CJ Tufano, Founder and CEO of Cherrypicker, joined Benjamin Mena on The Elite Recruiter Podcast to talk candidly about the future of recruiting, the problems with the traditional staffing agency model, and what he learned spending 8+ years recruiting in New York City before building Cherrypicker.
What They Covered
The broken hiring experience on both sides
CJ spent years watching the same dysfunction play out repeatedly — companies paying 20–30% placement fees for candidates who were already being shopped to five other companies, and talented professionals receiving spam outreach for roles they would never consider. Both sides were frustrated, and the tools available weren't solving the right problems.
Why passive candidates are the real opportunity
One of the core themes of the conversation: the best candidates aren't applying to your job ads. They're already employed, succeeding in their current roles, and not scrolling job boards. Reaching them requires a fundamentally different approach — proactive, personalized, and built on trust.
What it actually takes to build a recruiting tech company
CJ talks about the challenges of building in a space where the incumbents (job boards, agencies) have decades of brand equity and entrenched habits. The key insight: solve for the people who are most frustrated by the existing model, not the ones who've accepted it.
The Cherrypicker model
Rather than waiting for candidates to apply, Cherrypicker flips the process — companies send introduction requests and job matches to a private network of pre-vetted passive candidates. Candidates stay completely anonymous until they choose to engage. No placement fees. No lengthy applications.
Key Takeaways
- 75% of top talent is passive — not applying to your job ads
- Outbound recruiting gives companies access to candidates before their competitors do
- Candidates deserve privacy and control over who sees their information
- The placement fee model is misaligned — agencies profit from speed, not quality
- Building recruiting technology means solving for trust on both sides of the market
Listen to the Full Episode
Find The Elite Recruiter Podcast with Benjamin Mena wherever you listen to podcasts.
Interested in how Cherrypicker can help your team hire passive candidates without staffing fees? Learn more about the platform or request access.