Why Use a REC2REC Specialist?
The recruitment industry is competitive, fast-paced, and, like many other industries, constantly evolving. Recruitment agencies are under pressure to consistently deliver results for clients, build strong teams internally, and maintain their edge in the market.
One of the most important decisions for any recruitment agency is choosing the right people to represent their brand and manage client relationships. But when it comes to hiring recruiters themselves, many agencies turn to a very specific solution - the rec2rec specialist.
Whilst the concept of using a recruiting agency to recruit recruiters may seem unusual to some, it's a speciality for which there is very much demand. Maybe you're thinking, what is a rec2rec? Or why wouldn't a recruitment agency just recruit their own people since they specialise in recruitment? Again, it comes back to having that special set of skills and experience to select the very best recruitment professionals.
By using a specialist recruitment to recruitment agency, the business in question will be receiving a far superior service than if they just did it themselves. This is one of the main reasons why you should utilise the skills of a rec2rec specialist.
Understanding Rec2Rec: What Does a Rec2Rec Specialist Do?
The term rec2rec refers to recruitment to recruitment, a specialist sector within the wider recruitment industry that focuses on placing experienced recruiters into new roles, often within other recruitment consultancies or executive search firms. A rec2rec specialist is a recruiter whose sole focus is sourcing, screening, and placing recruitment professionals.
To some, the idea of a recruiter needing help to recruit might seem redundant. After all, recruitment agencies are experts in hiring. But the reality is that recruiting for your own team is significantly different from recruiting for clients. It requires an impartial perspective, deeper market intelligence, and access to networks that aren't easily tapped through traditional channels. This is where REC2REC professionals excel.
A rec2rec agency operates much like any specialist recruiter, but with a unique focus on placing recruiters at all levels, from junior consultants to directors, across a variety of recruitment niches. These professionals understand not just the job function, but the pressures, motivations, and career paths that define the recruitment world.
Why Recruitment Agencies Use Rec2Rec Services
Hiring great recruiters is not as straightforward as it may seem.
The recruitment industry is known for its high turnover, and finding individuals who can thrive in your specific business environment requires more than just reading a CV. Here are some of the core reasons why recruitment businesses of all sizes choose to work with rec2rec agencies like Amanda Wright.
Market Knowledge and Deep Sector Insight
Rec2rec specialists understand the recruitment industry from the inside out. Many have worked in recruitment themselves or have years of experience observing industry trends, salary benchmarks, and hiring challenges across various recruitment sectors. This means they can provide valuable insight to both clients and candidates, from advising on the competitiveness of a package to guiding businesses on how to attract talent in a tight market.
Because they work exclusively in recruitment-to-recruitment, these specialists are constantly networking with active and passive candidates. They know who’s performing, who’s quietly open to change, and which agencies are growing, merging, or changing direction. This level of insight is difficult to replicate internally and is one of the key advantages of working with a rec2rec partner.
Time Efficiency and Resource Saving
Recruiting internally can be a very time-consuming job, especially when recruitment leaders are already managing teams, client accounts, and business growth. Sifting through applications, qualifying candidates, conducting multiple interviews, and negotiating offers takes time, often weeks or months. A rec2rec specialist significantly reduces that burden.
Because they are focused entirely on this niche, rec2rec consultants already have pools of vetted candidates ready to go. They are proactive, not reactive. Rather than waiting for cv’s to come through job boards, they’re already in conversation with high-performing recruiters and can present suitable candidates quickly, often before competitors even know they’re on the market.
Access to Exclusive Talent Networks
Some of the best recruiters aren’t actively looking for a new role. In fact, many of the top billers in the industry are only open to change under the right circumstances, and they rarely respond to public job ads. REC2REC specialists maintain discreet, long-term relationships with such professionals and are able to approach them directly when the right opportunity arises.
At Amanda Wright (for example), our extensive network allows us to offer roles to candidates that they wouldn’t otherwise come across. We work with agencies on an exclusive basis, meaning many of our opportunities aren’t available through general recruitment channels.
A More Strategic Hiring Approach
Beyond simply filling a vacancy, hiring through a rec2rec partner offers a more strategic approach to talent acquisition. Because we take the time to understand the dynamics, culture, and future vision of a business, we’re able to match companies with candidates who not only meet the skills and experience criteria but who are also aligned with long-term goals.
