I spent 19 years in recruitment. Over that time, I worked with companies of all sizes, from fast-moving startups to enterprise clients with lengthy procurement processes. I saw great candidates get matched with the right jobs, but I also saw a frustrating number of deals stall or disappear entirely—sometimes after weeks of effort. And not because the client didn’t like the talent or the recruiter didn’t deliver.
The problem, more often than not, was that the company needed something that went beyond recruitment. That’s the part no one likes to admit. A client might ask for a backend dev, but what they really need is a small team to validate a prototype. Or they might want to hire a data engineer, but the underlying issue is that their architecture needs work before they can get value from that hire. These are the moments when having a technical partner changes everything. Now that I work at ZirconTech, a software development consultancy, I see it more clearly.
The agencies that thrive in this space are the ones who have someone they can call when the brief starts to shift. When a client says, “We don’t know what we need yet,” they don’t panic or walk away. They say, “Let’s loop in our tech partner and figure it out.” This kind of partnership is incredibly valuable. It helps agencies hold onto the conversation, even when it veers off the hiring track. Instead of handing the opportunity to another vendor or watching it slip away, they’re able to stay relevant and expand the scope. Clients notice that.
They remember the agency that didn’t just provide CVs, but helped them move forward. At ZirconTech, we’ve been brought in to scope projects, build MVPs, provide staff augmentation, even support presales efforts. And every time, we’ve worked under the recruiter’s umbrella—quietly, collaboratively, without stepping on toes. That’s how trust is built. And that’s how both sides win more work. I often think back to deals I lost in the past, simply because I didn’t have a reliable partner to bring in.
Sometimes the client was ready to move, but we couldn’t support their timeline. Other times they asked for help in areas we couldn’t cover, and the conversation just fizzled. Looking back, I realize that with the right partner, I could have kept those doors open. The good news is that it’s not complicated. You don’t need to reinvent your business model. You just need to find a team you trust, one that understands how recruiters work and knows when to speak and when to stay quiet. From there, you build together. If you’re running a recruitment agency and you’re seeing opportunities that you’re not quite equipped to answer, don’t let them go. Don’t wait until the client asks for something you can’t provide. Have your partner ready. It makes all the difference.
