Heather Barbour Fenty

Recruitment advertising agencies are a core part of talent acquisition. They help employers with media buying, recruitment marketing, employer branding strategy, and more.

Below is a list of 20+ U.S. recruitment advertising agencies. It includes the largest agencies we know along with smaller ones that might focus on just a region or vertical.

After all, some employers want to go with the largest recruitment advertising agency while others prefer to go with best-of-breed.

So, here’s how we ranked the recruitment advertising agencies:

Criteria & Methodology

  • Size is based on the volume of employees listed on LinkedIn — this is not perfect but it’s the best we could do. So, the rankings could look different if ranked by billings or # of clients.
  • U.S. Headquarters only — We list only recruitment advertising agencies headquartered in the U.S. We’re sorry to the many awesome recruitment ad agencies headquartered overseas (Havas People, Universum, ThirtyThree et al).
  • Conglomerates —  If we couldn’t measure the employee count of just the recruitment ad team of a larger company, we left them out.
  • Logos: We include the logos because these are agencies and how they approach their own logo represents their own creative skills and branding.
  • Copy/Headline, Sub-Headline, Taglines, etc. — In advertising, like most things, words matter. For each agency below, we include the headline, sub-headline, and tagline from their home page (where available). Reason: the words on their home page should show you their positioning and are also an example of their own copywriting skills.
  • Acquisitions — There’s been some consolidation of recruitment ad agencies in the last few years and we share some of those.

Our criteria is not perfect and we’re happy to consider adding anyone to this list — just send us a comment below or reach out to us via LinkedIn. (Disclaimer: Buyer Advertising and NAS Recruitment employee counts were larger in our original list due to some discrepancies in the employee counts on Linkedin. The counts were larger due to a number of false positives in Linkedin profiles and have been updated.)

Top 20+ List of Recruitment Advertising Agencies

1. Radancy

Radancy Recruitment Advertising Agency

# of Employees: 1,200

Headline: From hi to apply and everything in between.

Sub-Headline: Optimize your talent acquisition outcomes and improve your ROI with our leading global SaaS platform, data and expertise.

Tagline: CREATE CONNECTIONS THAT COUNT.

CEO: Michelle Abbey

Headquarters: New York, NY

Partnership Contact: Rick Au, Partnership Development Manager

Recent Acquisitions: Acquired CKR Interactive, an employer branding and recruitment marketing firm out of Campbell, CA. Acquired U.K.-based social media firm Carve (October 15, 2019); Acquired Maximum, a Netherlands-based recruitment marketing platform (October 3, 2019); Acquired programmatic recruitment platform Perengo (July 16, 2019); Acquired Brazen, a best-in-class solution for managing both virtual and in-person recruiting events (October 24, 2023).

2. Symphony Talent

# of Employees: 387

Headline: Convert candidates to co-workers…with confidence

Sub-Headline: Delivering a modern approach to talent acquisition that meets the challenges of today while innovating for the future.

Tagline: TALENT ACQUISITION FOR A NEW WORLD OF WORK

CEO: Kermit Randa

Headquarters: New York, NY

Partnership Contact: Claire Speidel, Strategic Growth Vice President

Recent Acquisitions: Acquired Smashfly Technologies, a recruitment marketing and candidate relationship management (CRM) technology (November 4, 2019); Symphony was the culmination of a number of earlier acquisitions including ad agency Bernard Hodes and recruitment tech firms Findly, SkillCheck, HRLogix, Innovantage and QUEsocial.

3. Appcast

# of Employees: 548

Headline: We make recruitment marketing work.

Sub-Headline: Appcast’s award-winning tech, proprietary data, and expertise transform how leading employers attract the right talent.

Tagline: We help global talent acquisition leaders

CEO: Christian Forman

Headquarters: Lebanon, NH

Partnership Contact: Courtney F., Senior Director, Strategic Partnerships

Recent Acquisitions: Acquired Bayard Advertising, a pioneer in recruitment marketing (July 2023).

4. Recruitics

# of Employees: 234

Headline: An AI-Powered End-to-End Talent Attraction and Conversion Platform

Sub-Headline: Recruitics’ industry-leading platform, data, and expertise deliver a best-in-class talent attraction and conversion engine, future-proofing your recruiting process and maximizing ROI.

