About Us
History
At the heart of every great innovation in our industry is a simple truth: relationships matter. People connecting with people. Trust built over time. Conversations that spark breakthrough ideas. This is the foundation upon which Joseph R. Shaker started our business in 1951, and it continues to inspire us today and into the future.
1951
Joseph R. Shaker opens Shaker Recruitment Marketing as a newspaper rep firm specializing in help wanted classifieds
1950s
Partners with foreign-language newspapers to reach diverse job seekers with very specialized skill sets, relationships that soon expanded to all media and remain a pillar of Shaker today
1957
Joseph R. Shaker was one of the pioneers in establishing American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities (ALSAC) to fund St. Jude Children's Research Hospital
1960s
Transitions from a rep firm to a full-service recruitment advertising agency
1970s
Expands with new offices in Florida and New Jersey
1971
Second generation starts to join the family business
1980s
Expands national footprint by building media relationships across the country, allowing for coast-to-coast newspaper placement
1980s
Adopts Mac computers, embracing ad design innovation and allowing for typesetting agency’s own ‘camera-ready’ ads
1987
Partners with AdStar for electronic ad transmission, enabling real-time delivery
1989
Creates JobFest to revolutionize live job fairs
1989
Moves their office to downtown Oak Park, which remains as the company HQ today
1990
Shifts from newspaper-focused media to become a digital-first marketing agency
2000
Co-founds the Recruitment Advertising Association
2001
Celebrates 50th anniversary and begins to welcome third generation to the business
2003
Selected as lead agency in the United States for The Talentvillage Network by Publicis Groupe for specialized recruitment advertising
2003–2004
Launches Shaker Recruitment Consultants to guide media organizations through HR tech changes
2009
Acquires Rada Advertising to expand market share and capabilities
2016
Acquires Matte Black Studios to enhance creative services
2018
Acquires The Arland Group, a specialized recruitment marketing agency based in St. Louis
2019
Joins One Agent consortium as North American partner for global employer branding reach
2020
Adopts remote work model during COVID-19 pandemic
2021
Starts offering custom analytics dashboards to clients that measure the entire candidate journey
2023
Expands in its largest growth to date, doubling the team, transitioning to a hybrid work environment, and reopening the Oak Park headquarters
2024
Launches The Vision Report featuring insights from top talent leaders
2025
Acquires JobAdX to strengthen job distribution capabilities with values-aligned team
2025
Acquires exaqueo expanding our behavioral research, employer brand, and candidate and employee experience strategies
Now
We want to hear from you:
What's your best advice for talent leaders in the year ahead?
Submit your vision and it will enter our time capsule that will be sealed until we launch The Vision Report Vol. 3!
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Success is in reach. Let's unlock it together.
Get in touch with us, and take the first step towards recruitment marketing that truly resonates, achieves your goals, and exceeds your expectations.