Need Help With Hiring?

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Need Help With Hiring?

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A DIFFERENT KIND OF RECRUITER

We’re creative, focused, and outcome-driven. Our team of entrepreneurs is tenaciously driven to find extraordinary talent for you. We’re not a commodity talent-sourcing shop—we’re a consultative, strategic business partner that helps you build the elite team that will define you and your company’s success.

QUALITY

Companies can’t afford to hire big teams stocked with a range of talent levels anymore. To help you thrive in this fast changing market, we specialize in building lean, fast-moving teams driven by a small core of top performers.

CREATIVITY

The status quo isn’t good enough for us. Instead, our team of creative thinkers finds solutions to your most challenging business problems, often finding candidates where others aren’t looking.

INSIGHT

We’re listeners and empaths. Our deep understanding of what drives you, what your challenges are, and where you’re taking your business gives us a leg up in building the team you need to grow.

A Process That Brings RESULTS

You know that as a growing company, your team defines your success—and that the best results come from hiring the best team.

That’s why Whitley Recruiting has built a disciplined, lightning-fast process to help you find your top candidates.

We respond to client requests within two hours. We leverage the energy of our small, dynamic team to calibrate and act quickly via weekly candidate review “sprints.”

We give you a list of qualified candidates within 48 hours. In most cases, we present at least one pre-screened, vetted candidate for you to interview within the first week.

Our interview process is exceptionally efficient, and candidates are more likely to accept an offer because we stay in constant communication with them. The Whitley Recruiting talent acquisition cycle is typically two to six weeks.

We typically save our clients 10 to 30 hours of recruiting time by presenting just three or four highly qualified and vetted candidates.

There are no fees unless you make a hire, and we can tailor projects to fit most budgets.

Client Testimonials

Lee found not only talented producers but folks who have now grown with the organization and turned into great sales leaders as well.
Brice EnglertCEO, TradePending
Brice Englert
Whitley Recruiting has always delivered accurate and fast talent for our team at Inn-Flow. Having a recruiting partner that understands our culture, listens, and provides real-time insight into the pulse of the talent market has been a real value add for Inn-Flow.
Nicole RyderVP of People, Inn-Flow
Nicole Ryder
I've worked with a handful of recruiters, both internal and external, and Whitley Recruiting has been the best I've ever worked with. Recruiting is more than just connecting candidates with companies. They take the time to get to know your business, your sales process, and you personally as a leader. And when somebody is not a fit ... THEY LISTEN. The level of support I've gotten from them since Day 1 has been fantastic, but my favorite part about working with Whitley Recruiting is that they keep getting better and better with every interaction. Can't say enough good things about this team and their attentiveness and dedication to doing things the right way. 10/10 would recommend to any hiring manager looking for a partner in their recruiting process.
Paul FliegerDirector of Sales, Classwallet
Paul Flieger
The quality of the candidates that Whitley provided was unmatched. I have worked with other recruiting firms in the past, and Whitley Recruiting provided the best candidate list I have seen. Each candidate that the Whitley Recruiting team put in front of me was within the framework of what we needed. I did not have to waste time filtering through candidates and doing interviews with candidates that would never be a good fit. My time is my most valuable asset, and Whitley Recruiting helped me save time.
Whit BarnesPresident, Wildwood
Whit Barnes
Finally finding the right recruiting partner in Whitley Recruiting Partners has been a ‘lightbulb moment’ for Valcourt in 2025 and has made a huge impact in our growth this year. Whitley has done an exceptional job hiring sales reps in not only Raleigh, but also Georgia and Florida. I’m most impressed with their continuous recruiting process – they don’t stop sourcing until the job is done and they only send us candidates that fit exactly what we’re looking for. They save tons of time, speed up process, and bring in talented sales reps we weren’t finding in the past.
JD McGrathRegional Vice President, Valcourt
JD McGrath
We have sourced with multiple recruiting firms throughout the year and Whitley Recruiting has delivered our most optimal experience by far. Lee and his team took the time to get to know our company and as each position comes open, they take the time to dig deeper to understand how we see the fit for that role. An interview debrief after each candidate further strengthens the specific search along the way. Ultimately, their process has delivered much stronger candidates in a shorter amount of time, and we would not hesitate to recommend working with Whitley Recruiting in any capacity.
Ben JonesVice President, Indaco Risk Advisors
Ben Jones
Whitley Recruiting is a pleasure to work with. Lee's expertise and dedication to customer satisfaction have earned my trust and loyalty.
Larissa ProciukDirector of Human Resources, Dogwood State Bank
Larissa Prociuk
Lee found not only talented producers but folks who have now grown with the organization and turned into great sales leaders as well.
Brice EnglertCEO, TradePending
Brice Englert
Whitley Recruiting has always delivered accurate and fast talent for our team at Inn-Flow. Having a recruiting partner that understands our culture, listens, and provides real-time insight into the pulse of the talent market has been a real value add for Inn-Flow.
Nicole RyderVP of People, Inn-Flow
Nicole Ryder
I've worked with a handful of recruiters, both internal and external, and Whitley Recruiting has been the best I've ever worked with.They take the time to get to know your business, your sales process, and you personally as a leader. And when somebody is not a fit ... THEY LISTEN. The level of support I've gotten from them since Day 1 has been fantastic, but my favorite part about working with Whitley Recruiting is that they keep getting better and better with every interaction. Can't say enough good things about this team and their attentiveness and dedication to doing things the right way. 10/10 would recommend to any hiring manager looking for a partner in their recruiting process.
Paul FliegerDirector of Sales, Classwallet
Paul Flieger
The quality of the candidates that Whitley provided was unmatched. I have worked with other recruiting firms in the past, and Whitley Recruiting provided the best candidate list I have seen. Each candidate that the Whitley Recruiting team put in front of me was within the framework of what we needed. I did not have to waste time filtering through candidates and doing interviews with candidates that would never be a good fit. My time is my most valuable asset, and Whitley Recruiting helped me save time.
Whit BarnesPresident, Wildwood
Whit Barnes
We have sourced with multiple recruiting firms throughout the year and Whitley Recruiting has delivered our most optimal experience by far. Lee and his team took the time to get to know our company and as each position comes open, they take the time to dig deeper to understand how we see the fit for that role. An interview debrief after each candidate further strengthens the specific search along the way. Ultimately, their process has delivered much stronger candidates in a shorter amount of time, and we would not hesitate to recommend working with Whitley Recruiting in any capacity.
Ben JonesVice President, Indaco Risk Advisors
Ben Jones
Whitley Recruiting is a pleasure to work with. Lee's expertise and dedication to customer satisfaction have earned my trust and loyalty.
Larissa ProciukDirector of Human Resources, Dogwood State Bank
Larissa Prociuk
Finally finding the right recruiting partner in Whitley Recruiting Partners has been a ‘lightbulb moment’ for Valcourt in 2025 and has made a huge impact in our growth this year. Whitley has done an exceptional job hiring sales reps in not only Raleigh, but also Georgia and Florida.
JD McGrath Regional Vice President, Valcourt
JD McGrath