Tagline: Driven by Data. Powered by People

CEO: Adam Stafford

Headquarters: Norwalk, CT

Partnership Contact: Michelle Sargent, VP of New Business & Partnerships

Recent Acquisitions: Recruitics acquired recruitment marketing agency KRT Marketing out of Lafayette, CA-based on July 31, 2019; Acquired Jamyr, an innovative video recruitment platform (May 2023).

5. Shaker Recruitment Marketing

# of Employees: 253

Headline: Shaker is on your side. We listen to you. Carefully. Then we consult. Thoughtfully.

Sub-Headline: We draw from a deep well of recruitment marketing options to deliver customized, user-focused communication strategies, authentic employer branding, award-winning creative, and media plans you can trust because we are champions of your best interest.

Tagline: Your Goals Are Our Goals

President: Joe Shaker, Jr. 

COO: Derek Briggs

Headquarters: Oak Park, IL

Partnership Contact: Kim Harrel, Vice President, Business Development

Recent Acquisitions: Shaker acquired The Arland Group, the St. Louis, MO-based recruitment marketing and communications agency.

6. NAS Recruitment

# of Employees: 212

Headline: We Optimize Candidate Attraction Through Storytelling, Technology & Strategy

Sub-Headline: We are a Full-Service Agency Specializing in Employment Branding, Career Site Technology and Recruitment Marketing Strategies

Tagline: 

WE’LL UNCOVER YOUR UNIQUE STORY THROUGH EMPLOYMENT BRANDING… Our CAPTIVATE Process Brings Your Message to Life

COO: Jennifer Henley

Headquarters: Independence, OH

Partnership Contact: Dennis Hoffman, Executive Director Business Development

Recent Acquisitions: On March 3, 2020, NAS was acquired by M3 USA, a leader in healthcare solutions for hospitals, health systems and physicians.

Note: NAS is still on this list because it’s an agency that still operates independently (has its own web site with LinkedIn profile listing employees)

7. eQuest

# of Employees: 101

Headline: Since 1994 eQuest has been the leader in global job distribution.

Sub-Headline: The Majority of the Global Fortune 1000 trust eQuest to post their jobs worldwide.

Tagline: Global Job Posting Distribution

CEO: John Malone

Headquarters: San Ramon, CA

Partnership Contact: May Ton, Business Development

8. Conversion Interactive

# of Employees: 76

Headline: Technology to amplify your employer brand. Smart Recruiting. Smarter Savings.

Sub-Headline: Full-service ad agency providing innovative recruiting, retention & training strategies for the transportation industry.

Tagline: Recruit Smarter. Retain Better.

CEO: Kelley Walkup

Headquarters: Brentwood, TN

9. Miller Advertising

# of Employees: 77

Headline: Navigating change and growth for 100+ years.

Sub-Headline: Miller Advertising is here to help your business thrive.

Tagline: We help clients reach, educate and engage their audience.

President: Jeffrey Miller

Headquarters: New York, NY

10. Hireclix

# of Employees: 57

Headline: Smart | Creative | Results

Sub-Headline: Proactive Talent Acquisition Strategies for Every Organization

Tagline: 

TRANSFORM YOUR TALENT ACQUISITION TEAM… Put HireClix in Your Corner Today.

CEO: Neil Costa

Headquarters: Gloucester, MA

Partnership Contact: Steve Stepanian, Business Development Manager

11. Buyer Advertising

# of Employees: 249

Headline: Recruitment Technology Solutions Backed by a Passion for Customer Service

Sub-Headline: Our Optimized Hiring Solutions Empower Recruiters with a Smarter Way to Attract, Convert and Track Candidates Through the Hiring Process.

Tagline: Innovative thought leaders empowering clients with custom recruitment solutions.

CEO: Chuck Buyer

Headquarters: Boston, MA

12. JobElephant

# of Employees: 42

Headline: Elevate Your Recruitment Advertising With JobElephant

Sub-Headline: Elevate Your Hiring: Precise Targeting, Maximized ROI!

Tagline: Recruitment Advertising Made Easy™

Other: JobElephant has expertise in serving higher-education and diversity job board distribution.

