How It Works The Offer For Talent Community Contact Get a Shortlist
North American Recruiting
Actively placing · US & CA

The best candidates
aren't applying.

The best candidates are employed and not looking. We source them directly, vet them properly, and bring you a focused shortlist. No job boards. No noise.

Get a Shortlist See How It Works
How we workA focused shortlist no resume dumps
TurnaroundBrief us today, candidates fast
Direct sourcingWe go to them they don't come to us
Why Job Boards Fail You

Great candidates
aren't applying.

Top performers are employed and not looking. If your hiring strategy depends on inbound applications, you're missing most of the market.

✕
Active applicants are a fraction of the market
The people you want are employed and not looking. You have to go find them.
✕
Filters eliminate the best non-linear careers
ATS systems screen for patterns. They routinely cut the unconventional paths that often produce the best results.
✕
Volume hiring is a lottery with bad odds
Reviewing 200 applications to find two good fits isn't a process. We skip the noise entirely.
✕
Most recruiters optimise for speed, not fit
Traditional recruiting rewards speed. We stay involved because a poor fit costs more than a slower search.
How We Work

We focus on the right hire.
Not volume.

We don't send a stack of resumes. We find the right people, vet them properly, and bring them to you without the noise that comes with job board recruiting.

A focused, high-fit shortlist

Tailored to your role. We speak to every candidate before they reach you no forwarded CVs, no noise.

Delivered without job boards

We go directly to the right people passive candidates who are employed, performing, and not applying anywhere.

We work with serious teams

We focus on teams that care about making the right hire. If that's you, the process is straightforward and the commitment is mutual.

Built for serious hiring

We work with teams that care about getting the right person, not just filling a seat. If that's you, we're the right fit.

The right hire is worth
finding properly.

We source directly, vet thoroughly, and deliver people we'd stake our reputation on.

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Our Sourcing Process

We find people who
aren't looking.

We don't post and wait. We identify the right people and go get them.

Direct outreach to passive candidates
We contact people who are employed and not looking. The best hire usually isn't on the market.
AI-assisted signals, human decisions
We use assistive AI to spot patterns most teams miss but every decision is still human.
Every candidate is spoken to first
We don't forward a profile we haven't discussed with the person. If we send them, they're worth your time.
A private network of vetted professionals
Hundreds of vetted professionals who trust us with their next move not findable on any job board.
500+
Placements across the US and Canada
Permanent, contract, and executive roles across tech, finance, ops, sales, healthcare, and more.
98%
Client Retention
72h
Avg. First Contact
12+
Industries Served
US+CA
Coverage
How We Evaluate Candidates

A resume shows history.
We assess potential.

The best person for a role isn't always the most obvious one. We look at context, momentum, and fit not just titles.

01
Context over credentials
Credentials confirm capability. Context predicts performance. We look at what drove someone and whether the timing is right.
02
Momentum over job titles
Rapid growth through an unconventional path often outperforms a credential-perfect linear one. We know how to read it.
03
Fit on what actually matters
Culture, growth stage, leadership style, team dynamics. We match on what determines whether someone thrives, not just qualifies.
04
We talk to every person we recommend
Every shortlisted candidate has had a real conversation with our team. We know their story and whether they're ready.
We look at what
résumés can't show.
Trajectory Context Drive Cultural fit Growth stage fit Leadership style Real potential
Job boards see
Job title and tenure
Keyword density
Years of experience
Active job seekers only
We see
Where they're headed
How they handle pressure
What they're actually capable of
The ones not looking
Our Standard

We don't send volume.
We send the right people.

Before anyone reaches your desk, we ask one question: would we stake our reputation on this person for this role? If not, they don't make the list.

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A short shortlist by design
Every name on the list is someone we'd genuinely back. No filler, no hedging.
If we wouldn't back them, we don't send them
If we wouldn't confidently back them for this specific role, they don't get sent.
We stay involved through the first 90 days
We follow up through the first 90 days because fit shows in the work, not the interview. We're accountable for outcomes.
Results

Placed across North America.
Retained by choice.

500+
Placements Made
98%
Client Retention Rate
Days,
Not Weeks
Typical Turnaround
12+
Industries Served
"We had a role open for three months. Northbound filled it in eleven days with someone we actually wanted to keep. That's a different experience than anything we'd had before."
Director of Operations · US-based SaaS company
For Candidates

Get seen by companies
worth working for.

We won't match you to roles that don't fit. We read your actual story, match on real criteria, and reach out only when it's worth your time. Apply to our talent pool →

We read your story, not just your CV
No keyword filters. We look at trajectory and fit, not just title matches.
Real conversations, not automated rejections
Every conversation is with a human who knows your file and advocates for you with the client.
Roles that never get posted publicly
Many of our best roles never appear on a job board. Our network is the only way to see them.
Apply once. We match you as roles come in.
Apply once. We'll reach out when something genuinely fits no chasing, no reapplying.
For Candidates

Your next role might
not be posted yet.

We place professionals with companies across North America that are actively hiring and invest in their people. Join and we'll match you when the right role comes in.

Always free for candidates
Matched on salary, location, and real fit
No algorithm. No automated rejections.
Access to roles before they're posted
Join Northbound →

Takes about 5 minutes · No commitment

Our Talent Network

People your competitors
can't find on job boards.

We maintain a private network of vetted professionals who trust us with their next move. When you work with Northbound, you're not competing with job postings you're accessing people others can't reach.

Direct recruiter contact. Unpublished roles. Community-first matching.

Start Hiring
#hidden-listingsMembers Only
NB
northbound_team
NEWSenior PM. US company, open to Canadian candidates. $105-130K. Not posted publicly.
NB
northbound_team
HOTAccount Executive. OTE $140K+, Series B. Open US + CA. 4 spots, moving fast.
NB
northbound_team
FILLEDFinance Analyst placed within 36hrs from community 🎉
312 members online · Updated daily
How It Works

Tell us what you need.
We handle everything else.

Fill in the brief below. Here's what follows.

01
Tell us about the role
Tell us the role, what success looks like, and any hard constraints. Takes about 10 minutes.
02
We source immediately
We start the same day direct outreach, AI-assisted signals, and our private network running in parallel.
03
You receive a tight shortlist
A tight shortlist of pre-vetted people, each with a profile, context notes, and our honest recommendation.
04
Hire who you want or we go again
If none are right, we refine. You pay a placement fee only when you hire.
Start a Search
Tell us about the role. We'll follow up the same or next business day.

Ready to hire
the right person?

A focused shortlist of people we've personally vetted. Direct sourcing, fast turnaround, no job board noise.

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Contact

Not ready to start?
Just reach out.

Ask us anything. We respond the same day.

Email
[email protected]
Coverage
United States & Canada
Hours
Mon–Fri · 8am–6pm ET
Looking for work, not hiring?
Join our talent network and access roles that never get posted publicly.
Join Northbound →
Send a Message
We'll respond within one business day.