Recfluence, a Tripadvisor-style reviews website focused on the recruitment industry, aims to turn around industry reputation and help both candidates and recruitment agencies, its founders say.

Speaking to Recruiter this morning, Recfluence founders Danny Wu and Rebecca Zheng, both formerly of IT recruiter Templeton & Partners, said the motivation for the site was an effort to help turn around the industry’s reputation, which they say is negative.

“We thought we could try to differentiate the good recruiters from the poorer performing recruiters,” Wu said.

Any candidate that has been involved with a recruitment agency is able to join the Recfluence ‘community’ and leave a review.

But the two are quick to point out all reviews will be subject to a strict vetting process. 

The candidates will be required to provide a link to their social media accounts, so the team can vet them as people and make sure they are not working for a rival recruitment firm, before they can post a review. 

And that review will be subject to vetting too – initially by the Recfluence team to ensure all terms and conditions of posting are met – no defamation, for example. The review will then be vetted by other community members.

For example, Wu explains, if a review is negative, other community members will be able to say whether their experience matches that or not: “Essentially it’s to help their peers select the best recruiter in the market.”

It will also help recruitment agencies, but revealing where they sit in the market and showing what they may need to do better.

The platform currently has between 400 and 500 community members, who have been testing the processes, and is due for soft launch imminently, with full launch expected in three months.

The service is free for candidates. For the agencies, it will initially be free but the company is offering ‘add ons’ focusing around brand reputation management – to explain bad reviews, for example. The companies will be able to comment on reviews about them.

‘Angel investor’ and former BBC Apprentice star Raj Dhonota is backing Recfluence.

The concept of a review site for the recruitment industry is, however, nothing new.

Previous examples include TalentPuzzle’s offering, and CompareMyRecruiter.com.

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