CEO: Michael Ang

Headquarters: San Diego, CA

Partnership Contact: Andy Boom, Director of Business Development

13. SmartDreamers

# of Employees: 30

Headline: From Legacy to Next-Gen Talent Acquisition, AI-Driven

Sub-Headline: We’re Bringing Marketing Superpowers to Talent Acquisition Professionals

Tagline: The AI Recruitment Marketing Platform for Next-Gen Talent Acquisition

CEO: Adrian Daniel Cernat

Headquarters: New York

14. Stories Incorporated

storiesinclogo

# of Employees: 13

Headline: Tell your employer brand or customer brand story with engaging and insightful content created by Stories Inc.

Sub-Headline: We’re experts who create video, blog, and photo content libraries around stories. Clients think of us as a self-sufficient extension of their team.

Tagline: Communicating culture through visual storytelling, inspired by real employee experiences

Co-Founders: Lauryn Sargent & Scott Thompson

Headquarters: Washington, DC

15. Red Dot Media

# of Employees: 85

Headline: Programmatic Media and Job Marketing

Sub-Headline: Creating a balanced mix of media solutions to amplify your recruitment marketing.

Tagline: Our Solutions Empower Talent Acquisition To Advertise And Automate Efficiently.

CEO: Kelly Robinson

Headquarters: Newport Beach, CA

Partnership Contact: Maverick Robinson, Business Development

16. Employera

# of Employees: 9

Headline: Employer Branding, Communications and Design to Help Companies and People Thrive.

Sub-Headline: We build employer brands that stand out, design compelling candidate and employee experiences, and create communications that break through at every touchpoint in the talent journey.

Tagline: Employer Branding, Communications and Design to Help Companies and People Thrive. 

CEO: Andy Getsey

Headquarters: San Francisco, CA

17. Change State

# of Employees: 12

Headline: We believe that your recruitment marketing agency should help you in all areas of the talent acquisition process, not just spending recruitment ad budgets.

Sub-Headline: At Change State, we tackle everything from HR tech selection, to talent insights research, to programmatic advertising.

Tagline: Smarter spending. Transparent results. White glove service.

Leadership: Graham Thornton & Martin Predd

Headquarters: Seattle, WA

Partnership Contact: Mark Tomasino, Director of Partnerships & Special Projects

18. Popmix Media 

# of Employees: 7

Headline: Creating a 10X Candidate Recruiting Experience

Sub headline: We help companies sustain their business growth by increasing Employer Brand Engagement, and Winning over Top Talent.

Tagline: We build world class teams through digital marketing.

Leadership: Jeff Weidner

Headquarters: Wake Forest, NC

Partnership Contact: Sean Arden, Business Development Manager

19. Hope Leigh Marketing Group

# of Employees: 16

Headline: Every part of your process impacts cost, quality, and time to fill.

Sub-Headline: That’s why we work with you to review your funnel – from attraction to hire. And, we recommend strategies aligned with YOUR goals, to support your needs.

Tagline: We are THE Talent Attraction Agency

Managing Partners: Carrie Corbin & Amanda Thompson

Headquarters: Dallas, TX

Partnership Contact: Amanda Thompson Buffington, Managing Partner & Co-Founder

Hope Leigh was founded in 2020 by Amanda Thompson (previously Vice President of Client Strategy of recruitment ad agency Bayard) and Carrie Corbin (an employer branding/talent acquisition leader with experience at Dell, American Airlines and AT&T).

20. Brandemix

# of Employees: 8

Headline: Talent. Branding.

Sub-Headline:We uncover the heart of your culture and bring it to life in real and engaging ways.

Tagline: Bonding through brand strength

Chief Brand Officer: Jody Orioni

Headquarters: New York, NY

Partnership Contact: Ajay Sajju, Director of Business Development

21. Hirekey

# of Employees: 7

Headline: HireKey is a Recruitment Adverting Agency and builder of software to connect Mentors to Proteges.

Sub-Headline: We empower workers to connect with others and find resources to assist them in landing their next job and assist on their career path.

Tagline: Talent Acquisition Advisory & Consultancy

CEO: Andrew Gardiner

Headquarters: San Jose, CA

22. McFrank & Williams Recruitment Advertising Agency

# of Employees: 6

Headline: Every one of your jobs has a special something that ideal candidates are craving for.

