Are recruiting services worth it? No, not always. Some models provide a better ROI for your company than others.
You’ll probably end up overpaying if your recruiter:
- Charges ridiculous fees
- Doesn’t guarantee the hire
- Simply posts a job online and waits for candidates
- Gives you stacks of resumes from B-players to review
Recruiting services add value to your company if your partner:
- Takes the search and qualification burden off your shoulders
- Finds talent you can’t attract through job boards
- Guarantees the hire
- Charges a fair fee
We untangle these topics (and more!) in the Q&A below. Read through it and find a recruiting partner who will hand deliver thoroughly vetted, A-team players.
Q&A: How to Get Value From Your Recruiting Services
Q: How much do recruiting services cost?
You can’t get a strong ROI on recruiting services when the fees are unfairly structured. Unfortunately, this often occurs when a recruiter uses a contingent or retained model.
In a contingent model, you pay after making the hire and the fee is typically 20-30% of your new hire’s annual salary. The retained model also charges a percentage based on salary, but you start paying immediately. Both can make finding executive talent eye-wateringly expensive.
ProActivate guarantees the hire charges a flat fee instead of using the contingent or retained model. We chose this model because it keeps hiring affordable and generates a better ROI for you.
Q: Do I need to find a recruiter or talent acquisition company that specializes in my industry?
Not necessarily. Most recruiters (including ProActivate) will have broad experience and specialize in filling specific roles.
Areas the ProActivate team specializes in
- Outside sales
- Inside sales
- Sales leadership
- Sales operations
- Sales engineering
- Marketing
- Client service
- Unique or strategic revenue-generating positions
Don’t Make Blind Bets
Read: How to Pick Winning Marketing and Sales Recruiters
Industry experience isn’t everything
Skilled talent managers know how to find candidates. Instead of focusing only on proof that a potential partner has worked in your industry, pay attention to testimonials. Look for a proven track record of filling entry-level positions all the way up to C-suite.
Q: Who will I work with at the talent acquisition company?
Your main point of contact depends on the organization. At ProActivate, our partners have a dedicated Talent Manager.
Q: Will the recruiter ask me for a job description or other information about the position?
Some recruiters will ask you for a job description. We do not.
Why ProActivate doesn’t ask you for a job description
1. You should not be asked to do extra work for your recruiter
2. Ideal candidate profiles are a better guide to find and qualify talent
What’s in an ideal candidate profile?
We customize recruiting strategies for our partners using their ideal candidate profiles. The profile is developed in a meeting you have with your talent manager and includes a mix of company and candidate-specific information like:
- Role responsibilities
- Job requirements
- Must-have and nice-to-have skills and/or experiences
- Compensation and benefits
- Year 1 success benchmarks
- Your organization’s mission, values, and culture
Q: How will the recruiter find talent for my open position?
You do not want a recruiter who simply posts the opening on a job site and passes you candidates who tick off a few boxes. Honestly, you could handle that internally.
Get working and winning candidates
ProActivate’s talent managers source and qualify candidates you can’t find through job postings. They are working and winning professionals who are not actively applying to jobs but are open to something new.
Q: Who is responsible for qualifying candidates?
The recruiter will qualify candidates before passing them on to you or the hiring manager to review. But this “qualification” process varies based on who you work with. Some recruiters glance at resumes and then pass along candidates who have the right experiences. It’s then up to you to schedule interviews and winnow the field.
ProActivate’s Talent Managers spend 1.5-2 hours with every candidate
During the interview, we conduct customized, in-depth behavioral interviews to evaluate their mindset and skillset. Analyzing their skills, behavior, outlook and passion for their work provides a strong indication of which candidates are primed for immediate success at your organization.
You only review the top-tier prospects
Instead of being tasked with looking at every single resume, you only consider the best of the best. It’s a model our clients value because it eliminates candidates who are only paper matches for a position.
Q: When will I receive the first set of candidates to review?
Talent managers deliver qualified candidates within 3 to 4 weeks.
Did you know: Without a dedicated talent manager, it takes 100+ days to hire.
Q: Will the recruiter share their process before we start working together?
Yes! If a recruiter is not willing to talk through their process, that’s a red flag. You want to have a solid understanding of roles and responsibilities before partnering with a talent acquisition company.
So, Are Recruiting Services Worth It? Yes! But…
Everyone can get value from recruiting services, but they have the right partner. Not every talent acquisition company provides the services described above. We do because it protects organizations from lost revenue or the cost of hiring a poor performer.