Best Recruitment Agencies
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The Chicago index

Chicago recruitment agencies, ranked.

Every firm we track, scored on public signals: specialist focus, market activity and track record. Terms, claiming and sponsorship never change a rank.

The index is free to read and free to be listed in. Our sponsor makes that possible, and has no say in any ranking.

Firms tracked
409
Specialties
13
Open roles
6,813
Updated
Nov 11
Chicago, United States

The full leaderboard, Chicago

  1. =150Perrett LaverEducation, research, social impact and public-purpose executive and board recruitment40.0
    Not statedNot disclosed75 open roles
  2. =152Careers In Nonprofits39.9
    Not statedNot disclosed80 open roles
  3. =152Per Sé Group39.9
    Not statedNot disclosed84 open roles
  4. 154hireneXus39.7
    Not statedNot disclosed104 open roles
  5. 155SkyWater Search Partners39.5
    Not statedNot disclosed127 open roles
  6. 156Ana Bird Legal Search39.0
    Not statedNot disclosed18 open roles
  7. 157Unite Technology Staffing38.9
    Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
  8. 158INSPYR SolutionsIT staffing, technology leadership and specialist professional recruitment37.8
    Not statedNot disclosed10 open roles
  9. 159Marc-Allen Associates36.7
    Not statedNot disclosed20 open roles
  10. =160Kingsley GateExecutive and board search, including private equity portfolio companies and industrial leadership36.6
    Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
  11. =160RainMakers TalentExecutive and leadership search, including faith-based nonprofit organizations36.6
    Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
  12. =160SaragossaInvestment technology, software engineering, data, infrastructure and technology leadership36.6
    Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
  13. =160Talent Hitch Inc.Architecture, engineering, construction management and real estate professionals36.6
    ContingencyNot disclosed0 open roles
  14. =160Waterstone LLCRetained leadership search and recruitment for sales, marketing, finance, HR and technical roles36.6
    RetainedNot disclosed0 open roles
  15. 165RekrootFinancial-services recruiting and hiring support35.6
    Not statedNot disclosed18 open roles
  16. =166Chamberlain Advisors35.4
    Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
  17. =166Melo AssociatesCustomer success, customer growth, post-sales and revenue leadership recruitment35.4
    Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
  18. =166Victory LapSales recruitment, assessment and placement of trained sales development professionals35.4
    Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
  19. =169Joe Amara Executive SearchRetained executive search for power generation, transmission and digital infrastructure34.7
    RetainedNot disclosed3 open roles
  20. =169Noetic Executive SearchNonprofit CEOs, executive directors and senior functional leaders34.7
    Not statedNot disclosed3 open roles
  21. 171Lakeview SearchArchitecture, civil and structural engineering, construction management and project accounting33.6
    Not statedNot disclosed12 open roles
  22. =172Diamond Peak RecruitingAEC and MEP recruiting, entry level through executives33.1
    Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
  23. =172HirexHire33.1
    Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
  24. 174Ad Atlantic31.9
    Not statedNot disclosed5 open roles
  25. 175Colin McKenzie ConsultingCommercial, retail, logistics and residential real estate professional recruitment31.2
    ContingencyNot disclosed6 open roles
  26. 176Maven Recruiting & Consulting30.4
    Not statedNot disclosed1 open roles
  27. =177JMJ Phillip Executive Search30.2
    Not statedNot disclosed10 open roles
  28. =177The Larko Group30.2
    Not statedNot disclosed10 open roles
  29. =177Tree Top StaffingDirect hire and contract recruitment in technology, engineering, finance, HR, supply chain, sales and marketing.30.2
    Not statedNot disclosed10 open roles
  30. 180Ikon SearchInsurance, risk, compliance and professional corporate staffing29.6
    Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
  31. 181Finance Guru Consulting Group29.4
    Not statedNot disclosed9 open roles
  32. =182First Recruiting29.0
    Not statedNot disclosed2 open roles
  33. =182First Temporary29.0
    Not statedNot disclosed2 open roles
  34. 184Voll RecruitingLateral attorney placement for law firms and in-house legal departments28.4
    HybridNot disclosed0 open roles
  35. 185geekfinders27.6
    Not statedNot disclosed3 open roles
  36. =186Brick Executive SearchExecutive and specialist recruitment for fashion, retail and consumer products27.0
    Not statedNot disclosed6 open roles
  37. =186Kinney RecruitingLaw firm partners, associates and in-house counsel27.0
    Not statedNot disclosed6 open roles
  38. =186Mack & Associates27.0
    Not statedNot disclosed6 open roles
  39. =189Cooper ColemanNonprofit and social-impact executive, fundraising, finance and professional search26.7
    RetainedNot disclosed4 open roles
  40. =189EASE AutomationsTelecom and technology workforce and executive search26.7
    Not statedNot disclosed4 open roles
  41. =191Altiora ConsultingTechnical project and program staffing26.2
    Not statedNot disclosed5 open roles
  42. =191Maple Hill Search PartnersRetained real estate executive search for operators and PE26.2
    RetainedNot disclosed5 open roles
  43. 193LHS Recruiting Solutions LLCCPG brand, market research, and SaaS commercial roles25.4
    RetainedNot disclosed4 open roles
  44. =194AMPlified Search24.7
    RetainedNot disclosed3 open roles
  45. =194B2B-VIP Executive Alliance24.7
    Not statedNot disclosed3 open roles
  46. =194WeForge Consulting Services24.7
    ContingencyNot disclosed3 open roles
  47. 197Lynn Hazan & Associates24.1
    Not statedNot disclosed2 open roles
  48. =198180 Degree ConsultingHR, sales, accounting and finance recruitment, retained executive search and fractional executives23.8
    HybridNot disclosed0 open roles
  49. =1981st Consultant Recruiters23.8
    Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles
  50. =19820/20 Foresight23.8
    Not statedNot disclosed0 open roles

Score built from public signals · Fee model from firm websites · Terms reported by firms · Terms never affect the score

How the score works →

Recruitment agencies in Chicago: questions

How are these Chicago recruitment agencies ranked?

Each firm gets a score from public data: how focused it is on one specialty, how many roles it is actively hiring for, and its track record. We rank 409 firms in Chicago so far and re-score them as new data comes in. The full method is on our methodology page.

Can a recruitment agency pay to rank higher?

No. There is no paid placement. Claiming a profile, adding terms and our sponsor never change a score or a rank.

What's the difference between a recruitment agency, a headhunter and an executive search firm?

They overlap. A recruitment agency fills roles for employers, usually on contingency. Headhunter is the informal name for a recruiter who approaches people who aren't job hunting. Executive search firms are headhunters for senior roles and usually work on a retained basis. We list all three when they fill professional, white-collar roles.

How much do recruitment agencies in Chicago charge?

Most agencies charge a percentage of the hire's first-year base salary. Contingency recruiters are commonly quoted at around 15–25% and are paid only when you hire; retained and executive search firms often charge 25–35%, paid in stages as the search progresses.

My firm is missing or something is wrong. What can I do?

Firms can claim their profile for free and correct their details. Anyone can request a correction; we reply within three working days.

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13 specialties