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Inside the candidate-first model - and the hidden tech job market.
In an interview with the data innovation alliance, our founders set out the model behind Rockstar Recruiting: a candidate-first platform that connects strong technology experts with ambitious tech companies. Rather than the impersonal channels most recruiters lean on, the approach is to be genuinely present in the community - hackathons, talks, growing the network organically.
The founders are complementary by design. Klaus Fuchs did his PhD in Information Management at ETH Zürich and went on to help build the ETH AI Center; Justus Spengler studied psychology at UZH and brought years of tech-recruiting experience. Rockstar started as a University of Zürich spin-off where every consultant learns enough data science to speak with candidates as peers.
For strong engineers, finding a job is rarely the problem - they have too many options. The hard part is the right company. Because of direct relationships inside firms, many placements go to roles that were never advertised: candidates reach the hidden market, and companies get strong people before a posting goes live.
The track record reflects it - a major US tech company whose hiring manager said he had never interviewed a stronger candidate, data teams built for an international gaming company, a funded Swiss start-up staffed from global firms. Almost all of it through referrals. The long-term direction was clear even then: grow into executive search - which is techxecutive today.
“Many of our placements go to positions that were never advertised - we help candidates access the hidden market.”
What this means
The read for both sides of the market.
For companies
- Reach people before the posting. Direct relationships inside firms surface strong candidates before a role is ever advertised.
- Momentum wins. In a fast market, long processes lose the best people; speed and trust close them.
- Fit, not a flood. A candidate-first network sends you the right people - not a pile of CVs to sift.
For candidates
- The hidden market is real. Many of the best roles never get posted - they move through trusted networks.
- You have options - pick the right one. The hard part isn't landing a job, it's finding the company that fits.
- Relationships outlast a placement. A recruiter who actually knows you can steer your whole trajectory.