CJ Tufano sat down with Real Good Software to discuss entrepreneurship, the road to building Cherrypicker, and why the hiring process needed to be fundamentally rethought.
About CJ Tufano and Cherrypicker
CJ spent over 8 years as an accounting and finance recruiter at top firms in New York City. He watched companies pay massive placement fees for candidates who were already being circulated across multiple firms, and saw talented professionals receive irrelevant outreach for roles they would never consider.
He built Cherrypicker to fix both sides of that problem — giving companies a better way to reach passive candidates, and giving candidates a private, anonymous way to explore opportunities without the noise.
What the Interview Covers
The entrepreneurship journey
Building a recruiting technology company means competing with entrenched habits — job boards, spreadsheets, and agency relationships that have existed for decades. CJ talks about the mindset required to build in a space where the status quo is deeply embedded.
Why the hiring process is broken
From the recruiter’s seat, CJ saw firsthand how the agency model creates misaligned incentives. Agencies profit from speed, not quality. Companies pay for candidates who were already applying everywhere else. Candidates have no privacy and no control over where their information goes.
The vision behind Cherrypicker
Cherrypicker flips the traditional model — instead of candidates applying to companies, companies send outreach to a private network of pre-vetted passive professionals. Candidates remain anonymous until they choose to engage. No placement fees. No lengthy applications.
Key Takeaways
- The best talent is passive — not on job boards, not applying to ads
- Trust and privacy are the foundation of a better hiring experience
- Outbound recruiting gives companies a sustainable pipeline without agency dependency
- Entrepreneurship in HR tech means solving real pain, not building features
Want to see how Cherrypicker works? Learn more about the platform or request access.