Q1 Pulse Check: Trends Shaping GTM & Corporate Functions

We’re halfway through Q1, and the story we’re seeing across hiring isn’t subtle. It’s sharp, surprising, and headed in a positive direction.

This week on The Hirewell Update, we zoom in on the two spaces we live and breathe: go-to-market and corporate functions. What’s hot, what’s changed from last year, and where it’s all going next.

Spoiler: things are heating up fast.

Go-To-Market Hiring Is on Fire

Let’s start with the headlines:

• January? Record-breaking. Over 100% to goal.
• Marketing roles? Back big time. Especially content and design, two areas that were nearly silent last year.
• Customer Success Managers? Floodgates are open. Companies are finally investing in post-sale care.
• Sales roles? Everywhere. From SMB AEs to enterprise reps, demand is real.
• SDRs? Making a comeback. AEs are finally getting support again, and it’s a major win for hiring managers and candidates alike.

We’re seeing this activity across SaaS, financial services, early-stage startups, even retail. Volume’s up, urgency is up, and the number of active searches proves it.

Corporate Functions: Quiet No More

Corporate may not be as loud—but the moves are just as meaningful.

• Accounting & finance demand remains steady. These roles never really slow down, and the talent pool isn’t getting any deeper.
• HR’s going niche again. After a year of all-generalist-everything, specialized roles like L&D, total rewards, and yes, recruiting, are finally back.
• Recruiter roles? We’re seeing more of them this month than we did all last year. That’s not a stat. That’s a signal.
• Contract hiring? Up sharply. Interim and project-based roles are gaining ground, and fast.

This level of activity this early in the year is a rare (and encouraging) sign. We’re not just busy. We’re building.

A Market in Motion

Last year was all about doing more with less. This year? We’re seeing smarter growth. Companies are investing, not just in headcount, but in support structures. They’re hiring the people who hire people. They’re ramping L&D back up. They’re filling the gaps that became painfully obvious in 2024.

That’s not noise. That’s momentum.

Thinking about hiring or making a move yourself? Now’s the time.
Tune in to episode 30 of The Hirewell Update at talentinsights.hirewell.com or visit hirewell.com.

Emily Goor

Ryan Brown