Think Differently Recruitment
Think Differently is a Dublin-based specialist recruitment consultancy serving Ireland's media, marketing, advertising, and digital sectors through permanent placements, a graduate mentorship programme (Entry to Media), career coaching, and talent-mapping services.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersDublin, Ireland
- Headcount1–10
- GTM typeB2B
- OfferingServices
What Think Differently Recruitment does
Think Differently is a Dublin-based, founder-led specialist recruitment consultancy focused exclusively on the Irish media, marketing, advertising, PR, digital, and social media sectors. It was founded by Viv Maher, a 20-year media industry veteran previously in senior roles at The Irish Times and IPG Mediabrands, supported by a small senior team (Linda Healy, Growth Marketing Director; Mairéad Kearns, Media Coach) whose combined media experience exceeds 35 years.
The firm's service portfolio spans four core offerings: talent sourcing (contingency/retained placements for media, marketing, and communications roles), the Entry to Media Programme (a structured graduate-to-employment pathway with up to one year of mentorship), CV services and career coaching, and talent mapping and market insights for workforce planning. Technology usage is operational rather than proprietary: the firm relies on third-party tools including Manatal (ATS), Fireflies.ai (call recording/transcription), Eventbrite (webinar hosting), and WordPress/Google for hosting — there is no in-house platform or proprietary IP. An EDI partnership with Tools for Better (Sarah Healy) and a mentor network drawn from OMG, WPP alumni, Bauer Media, and Kantar provide depth around inclusive hiring.
Revenue is generated on a fee-per-placement model (transaction fees) from enterprise and mid-market clients across Ireland and selectively internationally; pricing is not publicly disclosed. The GTM is consultative and relationship-led, combining direct enterprise outreach with content marketing (blog, LinkedIn, masterclasses) and a self-serve careers-page job board. The company operates with no disclosed external funding, parent company, or institutional investors.
Think Differently Recruitment firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Think Differently Recruitment
- Legal name
- Think Differently
- Website
- https://thinkdifferently.ie
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1–10 employees
- Short description
- Think Differently is a Dublin-based specialist recruitment consultancy serving Ireland's media, marketing, advertising, and digital sectors through permanent placements, a graduate mentorship programme (Entry to Media), career coaching, and talent-mapping services.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Think Differently Recruitment industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Recruitment Services
- NAICS
- Employment Placement Agencies (561311)
- SIC
- Services-Employment Agencies (7361)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry) (BPACAFAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Sales, Marketing & Customer Success Direct Hire (BPACAFAD), Human Capital & Workforce Transformation Consulting (BPAHACAE)
Keywords
Where Think Differently Recruitment is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Dublin
- HQ country
- Ireland
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Think Differently Recruitment business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Contingency/Retained Recruitment Services: Traditional recruitment agency model charging clients for successful talent placement. Services include talent sourcing, graduate programmes, CV services and coaching, and talent mapping.
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Think Differently Recruitment product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Think Differently Recruitment is a specialist recruitment consultancy focused on the Irish media, marketing, advertising, PR, creative, ecommerce, technology, digital, and social media sectors. The firm connects hiring companies with talent through permanent and contract placements, graduate programmes, CV services, career coaching, and talent mapping. It uses a consultative, people-first approach to assess both hard and soft skills, going beyond CV matching to evaluate cultural fit and long-term career trajectories.
Product overview
Think Differently Recruitment operates as a specialist recruitment consultancy focused on the Irish media and communications sector. The company offers a unified suite of services built around talent sourcing, graduate development, career coaching, and workforce intelligence. The core offerings include Talent Sourcing for permanent and contract placements across media, marketing, and digital roles; the Entry to Media Programme for graduate recruitment with employer partnerships; CV Services and Career Coaching for professionals at all career stages; Talent Mapping and Market Insights for strategic workforce planning; and Coaching Services for personal and professional development. The portfolio is unified by the company's consultative, people-first approach and deep media industry expertise.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Talent Sourcing
- Entry to Media Programme
- CV Services and Career Coaching
- Talent Mapping and Market Insights
- Coaching Services
Quantifiable outcome
- Placements typically completed within 2-6 weeks due to deep industry connections and access to passive talent
Companies that use Think Differently Recruitment
Customer profileNamed customers5 records
Segments6 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Think Differently Recruitment technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Think Differently Recruitment partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.
