How to get recruitment clients
To get recruitment clients, pick the niche you place, list the hiring managers, HR leads and founders at companies in it by industry, headcount and job title, then email them about a real candidate or an open role. One real candidate beats any pitch about your agency.
Job boards show who is hiring. Your list shows who to write to, and it reaches the companies every other agency hasn't called yet.
Which companies pay recruitment fees
| Employee Headcount | Who hires today | What they pay you for | Contact first |
|---|---|---|---|
| 11 to 20 | The founder, between other jobs | First key hires with no time to search | Founder, CEO, Owner |
| 21 to 100 | Department heads, with no in-house recruiter | Any hard role | Department head, Founder |
| 101 to 250 | Department heads and a small HR team | Specialist roles HR can't fill alone | Department head, HR Director |
| 251 to 500, 501 to 1000 | A talent team that keeps an agency list | Niche roles open too long | Head of Talent, Department head |
| 1001 to 5000 and up | Procurement and approved agencies | Rare skills only | VP of the function you place |
Start with 21 to 100 and 101 to 250. They hire often enough to come back, and they sign your terms themselves.
Match your niche to the filters
| You place | ContactYard Industry | Hiring titles |
|---|---|---|
| Software engineers | Technology > Software Development, IT Services and IT Consulting | CTO, VP Engineering, Head of Engineering |
| Nurses and care staff | Healthcare > Nursing Homes and Residential Care Facilities, Home Health Care Services | Director of Nursing, Executive Director, HR Director |
| Accountants | Business Services > Accounting | Managing Partner, Firm Administrator, Controller |
| Plant and maintenance roles | Manufacturing > Machinery Manufacturing, Industrial Machinery Manufacturing | Plant Manager, VP Operations, HR Director |
| Drivers and warehouse staff | Transportation and Logistics > Truck Transportation, Warehousing and Storage | Owner, Terminal Manager, Operations Manager |
Picking an industry keeps other agencies off your list. Leave out Business Services > Staffing and Recruiting, Executive Search Services and Temporary Help Services. For every HR spelling by level, use the HR email list guide.
Catch companies with an open role
- Search job boards and careers pages for the role you place, in your region.
- Copy each company's website into a sheet, along with the role and the date posted.
- Paste up to 1,000 domains into Company Domain in ContactYard.
- Add the hiring titles for that role and export the people who feel the empty seat.
Tip: Chase roles still open after 30 days first. The team has already tried to fill them alone.
Build the niche list in ContactYard
The full niche list reaches companies before they post, across 100M+ verified B2B prospects.
Step 1: Set industry, headcount and location
Choose your Industry values from the table, then Employee Headcount 21 to 100 and 101 to 250, then Company Location. The total updates instantly, so you see the size of your niche before you spend a credit.
Step 2: Paste the hiring titles
Leave Job Title on Smart. This example is for plant and maintenance roles.
Plant Manager, General Manager, VP Operations, Director of Operations, HR Director, HR Manager
Assistant, Coordinator, Intern, Recruiter, Sourcer, Consultant
Step 3: Export and save
Read 10 to 20 sample rows, turn on Email required and export the CSV. One credit covers the verified work email, the mobile when available and the verification. Click Save and re-run the search each month to catch new hiring managers.
Pitch a candidate, not your agency
Hiring managers ignore “we are a leading agency”. Lead with your most placeable candidate, described without the name.
Subject: {role} for {company} Hi {first_name}, I saw {company} is hiring a {role}. I'm talking to a {candidate_title} in {city} with {years} years in {specialty}, who {one_result}, and is open to a move. You only pay if you hire them. Want the resume? {Your name}
No role posted? Open with “A {candidate_title} I know just {one_result}” and ask to send the profile.
How to write a cold email and how to follow up on an email cover the rest. Leading with proof from the buyer's world is also what makes how to get SEO clients work.
Where recruiters lose the client
- Only writing to HR: at 21 to 250 staff, the department head feels the gap and pushes the hire. Write to them first, and bring HR in for terms.
- Only answering job ads: every agency sees the same ad. The saved niche search reaches companies before the ad exists.
- Chasing big names: companies at 1001 to 5000 and up usually buy from an approved list. Win smaller clients first, then use them as proof.
Three more ways to win clients
| Channel | What to do | ContactYard's part |
|---|---|---|
| Past candidates | People you placed become hiring managers. Ask who they need. | Upload old placements to Enrich Contacts for current work emails and mobiles. |
| Phone | Call hiring managers two days after your email. | Export Personal phone with the list. See phone numbers for cold calling. |
| Message the same manager with one line about the candidate. | Export LinkedIn URL. See cold LinkedIn messages. |
Worked example: Harborgrid Talent
Harborgrid Talent, fictional one-person agency in Ohio (illustrative numbers)
- Niche
- Plant and maintenance managers at machinery makers
- Filters
- Machinery Manufacturing, Industrial Machinery Manufacturing, Ohio, 21 to 100 and 101 to 250 employees
- List
- 1,500 plant managers, operations leaders and HR directors
- Fee
- 20% of a $90,000 salary: $18,000 for one placement
- Data cost
- ContactYard Growth: $49 a month for 10,000 contacts
- Same contacts elsewhere
- 6,000 to 18,000 credits at 4 to 12 credits per contact
Per 1,000 contacts, ContactYard's Scale plan costs $3.30, against $18 at Apollo and $75 at Lusha. A single placement pays for years of it.
FAQ
- How do recruiters get clients?
- They pick a niche, list its hiring managers, and pitch a real candidate by email and phone. Past candidates and repeat clients add the rest.
- How do I get clients for a recruitment agency?
- Filter ContactYard by industry, headcount and job title, export verified emails, and start with companies that have a role open.
- How do recruitment agencies find clients?
- Job boards show who is hiring, and a contact database shows who to write to. Paste those company websites into Company Domain to get the hiring managers.
- How do recruitment agencies get clients with no track record?
- Lead with a strong candidate instead of your history, and only charge if the client hires. The candidate is the proof.
- Who are the best recruitment clients?
- Companies with 21 to 250 staff in the niche you place. They hire often and rarely have their own recruiter.
Start free, build your niche list and write to your first 50 hiring managers this week.
Keep reading
How to build an HR email list
Which HR title owns the budget for what you sell, the industries to pair, and who to skip.
How to write a cold email
The parts of a cold email that gets replies, step by step, with a before and after rewrite.
How to find decision makers in a company
Who decides at each company size and department, and how to find them at 1,000 companies at once.