What Do Recruiters Actually Do?
It's a fair question , and one that doesn't get answered honestly often enough. Most recruitment agencies are vague about what they actually do, because being specific means being accountable. So here's a plain-English breakdown of what a specialist GTM recruiter actually does, and what we don't.
First , what we don't do
We don't find people jobs.
This sounds harsh but it's important to say clearly. If you send a recruiter your CV hoping they'll go out to the market and find you the perfect role, that's not how it works. We work on behalf of companies who have specific roles to fill. We find the right people for those roles , not the right roles for people.
This is one of the most common misunderstandings about recruitment, and it causes a lot of frustration on both sides. Candidates feel ignored. Recruiters feel misunderstood. The reality is simpler: we are hired by companies, not candidates. Our job is to solve a hiring problem, not a job-search problem.
That said , if you're a strong GTM professional, getting into a specialist recruiter's network is genuinely valuable. Not because we'll find you a job tomorrow, but because when the right role comes up, you'll hear about it before it's advertised anywhere.
LinkedIn and job boards are tools , not the job
A lot of people assume that what a recruiter does is post a job on LinkedIn and wait. Some do. The results reflect it.
LinkedIn and job boards are tools. They reach people who are actively looking. The problem is that the best candidates , the ones already hitting their targets, well paid, and selective about their next move , are rarely on job boards. They're not scrolling LinkedIn at 11pm hoping something better comes along.
Reaching those people requires something a job posting can't do: a genuine relationship, a compelling conversation, and the ability to position an opportunity in a way that makes someone consider leaving a role they're comfortable in.
That's the work. And it's a lot of work.
What we actually do
1. Give you access to people you won't reach
The majority of candidates we place weren't actively looking. They were approached, engaged, and persuaded that this particular opportunity was worth their time. That access comes from years of building relationships across a specific market , in our case, GTM talent in SaaS companies across Ireland and EMEA.
You can't buy that network with a job board subscription. It's built conversation by conversation, placement by placement, over time.
2. Provide context, not just CVs
Anyone can send you a stack of CVs. A specialist recruiter tells you why each person is worth your time , what they've actually built, where they've struggled, what motivates them to move, and whether they're genuinely right for your stage of growth.
A CV tells you where someone has been. A good recruiter tells you whether they're the right person for where you're going.
At the shortlist stage, you should receive 3–5 people you're genuinely excited to meet , not 15 profiles to triage on a Friday afternoon.
3. Position the opportunity properly
Getting a strong candidate to consider a move isn't just about the role , it's about how it's presented. The company stage, the growth trajectory, the equity conversation, the culture, the hiring manager. All of it matters.
A senior AE who's comfortable where they are needs a reason to pick up the phone. A specialist recruiter knows how to have that conversation in a way that's credible and compelling , because they've had it hundreds of times and they understand the candidate's perspective from the inside.
4. Manage the end-to-end process
From the initial briefing call to a signed offer, a good recruiter is running the process. Coordinating interviews, preparing candidates, facilitating debrief sessions, providing market intelligence, managing timelines, handling counteroffers, benchmarking compensation.
A lot of hires fall apart between verbal offer and signed contract. Counteroffer handling alone , understanding what the candidate actually needs to make the move, managing their existing employer's response , is a skill that takes years to develop and is genuinely difficult to do well without experience on both sides.
5. Build hiring infrastructure as a by-product
Working with a specialist recruiter over time produces assets that outlast the engagement , interview scorecards, compensation benchmarks, candidate assessment frameworks, employer brand positioning. The companies that get the most value from a recruitment partnership aren't just filling roles. They're building the infrastructure to hire well repeatedly.
What this means for you as a founder
If you're a SaaS founder making your first GTM hires, here's what to look for in a recruiter:
A specialist who only works in your domain. A generalist agency with a tech desk doesn't have the network, the benchmarks, or the market knowledge to fill a VP Sales role at a Series A SaaS company. You want someone who has done that search dozens of times and knows exactly where those candidates are and what it takes to move them.
Transparency about process. A good recruiter can tell you exactly what they're doing at every stage , who they've approached, what the response rates look like, what the market is telling them about your role. If you're briefing an agency and then waiting in silence for a shortlist, that's a red flag.
Honesty about fit. The best recruitment conversations start with a recruiter telling you what they can and can't deliver , and recommending against working together if the fit isn't right. Anyone who takes every brief regardless of specialisation is optimising for volume, not outcomes.
The bottom line
A specialist GTM recruiter gives you access to candidates you can't reach, context you can't get from a CV, and a process you don't have to manage yourself. That's the value. It's not magic , it's expertise, network, and execution applied consistently over time.
If you're not sure whether working with a specialist is right for your stage, a 30-minute call is the fastest way to find out.
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