The traditional agency recruiter is facing an existential crisis. As someone who’s lived inside this model for years, I’m seeing a fundamental shift that can’t be ignored. In cybersecurity and tech especially, companies are asking tougher questions about our value. Many are deciding they can live without us.
The signs are everywhere. In 2024, internal talent acquisition (TA) teams aren’t just sourcing. They’re operating like full-scale marketing agencies. They’re using CRMs, AI-driven analytics, and automated outreach platforms to build talent pipelines faster and at a lower cost than ever before. As RecruitingDaily noted, internal mobility and talent redeployment are now top priorities for many companies. That means fewer external roles to fill in the first place.
Meanwhile, access to candidates has been democratized. Hiring teams don’t need a recruiter to find talent anymore. Between LinkedIn, Indeed, ZipRecruiter, and Glassdoor, sourcing has become less about connections and more about filtration. According to Forbes, remote work has expanded candidate pools globally, which means more volume. Just not more clarity. The bottleneck is no longer finding talent. It’s making sense of the flood.
This shift is especially pronounced in cybersecurity, where budget scrutiny is fierce and the talent market has cooled from its peak. I’m seeing more companies bypass agencies in favor of building long-term sourcing strategies internally. When they do call an agency, it’s often for a specialized niche such as a CISO search, a stealth-mode hire, or rapid headcount expansion. The everyday needs—the bread and butter of agency work—are disappearing.
As ERE pointed out, the new recruiting model is marketing driven. Talent attraction is now a branding and storytelling game. In-house teams have the advantage here. They know the culture, can craft authentic messaging, and move with speed and alignment. That is something a third-party recruiter, no matter how good, simply cannot replicate at scale.
This does not mean the agency recruiter is obsolete. It means we are no longer the default. We are now a niche solution, not a strategic imperative. That is a big shift in identity. And one that many in our space are still grappling with.
So what do we do? We adapt. The future of agency recruiting isn’t about having access. It’s about offering insight. It’s not about speed. It’s about solving harder problems that internal teams don’t have the time or perspective to tackle. We need to reposition ourselves as strategic advisors, not just vendors.
This article isn’t meant to be pessimistic. It’s meant to be clear-eyed. If you’re still relying on the old model such as mass outreach, contingency deals, or resume slinging, it’s time to evolve. The market already has.
