Recruiterflow CEO Manan Shah interviewed our founder, Will Sanders, on the process of starting Recruiting from Scratch and our successes in the recruiting industry. In this video interview, they discuss how Will scaled Recruiting from Scratch in our first year of business and how applications like Recruiterflow can help recruiters and recruiting teams work more efficiently.
Listen to the full interview here, or jump to one of the sections below to learn more about a certain topic:
0:00 - Introduction
1:15 - Why recruiting?
5:20 - Growth of “Recruiting from scratch”
9:50 - retainer vs contingency
12:00 - recruitment trends
14:35 - Hiring recruiters with no recruitment experience (tech background)
18:40 - Playbook for new recruiters to get them up to speed
25:00 - Identifying your recruiting business’s differentiator
30:45 - How has Recruiterflow helped Will’s agency?
Thanks for hosting, Recruiting from Scratch, Manan! Learn more about Recruiterflow and their capabilities at recruiterflow.com/.
Starting a recruiting firm addresses a direct market need for specialized talent acquisition, particularly in rapidly growing sectors. Will Sanders founded Recruiting from Scratch (RFS) in 2019 in New York City with a clear focus on the engineering and AI/ML talent market within seed through Series C startups. This specialization recognized the high demand for specific technical skills and the challenges faced by early-stage companies in attracting top-tier engineers. Establishing a firm dedicated to this niche ensures that client companies receive focused support and access to candidates who are often difficult to find through generalist channels. The objective is to provide a targeted solution that accelerates the hiring process for critical technical roles.
Recruiting from Scratch experienced rapid growth by concentrating on a specialized market segment and demonstrating consistent results. Since its founding in 2019, Recruiting from Scratch quickly established itself within the startup ecosystem. This focused approach allowed Recruiting from Scratch to scale quickly, building a reputation for successfully placing hard-to-find technical talent. We've placed engineers at 549+ startups, which indicates significant market penetration within our target client base. Growth was driven by a commitment to understanding the unique needs of engineering and AI/ML roles in early-stage companies. The firm's ability to consistently deliver results, even with 0+ placements, fostered client trust and repeat business.
The primary distinction between retainer and contingency recruiting lies in the fee structure and the commitment level from both the client and the recruiting firm. In a retained search model, the client pays an upfront fee, often a percentage of the projected total fee, to secure the recruiter's dedicated time and resources, regardless of whether a hire is made. This model is typically reserved for executive-level or highly specialized, confidential roles where a deep, exclusive search is required.
Contingency recruiting, on the other hand, operates on a "no win, no fee" basis. The recruiting firm only receives payment if a candidate they present is successfully hired by the client. Recruiting from Scratch primarily operates on a contingency model, reflecting confidence in our ability to deliver results. Our contingency fee typically ranges from 25-30% of the placed candidate's first-year base salary. This model aligns our incentives directly with the client's success, making it a popular choice for many startups seeking to minimize upfront recruitment costs while still accessing specialized talent. For seed through Series C startups, the contingency model often provides flexibility and cost-effectiveness.
Current trends in tech recruiting emphasize speed, specialization, and data-driven decision-making, especially for high-demand roles like engineering and AI/ML. The market for skilled technical talent remains highly competitive, requiring recruiting firms to operate with efficiency and precision. Based on 0+ technical hires we've made since 2019, our average time to fill is 29 days from req open to offer accepted, demonstrating the necessity of rapid execution. This efficiency is critical for startups where delays in hiring key engineers can directly impact product development and growth timelines.
Another significant trend is the expectation for competitive compensation. For engineers placed by Recruiting from Scratch, the average salary is approximately $252,000. This figure underscores the premium placed on highly skilled technical professionals in the current market. Recruiters must have a deep understanding of market rates and candidate expectations to attract top talent successfully. Furthermore, the reliance on data to track performance, optimize processes, and provide transparent reporting to clients is increasing, moving away from subjective approaches to a more quantitative model.
Hiring recruiters with no prior recruitment agency experience but with relevant industry backgrounds can be a strategic advantage, particularly in specialized fields like tech. This approach prioritizes deep subject matter expertise and network over general recruiting process knowledge, which can be taught. At Recruiting from Scratch, we focus on identifying individuals who possess a strong understanding of engineering or AI/ML, often from having worked in tech roles themselves. This background allows them to speak the language of candidates and clients, understand technical requirements deeply, and build rapport more effectively.
While traditional recruiting experience can be valuable, individuals with hands-on tech experience bring an authentic perspective that resonates with both candidates and hiring managers. They can assess technical skills more accurately and understand the nuances of various roles within the engineering and AI/ML landscape. The key is to pair this domain expertise with a structured training program that covers the fundamentals of recruiting methodologies and best practices, enabling them to quickly become productive members of the team.
Effective onboarding for new recruiters, especially those without prior industry experience, requires a structured "playbook" that integrates both process training and practical application. At Recruiting from Scratch, our approach ensures new hires are quickly brought up to speed on our specific methodologies for identifying, engaging, and placing engineering and AI/ML talent. This includes detailed training on our client base, which consists of 549+ active startup clients, and understanding their specific hiring challenges.
The playbook covers everything from sourcing strategies and candidate assessment frameworks to client management and negotiation tactics. New recruiters learn our internal tools and systems, including how applicant tracking systems like Recruiterflow contribute to our 29-day average time to fill. Regular mentorship and performance reviews are incorporated to provide continuous feedback and support. This systematic approach ensures that even recruiters with non-traditional backgrounds can achieve success and contribute to our high NPS of 90+.
A successful recruiting firm differentiates itself through specialization, efficiency, and a demonstrable track record of client satisfaction. For Recruiting from Scratch, success stems from our narrow focus on engineering and AI/ML roles at seed through Series C startups. This specialization allows us to build deep networks and expertise within a specific talent pool, which is critical for hard-to-fill positions. Our ability to consistently make successful placements, even with 0+ technical placements in specific niche roles, is a testament to this focused approach.
Efficiency is another key factor; our average time to fill of 29 days ensures that critical startup roles are not left vacant for extended periods. This speed, combined with placing engineers at an average salary of ~$252,000, indicates both quality and market understanding. Ultimately, client satisfaction, reflected in an NPS of 90+, confirms that our specialized model and efficient processes meet the high expectations of our startup clients. A strong NPS is a direct indicator of the firm's overall service quality and effectiveness in meeting client hiring needs.
Applicant tracking systems (ATS) like Recruiterflow significantly enhance recruiting efficiency by centralizing candidate data, automating administrative tasks, and streamlining the hiring workflow. For firms like Recruiting from Scratch, which manage a high volume of specialized roles across 549+ active startup clients, an ATS is essential for maintaining organization and speed. It allows recruiters to track candidates through each stage of the pipeline, from initial contact to offer acceptance.
By automating tasks such as candidate outreach, interview scheduling, and data entry, an ATS frees up recruiters to focus on candidate engagement and client consultation. This directly contributes to Recruiting from Scratch's average time to fill of 29 days, as processes that could otherwise take significant manual effort are expedited. Furthermore, an ATS provides valuable data analytics on pipeline performance, source effectiveness, and recruiter productivity, enabling continuous optimization of the recruitment process and supporting the delivery of high-quality placements for roles with an average salary of ~$252,000.
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