first-year salary, less the first month of fees, upon job acceptance (8). Another agency, My Personal Recruiter, offers several plans starting at about $900 per month (9).

Still, the average time it takes to find a new job in the U.S. is about 24 weeks (10). The CEOs of Reverse Recruiting Agency and My Personal Recruiter claimed to CBS News they can cut this in half (6) — potentially making the service worth it.

However, there’s no guarantee these agencies will find you a job. They also have the potential to worsen equity issues, as people who already have money could be at an advantage over those who can’t afford recruiting services.

You don’t necessarily need the services of a recruiter to give yourself a leg up in the job application process. Even in the digital age, relationships are important, so it’s worth letting your connections know that you’re looking for a job.

A referral or introduction can be much more powerful than a cold email or online application. However, your online presence still matters, so consider polishing up your LinkedIn profile and cleaning up your social media accounts.

While you may be frustrated with AI as the “gatekeeper” for your job search, you can also use it to your advantage. For example, it may be able to help you research companies and job openings, optimize your résumé or tailor your applications to specific postings.

But be careful not to rely too much on AI. You want your authenticity to shine through.

“AI is an aid, not a crutch, and candidates should always use their voice and personal experiences in their job search,” Tammy Harper, chief human resources officer at CAI, told Forbes (11).

Indeed, storytelling is a key differentiator. “You don’t want to sound like the 500 other people using those [AI] tools to help write your cover letter,” LinkedIn career expert Catherine Fisher told CBS News. “You have to put your personal experience on it. That is what recruiters are looking for” (12).

While reverse recruiting may help some candidates land a new job, it’s far from a silver bullet and it may not be financially realistic for everyone. Instead, adopting recruiter-approved tactics could help boost your chances — for free.

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We rely only on vetted sources and credible third-party reporting. For details, see our editorial ethics and guidelines.

Bureau of Labor Statistics (1, 5, 10); Yahoo Finance (2); Federal Reserve Bank of New York (3); Reuters (4); CBS News (6, 12); Congressional Research Service (7); Reverse Recruiting Agency (8); My Personal Recruiter (9); Forbes (11)

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