Job seekers are paying ‘reverse recruiters’ to get hired

A new job search trend is emerging among unemployed professionals in the US. People are paying headhunters to get recruited.

Traditionally, companies pay hiring professionals to find them talent. But with the average job search now stretching on to six months, unemployed workers are seeking “reverse recruiters” to get back on the wagon.

How does it work?
Reverse recruiters offer services extending beyond career coaching and resume polishing. They search for job roles, use AI or humans to mass apply on the candidate’s behalf, and help them land interviews.

Services like Refer, which sees 50 new sign-ups daily, often take 20% of the job seeker’s salary once they find a job. Boutique firms like Reverse Recruiting Agency charge $1,500 monthly, plus 10% of a client’s first-year salary. It claims to have placed 20 out of 44 clients.

While some job seekers told the Wall Street Journal that such services help navigate competitive applicant tracking systems, traditional recruiters remain skeptical.

They are wary of the model, raising concerns about charging vulnerable job seekers. They are also skeptical about the use of AI for mass applications, and question the success rate of their submissions made on the candidates’ behalf.

Though the unemployment rate isn’t high, it is becoming extremely hard for job seekers to find work, as companies have delayed hiring. Firms are also unwinding pandemic-era hiring sprees.

For the first time since 2021, the number of unemployed people exceeded the number of open jobs in late 2025, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

According to ADP, private hiring in America remains sluggish, with only 22,000 jobs added in January.

Tariff uncertainty and higher costs have slowed hiring, with some companies citing AI-driven productivity gains as a reason for layoffs.