Are you paying recruiters too much?
By Wietse Boersma, Recruiter.
This post first appeared on LinkedIn on the 2nd of September 2020.
You and/or your company could save hundreds of thousands of euros annually in external recruitment expenditure. A good recruitment consultant can save you many euros a year (by, for example, saving you time-to-hire, preventing candidate/hire drop-out, streamlining your recruitment processes, etc.). However: a bad recruitment consultant may overcharge you without you even knowing. If a recruitment agency does not (proactively) disclose their mark-up in a total billing fee, then you’re probably paying too much.
You and/or your company could save hundreds of thousands of euros annually in external recruitment expenditure. A good recruitment consultant can save you many euros a year (by, for example, saving you time-to-hire, preventing candidate/hire drop-out, streamlining your recruitment processes, etc.). However: a bad recruitment consultant may overcharge you without you even knowing. If a recruitment agency does not (proactively) disclose their mark-up in a total billing fee, then you’re probably paying too much.
Here’s four tips for hiring managers and freelancers alike, who work with recruiters:
- Straight-up ask for the build-up of the total billing fee you’re being charged.
- Request for the consultant to justify his or her mark-up/fee (kindly!).
- Evaluate for yourself whether you feel that the recruiter is providing you with the value that matches the fee.
- Challenge the recruiter regularly if their service still matches their fee.
Oftentimes, one quietly endures a set price. A little inquiry is not inappropriate, although we might sometimes feel that it is. Moreover: addressing these issues makes for a healthy discourse, wherein each side of the business relationship stays on their respective qui vive. It is perfectly normal for a recruiter to make money. If the role is niche and the recruiter’s skillset is grand, then one could even imagine a heftier fee. A fruitful and structural business relationship, however, can only be achieved and maintained if transparency and accountability are high. Ergo: if the price matches the service provided.
What is your experience with recruiters/recruitment agencies and the fees they charge for their services? For more advice on interim recruitment, recruitment of freelancers, dealing with recruitment agencies and more, check out orinoqo.com or the OrinoQo linkedin page.
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