Jacco Valkenburg

Recruitment Architect

Jacco Valkenburg is a top recruitment expert from the Netherlands. He started making waves in the industry back in 1996 and now leads Recruit2, a consultancy firm he set up in 2003. He’s worked for big companies like TomTom, KPN, Knab, Maersk, and Canon.

Jacco’s not just about giving advice; he’s written 7 books, including ‘Recruitment 4.0’, and he helped write the bestseller ‘Career management via LinkedIn’ in 2009. His latest project? An e-book called “ChatGPT for Recruitment”.

He’s the guy behind Recruiter University too, where he’s been teaching and running workshops since 2007. In 2018 and 2022, Recruitee flagged him as an “HR tech influencer to watch” – a big deal in the recruitment world.

Always ahead of the curve, Jacco has started things like Refer2 for referral recruitment and mobile apps for recruitment agencies and employers. His blog at RecruitingRoundtable.nl, started in 2007, is full of great tips and insights into recruitment.

But Jacco’s always looking forward. He’s big into AI and ChatGPT, using them to shape how we think about recruitment. His new e-book is a mix of all his knowledge and experience, made easy to understand and use.

Jacco also picked up some pretty impressive awards and recognitions:

  • 2021: His book “Recruitment 3.0” was named the #1 best book for recruiters by Werf&
  • 2020: Ranked among the top 20 job application experts in the Netherlands by Sollicitatiedokter.nl
  • 2018: Named ‘HR tech influencer to watch in 2019’ by Recruitee
  • 2016: One of the top recruiters according to Intermediair.nl (top 10)
  • 2010: Nominated for ‘Most Promising Recruitment Initiative’ for Refer2
  • 2009: Ranked 12th ‘most influential recruiter’ by Werf& research
  • 2009: Won ‘Best Social Recruiter 2009’, CSN Awards
  • 2007: Won the SHRM Creative Excellence Award
  • 2007: Nominated for the most appealing recruitment site (IG)
  • 2004: Finalist for ‘Recruiter Of The Year 2003’, Recruiters United
  • 2003: Finalist for ‘Recruiter Of The Year 2002’, Recruiters United

Furthermore he is managing a group of 600.000 Recruitment Consultants on LinkedIn.


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Jacco Valkenburg
Recruitment Architect
Email: jacco @ recruit2.com
Phone: +31 6 2825 7098