- Tools for BettercoreEDI (Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion) partnership connecting Think Differently with EDI specialists to explore practical ways to make the hiring process more inclusive. Sarah Healy, CEO of Tools for Better, champions research showing 80% of Ireland's talent pool prefers companies prioritising equity, diversity, and inclusion.
- Mentors (OMD, WPP, Bauer Media, Kantar)coreIndustry mentors from agencies (Eiméar Ryan - OMG, Manuel Yoacham - formerly WPP), media owners (Dave O'Brien - Bauer Media), and data companies (Christine Matthews - Kantar) provide career advice and industry navigation for Entry to Media Programme participants.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves8 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Think Differently Recruitment competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Rezo Recruitment: Dublin-based recruitment agency focused on digital, marketing, and creative roles - the closest functional competitor to Think Differently in the Irish market, targeting the same candidate pool and the same employers.
- Sigmar Recruitment: Large Irish generalist recruitment firm with multiple sector desks including marketing and digital. Direct competitor for media and marketing placements in Ireland, with overlapping target clients and similar contingency/retained fee model.
- Prosperity: Irish recruitment specialist covering marketing, digital, communications, and creative roles across permanent and contract placements. Overlaps with Think Differently on employer base and candidate experience.
- Excel Recruitment: Dublin-based agency with a strong marketing, communications, and digital desk serving Irish employers. Closely matched on services offered, target verticals, and geography.
Broad incumbents
- Hays: Global recruitment firm with significant Irish operations across multiple sectors including marketing and digital. Provides scale, technology, and international network that Think Differently cannot match directly.
- Brightwater: Irish recruitment firm with dedicated marketing, digital, and communications practices. Larger scale and broader sector coverage than Think Differently, but directly comparable on media/marketing search mandates.
- Morgan McKinley: Irish-founded international recruitment firm with a marketing and communications practice in Dublin. Competes for mid-to-senior media and marketing roles, though its core is finance and professional services.
- Robert Walters: Global professional recruiter with an established Dublin office and dedicated marketing, communications, and digital practices. Competes for senior-level media and marketing mandates with deeper pockets and international reach.
- Cpl Resources: One of Ireland's largest recruitment and workforce solutions groups, listed on Euronext Dublin, with marketing, digital, and communications desks. Much larger scale; competes for the same enterprise clients but operates across many verticals.
Regional players
- The Brand Recruitment Group: UK-based specialist recruiter for marketing, digital, and communications roles. Comparable vertical specialization but operates primarily in the UK market rather than Ireland, so a regional rather than direct competitor.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Think Differently Recruitment social profiles
Digital presenceThink Differently Recruitment financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Think Differently Recruitment leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles3 records
Think Differently Recruitment funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Think Differently Recruitment M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Think Differently Recruitment
What does Think Differently Recruitment do?
Think Differently Recruitment is a specialist recruitment consultancy focused on the Irish media, marketing, advertising, PR, creative, ecommerce, technology, digital, and social media sectors. The firm connects hiring companies with talent through permanent and contract placements, graduate programmes, CV services, career coaching, and talent mapping. It uses a consultative, people-first approach to assess both hard and soft skills, going beyond CV matching to evaluate cultural fit and long-term career trajectories.
Is Think Differently Recruitment a public or private company?
Think Differently Recruitment is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Think Differently Recruitment founded?
Think Differently Recruitment was founded in 2021. It employs 1 to 10 people.
Where is Think Differently Recruitment based?
Think Differently Recruitment is headquartered in Dublin, Ireland, in the Europe region.
How does Think Differently Recruitment make money?
One revenue line is on record: contingency/Retained Recruitment Services.
Who are Think Differently Recruitment's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Rezo Recruitment, Sigmar Recruitment, Prosperity and Excel Recruitment. Broad incumbents are Hays, Brightwater, Morgan McKinley, Robert Walters and Cpl Resources. The Brand Recruitment Group is listed as a regional player.
Does Think Differently Recruitment have an API?
No public API is recorded for Think Differently Recruitment.
What industry is Think Differently Recruitment in?
Think Differently Recruitment's product category is Recruitment Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is BPACAFAA, General Permanent Placement (Multi-Industry), with a secondary code of BPACAFAD, Sales, Marketing & Customer Success Direct Hire. Its NAICS code is 561311 and its SIC code is 7361.