There are many types of different recruiters. Their relationship with the hiring authority or hiring company varies. The types are:
- Retained/search consultants
- Contingency/search consultants
- Employment Agents
- Placers
- Contract Recruiters, Internal and External
- Internal Recruiters
- R. Staff Recruiters and Screeners
- Research Consultants
- Consulting Firms for Long Term Projects
- Management Consulting Firms that recruit as part of their offering
- Staffing Firms
RETAINED SEARCH CONSULTANT
If you are “tapped” by a retained search consultant, you need to know a few things. The firm has an agreement with their client to be paid a portion of their fee when they “take on the assignment.” The firm usually charges 33% to 35% of the salary or earnings projected for the candidate that is hired. Usually one-third of the fee is paid as a “retainer” before the search begins, with another portion of it being paid at certain “milestones” during a search and the balance being paid when the search is completed. These arrangements can vary, but the point is that the consulting firm has the commitment of the client because of the retainer that the client pays.
Our advantage to you: Since we have been retained in some way, we don’t have to worry about “if” we’re going to get our fee. Our main concern is making sure that we fulfill our agreement and find the absolute best quality of candidates available for our clients. In order to do this, we’re really going to know every aspect of the opportunity that we present to you. We will have “interviewed” all professionals that have anything to do with the particular opportunity. We will know just about every aspect of the job we have been commissioned to fill. We will know the “history” of the job and most likely have had a working relationship with the organizations that we’re working for previously.
Usually we are specialists and experts in the particular type of person we are recruiting and the kind of firms we represent, we have an intimate knowledge of just about every aspect of the position we are going to fill. We have done our homework and our clients have given us a very clear-cut idea about what they need. We note the “ins and outs” of the job we’re filling, the company, people, both above and below the position as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the whole endeavor.
If we “tap” you, it is most likely that we “networked” to find you and we must feel that you are qualified to do the job we have been retained to fill. We have reached out to a number of people like you and you may be one of many that we are approaching, because of our relationship with our Client; we have to find the absolute best group of candidates for the job.
We’re going to be able to provide you every bit of excellent information that you’re going to need in order to be a successful candidate for the job. The strengths and weaknesses of the company, the opportunity, as well as your strengths and weaknesses relative to the “fit” are all part of our knowledge and expertise.
We may want to build somewhat of a relationship with you, especially if your expertise falls within our specialty and we might need you for one of our clients in the future.
Our disadvantage to you: We represent the company that retains us. Our “loyalty” and interest in you personally and professionally is only valuable to us if it benefits our client. We’re only going to “promote” you to the extent that it is good for our client. We will give you every bit of information that you need to perform well in the interviewing process, but again, only to the extent that is good for our client. We’re not likely to present more than one opportunity at a time to you and will be as candid with you as we need to be to help our client. Our relationship with you may be fleeting. Our interest in helping you is only in light of the value you would bring to our client now. Our first priority is our client, not your professional future.
How to deal with me: Don’t…I will share with you what you need to know and manage the process for you. Just pay attention.
CONTINGENCY SEARCH CONSULTANTS
This is probably the broadest range of recruiters there can be. We’re paid on a contingent basis, i.e. we’re only paid when we’re successful in “causing” a candidate to be hired. Some of us that have been doing it for a long period of time establish the same kind of relationship with our hiring authorities that many retained search firms do. But, since we are paid on a contingent basis, there isn’t as much implied or practical loyalty to us as there is with a retained relationship.
The essence of what the contingency search consultant can do for you centers around the amount of experience they may have in the profession. If we have been at it for a long period of time, we can know our clients and hiring authorities on a very detailed and long-term level. In spite of this, however, our relationship is still “contingent” upon someone that we cause to get hired. Even if we have successfully placed people with our hiring authorities before, their loyalty to us can change rather quickly depending on the “pain” of their need.
Our advantage to you: You may have to really qualify us by asking us lot of questions relative to the amount of experience that we have in the profession, the amount of experience we have in working with candidates like you and the experience that we might have with the hiring authorities that we are representing. We may really know our hiring authority, his or her company and the position they’re trying to fill extremely well, especially if we have to either place the hiring authority there or worked with the organization before. Or, we may not know them very well at all, especially if we just started working with them.
