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Author: Himee Senanayake
1
Senior Head of SEO & Content role filled
7
High quality candidate conversations in 24 hours
15 days
From brief to offer
1
WTS member placed into a dream role
SEO/GEO and Digital PR recruitment agency withFrontier partnered with Women in Tech SEO to fill a highly specialised Head of SEO & Content role for Carmoola - proving that community-first hiring delivers fast high quality candidates.
withFrontier has long believed that the best hires don’t come from generic job boards - they come from specialist networks where real expertise already exists.
As technical SEO became more complex and more commercially critical, the team recognised that traditional hiring methods weren’t enough to deliver the quality of candidates their clients needed.
Founder James Congdon had seen this first-hand:
“After spending 12.5 years working hands-on in SEO and then moving into specialist recruitment, it became obvious that traditional recruitment channels tend to reward visibility rather than depth. They surface the loudest voices, not always the most capable ones.”
When Carmoola approached withFrontier with a brief for a Head of SEO & Content, the challenge was immediately clear.
The role required a rare combination of:
withFrontier knew this wasn’t a role for mass outreach.
It required trust, nuance, and access to the right specialist community.
That’s when they turned to their Women in Tech SEO partnership.
As James explains:
“Some of the strongest people I’ve worked with are deeply technical, commercially sharp, and incredibly impactful - but they’re not spending their time promoting themselves. They’re doing the work, mentoring others, and quietly raising standards. Communities like Women in Tech SEO surface that kind of talent in a way job boards and cold outreach simply don’t.”
This wasn’t a typical SEO hire.
withFrontier worked closely with Carmoola to fully understand the role, the business goals, and the cultural fit - refining the brief so it spoke directly to the level of seniority and skill required.
The team recognised that only a highly engaged, specialist community would surface candidates with this exact blend of experience.
Founder James Congdon shared the refined brief with Areej AbuAli, alongside context on Carmoola’s culture, growth stage, and expectations.
Within 24 hours, the role was shared across the Women in Tech SEO community - reaching thousands of experienced, engaged technical SEOs who trusted the source and the opportunity.
For James, starting with WTS was an intentional decision:
“WTS represents what the industry looks like when it’s healthier. As an ex-SEO, I’ve seen first-hand how much stronger our industry becomes when underrepresented and overlooked voices are given space, support, and opportunity - not as a tick-box exercise, but because it leads to better thinking, better leadership, and better outcomes for businesses.”
This community-first approach immediately sparked interest and meaningful conversations.
✔️ 7 high-quality candidate conversations within 24 hours
✔️ 15 days from brief to offer
✔️ 1 exceptional hire: Victoria Yap
Victoria brought exactly what the role required: senior technical SEO expertise, strategic content leadership, and creative capability - making her a perfect match for Carmoola’s needs.
✔️ Access to a senior, high-quality role shared directly within a trusted space
✔️ A hiring process aligned with WTS values of transparency and inclusion
✔️ A clear example of how community membership leads to real career opportunities
Most importantly, a WTS member secured a role that recognised her expertise and supported her growth.
✔️ Proof that community-first recruiting works, and works fast
✔️ Direct access to a pre-qualified network of technical SEO leaders
✔️ Exceptional results delivered for their client in just 15 days
✔️ Strengthened reputation as a specialist recruitment partner who knows where great talent lives
This partnership succeeded because withFrontier didn’t treat the community as a distribution channel, they treated it as a relationship.
James is clear about the responsibility that comes with that access:
“Being allowed into a trusted community comes with a very real responsibility. It’s not a sourcing channel to exploit, it’s something you protect. That means being selective about what roles you bring, being honest about what they are and are not, and always acting in the long-term interests of the people in that community.”
✔️ The brief was thoughtful, specific, and respectful of senior expertise
✔️ The role was shared transparently within a trusted community
✔️ The process centred quality over volume
✔️ Values between withFrontier and Women in Tech SEO were aligned
By working with the community rather than just recruiting from it, withFrontier created a faster, fairer, and more effective hiring outcome.
When companies build genuine relationships with specialist communities, recruitment stops being a numbers game, and starts delivering real results.
Because trust is what connects the right people to the right opportunities.
withFrontier founder James Congdon discussing the importance of community in digital marketing with Women in Tech SEO founder Areej AbuAli, alongside Chima Mmeje and Alina Moskalova.