Sub-Headline: Do you know what it is?

Tagline: Specializing in Enhancing Recruitment Marketing

CEO: Michael Bruce

Headquarters: New York, NY

23. Spin Recruitment Advertising

# of Employees: 2

Headline: Spin is founded on the basic principle of providing impeccable service and value. To everyone.

Sub-Headline: For our clients, that translates into innovative, cost-effective solutions customized to meet specific goals.

Tagline: Recruitment Solutions with a Spin

President: Traci Dondaville

Headquarters: Walnut Creek, CA

Partnership Contact: Stephanie Fong, Vice President

24. Branded Strategies

# of Employees: 7

Headline: Branded Strategies is a digital advertising firm focused on social, talent attraction & workforce marketing.

Sub-Headline: With a solid understanding of today’s rapidly changing technology space, we’re focused on providing fresh & innovative solutions for our client that highlight & strengthen their employment brand.

Tagline: GBS is your end-to-end talent attraction partner and recruitment marketing agency.

CEO: Crystal Miller Lay

Headquarters: Frisco, TX

Broader Agencies that do Recruitment Advertising

Here are some other leading players in the recruitment advertising space. They don’t focus purely on recruitment ads, but they do offer it as a key part of their solutions.

25. JobTarget

JobTarget_logo

# of Employees: 348

Headline: JobTarget Helps Make Hiring Happen.

Sub-Headline: JobTarget is a customizable, configurable platform of recruitment tools.

Tagline: Empowering Recruitment Through Data

CEO: Andrew Banever

Headquarters: Stamford, CT

Partnership Contact: Ethan Bloomfield, SVP, New Business

26. SCG Advertising and Public Relations

scg logo

# of Employees: 44

Headline: WE PROVIDE SOLUTIONS.

Sub-Headline: ADVERTISING, PUBLIC RELATIONS, RECRUITMENT MARKETING AND ASSOCIATION MANAGEMENT SOLUTIONS.

Tagline: Offering a full line of Recruitment Advertising, Consumer Advertising/Marketing, and Public Relations services for over 50 years.

Presidents: Valerie Doyle, 100 S. Jefferson Road, Whippany, NJ 07981

Headquarters: Whippany, NJ

Partnership Contact: Michael J. Gatta, Vice President at SCG Advertising & Public Relations. 856-795-7391 ext: 149

27. Graystone Group Advertising

graystone-logo

# of Employees: 21

Headline: No matter what your need. No matter how you want to reach the market. Graystone Group is the “One Source Solution”

Sub-Headline: Let’s get started

Tagline: Recruitment advertising that costs less…delivers more!

President: George Bailey

Headquarters: Bridgeport, CT

28. Harger Howe Advertising

hargerhowe-logo

# of Employees: 19 (although their website says they have 58 employees) 

Headline: Targeted candidate search

Sub-Headline: Our experienced recruitment team can help you find the right person for any position.

Tagline: We provide digital, traditional and social solutions while specializing in Recruitment Marketing.

CEO: Michael Walsh

Headquarters: Houston, TX & Burlington, MA

Partnership Contact: Jennifer Sopczak, Managing Partner

29. Allied Insight

# of Employees: 18

Headline: A marketing partner that doubles as your growth partner.

Sub-Headline: We invest in your entire success.

Tagline: We provide all-in marketing the staffing industry deserves.

CEO: Jeff Pelliccio

Headquarters: New York, NY

Partnership Contact: Ashley Bowlin, Chief Growth Officer

30. Sago

Number of employees: 1,200 employees

Headline: ELEVATE YOUR RECRUITMENT

Subheadline: Take your recruitment to new heights with the company that knows the field best. Access global, high-quality niche or general audiences for any project with ease.

Tagline: ELEVATE YOUR RECRUITMENT

Recent Acquisitions: Acquired Focus Pointe Global, a qualitative data-collection provider (November, 2023)

CEO: Reed Cundiff

Partnership role: Katie White, Director, Business Development

Headquarters: Iselin, New Jersey

31. Peak Sales Recruiting

Number of employees: 56 employees

Headline: Boston’s leading sales recruiters.

Subheadline: Peak Sales Recruits the Top Salespeople in Boston, Massachusetts

Tagline: Get the sales and sales leadership talent you need to drive revenue and growth.