Since we’re paid only upon our success, we’re dependent upon helping you or anyone else we represent to get the job. Our sense of urgency is very high. The perception that our hiring authorities and hiring companies have of us is only as good as the last candidate that we either cause to be hired or that we sent them. We need to make you look as good as you possibly can and help you be the” best” candidate that the company can interview.
Our loyalty, and especially if we have been doing this for a long period of time, is equally balanced between the hiring organization and the candidates we represent. Since the quality of candidates is the best representation we have to the companies that we work with, we have no greater allegiance to the hiring organization than we do to the candidate.
Since everything we do is contingent, we will try to get you as many opportunities to interview as we possibly can. We want you to look good so that we look good. We will share with you everything we know about the opportunity in order to make you the best candidate that they could interview.
Our disadvantage to you: Since we are contingency, the hiring authority may be working with other recruiters or other sources of candidates, internal recruiters, etc. Although many of us that have been at it for a long period of time and are working exclusively with our hiring organizations, we’re never sure of that.
We will present as many qualified candidates as we possibly can to the hiring authority, so that the hiring authority has a choice. Depending upon our relationship and the amount of experience that we have, our hiring authority may be influenced a great deal or very little by our “advice.”
In spite of what we may communicate about our relationship with our hiring organizations, we’re still a “hit and run” service. When our hiring organizations need us, there is a great sense of urgency, they will respond to us quickly, see the best candidates that we can produce and, as long as we are providing good candidates for them, they will continue working with us. However, their loyalty is only as good as the last candidate they either interviewed or hired. If you were being represented by the recruiter that was most or least successful, you may have a bit of an advantage.
If we are inexperienced, we may be able to get you many interviews, but we may not be able to coach you and help you land the opportunity.
How to deal with me: Since I am a contingency type of recruiter, you may very well approach me about some of the opportunities that I may have for a candidate such as you. If I’m really experienced and have been working in the contingency recruiting business for a long period of time, I may have the same kind of relationship with my clients as the retained search firms do but may also take you as a candidate and “market” you and your experience to a lot of the organizations that I might know. Many times, if I’m experienced, past hiring organizations will interview you simply because I recommend that they do so. You can get a lot of interviews that way.
If I’m experienced, together, we will be able to give you just about every advantage you need in order to sell yourself. I’m going to share with you every bit of information that I have and help you deal with every strength and weakness you might have in the interviewing process. You need to be honest and forthright with me about everything so that both of us can sell you to the hiring authority and have you be the “best” candidate.
You need to know that I am presenting as many candidates as I possibly can, as fast as I can, to the hiring authority because I am not paid unless I am successful at causing someone to be hired. You need to help me help you and I will tell you as much as I can to help you get the job. But, realize that my fee is earned by providing a number of qualified candidates to the employer so that he may choose the one that he thinks best fits his job. My fee is assessed by a successful hire; but it is earned by providing as many qualified candidates as I possibly can to the hiring authority.
If I am relatively inexperienced, I still might be able to get you interviews, but I may not be able to help you as much as you might be able to help yourself. The way to assess how much help on “getting you the interview” is that you might need to ask me a number of questions:
If I get you an interview, you need to know and ask me:
- How long have you been working as a recruiter?
- How long have you worked with this company?
- How many times have you worked with this hiring authority?
- Have you worked with this company before?
- How do you think I should best sell myself to this organization?
- Tell me everything I need to know about the job…. the person doing the interviewing…
everything (If I can’t give you a lot of information, you may not be able to interview successfully. You may wind up having to do your own research and your own
due diligence. If you follow the prescriptions of this program you should have no problem.)
Depending upon the amount of experience that I have and any information that I’m able to provide, you are going to know how much I can help you. You may end up getting a lot of help in the interviewing process from me and you may not. Don’t be upset if my limited experience doesn’t help you as much as you would like. If all I can do is get you interviews, it is likely better than you can do for yourself. Any interviews you get over and above your own efforts are to your advantage.
NEXT WEEK: …other types of recruiters
