Recruiters: If you are in a job search, you may find it helpful to understand the relationships of recruiters, hiring companies, and job seekers.
As a recruiter, I contracted with over a hundred companies to fill their vacancies. I have friends who are recruiters. My broader understanding of the types of firms started when I began my career with a company that had two departments: one for search and one for applicant placements. This article will help you understand recruiters and perhaps the best way to work with recruiters effectively.
Recruiters
Hiring companies contract with recruiters to find applicants that are often not on the market. If you are a working with recruiter, you are valuable to that recruiter. The recruiter will not charge you a fee. The hiring company pays the recruiter.
This distinction over fee payments is one of the differences between recruiters and some placement agencies.
A recruiter does not find jobs for people. Instead they find people for jobs. Some people call recruiters “headhunters,” because they hunt for people to fill positions for the hiring companies.
Placement Agencies
These agencies often work to find jobs for job seekers. In some cases, employment agencies may charge the applicant a fee. The successful employment agencies have a strong network in a local market. Although employment agencies may recruit candidates for a specific job, these agencies are typically working with job seekers who have come to the agency’s office and completed an application.
Contingency Recruiter or Retained Recruiter
Both contingency recruiters and retained recruiters have a contract with the hiring company. Also, both seek to find people for jobs. The difference is that a contingency recruiter makes no money until a hire is made. On the other hand, retained recruiters receive scheduled payments as they work on the search. Additionally, both types, myself included, are listed in national directories of professional recruiters.
You and the Recruiter
Recruiters get on phones and call people. They may publish job listings on their websites. My initial use of this website was to promote my recruiting efforts. Most recruiters specialize in searching for specific types of jobs.
If you have the skills that match a recruiter’s specialty, you might find this recruiter a valuable asset, because he or she will often have a number of jobs that fit your background.
The Limitations of Recruiters
I have a separate article on why you might not want to work with a recruiter. You should be aware that recruiters are working to serve their own interests to fill jobs quickly. These recruiters may not refer you to companies where they already have successful candidates in progress.