Recruiters Explained: Internal vs Agency | How Hiring Actually Works in 2026


Taylor Desseyn breaks down how to navigate recruiters in 2026, and not with the usual vague “just network more” advice.

In this practical breakdown, Taylor explains the real difference between internal recruiters and agency recruiters, how each one operates, what they actually care about, and how job seekers can stop approaching both the same way. He also shares direct tactics for building recruiter relationships, asking smarter questions, following up properly, and spotting when a recruiter is genuinely working a role versus just fishing for resumes.

If you're applying for jobs and wondering why recruiter conversations go nowhere, this walkthrough reveals how the system actually works, and how to play it more intelligently in 2026.

🎯 What You'll Learn:

The difference between internal recruiters and agency recruiters

How to build real relationships with recruiters before you need something

The smartest questions to ask about your resume, LinkedIn, and salary

How often to follow up without becoming forgettable or annoying

How to tell whether a recruiter actually has a real role in hand

The tactics that help you cut through noise and stay top of mind

Perfect for job seekers, career changers, and anyone tired of feeling confused by the recruiting process.

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need your resume reviewed? submit your resume and we will review it in one of our sessions!

Once a month we sit down on Discord and review resumes live. Real feedback, out loud, from people who read a lot of these: what's landing, what's burying your best work, what a hiring team skips right past. You leave knowing exactly what to fix. Spots are limited each month and we take them in the order they come in.

Get your resume reviewed



  1. Set up your torc.dev profile and add your most current resume.

  2. Email community@torc.dev with your profile link and what you want feedback on. "Is my headline landing?" beats "review my resume."

Spots are first come, and we confirm by reply. 

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need your resume reviewed? submit your resume and we will review it in one of our sessions!

Once a month we sit down on Discord and review resumes live. Real feedback, out loud, from people who read a lot of these: what's landing, what's burying your best work, what a hiring team skips right past. You leave knowing exactly what to fix. Spots are limited each month and we take them in the order they come in.

Get your resume reviewed



  1. Set up your torc.dev profile and add your most current resume.

  2. Email community@torc.dev with your profile link and what you want feedback on. "Is my headline landing?" beats "review my resume."

Spots are first come, and we confirm by reply. 

create your profile now