Hello everyone. I don’t know about you guys, but I’m sick to death of recruitment consultants. Having had 3 ring me this morning, all promising exactly the same thing, I’m sick to death of them. I rarely feel that I’m being told the whole truth about candidates. And the fees? How can the effort justify the fees they charge?
Despite their claims of taking the time to understand my company’s culture etc, they fail to understand what my requirements are. Considering the bonuses they get paid, it’s clear why many appear more interested in a making a placement than finding a suitable candidate. Are there are any recruitment consultancies out there that care finding the right person for the job? Can recruitment consultants be trusted?
The last time I used a recruitment consultant, he just pulled some candidates from his database, submitted half a dozen CVs and arranged a couple of interviews. And he wanted 25% of the applicant’s salary as his fee. How can that possibly be justified? Putting it into perspective, the work undertaken by the recruitment consultant to find the candidate, which may take, say, a couple of days, costs the same as the candidate’s salary for 3 months.
Despite their claims of being different, they’re all the same. They are far too pushy and they keep ringing me. They’re like used car salesmen and yet the market is worth over £3 billion a year. Is it just me or does anyone else have similar feelings? What do people want from a recruitment consultant? Is there an alternative?
Thanks,
Fliss
RE: Recruitment consultants
flissbomb | 30/01/2007 02:36 PM
Perhaps someone will come along with alternative. There are various internet based businesses, which could be deemed alternatives, but the premise of recruitment consultants is that you tell them what you want and they go and find it. The only problem is that, because of the bonuses they get, they may not always be as eager to get the right person as they are to earn more money.
When recruiting, I don’t have the time to organise advertising, sift through CV’s etc, which is why I use agencies but I always feel that the fees I’m charged aren’t relative to the service I receive. If their fee is 25% of annual salary, that’s the equivalent of 3 months work from an employee.
I’m not suggesting an alternative; I just wondered if other people felt the same way.
RE: RE: Recruitment consultants
joanne1 | 28/10/2009 01:18 PM
Hi,
I am from a recruitment and training company. Yes it is very easy to say you are different the proof is in the pudding as it were.
In 3 years of business we have not had one rebate, we make sure we find the right people for the right job and ensure you receive optimum return on your investment. Recruitment is not about us it is about you the client and the applicant not bums on seats. We don't charge silly hefty rates but reasonable rates for what we do. We search and select who we deal with and work by appointment only after we have interviewed each applicant by phone and if we think they have what we our clients are looking for we then interview them face to face. If you have a good solid relationship with the agencies you use they would be able to explain exactly what is involved when seeking new applicants.
We as a recruitment and training company do not hound our clients or prospective clients, this is our own business and we are passionate about people and beleive that you treat others as you expect to be treated. We therefore carry this on through our business and our own teams within the organisation.
I would recommend that you contact us by firstly taken 5 minutes and have a look at our website if you like what you see give me a call. www.futureassociates.biz.
Failing that i really hope you have a successful and bright future.
joanne1
RE: Recruitment consultants
Ian J | 30/01/2007 04:02 PM
Recruitment consultancy has been one of the biggest growth areas in the country for the last few years and at least half of all enquiries that I receive for factoring comes from that sector.
Like every industry there are good and bad companies out there but the ease in which people can setup and run a recruitment consultancy does make it a target for people who think that they can earn a lot of money for minimal effort.
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Ian
Factoring ,
Invoice Discounting ,
Trade Finance and
Asset Finance specialist broker.
Founder member of
Independent Factoring Brokers Association
RE: Recruitment consultants
Richie | 30/01/2007 08:26 PM
Like Ian said there are good and bad recruitment agencies, like there are good and bad factoring companies etc.
Speaking from experience, it is in the best interest to place the right candidate in the job otherwise they will only have to replace or give back a rebate. Trust me, when you have done all that work and you have to do it again for nothing, it is better to get it right in the first place.
If you are concerned about the level of service you receive then use an REC credited agency - www.rec.uk.com will give you a list of members within your industry.
RE: Recruitment consultants
D George | 01/02/2007 04:08 PM
Hi Fliss,
It is very easy to slate all recruitment consultants as used car sales men but it is the individual companies that are the issue.
I own a recruitment company and very proud of the service we offer and we do charge for the service!
One of the things that most companies don’t realize is that to find 10 “perfect candidates” for a role we need to;
• Reply to the 200 applicants that are completely unsuitable and wasting everyone’s time
• Advertise the job on various job sites at an average cost of £25 per site, per week. (we use 5-10 job boards depending on the role)
• Search databases with 3 people trolling through 1000’s of CV’s. Each database charge £5k plus a year and a average roll uses 150 man hours.
• Pay the temp and the recruitment staff salaries each week.
• Pay the business insurances to protect us and the customer.