We also work with candidates to understand their motivations, such as better progression, commission structures, training, or niche specialisation. This allows us to make matches based on real alignment, leading to stronger retention and more successful placements.
What Are Some of the Key Benefits of Using a Rec2Rec Specialist?
There really are some fantastic advantages to using a REC2REC specialist. From feeling protected and secure when it comes to your confidentiality, to ensuring you’re utilising the most experienced and ‘in the know’ people in the business to get the very best results. We’ve outlined some of these fantastic benefits below:
Confidentiality: When you’re searching for a new position, you, of course, don’t want your current employer to find out. We understand the importance of this and will always protect your confidentiality. When you’re using a recruiting agency, you should be able to speak openly about your career change, which is why we only work with our most trusted businesses who will never breach your confidence.
Time: If you were to take on the challenge yourself, it would take you much longer than our REC2REC specialists. Recruitment to recruitment is what we know, inside and out. We spend all day, every day, networking with businesses and recruiters; if there’s a role available, then we’re confident we’ll know about it long before you do. This level of connection is so important as we can call on our great relationships with the leaders of any industry, working effectively to achieve the best results for you.
Market knowledge: We understand that it can feel pretty overwhelming when you’re searching for a new job. There are so many recruitment companies out there who all are claiming various things which may or may not be true. It’s a challenge to work your way through this minefield, particularly at what could be a pretty stressful period in your life. We have great staff retention, which makes it much easier for us to build those ever-so-important relationships with our clients, meaning we know what they expect and what they are looking for when it comes to potential candidates.
Experience: Over 18 years of experience has given us excellent knowledge and exposure to a vast range of clients and candidates across many industries. We will always do our best to represent everyone in the most professional and effective way possible. We will be honest with you and offer as much advice as we can throughout the entire process to ensure your expectations are managed, and you’re kept completely in the loop at every stage.
Choice: Our experience affords us the ability to think outside the box when it comes to your career choices. We might even suggest an option or a career path which you might not have considered yet, but we’ll be sure to explain our justification for this. As we make that extra time and effort to get to know your personality and your aspirations, we can make an informed decision and offer you some fantastic options where we know you’ll thrive from every angle.
Just because you might be unfamiliar with the concept of recruitment to recruitment, doesn’t mean you can’t benefit from it. Keep your options open, work with the best professionals in your industry, and ensure that you’re being presented with the highest level of opportunities available.
Sectors and Specialisms: Where We Work
We specialise in recruiting professionals from a wide range of industries, such as management, oil and gas, manufacturing, aerospace, social care, legal, sales, accountancy and finance, engineering, FMCG, driving, IT, nursing, and pharmaceutical.
As you can imagine, finding the most suitable candidates for each of these specialist sectors requires specific experience, knowledge, and networking, which most agencies are unlikely to have; this is what we build on each day as rec2rec specialists so that we can effectively recruit professionals in those niche areas.
So, to recap, sectors and specialisms we frequently recruit for include (but aren't limited to!):
Engineering and manufacturing recruitment
IT and technology recruitment
Healthcare and social care recruitment
Sales, marketing, and commercial recruitment
Finance and accountancy recruitment
Legal and compliance recruitment
Oil and gas, aerospace, and energy recruitment
Pharmaceutical and life sciences recruitment
Driving, logistics, and industrial recruitment
Why use a rec2rec specialist from Amanda Wright?
We’ve spent almost two decades building trusted relationships with both clients and candidates across the UK recruitment sector. Our reputation is built on honesty, integrity, and results. We don't simply match CVs to job specs. Plus, we offer a consultative, human-first service that’s centred around real industry experience.
What sets us apart from other recruitment consultants is our proactive approach, sector knowledge, and ability to deliver time and again. Candidates value our guidance, our confidentiality, and the career opportunities we open up for them.
We understand the pressures and demands of recruitment from every angle. Whether you’re hiring or searching, our mission is to make the process easier, more informed, and more successful.
If you’re interested in working with a trusted rec2rec specialist, whether to find your next opportunity or build your team with experienced recruiters, we’d love to hear from you. Reach out to the team here at Amanda Wright today and start a conversation!