What Does a Principal Do? From In-House to Consulting

For more than a decade, I worked in-house helping companies scale — building recruiting functions, partnering with executives, and navigating the challenges of growth from the inside. It was intense, rewarding, and deeply immersive. I lived the culture, knew the business, and felt the pressure of making the right hire for the long haul.

Now, for the first time, I’ve stepped into a Principal role at an agency. It’s a shift I’m both excited about and still learning from — because being a Principal is not the same as being a recruiter, and agency life is not just “filling seats.”

What Does a Principal Do?

At its core, the Principal role is about partnership, strategy, and leadership:

Acting as a client partner, shaping talent strategies and aligning recruiting efforts with business outcomes.
Serving as a team leader, guiding recruiters and consultants to deliver consistently while mentoring and supporting their growth.
Thinking with a business-owner mindset, balancing client needs, long-term relationships, and sustainable growth for the agency.

It’s a role that lives at the intersection of strategy and execution — requiring both big-picture vision and hands-on accountability.

In-House vs. Agency: What’s Different?

After years inside high-growth companies, I can say this: the work of scaling looks very different depending on where you sit.

In-house recruiting means deep immersion in one culture, one leadership team, and one mission. You become a steward of the company’s story and a champion for how every hire shapes its future.
Agency recruiting means agility. You’re working across industries, business models, and leadership styles — learning quickly what makes each client unique, then tailoring solutions that fit. It’s fast, varied, and consultative in ways that stretch you daily.

As a Principal, I bring those two worlds together. I know the pressures leaders face on the inside, and I can translate that knowledge into practical, scalable solutions from the outside.

What I’ve Learned So Far

In these first months, a few lessons stand out:

Strategy matters as much as execution. Clients don’t just need resumes — they need guidance on how to build sustainable teams.
Empathy travels. Having been in-house, I can meet leaders where they are because I’ve lived their challenges.
Growth is a two-way street. Agency life isn’t just about helping clients scale — it’s also about scaling our own people, processes, and partnerships.

Looking Ahead

This role feels like the natural next chapter in my journey — building on everything I’ve learned in-house and expanding it outward to help more companies grow with intention.

I’ll be sharing more about this transition, the lessons I’m learning, and the evolving future of talent acquisition.

If you’ve made the shift from in-house to agency — or if you’ve partnered with agencies in your own growth journey — I’d love to hear what your experience has been.

So, what does a Principal do? In short: we partner, we guide, we lead — and we help companies grow in ways that last.