Rec2Rec & Talent Acquisition Recruitment
Recruiting recruiters is a discipline that requires different skills from placing candidates in other sectors. The people you are trying to attract are themselves skilled at evaluating opportunities, managing counter-offers and spotting whether an employer is genuinely worth joining. RFT's Rec2Rec practice was built on that reality. We place recruitment professionals across agency and in-house talent acquisition functions, from resourcers and junior consultants through to Managing Directors and Heads of Talent.
About This Sector
Rec2Rec Recruitment That Understands the Industry
What we bring to this market is credibility. Our consultants understand the recruitment industry from the inside: the billing structures, the desk types, the culture differences between a small boutique and a major PLC, and the factors that actually drive a recruiter to commit to a move and stay committed when the counter-offer lands.
We work with recruitment businesses across Manchester and the wider North West that are serious about who they hire and how they grow. A strong biller who joins the wrong business moves on in six months and takes their client relationships with them. We take the time to understand both the business and the candidate before making any introduction - because in a small industry, a poor Rec2Rec placement is remembered on both sides.
Roles We Place
Recruitment Roles We Place
From resourcers and junior consultants to directors and in-house talent leads, we place across the full recruitment function.
Resourcer
Candidate sourcing, CV screening and interview coordination within a recruitment team. A common entry point for people joining the industry, or an experienced resourcer making a lateral move to a better environment.
Recruitment Consultant
Full 360 delivery across business development and candidate management, or specialist 180-degree delivery within a defined desk. Billing history and desk type are always part of the conversation.
Senior Recruitment Consultant
Established billers who manage complex client relationships, mentor junior consultants and operate with a high degree of autonomy. Billing threshold expectations vary significantly by agency and desk type.
Principal Consultant
Typically a high-biller with a leadership or mentoring component. Often the stepping stone between senior consultant and management for those who want to develop without a full people management role.
Managing Consultant
Team management responsibility combined with a personal billing target. The most common first management role in a recruitment business - and widely acknowledged as the hardest transition to get right.
Recruitment Manager
Line management of a team with accountability for revenue, headcount and consultant development. Often focused on one specific desk or vertical within the agency structure.
Business Development Manager
New client acquisition for a recruitment business. Sometimes combined with account management; always requires credibility and confidence in front of senior hiring managers and procurement leads.
Talent Acquisition Partner
In-house recruiter embedded within a single employer, responsible for direct sourcing, process management and stakeholder relationships across defined business areas and hiring manager groups.
Head of Talent
Senior in-house leadership across the full talent function, including employer brand, pipeline strategy and team management. A growing role as businesses build more sophisticated internal TA capabilities.
Recruitment Director
Board or near-board leadership within an agency or in-house talent function. Accountable for revenue targets, team growth and market positioning at the highest level of the business.
Onboarding Specialist
Post-offer candidate management and compliance, particularly in volume or outsourced recruitment environments where the process after offer accepted is as commercially important as the search itself.
Account Manager (Recruitment)
Client relationship management within an RPO or MSP model, focused on service delivery, compliance and hiring manager relationships across large enterprise accounts.
For Employers
Why Employers Choose RFT
We understand your world, assess recruiters honestly and operate with complete discretion.
We Understand Your World
Rec2Rec is only credible when the consultant doing the search understands billing structures, desk types and what makes a recruiter perform. RFT's Rec2Rec practice is led by consultants with direct agency experience. We brief candidates properly because we understand what the role involves from the inside.
Honest Assessment of Candidates
Recruiters know how to present well. We go beyond the interview performance and look at billing history, tenure, desk type and reasons for movement. You receive an honest picture of each candidate - not a polished one constructed specifically for the process.
Confidentiality as Standard
Rec2Rec is a small world. We manage every search with full discretion, and we never approach your existing team or share client details without explicit authorisation. Your business, your headcount plans and your pipeline remain confidential throughout the process.
For Candidates
Why Candidates Work With RFT
Genuine options, real market intelligence and experienced guidance on the counter-offer conversation.
Genuine Options, Not Volume
We do not carpet-bomb your details across every agency in Manchester. We identify a small number of opportunities that genuinely fit your experience, billing level and career direction, then brief you properly before any introduction is made. Your reputation is protected throughout.
Advice on the Market
We know which agencies are growing, which are losing consultants and which have the infrastructure to support a strong biller. That intelligence is valuable when you are making a career decision that affects your earnings, your clients and your long-term trajectory in the industry.
Understanding the Counter-Offer Dynamic
We have seen enough recruiters accept counter-offers and return to the market six months later to know how to have that conversation early. We help you work through it properly so you make the right decision for your career, not just the expedient one in the moment.
Common Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers to the questions we hear most from recruitment businesses and consultants considering a move.
Looking to Hire a Recruiter - or Make Your Next Move?
Tell us about what you need and a Rec2Rec specialist who understands the industry from the inside will be in touch the same day.