The Value in A Recruiter’s Fee

As a recruiter, I have had many clients request lower fees and sometimes even get a little sneaky and hire one of my candidates under the table.  It’s important for hiring managers to understand that recruiting is a service which takes time and money, just as any other service.  When you pay a recruiting fee, you are paying for several different things.

Time saver

When you hire a recruiter to search for top talent, you are saving time that you would have spent searching for talent on your own dime.  Wouldn’t you rather have someone dedicated to your candidate search rather than having to weed through resumes and make multiple calls each day, when you still need to complete your own job responsibilities?

Keep in mind that you are hiring someone to spend time not only to weed through resumes, but also to make multiple phone calls and conduct initial interviews in order to ensure you receive the best candidates.  Depending on the position, the recruiter could spend days or weeks, searching for the right candidate.

Visibility on other networks

Recruiters are experts at tracking down candidates and not only relying on applicants from job postings.  By hiring a recruiter to focus on your talent search, you are gaining access to many different networks the recruiter pays to use.  Upgraded LinkedIn accounts, various job boards, applicant tracking systems, and other sources that cost the recruiter money in order to provide you the best recruiting service.

Rather than simply gaining someone’s time and energy, you are also gaining visibility across many different networks.  This means that you have a better chance of finding the right candidate, regardless of what network or source they were recruited from.  The recruiting fee covers a small portion of that cost, which is a much cheaper cost to you, versus if you were to pay for all of these systems and networks.

Insider info

Recruiters are skilled at speaking with candidates and finding out what really makes them tick.  A good recruiter is able to find out what is most important to a candidate and if they will fit in well at your company.  A recruiter determines this by building a relationship with candidates through multiple conversations throughout the interview process.

Your recruiter is also a good buffer when it comes to offer stages and understanding what the candidate would walk away from.  Of course, you may get similar information when you are talking to candidates, but when you have a skilled recruiter on your side, you will typically gain more information.

Lastly, if you are ever tempted to ask your recruiter for a lower fee, or if you are ever tempted to secretly hire the recruited candidate without going through the recruiter you hired, please remember that you have hired someone to do a service for you.  It is no different than hiring someone to service your HVAC system or to process your payroll.  Recruiting is a business and a service which takes someone’s time, talent, and tools in order to provide you with a product.

What are some of the values you have seen in a recruiting service?  Please share your experiences in the comments below.

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