Tight Job Market Births 'Reverse Recruiters'

Job hunting has gone pay-to-play. The Wall Street Journal reports that as white-collar hiring freezes spread and applicant pools swell, a growing number of candidates are now paying recruiters directly—reversing a system in which employers traditionally footed the bill to find talent. "Reverse recruiters" pitch themselves to job seekers with promises of introductions, help navigating applications, and greater visibility, typically in exchange for fees or a cut of future pay. For many applicants, the appeal is straightforward: escaping automated résumé filters and overcrowded job portals. Daniel Bejarano, 36, who used a service called Refer to land a tech role, said it was "refreshing" not to be lost in a sea of candidates sorted by an applicant-tracking system.

The rise of reverse recruiters reflects a job market that has tilted sharply against workers. For the first time since the pandemic, there are now more unemployed people than open roles, and the average job search lasts six months. Against that backdrop, services like Refer are gaining traction. The company uses AI agents to introduce candidates to hiring managers who have expressed interest in their profiles. If a candidate lands a job, they pay Refer 20% of their first month's pay. CEO Andre Hamra says about 50 new job seekers are signing up daily, up from 10 last summer. "If you are not paying, you are the product," he said. Other reverse-recruiting outfits charge flat monthly fees—sometimes as much as $1,500—or submit dozens of applications on a client's behalf, a tactic some traditional recruiters say raises ethical and legal concerns.

Paying recruiters is emerging alongside another sign of worker desperation: applicants undercutting their own salaries. Slate reports that some job seekers, particularly younger workers, are offering to accept less than posted pay just to stay competitive in a market shaped by layoffs, automation, and prolonged hiring cycles. Andrew Lokenauth, a former Wall Street executive, said he's increasingly heard from candidates willing to take below-range pay, a mindset he says reflects deep anxiety about prolonged unemployment. For many workers, he said, the calculation has become brutally simple: "They've internalized this scarcity mindset that any job is better than no job."