Executive recruiters in Orange County get frequent inquiries from people in their career transition questioning how they can work with recruitment firms. Whether you are employed and looking to make a change in your career or have found yourself in a position searching for a new job, it can be very confusing and frightening to live without clarity on where to start. If you want to successfully work with executive recruiting firms, here are a few important things you need to know.
Know the types of executive recruitment firms
there are two main types of executive recruitment firms that you need to know about: contingent and retained.
Retained search forms
These recruiting firms operate like other professional services companies such as accounting firms, law firms and consulting firms; in that, they work on behalf of their customers or clients to fill certain positions. They are then paid on a retainer basis to do the search assignments. These firms work at the upper end of the recruiting market on an exclusive basis. Their professional fees are typically based on the first year’s cash compensation for a given position. They may be kept on retainer by the client to fill other assignments but one retainer firm is hired by the client for a particular position.
Whilst your file is being used by a retained recruitment agency for an assignment, no other recruiters at the firm should contact you as a potential candidate for other assignments. Retained executive recruiters conduct research to identify candidates, interview them and assemble a list of candidates to present to their clients. They then work closely with their client to narrow down the list and help in interviewing the final hire.
Contingency recruiters
These are used for mid-level and junior executives for positions with salaries below $100000. They get payment at the end of the recruitment process contingent upon the hiring of their potential candidate. They don’t usually work exclusively with clients and other contingency companies may be working on the same project. They work fast and submit a lot of candidates to have one of their candidates hired first. These firms are paid a percentage of the base compensation and work with speed and volume. They don’t maintain an active engagement with the client or candidates throughout the hiring process. You can send your resume to as many contingency recruiters as possible in the hopes that they will help you get a job.
Retained recruiters often work for their client firms
Every recruiter gets at least a dozen calls and more unsolicited resumes weekly. Job seekers ask if the recruiter can present them to clients and help them find a job. However, they may not realize that the retained recruiters are just consultants who work on behalf of their client companies.
Although the search companies will work with each of the candidates for a search when there is a position that fits your profile, these executive recruiters in Orange County do not represent you in the way agents will represent an author or an actor.
