How We Rank Recruiting Agencies
Every ranking on RecruiterRank is derived from third-party data, processed by a transparent algorithm, and free from pay-to-rank bias.
We believe rankings should be earned, not bought. RecruiterRank pulls review data entirely from Google, applies a well-established statistical method to prevent small sample sizes from distorting results, and publishes every agency's score transparently. No agency can set, override, or inflate their ranking. Here's exactly how it works.
Third-Party Review Data
Every score on RecruiterRank comes from Google Reviews via the Google Places API. We read the rating and review count that Google has already computed for each agency office — we don't collect, filter, or editorialize individual reviews.
This means an agency's score reflects what their actual clients and candidates have reported to Google. Agencies cannot set or override their own scores on RecruiterRank.
Bayesian Scoring Algorithm
A raw average can be misleading. An agency with 2 reviews at 5.0 stars shouldn't outrank one with 200 reviews at 4.8 stars. To solve this, we use a Bayesian adjusted average — the same approach used by IMDb for their Top 250 and many other ranking platforms.
adjusted_score = (v / (v + m)) * R + (m / (v + m)) * CIn plain English: the fewer reviews an agency has, the more their score is pulled toward the platform-wide average. As an agency collects more reviews, their adjusted score converges toward their actual average. This rewards agencies that have earned trust at scale.
Worked Example
Assume the global average (C) is 4.2.
Agency A: 5 reviews, 5.0 average
(5/25) × 5.0 + (20/25) × 4.2 = 1.0 + 3.36 = 4.36
Agency B: 200 reviews, 4.8 average
(200/220) × 4.8 + (20/220) × 4.2 = 4.36 + 0.38 = 4.75
Despite Agency A's perfect 5.0 average, Agency B ranks higher because its score is backed by 200 reviews — a far more reliable signal.
Multi-Office Aggregation
Many recruiting agencies operate multiple offices. Rather than ranking each office separately, we compute a weighted average across all of an agency's locations, weighted by review count. An office with 150 reviews contributes proportionally more to the agency's overall score than one with 10 reviews. This gives a holistic picture of the agency's reputation while ensuring smaller offices don't disproportionately skew results.
Manual Approval Process
Every agency goes through a human review process before appearing on RecruiterRank. When an agency submits their profile, it enters a pending state and is reviewed by our team. Only agencies that meet our quality standards — legitimate business, accurate information, and genuine Google Business listings — are published to the directory.
Data Freshness
Review data can be refreshed at any time to pull the latest scores from Google. Our ranking pages revalidate hourly using Incremental Static Regeneration, so changes in review scores are reflected promptly without sacrificing page performance.
Schema.org Transparency
Every ranking page includes structured data using Schema.org markup. The same adjusted scores and rankings that users see on the page are exposed to search engines and AI models, ensuring consistency between what's displayed and what's indexed.
Explore Our Rankings
See the methodology in action. Browse agencies ranked by industry or city.
Learn more about RecruiterRank →