Ask the Recruitment Consultant Anything

Astar1809

Hello All,

I have been a recruitment consultant for nearly 10 years now and would like to offer an open Q&A about anything you may want to know. I do know a lot of recruiters operate in what seems a cloak and dagger way at times and are usually not the most forthcoming with information and as a whole the role I have does not come with the best reputation either.

I am not here to tap people up as I work in a very specialised sector these days but have worked high street recruitment, technical recruitment and more recently "head hunting"

This might go nowhere or it may help some people who knows, but ask anything you may want to know.

Smellyonion

What is the average commission made on a placement?

Astar1809

This varies Wildly.

When I worked in high street recruitment the comms were on a volume model so it may have been £10 -£50 money in the bank before tax per placement.

Technical recruitment the fees charged for permanent placements ranged between £3,000 - £10k with the consultant getting between 5% -15% of these figures before tax, decent recruiters were doing between £150k -£250k of billings and usually around £18-30k annually in comms. obviously some more and some less.

In the head hunting arena, the fees charged can be from £10,000 - £30,000 with the comms being 15-25% of these but these type of placement can take 2-3 months to work and often with the candidate having 3 months or more notice period to work before being able to join a new company so building a consistent pipeline is the key.

I hope this answers your question.

Wyndham

The type of work I do (IT contracting) means that I've spent more time than I'd care to mention talking to various recruitment consultants. Some of them are far better than others, and I have a list of ones I would not ever use again - because why would I want someone to represent me to a potential future employer if I don't think they are competent?

So, what do you think makes the difference between an excellent recruiter, an average recruiter and a bad recruiter?

P.S. And have I been unlucky with the sheer number of bad ones compared to good/excellent ones?

Astar1809

Wyndham,

This question has two answers, the 1st perspective is easy, from inside the recruitment sector the more you bill the better you are regardless of the service you offer to both client and candidate.

From the candidate perspective you will likely judge a recruiter on three key factors, if they are successful in find you a new role, if they tell the truth and if they make you feel like a human not a "fee".

Now 8-9 years ago I was not the recruiter I am today and I am still not the best recruiter I can be but two things that correlate is knowledge of industry/sector and the feedback of good service I get from the people I work with. With this in mind one way to start to sort the wheat from the chaff is question the recruiter on their knowledge of what you do (I am not a tech recruiter). Have a conversation with a recruiter and look to establish if they actually know the value you add to a business, in my sector I can spend 20-30 minutes speaking with a person and ask the relevant questions to establish effectively what you do and the benefits of thier skills to the client, the better I understand why you are good at what you do the more opportunities that person will get. For example with you they may know (from reading your CV) the system you are familiar with and keyword sell you to their clients, this is only selling what you can do, a more knowledgeable consultant can sell the effect your skills and knowledge could have, painting a better picture.

But you are correct from my vantage point the number of short term fee chaser types does outnumbeer the people who put value in building a "brand" on your name and building a long term career.

sazaccount

How much do you usually charge as "finders fee's"

I've not worked for a recruitment agency in the UK but have in new Zealand and currently do in Canada...
Does your company/you have the 2 year clause so a person in a temp position is unable to contact/work for a company directly for 2 years after the assignment has ended or the company has to pay a "finders fee" as such

So a temp going into a business for a specific role but then is offered a DIFFERENT permanent position

Thanks

Wyndham

Astar1809 wrote: »

Now 8-9 years ago I was not the recruiter I am today and I am still not the best recruiter I can be but two things that correlate is knowledge of industry/sector and the feedback of good service I get from the people I work with.

Well, you've passed the first test Many of the conversations I've had where I haven't been happy have been around sector knowledge. I can usually tell within a couple of minutes if the recruiter actually understand the sector, and therefore what I can do within it. I had one last week who tripped themselves up in the first sentence (and then continued tripping all through the conversation). Obviously they are not someone I want to represent me.

I have some longer term relationships with some recruiters, who have passed the test in spades. They are naturally the ones I want to carry on dealing with. And if they ask me if I know of someone who might be available, I'll sometimes point someone in their direction. OK, that means I'm doing some of their work, but if I know of a candidate who is good, and a recruiter who is good, and I put them together, then it can't do me any long term harm.

Thank you for your full reply, interesting.

an9i77

Is it common to post fake job ads just to get more candidates on your books? the number of times I've applied for a role only to be told 'it's just been filled'. What % of jobs advertised through recruitment agencies are real v fake?

Owain_Moneysaver

Are "personal statements" on CVs any use or not?

I write as someone who is hardworking with excellent interpersonal skills able to work well on my own initiative and as part of a team.

[Deleted User]

Is it really worth getting a LinkedIn profile, and do people actually get jobs through recruiters on LinkedIn?

Jarviscocker

Yes LinkedIn is 100% good, anyone can tell you that