Help Me With Recruitment, Please!
By Sheenagh Beadell
Are you having challenges finding the right people to fill available positions in your organization? Given today’s tight labour market, we’re increasingly hearing of employers who are struggling to generate interest from job applicants. If you’re finding yourself in this position and feel like you’ve exhausted what you can do on your own and would benefit from some outside assistance, it may be time to consider working with a recruitment firm.
Before you pick up the phone to contact a recruitment firm, you should be aware that there are two primary types of recruitment service options available to you – the first option is referred to in the recruitment industry as ‘retained search’, while the second option is referred to as ‘contingency search’. It is important that you to understand the differences between these two types of search so that you can choose the option that is best for your organization.
Retained Search
Retained search services are typically utilized for more senior or hard to fill roles. Under this option, the executive search firm that you retain will work in partnership with you throughout the search process. They will meet with you to develop a clear understanding of your business, its culture, values and people. If needed, they will collaborate with you to refine your organizational chart, the job description, and the operational and business mandates surrounding the position. They will also want to ensure that they understand any potential challenges or issues that might come with the position.
Once the executive search firm has a full understanding of your requirements, they will conduct an in-depth search and selection process, which should include advanced psychometric assessments, with the goal of providing you with a list of the most suitable candidates for your consideration. Candidates may be identified through the executive search firm’s network, direct sourcing of passive candidates, posting of the position ad, or online searches. The firm will also support you through the final interview process and can mediate the contract negotiation process, if required. As they are committed to your organizational success, an executive search firm will provide a replacement guarantee for your chosen candidate that can range from three to twelve months depending on the seniority of the position.
In terms of the payment model for a retained search, this can be set as either a fixed fee or as a percentage of the salary of the position. Typically, a portion of the fee is paid up front, with the balance staggered throughout the recruitment process. While working with an executive search firm may seem expensive, the experience and expertise that they bring to the recruitment process can save your team significant time and resources and usually provides a great return on your investment.
Contingency Search
Contingency search services are generally used for less specialized positions and the level of service provided is much less than is the case for executive search services. Contingency is a good option for organizations that have a clear understanding of the requirements of the available position, and have an HR department that can undertake more of the legwork related to searching for candidates and handling the selection and contract negotiation processes. The main benefit of working with a contingency firm is that they can help you broaden the reach of your posting and provide you with more candidates than you would otherwise be able to find yourself. A contingency search will not cost your organization anything unless the candidate chosen for the position was presented by the firm.
A contingency firm will normally have a large pool of candidates in their database and these candidates will be presented to you as often as is required in order to confirm a hire. As contingency recruiters need to work with many organizations in order to cover their costs, they typically have less time available to provide a more personal approach to the search or to ensure that your firm and the position are being appropriately marketed.
Should you have any further questions in regards to recruitment services, please contact our Recruitment Specialist, Sheenagh Beadell: s.beadell@chemistryconsulting.ca.