CEO: Kyle Fletcher

Partnership role: Brent Thomson, Managing PartnerHeadquarters: New York, NY

32. Tilted Chair

Number of employees: 18 employees

Headline: What’s Next?

Subheadline: Our unique methodologies help future-focused businesses uncover and tell unique brand stories that connect with audiences.

Tagline: Helping companies find brand clarity and spark connection with people.

CEO/Leadership: Jameson Rodriguez, Co-founder

Partnership role: Mae Merritt, Brand Strategy & New Business

Headquarters: Austin, TX

33. Joveo

Number of employees: 396 employees

Headline: AI-Powered Fully-Integrated Recruitment Marketing Platform

Subheadline: Direct employers, gig economy behemoths, some of the largest staffing agencies, global RPOs, and recruitment advertising agencies trust and Joveo.

Tagline: #1 End-to-End Talent Sourcing Platform

Recent Acquisitions: Acquired Ripple Labs, a digital media buyer which provides programmatic buying expertise to recruitment ad agencies and job boards (February, 2018)

CEO: Kshitij Jain

Partnership role: Cindy Songné, Agency Partnerships

Headquarters: Menlo Park, CA

34. Sphere

Number of employees: 157

Headline: We build remarkable teams.

Subheadline: Sphere Digital Recruitment embraces the ever-changing and growing digital world. We’re proud to help businesses grow their digital teams and people take the next steps in their careers.

Tagline: Specialists in placing media, marketing, sales, analytics, product and creative ​talent globally

CEO: Ed Steer

Partnership role: Daniel Bolter, VP, North America

Location: North America

35. Artisan Talent

Number of employees: 155 employees

Headline: Award winning creative staffing agency.

Subheadline: We may not be scientists — but we know chemistry.

Tagline: Matching Talent with Success

CEO: Bejan Douraghy

Partnership role: Karen Smith, Strategic Partner

Headquarters: Chicago, IL

36. Method Recruiting

Number of employees: 26 employees

Headline: A proven method for your digital marketing talent needs

Subheadline: At Method Recruiting, our strength lies in locating the finest talent in digital marketing. 

Tagline: Your Gateway to Growth Marketing Recruitment

CEO/Leadership: Matt Simpson, Co-Founder, Managing Director

Headquarters: San Francisco, CA

37. Robert Half

Number of employees: 29,000 employees

Headline: Anything’s possible when you have the talent

Subheadline: Find skilled candidates, in-demand jobs and the solutions you need to help you do your best work yet.

Tagline: Helping you find skilled candidates, in-demand jobs, and solutions you need to do your best work yet.

CEO/Leadership: Sam Fortenbery, VP

Partnership role: Michael Williams, Director Business Development

Headquarters: Menlo Park, CA

38. 80Twenty

Number of employees: 46 employees

Headline: WE CONNECT HIGH-GROWTH COMPANIES WITH TOP-TIER TALENT

Subheadline: Access high-caliber talent: Expertise, network, and proven recruitment strategies for successful hiring in marketing, creative, and sales.

Tagline: Leading boutique staffing agency for marketing, sales, and creative roles

CEO: Annika Bryntse

Headquarters: San Francisco, CA

39. Ramsey MediaWorks

# of Employees: 28

Headline: Recruitment Strategies That Stand The Test Of Time

Sub-Headline: You deserve an agency that works for your success as hard as you do.

Tagline: Think of us as your Joplin branch office.

CEO/President: Garrett Ramsey

Headquarters: Joplin, Missouri

Partnership Contact: Doug Smith, Director of Client Relations

Other Resources for Selecting a Recruitment Advertising Agency

Whichever recruitment ad agency route you take, we recommend you look at each agency and a handful of their competitors. Never make a decision on an agency with a pool of just one.

Which recruitment advertising agencies did I miss?

I’m sure I missed some great agencies. So, please use the comment below or reach me via LinkedIn. I’m glad to consider adding them to this list.

Also, please include their name and link to their home page. Thanks!

Why I Wrote This

Recruitment ad agencies help employers attract quality and diverse candidates. Ongig works closely with many of the agencies above as part of their clients’ recruiting tech stack. So, if you want to find out more about what we do, please visit Ongig.

by in Recruitment Marketing