• Pay the business overheads whilst trying to make a living.
Clearly there are companies that don’t do what the promise, but all I can say is vote with your feet and build a relationship with two agencies that specialize in your field and are REC members and with time you should achieve a happy relationship with a recruitment company.
------------------------
Damian George MBA
Senior Dealer
Corporate FX
Tel +44 (0)207 959 6929
Mob +44 (0)7869 150 578
damian@tri-fx.com
www.tri-fx.com
www.imsfx.org
www.voltrexfx.com
www.ggrecruitment.com
RE: RE: Recruitment consultants
scott4490 | 02/02/2007 04:35 PM
Yes i own a small niche recruitment agency but i also agree with your comments and concerns.
I also own another company and we use recruitment agencies for staff.
My advice would be to ask a recruitment firm to come in and visit your premises, they should ask questions about your business and market and also the role you want filling.
Never accept their terms and confitions, tell them if they want your business then it's on your terms.
State:
1) You want all candidtes to be screened by them in their office before being placed forward for the role. (Most recuriters down screen candidates they just speak with them over the phone briefly)
2) You won't pay anymore than e.g. 10% of their 1st years salary
3) If the candidate leaves within 3 months of starting that the agency will repay part of the fee or replace that person free of charge.
These are the arrangements i make with recruitment agencies, and my own agency which is very niche, we have a sliding fee scale - so the more staff we place at one company, the lower the fee goes until it reaches a base of 10%.
Showing customer loyalty and value add services. I also don't employ sales people - i noly employee ex-industry people who can convert to recruitment.
If i go and buy a car - the first thing i tell an approaching salesman is 'i will find the car i like, if i like it, i will decide to buy it and will then come and find you, you can't make buy a car and if you try i shall simply walk away'.
You the customer, you set the standard - as a recruiter if a customer tells me they won't pay my fee's, i will most likely drop them to win the business - our strategy being that repaet business and long term business is better than a one off expensive experience.
2) Negotiate
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RE: Recruitment consultants
rcain | 10/02/2007 07:16 PM
be precise about what you want from them and what you dont want from them. Dont take any shit.
they can still be useful and more cost effective than running your own job ads. (No, I am not a recruitment consultant 
RE: Recruitment consultants
skippyboy | 11/02/2007 08:01 PM
I don't really like promoting ourselves in this manner, however the question has been asked so it would be silly not to reply.
Is there an alternative? There is now!
We have developed RecruitmentRevolution due to our frustrations with the traditional recruitment agency. We are a new breed of agency that has been designed to provide an honest, transparent and refreshingly cost-effective service.
Our forward thinking business model enables companies to source, test and interview candidates and only pay a revolutionary placement fee of just £495 when they successfully fill their position. We perform the ID and reference checking and underwrite all the advertising costs.
Sorry if I have broken any rules!
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Jamie Mistlin
Director
0845 223 9480
www.recruitmentrevolution.com
RE: Recruitment consultants
fastfences | 11/02/2007 08:38 PM
James and Ian, you were right!!
Fliss, do it yourself. Advertise locally, have CV's mailed or emailed and then create your short list.
If the right people are eager enough to work, they'll see your ad.'
Cheers, Nigel
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Startups Awards finalist 2005.
RE: Recruitment consultants
Richie | 11/02/2007 09:15 PM
Yes I also think James & Ian are right....especially from these one posters!
So, my questions to skippyboy -
I checked out your website, there are no address details so how would candidates come to you for their interview / registration / ID check?
Also, why charge £2.06 for temporary staff, how did you come to that figure?
Your one off fee of £495 for a placement, does this have any rebate or replacement scheme?
The benefit of paying more to an agency is that in the event of a candidates termination there is the replacement scheme, that way they wouldn't have to fork out for the fee again.
RE: RE: Recruitment consultants
skippyboy | 14/02/2007 09:57 PM
Ritchie - We are a 100% online agency, in fact the UK's first.
Candidates register online.
We have invested heavily in developing RecruitmentRevolution.com, £250,000 and growing to be precised. We have designed a very comprehensive candidate ID verification which has been developed with our legal team and one of the UK's leading consumer verification agencies.
Oh by the way we also obtain and check two references.
We do not personally interview candidates however companies need to assess whether this interview process is worth £000’s of pounds. We provide our clients with a variety of assessment features prior to arranging telephone and face-to-face interviews.
Our temporary charge of £2.06 takes into consideration our costs.
Our £495 does in fact come with a 1 month rebate period.
Let’s not forget Ritchie that job boards do not offer rebate periods. If you do not find a suitable candidate during the duration of your advert you will then have to repost incurring an additional fee which could equate to more than £495 depending on the job board used.
Additionally, do you get rebates from print advertises if you do not fill your position?
Damian:
Just because we charge a modest fee does not mean that our candidates and clients get a lesser service after all we need to make placements to re-coup costs.
