I am always hiring. My clients are always hiring. This is best practices.
How? We use direct sources like LinkedIn and Indeed BUT we also use recruiters.
Over the last twelve years, I have found some fantastic recruiters and I have also found some unscrupulous salesmen masquerading as recruiters. Buyer beware.
As the buyer, I believe it is critical for you to be absolutely clear with yourself about who you want to hire. An avatar. Who is this person. What are their skills? Who are they? If you are unclear or unsure, reach out to me and I can help you. I have built many Org Charts and can help you with yours.
So, when a recruiter tries to convince you that someone is a perfect fit but your gut is wrenching, just say no thank you. I reject more recruiter candidates than I accept. Then give them a test. A technical tax or bookkeeping test. See what they really know.
The best recruiters in the industry will take your feedback and switch gears until they do find you a candidate that matches your needs. The salesmen will eventually go away as they will see that we are not going to desparately follow their lead and take anyone presented to us. The problem tends to solve itself when you stick to your AVATAR and politely say, no thank you to anyone else.
Always be hiring!