Potential Candidates 

It’s fair to say that recruiting firms are most often working on behalf of the client (companies) that engage them to fill specific positions. After all, the client is either paying an initial deposit upfront to the recruiting company to prioritize their search (a Retained search) or, has declined to pay any sort of deposit and has asked the recruiting company to work for free, getting paid only if a candidate they develop is ultimately hired (a Contingent search). 

What’s the difference to a candidate? 

Retained searches are true committed searches that the client and the recruiter are working collaboratively. There’s an urgent need to fill the position, the client has paid a deposit to have their search prioritize and the recruiter is working on it aggressively in terms of locating hard to find candidates, screening them carefully and submitting a short list of the best to the client. Ideally, a candidate wants to be contacted on a retained search -it’s the most real and the most urgent and the recruiting firm and the client are working exclusively with each other in a collaborative manner.

On a Contingent search though the client has signaled they’re unwilling to provide a deposit to the recruiter and that the search is not as urgent as a Retained search. Here the client actually competes with the recruiting firm! They may use more than one recruiting firm; they continue to run ads on Indeed, Linkedin and elsewhere, generating hundreds of mostly unqualified applicants. This overloads the internal recruiting department and most of the time most applicants are never reviewed nor contacted by the company- hence the “Black Hole Effect” most candidates are familiar with once they submit a resume directly to a company. As a result of this competitive process the recruiting firm is cautious about the time and effort they sink into the search. Candidates can also be contacted by more than one recruiting firm on the same position, making it confusing and setting the stage for a conflict.

Not to say Contingent searches aren’t real- they are – we fill dozens of them annually. It does mean though that both the client and the recruiter are not prioritizing the search. The recruiter needs to be very efficient, usually be utilizing their existing database of candidates and not investing weeks of time and effort (expense) into the search, looking for the best hidden talent. Why? Because the client can cancel at any time for any reason due to not having any commitment to the recruiting firm. They cancel because the position goes on hold; promoting an internal person; a business downturn; finding a candidate through a referral etc.

What to expect from your recruiter:

A good recruiter will know your industry space, know the general details of your position, know companies in your industry and have relationships within the industry. He/she will want to understand your background, your more recent work history, how you started and left each employer and why you’re in the market for a new position. They’ll also want to understand your general compensation details with your last employer. Regardless of what some folks say, recruiters need to have a sense of your compensation. Their clients have salary ranges for the positions they’re filling. A recruiter has to line up candidates with salary ranges within the range their client has given them. They can’t submit people earning 100k to positions paying 80k. They also can’t submit people making 75k to positions paying 125k- it’d be nice but the reality is that candidates at 75k have skill sets commensurate with their compensation and others in their field as do the folks at 125k Inevitably someone at 75k won’t be viewed as qualified for the 125k role once they’re interviewed. Are there exceptions, sure, but it’s rare. 

A good recruiter will also help prep you for the interview, tell you about the company, the culture, the hiring executives, provide some general interviewing Do’s and Don’ts etc. They’ll also expect you to call them after the interview for a quick debrief. They’ll then do the same with the client to see how it went from their perspective. If there are going to be other interviews the recruiter will help push those along. 

Recruiters usually work with several candidates for each position they fill and play no favorites. They don’t know who will do well nor who the client will ultimately like. The recruiter wants to prep each candidate equally well so they do their best in the interviews. Only one will get hired so it’s important to not worry about the other candidates; focusing on your own preparation is what it’s all about.

The recruiter may also be the person who ultimately calls you to discuss any offer that’s being developed and may act as the go between you and the client, helping to put things together amicably at the end. They’ll also stay in close contact during the notice period with your current employer and will advise you on the risks of accepting a counter-offer too. 

Your recruiter is your confidant, tour guide and coach throughout the process. They look for their candidates to be responsive, to promptly return texts, calls and emails, same day certainly. Any delays and the recruiter starts assuming the candidate has lost interest.