For recruiting agencies

Cicada for recruiting agencies.

It sources candidates, screens the resumes against the brief, keeps Bullhorn current and books the interviews. You read the shortlist in Slack and say who goes forward.

Start free

300 free credits to start. Live in two minutes.

Jordan · Slack

Jordan · 9:05 AM

new role from Northwind: senior payroll manager, Denver or remote, must have multi-entity payroll. who do we already have?

Cicada · 9:06 AM

Searching Bullhorn first, then LinkedIn. I'll screen every resume against the multi-entity requirement and send you a shortlist with the reasons.

Senior payroll manager · Northwind shortlist

Sheet · 14 candidates · fit, notice period, last contact

Open

Cicada · 9:40 AM

14 candidates, 6 strong. Four are already in Bullhorn, and two of those spoke to us in the spring. Emails to the top six are drafted in column H.

Jordan · 9:44 AM

send to the top four, hold the other two till friday

Cicada · 9:45 AM

Sending four from your inbox now, each logged in Bullhorn. The other two are on a reminder for Friday at 9.

Slack · direct message · the shortlist first, then the outreach after a yes

The short answer

What does Cicada do for recruiting agencies?

For a recruiting agency, Cicada is an AI agent that does the desk work behind every placement. It reads the job brief, finds candidates in Bullhorn and on LinkedIn, screens their resumes against the must-haves and writes a shortlist with the reasons. It schedules interviews across the candidate, the client and the recruiter, joins the call as a notetaker, and logs every touch in Bullhorn. Each week it writes the client report as a document. Outreach to candidates and clients waits for your yes, and the hiring decision stays with people.

What it does

What your recruiting agency does.

Sources candidates

Searches Bullhorn first, then LinkedIn and the web, for people who match the brief. Every name comes with where it was found.

Screens the resumes

Reads each resume and LinkedIn profile against the must-haves and writes one line on why each candidate fits or doesn't. You make the call.

Keeps Bullhorn current

Logs every email, call note and status change on the right candidate and job, so the next recruiter sees the whole story.

Schedules interviews

Finds a time that works for the candidate, the client and the recruiter, sends the invites, and moves them when plans change.

Takes the interview notes

Joins the Zoom, Teams or Google Meet call as your notetaker and texts you the candidate's answers, concerns and next steps.

Writes the client report

A weekly document per client: candidates submitted, interviews held, feedback and what's next, with your logo on it.

Who it's for

Who uses it at a recruiting agency.

Agency owners

Desk work off the billers

Sourcing, logging and scheduling handled, so recruiters spend the day talking to people.

Recruiters

A researcher for every role

A shortlist with reasons by lunchtime, from Bullhorn and LinkedIn, ready for your calls.

Sourcers

Searches that don't start from zero

Past candidates in Bullhorn found first, then new ones on LinkedIn, with no duplicates.

Account managers

Client updates on time

The weekly report drafted from Bullhorn, with interviews and feedback, ready to send.

Interview coordinators

Three calendars, one slot

Candidate, client and recruiter matched, invites sent, changes handled.

Operations leads

A complete record

Every touch logged on the candidate and the job, so the file is whole when someone asks.

Setup

Set up in three steps.

Say what the job is
Describe the role in a sentence when you sign up, or tell the agent in the chat. It writes its own brief, which you can read and change any time.
Connect the apps it needs
One click for most apps. Each one can be Full, Ask first or Read-only, for every agent in the workspace.
Link your phone, or don't
Scan a code and it's in your iMessage or WhatsApp. Or keep it in the app, Slack and email. Hand it the first job in the same message.

Works withBullhornLinkedInGmailOutlookGoogle CalendarSlackZoomMicrosoft TeamsGoogle SheetsAmplemarketand 1,000+ more

Control

Nothing goes out without your yes.

Nothing goes out without your yes

Anything that can't be undone, and any message to another person, waits for your OK. Approve with a 👍 in the chat, or set a role to full autonomy once you trust it.

