Q. 20 years is a major milestone — what do you think has been the key to Recruitment Revolution’s longevity in such a competitive space?
I’d say our fanatical commitment to customer experience and the way we tirelessly champion a better way to hire.
We’ve always believed in sweating the small stuff so our clients don’t have to - whether that’s taking a brief at 7pm on Christmas Eve, launching a project on New Year’s Day, scheduling interviews at 7pm for 8am the next day, or being on hand to solve challenges the moment they arise.
We stay in constant motion: watching the market, listening to our customers, and innovating quickly when their needs shift. Our staying power comes from a strong value proposition, a sustainable pricing model, and building partnerships that genuinely last.
The world has changed dramatically over the last 20 years, and while we’ve moved with (and often ahead of) the times, our core values haven’t changed. We’re different - and we’ve stayed true to that difference:
- No sales calls
- No commission
- Sustainable and accessible pricing
- We only represent clients - avoiding any conflict of interest
- Mission-led, driven by modern values and ethics
- A marketing mindset applied to recruitment
- Championing ‘organic’ hiring, empowering clients and candidates to move forward on their own terms
- Showing up and caring about long-term partnerships, not short-term wins
Quite simply, we’ve never tried to be traditional. No forced placements, no pushy sales, no tactics, no jargon and no egos. Our challenger mindset struck a chord with the market - and it’s kept us relevant for two decades.
Q. Looking back, what was the original vision for Recruitment Revolution, and how has that evolved over the years?
The original RR business plan began as a marketplace for student and graduate temp work - an ‘eBay-style’ talent platform where candidates were rated and booked based on feedback scores. Alongside this, we introduced an option for clients to hire permanent staff at a far more competitive rate than traditional agency fees.
Within just six months, that model took off. Demand quickly grew for us to open the service to the wider market - so we did.
Since then, RR has evolved far beyond simply sourcing candidates. Today, we operate as a full talent partner, delivering a true end-to-end hiring solution that supports businesses at every stage of their recruitment journey. Our goal is simple: to help clients create the kind of hiring experience they would want to receive themselves.
Q. What were some of the biggest challenges you faced over the past two decades — and how did you overcome them?
One of the biggest challenges has always been shifting outdated attitudes toward recruitment. The traditional path is deeply entrenched, and it’s taken 20 years of education to show people that there is a better alternative to the “norm.”
In the early days, we regularly heard things like:
“We don’t do online recruitment.”
At the time, many businesses were still placing ads in newspapers or relying exclusively on traditional agencies.
“Surely we have to pay more to hire good people.”
This belief was rooted in the traditional agency model, where high fees are needed to sustain a costly, bloated infrastructure and the fee has to cover the cost of unfilled roles and any mismatches that require rebates - none of which reflects the actual quality of talent delivered. It’s simply a way of offsetting unpaid work.
Looking back, it’s remarkable that in 2005, when online commerce was advancing, the recruitment industry was still so untouched that two grads with zero industry experience could challenge it.
Even today, old-school mindsets persist, with many still assuming their only options are DIY job boards or commission-based agencies so we continue to educate that it works far better for all, including the candidate, if we work as an on-demand collaborative talent partner vs just another agency supplier where everyone is battling with each other. It’s all about being on the same team - we amplify direct hiring - bringing 20 years of expertise, creativity and real people into every project to deliver a better, more human hiring experience for everyone.
Q. How has the recruitment landscape changed since you first started, and what trends do you see dominating the next 5 years?
When we first started, online recruitment was in its infancy. Local agencies were relying on print ads, walk-ins and some were still faxing CVs. Over the years, we’ve witnessed the rise and fall of job boards and many ‘new’ hiring models all launching with a fanfare of investment and hype boasting bold claims.
We’ve seen huge shifts in the tools & tech that power hiring and channels like LinkedIn, social media and online communities revolutionise how agencies attract and engage talent, making the whole process far more efficient and productive.
We’ve also seen the rapid growth of ATS platforms and automation. And while AI has taken over many repetitive tasks, we still firmly believe that screening CVs and shortlisting candidates is a human-centric job - one that benefits from judgement, nuance and empathy.
We were early advocates of remote and hybrid working (we’ve been Remote for 20 years!), and those shifts have completely reshaped how people work, how talent moves, and how we market roles. Recruitment processes have also become faster with the popularity of video interviewing, online tasks and assessments. Looking ahead, the next five years will be defined by even more AI adoption - but also a growing appreciation for genuine human connection.
As impressive as AI becomes, it’s clearer than ever that recruitment still needs real people making key decisions and providing the human experience candidates expect. Ironically, the more automated the world becomes, the more our clients rely on us. A “profile” is no longer enough - context, judgement and partnership matter more than ever.
And despite all the change, some things remain the same.
DIY hiring still suffers from the same challenges: limited talent reach, limited time, and limited structure.
Traditional agencies remain conflicted, sales-driven and costly.
At RR, these gaps have only reinforced our belief in doing things differently - combining modern tools with human expertise to deliver a better, more balanced hiring experience.
