The Hard Truth About Breaking Into the US

Breaking Into the US: 5 Lessons From Recruiters Who’ve Done It

Big fees. Big opportunity. But also bigger risks if you get it wrong.

The US isn’t a “copy and paste” of the UK.

It rewards persistence, expertise, and process, and it punishes short-term thinking.

Here are 5 lessons from recruiters who’ve done it, with stories and strategies you can put into practice right away.

1) Hemish: Niche Discipline Is Non-Negotiable

“The moment you lose focus and start chasing every shiny market, you dilute your brand and your pipeline.”

When Hemish launched in the US, he was tempted to chase everything.

The market is huge, and it feels like opportunity is everywhere.

But the recruiters who win are the ones who double down on a niche and go all in.

Hemish chose a narrow skillset and a tight location, and his desk became known as the place to go for those hires.

Why it matters: In the US, credibility compounds. A broad “I can cover anything” message gets you ignored. Depth of expertise gets you remembered.

Strategy:

• Write your niche sentence: Skillset + Industry + Geography (e.g., “Embedded software engineers in Boston’s med-tech sector”).
  
  

• Build a Top 50 account list in that niche and commit to 5 touchpoints per account every month.
  
  

• Track: % of revenue from repeat accounts vs. one-off wins. Aim for 70%+.

Test yourself weekly: Can you answer “what’s happening in my niche right now?” in 60 seconds?

2) Adam: Market Mapping Is Your Currency

“If you can’t show clients you know who’s who in their world, why should they see you as a partner?”

Adam told me a story about losing a pitch early on.

The client said: “We went with another recruiter because they already had a map of our competitors.”

That was the wake-up call. He built detailed market maps, org charts, funding rounds, and competitor hires and turned them into his biggest BD tool.

Soon, he was walking into meetings and showing clients things they didn’t even know about their own market.

Why it matters: In the US, market intel = credibility. When clients see you’ve done the work, you stop being a supplier and start being a partner.

Strategy:

• Build a living market map: every player, org chart, recent move, funding.
  
  

• Share weekly intel snippets with clients (salary data, competitor moves).
  
  

• Use maps in BD: “Here’s where your competitors are hiring, here’s the gap, here’s how we can help.”

Target: One new meeting per week opened through insights.

3) Liam: Persistence Wins Relationships

“The beauty of follow-up and consistency is it will eventually reward you, but most recruiters give up too soon.”

Liam laughed when he told me about one client in Boston.

He called them every month for a year. Nothing.

Then, after 13 months, the client finally picked up and said, “I admire your persistence. Let’s meet.”

That client became one of his biggest accounts.

Why it matters: The US isn’t about instant ROI. The relationships that pay off can take 12–18 months to convert, but when they do, they’re worth six figures.

Strategy:

• Identify 10–15 dream accounts in your niche.
  
  

• Create a 12-week nurture plan: LinkedIn comments, short calls, emails, market updates.
  
  

• Log touchpoints. Measure momentum, not just jobs.
  
  

• Expect: 6–12 months before they convert, but when they do, they’ll anchor your desk.

4) Sophie: Don’t Copy-Paste the UK Model

“The US market is far more relationship-driven. If you show up like it’s the UK, you’ll get found out quickly.”

Sophie moved to Austin and thought her UK playbook would work. It didn’t.

The pace was slower. Clients expected deeper relationships, different comp structures, and healthcare/401k to be factored into every offer.

Her turning point?

Spending a month purely on market immersion, 20+ conversations with hiring managers just to learn.

By the end of it, she had the knowledge and credibility to build properly.

Why it matters: The US isn’t “easier.” Fees are bigger, but so are expectations. You need to adapt your comp plans, messaging, and approach.

Strategy:

• Spend 4 weeks on immersion before chasing jobs, 20+ client conversations.
  
  

• Benchmark US comp & benefits, don’t use UK templates.
  
  

• Redesign your commission plan: quarterly thresholds + accelerators → top performers 50–60%.

Plan 12–24 months runway before the US arm is stable. Be open to split desks or delivery/account models; they’re common in the US.

5) Ashley: Control the Process or Walk Away

“If I can’t get a client to commit to a proper process, I won’t work with them. Otherwise, I fail my candidates and waste my time.”

Ashley shared how his team scaled from $1m → $5m by keeping urgency but adding process discipline.

One story stuck: a client said they didn’t have time for check-ins.

He walked away. Three months later, they came back after two failed hires. T

his time they agreed to his process and the placements stuck.

Why it matters: Speed still sells in the US, but only if paired with process control. Without it, you burn time on jobs that never close.

Strategy:

• On every job briefing: secure calendar anchors upfront (resume review, interview feedback, final debrief).
  
  

• Add a 10-min weekly sync call (agenda: CV review, feedback, updates, flexibility).
  
  

• Qualify candidates deeply and spec them into 3–5 mapped companies.

Say no to clients who won’t commit to process checkpoints.

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