Read-only is a real lock

Make any app read-only and the agent can look but never change a thing. It applies to every agent in the workspace, from their next run.

Every step on the record

Each run shows what it read, what it did and what it sent, step by step, in the Activity tab. Corrections you make stick.

What it won't do.

Won't pretend

If it couldn't confirm something, it leaves it out and says so. A number without a source doesn't go in a message.

Won't go around you

It never messages anyone on your behalf unless you asked, never spends money, and never makes a judgement call about money on its own.

Won't read what isn't shared

Teammates' agents work only through the apps the workspace shares. Your inbox and your personal apps stay under your own login.

Compared

Three ways to fill a role

Task	Doing it by hand	An ATS and a sourcing tool	Cicada
Finding candidates	LinkedIn searches all morning	Search filters and saved lists	Bullhorn first, then LinkedIn and the web, with where each was found
Screening resumes	Read one by one	Keyword matching	Read against the must-haves, one line on each fit
Keeping the ATS current	Typed in at the end of the day	Manual entry or an extension	Every email, note and status logged as it happens
Booking interviews	Emails across three calendars	A booking link	One sentence; it finds the slot and sends the invites
Interview notes	Your notebook	Not covered	It joins the call and texts you the answers and next steps
Client reports	Friday afternoon	An export to format	A weekly document per client, drafted from Bullhorn
Where it happens	Your desk	The ATS screen	Slack, iMessage, WhatsApp or email

Try it

Things to ask your recruiting agency.

01
"find me 15 senior payroll managers in Denver who've done multi-entity payroll, check Bullhorn first"
You get: A sheet of candidates with where each was found, the multi-entity evidence, and who's already in Bullhorn.
02
"screen these 30 resumes against the brief and give me the top 8"
You get: A ranked shortlist with one line on why each fits and what's missing, for you to decide.
03
"book Maya in with Northwind for a first interview next week, Dan sits in"
You get: A time that works for all three, invites sent with the job brief attached, logged in Bullhorn.
04
"write the weekly update for Acme"
You get: A one-page document: candidates submitted, interviews, feedback and next steps, ready for your yes.
05
"who did we speak to for controller roles last spring who might move now"
You get: A list from Bullhorn with the last conversation and the notice period they gave, and a re-engagement email drafted for each.

Questions

Frequently asked questions.

Does it work with Bullhorn?

Yes. Connect Bullhorn once and it reads and updates candidates, contacts, jobs and notes. Set it to Ask first or Read-only and it can look but never change a record without you.

Does it message candidates on LinkedIn?

Only when you ask, and every message waits for your yes. It finds and reads profiles on LinkedIn, and outreach goes from your own accounts.

Does it make hiring decisions?

No. It screens against the brief you give it and writes down why, so you can check it. Who goes forward and who gets the job stays with your recruiters and your client.

Where do I talk to it?

Slack, iMessage, WhatsApp, email or the web app. It answers in the thread you asked in. In a team channel or a group chat it stays quiet until someone names it.

Can it take interview notes?

Yes. It joins Zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams and Webex as your notetaker, says it's taking notes, and texts you the answers and next steps. It can also write notes from a recording.

Can each recruiter have one?

Yes. Everyone in your workspace gets their own agent. Bullhorn is connected once for the agency; each person's inbox and LinkedIn stay under their own login.

Will it remember our clients and how they hire?

It keeps a memory of your clients, their must-haves and your rules that you can read and edit in the app. Corrections stick.

What does it cost?

Every workspace starts with 300 free credits. You add a card at sign-up and nothing is charged until you run low; then it's $25 for 200 credits, with no subscription. A quick reply is about 5 credits and a typical run under 20; plans start at $99 a month.

Often hired together

One teammate. The output of a team.

Works nights, remembers every decision, answers in the thread. Start free with 300 credits.