Q. You’re now launching a brand refresh — what sparked the decision, and what are you hoping to achieve with it?
In short, our previous branding no longer reflected the depth, value and expertise we’ve built over the past 20 years. We actually began this evolution five years ago, gradually shifting from a “cheaper alternative” to a more premium, go-to talent partner that adds meaningful value across the entire hiring journey. We’re still exceptional value - that will always be part of our DNA - but it was time for the brand to catch up with who we’ve become.
Our new identity now matches the gravitas of the work we deliver and the level of projects we support. We’re seeing far more activity in the £75–£150K+ space, where clients save a significant amount compared with traditional 20–30% agency fees. Everybody wins - including candidates, who can often secure the top end of the budget (and sometimes more).
Q. What are some of the key elements of the new brand identity, and how do they reflect where Recruitment Revolution is headed?
Our new brand identity is all about clarity, confidence, and connection. After 20 years in recruitment, we wanted to evolve our look and feel to reflect the business we’ve become: modern, collaborative, and unapologetically human.
Visually, it’s cleaner and bolder. The colour palette is brighter and more energetic, the typography is strong but approachable, and the design language feels open and confident. It mirrors the experience we want people to have when they work with us - transparent, straightforward, and energising.
We’ve also refined our tone of voice to feel authentic, less corporate and more conversational - because recruitment is about people.
Overall, the new identity signals where we’re heading: towards a future built on smarter hiring, genuine partnerships, and a belief that great recruitment can be both creative and credible.
Q. Internally, how are you preparing your team and culture for this new phase of the business?
In truth, the team has been patiently waiting for the rebrand so that the brand finally reflects the incredible premium quality work they deliver for our customers (we’ve held the Feefo Platinum Award since 2021).
We’ve actually been successfully delivering our integrated / embedded options to clients for a while now.
Our Talent Engagement projects (which track at a 100% fill rate) for the past 5-6 years, and for the past few years our classic headhunting service with an RR twist, has helped our clients connect with some of the hardest to reach people known to man.
Q. You’ve built a reputation for disrupting the traditional recruitment model. How does the refreshed brand build on that disruptive legacy?
Disruption is in our DNA: it’s why we started Recruitment Revolution in the first place. Twenty years ago, we set out to challenge the recruitment agency model that had a bad reputation for shifty moves, over-inflated prices and a lack of ethics. From what we could see, the market was awash with some 18,000 agencies, who all looked the same and with no real mission or value proposition.
The refreshed brand is the next chapter of that same story. It’s not about tearing things up for the sake of it; it’s about continuing to show that there’s a better way to hire.
Our new identity brings that mindset to life - it’s sharper, more confident, and fully transparent. It reflects our belief that recruitment doesn’t have to be pushy, secretive, or commission-driven to be effective. It can be creative, collaborative, and honest and still deliver incredible results.
So, while the look is new, the spirit’s the same: we’re here to keep redefining what great hiring feels like. Or, as we say now - it’s As good as hiring gets®.
Q. What advice would you give to founders looking to keep their brand relevant two decades on?
Keep listening, keep moving, and never get too comfortable. The market shifts quickly - your customers will tell you what they need next if you’re genuinely willing to hear them.
Focus on building long-term partnerships rather than chasing short-term wins. We learned that the hard way in the early days: for a while, we were competing in a race to the bottom. When your value becomes purely transactional, you become replaceable.
Everything changed when we stopped “selling” and started truly partnering - stepping away from low-value, price-driven work and focusing instead on clients who wanted collaboration, creativity and meaningful results.
Staying relevant comes from continually evolving your value: building trust, innovating in the space your clients can’t easily do themselves, and staying true to the reason you started in the first place.
Q. What’s next after the brand refresh — are there any new services, technologies, or markets on the horizon?
First things first, we want to get RR out to the masses and showcase our refined positioning, demonstrating that our service is ‘As good as hiring gets®’
We’re now putting a bigger spotlight on our Talent Engagement Partner service, where clients get their own dedicated in-house talent expert. They embed themselves in the business, deep-dive into the culture and run the entire hiring process end to end.
We’re also developing a range of new tools for our concierge platform - our own agency web application designed to replace the old school way agencies manage the process.
Alongside that, we’re expanding our Paid Media creative campaigns to reach more passive candidates, an exciting new concept we’ve not seen elsewhere (we’re keeping this under wraps for now). Hiring is marketing, so it makes complete sense to use the same channels businesses use to win customers in order to attract hard to find talent.
We’ll be having more fun with Ai - not to replace humans, but to help support busy customers and enhance the overall experience.
And finally, after some major project wins and growing success in the US, we’ll be expanding our support for US-based businesses.
Quickfire Questions
Q. Most underrated quality in a recruiter? Warmth & Kindness.
Q. Biggest misconception about Recruitment Revolution? Less so now, but that we are some kind of automated platform.
Q. One word that captures the new brand? Personality
Q. Morning routine: tea or coffee? Tea
Q. Most exciting thing about the future of recruitment? Bringing embedded, integrated hiring to the masses - on demand. Why shouldn’t every business have access to their own “in-house” hiring team?