The team that builds your team.

Lee Whitley

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Skye Liles

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Sammy Hobgood

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Emily Tresher

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Matt May

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Lee Whitley

Owner/Recruiter

A North Carolina native, Lee is the founder of Whitley Recruiting Partners (WRP). He has dedicated his entire career to the recruiting industry, starting as a Technical IT Recruiter for Insight Global in 2013 and going on to be the 2nd employee of a CBC-funded software startup at Capitol Broadcasting Company (CBC), where he honed skills in sales, recruitment, and building early-stage companies.
 
Since venturing out on his own in 2018, Lee has specialized in the recruitment of sales talent for growth-stage software companies in the Triangle and Southeast US, recruiting 400+ individual sales professionals for over 100+ software companies, including Bandwidth, Lenovo, Pendo.io, and DreamBox Learning. In 2023, he expanded his portfolio, and he now provides recruitment services for NC-based, privately-held companies looking to broaden into new verticals, grow market share, and upgrade their teams with the best talent available.


 
As founder of Whitley Recruiting Partners, Lee recognizes the pivotal role a company’s team plays in driving business results and culture and is deliberately intentional in selecting the right candidates for each client. He approaches each recruiting project with a diligence and motivation to provide top-tier candidates and treats each search as if he were hiring for his own team.
 
Lee understands that each employee is an extension of your company, and he’s ready to help you build your dream team today.
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Skye Liles

Director of Operations

A Meredith College alumna, Skye brings over a decade of experience in Operations. Working with small businesses throughout her career, she excels in rapidly moving and fluctuating environments. She’s versatile and always ready to solve problems. With a passion for building great teams, Skye enjoys cultivating spaces where people are valued. She joined Whitley Recruiting in 2021.
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Sammy Hobgood

Principal Recruiter

Hailing from the Triangle, Sammy is a Furman University graduate actively serving on the Alumni council of their Sigma Nu Fraternity. Prior to joining Whitley Recruiting Partners, Sammy served as a program manager at Urban Ministries of Wake County, focusing on volunteer recruitment. He also played a crucial role as the primary digital recruiter and marketer for a multi-unit, family-run hospitality group. Joining WRP in 2021, Sammy has become a vital part of the team, connecting skilled candidates with satisfied employers.

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Emily Tresher

Recruiting Coordinator

A lifelong Raleigh resident, Emily holds a Bachelor of Psychology degree from North Carolina State University. With a background in administrative and executive assisting across industries including staffing, construction, and retail, Emily joined the WRP team in 2021. Leveraging her customer service experience, Emily provides exceptional support to clients and candidates. She values connecting with individuals from diverse backgrounds and finds satisfaction in witnessing candidates land their dream jobs.

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Matt May

Managing Director, Talent Partnerships

A Raleigh-based NC State graduate, Matt May is Managing Director of Talent Partnerships at Whitley Recruiting Partners (WRP). He has spent his entire 13-year career building go-to-market and sales teams, starting in 2013 at Lenovo, where he ran the LASR new-grad sales program and cut his teeth on early-careers recruiting at scale.

Over the next decade, Matt became a go-to recruiter for high-growth software companies. At Align Technology, he hired 50+ account executives a year for six years at a 90% offer-acceptance rate and 85% six-month retention. At N-able, he delivered 20 hires in five months on a seven-day time-to-fill. Roles at Parker Lord and MaintainX round out a career that taught him what separates a hire who carries a quarter from one who stalls it.

That in-house vantage point is what Matt brings to the partner side of the desk. Having owned hiring outcomes internally for more than a decade, he knows what a scaling company needs, what the wrong hire costs, and how the right one accelerates everything around it. He approaches every search with the rigor of someone who has had to live with the result, and treats each client’s team as if he were building his own.

Matt believes the team you build becomes the business you become, and he’s ready to help you find the go-to-market talent that carries your next stage of growth.

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