The phone rings and it is a business wanting to know who we have ‘on our books’.
Recruitment Company: Sure thing, of course we can help you but before we send you resumes can we find out a little bit more about the role and the type of person you are looking for.
Client: I’m sorry, but I really need someone to start urgently. I’ll just send you a position description and you can send me the resumes of people you already have on your database.
Recruitment Company: We want to source the best possible person for your business and there are options available to do this, can I take you through these options?
Client: Just send your terms through with the resumes and we’ll take a look later. I just need your resumes quickly because I’ve gone through my list alphabetically and as you’re ‘S’ (for safety), you’re already a day behind some of the other agencies.
Anyone who has been in the recruitment industry long enough, will identify with this scenario. The ‘quick and the dead’ approach has been the preferred method of a number of agencies operating in the industry for many years and over time this method of recruitment has devalued the whole recruitment industry. Unfortunately many businesses now see this as a valid option. Does it work? Sometimes you get lucky.
But ‘luck’ shouldn’t come in to a quality process. A thorough and quality recruitment process will result in more chance of retaining the right person for your business. There are options available that pay more respect to your new future employee and provide a much better end result for everyone involved. So what are all the options available?
CONTINGENT RECRUITMENT
The contingent model or non-exclusive recruitment is the ‘quick and the dead’ option. When you engage a recruitment company through this model, it enviably means that multiple providers are working on the role at the same time. The recruitment company only receives a fee if they successfully fill the role. Sounds great right? Not necessarily, because the whole process is focused on speed. The consultant does not have time to explore any options other than who is currently available on the database. You have to ask the question would you put your effort into the customer that is paying for your services or not paying?
EXCLUSIVE RECRUITMENT
The exclusive model is where you engage one company to source a candidate for you within a set period, which is generally 4-6 weeks. The client pays a portion of the recruitment fee upfront for the exclusive period, so you now have the recruitment companies’ attention. This model provides benefits to the client in that the overall process is now focussed on sourcing candidates through a thorough search and advertising campaign. This process provides a better quality result in that the consultant has spent time with the client to understand the requirements of the role and get a good understanding of the type of person that would fit the culture of the organisation. Our fee for exclusive recruitment is less than contingent recruitment. More for less.
RETAINED RECRUITMENT
Retained recruitment or sometimes known as executive recruitment is the platinum choice for recruitment services. This is a business partnership where you will get the highest quality results as you now have a dedicated account manager and 100% attention. The recruitment company will feel like an extension of your own business as they work with you to develop a detailed search marketing and advertising plan including an Employer Value Proposition (EVP). The recruitment company can approach top performing passive candidates within their network on your behalf. These people are not actively searching but for the right position may consider new opportunities. This is also a fee for service model with an upfront payment before commencing work, a payment on shortlist and the final payment on successful placement of your new employee.
DO IT YOURSELF (DIY)
If you decide to hire yourself, then make sure you are aware of your legal obligations and responsibilities such as Anti-Discrimination Legislation and the General Protections Legislation of the Fair Work Act. Also consider the time you will need to shortlist potentially 250+ resumes, organise interviews and conduct thorough background checks. You might find in the long run that you haven’t saved any money through DIY when you consider how much time you have put in to the recruitment process and lost momentum on what you do best which is running your business. If your process is too slow then you run the chance of losing candidates along the way.
It is in the recruitment companies best interest to do a good job for both the client and for the candidates they represent. Every business will have different requirements so you should consider all the options before rushing in. Recruitment should be about partnerships and relationships, so it is always good to work with a company that you know and trust to perform a quality process on your behalf.