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Recruitment can feel a bit mysterious from the outside.
One minute a recruiter is posting a role on LinkedIn. The next, they are messaging someone who is not even looking. Then they are speaking to a hiring manager, reviewing CVs, arranging interviews and trying to work out who is actually right for the job.
So, how do recruiters usually work?
Let’s clear it up.
Most recruiters are hired by companies to help them fill specific roles.
That means their main client is usually the company, not the candidate. The company has a role to fill, a problem to solve and a team that needs support. The recruiter is brought in to help find the right person.
That does not mean candidates do not matter. Good recruiters care deeply about candidates. They know that careers are personal, and that a job move can affect confidence, money, family life, wellbeing and future growth.
At RecruitHer, we believe recruitment should work for both sides. Companies need strong, diverse talent. Candidates need clarity, respect and proper choice. Nobody should feel like a CV being pushed around a spreadsheet.
Recruiters do not just post a job and wait.
Sometimes, yes, a recruiter will advertise a role and candidates will apply. This is common, and it can work well, especially when the job title is clear and the market is active.
But recruiters also use their networks.
That might include people they have spoken to before, candidates they have placed before, referrals from trusted contacts or people they know are strong in a certain area.
This network changes all the time. People move jobs. People become available. People take a break. People decide they are open to a chat after six months of being very much not open to a chat. Careers are rarely tidy.
So, a recruiter’s network is useful, but it is not a magic cupboard full of perfect candidates waiting patiently next to the biscuits.
A big part of recruitment is search.
Recruiters look through LinkedIn, company websites, industry communities and other public profiles to find people who may fit the role.
This often means looking at people who have not applied. They may not even be actively looking. But their experience, skills or sector knowledge might make them a strong match.
For example, in EdTech, a recruiter might look for someone who has sold to schools, worked with universities, led customer success teams, built partnerships or moved from education into a commercial role.
The goal is not just to find someone who wants a job. The goal is to find someone who could do the job well, add to the team and grow with the company.
This is the bit candidates often feel frustrated by, and fairly so.
Recruiters can get a bad reputation when people apply, reach out, share their CV and then hear nothing back.
Sometimes that silence is careless. Sometimes it is poor communication. Let’s not dress that up.
But sometimes it is also about volume.
Many recruiters are working on several roles at once. In candidate heavy markets, one job advert can bring in a large number of applications. On top of that, recruiters are speaking to hiring managers, searching for candidates, booking interviews, managing feedback, writing shortlists and keeping live processes moving.
So, while it would be ideal for every person to get a clear reply, the volume can make that hard.
That does not make silence feel good. It just explains why it happens.
Being in touch with a recruiter is still worth doing. They might not always be highly responsive, especially if they are not working on a role that fits your background right now. But jobs come and go. Hiring needs change. A first conversation can help a recruiter remember you when the right role appears later.
A good recruiter will be honest about what they can and cannot help with. They will not promise the world just to keep you warm in their database.
Getting in touch with a recruiter can be a good move, especially if you work in tech, EdTech or another specialist market.
You can send your CV, share the kinds of roles you are looking for and explain what matters to you. That might include salary, flexibility, company stage, mission, location, team size or your next step for growth.
But here is the honest bit.
There may not be a fit straight away.
The recruiter might not be working on the right role at that moment. The jobs they have may be too junior, too senior, too sales focused, too operations focused or just not right for your life.
That does not mean the conversation is pointless.
Jobs change. Companies change. Your own search may change too. Making a good connection early can give you more choice later.
Sometimes recruiters meet a candidate and think, “More people need to know about this person.”
That can happen when someone has a really strong profile, rare experience or a clear story that would be useful to several companies.
A recruiter may then speak to relevant companies and say, “I know someone you should meet.”
This can work very well when it is done properly.
The key phrase here is properly.
Your CV should never be sent everywhere without your knowledge. That is not good recruitment. That is chaos with an email signature.
A strong recruiter will speak to you first, agree where your details are going and explain why they think a company could be a good match. Your reputation matters. So does theirs.
At RecruitHer, we care about trust, choice and long term relationships. Candidates should have agency over their search. Companies should receive thoughtful introductions, not random CV traffic.
Some recruiters also offer support with CVs, positioning, interview prep and job search strategy.
These services are often paid, because they take time and expertise.
Career coaching can be very useful, especially when someone wants to define their next step, explore what kind of role they want or understand what matters to them at work.
Working with a recruiter on your job search is slightly different.
A recruiter can help you align your goals with the market. They can help you understand how your experience fits the roles you are targeting. They can support your positioning, sharpen your CV and help you speak about your value during interviews.
This is useful because recruiters often know what hiring managers are really looking for. They may understand what is important to show in interviews, what companies care about and where candidates often undersell themselves.
That does not make recruiters better than career coaches. It just means they see a different part of the hiring process.
Sometimes the fix is not a total career reinvention. Sometimes it is simply clearer language, a stronger story and less hiding behind vague phrases like “commercially minded team player.” We have all suffered enough.
At RecruitHer, we champion diverse talent, predominantly women, in EdTech and education. But that does not mean we exclude anyone.
We work with people of all backgrounds when their skills, experience and goals align with the role. The focus is always on fit, potential, capability and values.
Our mission is to help companies build stronger, fairer teams and to help candidates move with more clarity, confidence and choice.
We believe people should have agency in their careers. We believe hiring should be thoughtful, not rushed. We believe companies grow stronger when they look beyond the usual networks and make space for brilliant people who may not always be the loudest in the room.
Recruitment will never be perfect. People are complex. Hiring is messy. Timing can be annoying.
But when it is done well, recruitment can open doors for candidates and help companies build better teams.
That is the work worth doing.
