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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
# 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
# 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
# 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
# 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
# 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
# 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
- John Sullivan: Most Don’t Get it: How to Assess a Recruitment Ad Agency
- Recruitment Ad Agency Association (RAA) (includes a list of 17 members on their home page)
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.
