Help!

If Our Job Is to Help People, Why Don’t Recruiters Work Together?

Recruiters love to say our job is to help people.

We help people find jobs.We help businesses find the right talent.We help careers move forward and companies grow.

And I genuinely believe most recruiters mean that.

But here’s the uncomfortable truth: we can’t help everyone.

As a small recruiter, I don’t always have the right role for every candidate I represent. And honestly? I don’t believe the biggest agencies do either. Even with multiple clients, endless “live” roles, and big brand power, not every candidate finds a home.

So if our purpose really is to help, why does that help stop at the edge of our own desk?

The Limits of “Doing Our Best”

I’ve tried to go further. To think beyond “sorry, I don’t have anything right now” and actually ask: what else could I do for this person?

The answer I keep coming back to is simple: I can’t do it alone.

This week, after supporting a candidate through redundancy, I ran a small experiment. I reached out to other recruiters with a proposal: collaboration. Not client-poaching. Not backdoor tactics. Just a grown-up conversation about whether working together could help a good candidate land on their feet.

The response?

One reply.

They thanked me and politely explained they don’t partner with other “suppliers.”

Supplier.

God, I hate that word.

Am I Being Naive?

That response sent me into a spiral of questions:

• Am I being naive?

• Do I sound suspicious or underhand?

• Why does collaboration feel threatening in recruitment?

• Why is the default assumption that there must be a hidden agenda?

If the real concern is commercial — fine. Propose a fee split.If it’s confidentiality — fine. Put an NDA in place.If it’s protecting client relationships — fine. Work in the background, or be open with the client.

Imagine telling a client:“We work with trusted recruitment partners to broaden our reach and help us find the best talent.”

Would they hate that? Or would they actually respect the honesty?

The Industry Contradiction No One Talks About

Here’s the contradiction that intrigues me:

We say recruitment is about people and relationshipsBut we operate like people are commodities

We talk about ethics, candidate experience, and doing the right thing, yet collaboration is treated like weakness or a risk.

In almost every other industry, working together achieves more:

• Doctors refer patients.

• Consultants bring in specialists.

• Businesses form partnerships all the time.

So why not recruiters?

I Don’t Have the Answers — But I Have the Question

I’m not claiming collaboration is easy.I’m not pretending it always works.And I’m definitely not saying it should replace healthy competition.

But if we genuinely want to help people, especially candidates that are having a hard time, shouldn’t we at least be open to the idea that together we can do more than alone?

I’d love to hear from recruiters who’ve:

• Successfully collaborated

• Tried and failed

• Considered it and decided against it

Because whether this idea is idealistic, impractical, or quietly revolutionary, I can’t stop thinking about it.