We do not sell jobs or candidates, as both parties meet via the site. Once both parties have met and want to move forward they simply at the press of a button request us to personally get involved in the process. We will then liaise with both parties, organise any required testing and schedule the interview process. You will also notice that there is a phone number on every page enabling users to contact us should they require any assistance.
We are constantly been commended on our excellent customer service and refreshing agency model.
Our prices are minimal as we do not have high street premises with desks of consultants. Instead we have a beast of a website which is supported by a back office team. Our overheads are modest which means we can pass on these savings to both our customers and candidates alike.
Let’s not forget guys we do not charge upfront fees, companies only pay £495 after they have tested, interviewed and successfully filled their position. What other agency in the UK charges a placement fee that is comparable to job board and regional newspaper pricing?
Fliss – When you post jobs onto our site we automatically distribute them to a network of the largest job boards in the UK at no cost to you. We even search candidate databases and market your job to new candidates. We will perform the ID verification and referencing, supply you with free candidate assessment tools, organise the testing process, organise both telephone and face-to-face interviewing.
This whole process will cost you nothing whatsoever! If you do not find a suitable candidate you can just walk away or we can keep trying until we find you your dream candidate.
Fliss if you would like to contact me to discuss our exceptional service and revolutionary pricing I would be more than happy to assist you.
We are also a member of the REC.
jamie@recruitmentrevolution.com
0845 223 9480
P.S. Two posts now! Oh by the way Start-Ups have recognised our new business model as they covered us in their Start-Up profile.
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Jamie Mistlin
Director
0845 223 9480
www.recruitmentrevolution.com
RE: Recruitment consultants
D George | 12/02/2007 11:48 AM
Fliss,
Try http://www.reed.co.uk/ you can set up an account in 5 mins and place your ad for free. Be prepared for 200 applicants from India, Brazil and Ghana who can’t work in the country but if you can wade through that you should hopefully get 3-4 people suitable for the roles.
Remember to check references and ring the website number and ask for the person giving them as candidates will try and blag you.
Sorry Skippy Boy - the prices you charge suggest minimal service levels and may work against you or the low end.
Also Fliss remember you expect customers to pay you – so do recruitment agencies!
Nothing is for free!
Regards
Damian
------------------------
Damian George MBA
Senior Dealer
Corporate FX
Tel +44 (0)207 959 6929
Mob +44 (0)7869 150 578
damian@tri-fx.com
www.tri-fx.com
www.imsfx.org
www.voltrexfx.com
www.ggrecruitment.com
RE: Recruitment consultants
laffers | 12/02/2007 02:16 PM
Please excuse me if i have missed the boat her as i am new to this.
I am not a recruitment agency, but I happen to know a good one, but it depends on where you are and what job you are trying to fill.
My contact is in Newbury if that is of any help.
RE: Recruitment consultants
Anne Gerrish | 16/02/2007 12:45 PM
I'm not a recruitment consultant, but I was once. I worked in recruitment for about seven years and I got sick of having to do the cold calling, because I didn't think it was the best way to get business. Here's the rub though: When I started my own specialist recruitment business I tried not cold calling, contacting clients and potential clients through referrals etc., showing my conditions and rates (which were pretty good) and got great feedback and 'oh yes, we'll be delighted to use you'. I'd get permission to phone in a couple of months or whatever and when I did call I'd get 'oh, what a shame. We just filled some posts'. On further probing, guess what - they'd gone with someone who'd cold called at just the right time. So … I wound that business down and now I’m doing something I enjoy!
The moral of the story? If you don't want cold calls then don't respond to them. If people stop responding to them then companies will have to find better ways of marketing. I belong to the Business version of the telephone preference service so that anyone cold calling my business is actually breaking the law. Works a treat.
As to whether agencies can justify their fees -depends what they do but when I wanted to fill a post in my business recently it was cheaper to use a local agency then to put an ad in the local paper, and at least with the agency I didn't pay until the post was filled. With the advert I'd pay in advance and could have ended up with no one. I’d say if you actually keep a note of the time it takes you to do your own recruiting, you’ll find the fees are pretty easy to justify at the 10-15% level …though NOT at 25% in my opinion.
REC company membership is not cheap and one of the benefits it should bring is that clients recognise a company as following an ethical code in recruiting, laid down by the REC. If there are substantiated complaints made to the REC by clients a company can and will be removed from their register. They are working hard to make companies more aware of this but again if your attitude is ‘oh, I’d rather go with the cheaper one, who doesn’t pay for membership and invest significant time in putting its consultants through REC exams’ then you get what you pay for.
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Anne Hickley
Penguin Office Services
www.penguinofficeservices.co.uk
Tel: +44 (0)1353 860809
Fax: +44 (0)1353 861075