How UK recruiter Sam Stevens made 10 placements and break into the US

"The roles are the most sought-after: top-paying, modern tech stacks, great industries. The potential really is limitless."

Sam Stevens has been recruiting for eight years, but he found his real passion when he moved away from large companies and into the world of early-stage startups. At Oakmont Consulting, he focuses on founding engineers, software developers, and product managers at seed to Series-B companies.

For Sam, the appeal was never just the placement fee. It was watching small teams grow and knowing he'd helped place the people shaping the company’s trajectory. Engineers he placed years ago still come back to thank him, not just for the job, but for the path it put them on.

Looking to the US market

After a few years in the London tech market, Sam set his sights on New York and San Francisco. He knew that was where the most ambitious and exciting tech companies were building and wanted to recruit for them. The problem was getting his foot through the door. Without a US network, most of his week was going to cold outreach and terms negotiation instead of actual recruiting.

"A lot of my time, probably 80%, was wasted on outreach - trying to speak with hiring managers, trying to negotiate terms, when really all I wanted to do was get plugged in and start placing great candidates in these companies.”

Finding Paraform

He came across Paraform through a LinkedIn post, booked a call, and got plugged in quickly. He took the first few months getting acquainted with the platform.

"I could see there was definitely potential there, so I persevered."

Then it clicked. A hiring manager he'd been working with made his candidate an offer - then the very next day, he had another candidate get an offer.

“That’s when I thought this platform is great. I haven't had to waste any time negotiating terms back and forth. It was my candidate, me and the hiring manager all connected in an open conversation.”

He’s now made 10 placements on Paraform and counting.

The best part: transparency

The thing Sam keeps returning to is how open everything on Paraform is, which is a sharp contrast to what he was used to in the UK recruiting market.

"Recruitment is normally very behind closed doors. No one wants to give out much information. With Paraform, there's nothing to hide."

He can see what the hiring manager actually wants and how they think before submitting a candidate: salary, equity, working style, must-haves, rejected candidate notes.

It all allows him to immediately calibrate to the role. The guessing game disappears, and he gets straight to the question that matters: is this candidate right for this role?

"It's really good for us to actually be able to plan and scale as a business now."

A platform that's spreading inside the agency

Sam’s traction has been visible enough inside the agency that his colleagues have started noticing. One has already started working alongside him in the New York market with plans to fully transition onto Paraform as his primary source of clients.

"The placements are there waiting. It's really down to us and the amount of hours and work we put in. We know the roles are there. We know the caliber of the clients there."