What is Contingent Recruitment?
Contingent recruitment is when an agency takes on a permanent job vacancy from a client and seeks to fill the position by leveraging their connections, database and access to candidates to present the client with a selection of candidates to interview for the role.
If a placement is subsequently made, the agency charges the client a fee, or in the case of a temporary worker, a margin for finding the candidate for them. That said, there is no outright commitment from either side to see the hiring process through to the end, unlike with a retained search. The reason for this is that in contingent recruitment the client may be using any number of agencies to fill a role, so there is no particular incentive for any one recruiter to focus on that role.
What sort of Vacancies are filled with Contingent Recruitment?
Contingent can work reasonably well with vacancies that are mid-level in terms of skill required and where there are likely to be many qualified candidates to shortlist for the position. This could also be due to location, as for example, a vacancy in a large conurbation is likely to have more candidates available than a role in a remote rural area.
How does Contingent Recruitment work with ProTech?
We agree fees up front with clients. Permanent fees are based upon the candidate's salary and are payable on the candidates start date. Temporary rates quoted are inclusive of National Insurance Contributions, Annual Leave and Workplace Pension payments.
Once we have agreed the job details, we get to work looking for the ideal candidate for the client. Contact and relationships are important to us which is why we always prefer to meet with the client in person, so as to gain a better understanding of the role and the environment in which the new recruit is going to be working. We will be in ongoing communication with the client to ensure their needs are being met and to understand their requirements, especially if they develop or change during the process.
What are the Advantages of Contingent Recruitment?
The main benefit for a client looking to hire using a contingent process is that there is no financial commitment and they will only pay once there is a successful placement.
What are the Downsides of Contingent Recruitment?
The client can utilise multiple agencies although this is not always necessarily in the clients best interests. Recruiters working on a contingent basis know that they are in competition with other recruiters and if they know that a client has employed several agencies for their recruitment campaign then the recruiter is disincentivised to them to treat the vacancy as a high priority. In these circumstances it is possible for recruiters to commit a lot of effort to search for the perfect candidate but have another agency make a placement in the meantime. The opposition may not have taken the time and effort required to complete a proper screening process and may 'win' simply by being fastest due to them cutting corners in the process. Why should that matter to the hirer? Well it may not, but don't expect much (if any) loyalty back from the recruiter and it will certainly be difficult to build a great working relationship over the long-term.
How do ProTech succeed with their clients using Contingent Recruitment?
Where ProTech have had most success with contingent recruitment is when we work in partnership with our clients and have built a long-standing relationships where we fully understand the way that the client's business operates and can therefore better match candidates to their requirements. There is a mutual understanding between us and our long-term clients in the sense that we understand what they will need and they understand that we go out of our way to make sure they receive the best candidates available. This comes from working together over time and putting the time into the relationship to understand each other's business. In these circumstances ProTech has a strong advantage over the opposition due to the understanding of the clients business and relationship with the hirer that has built-up over many years.