Got a great question today from a reader looking for some help with their job search:
I’m on a job search right now, and I have been in contact with what appears to be a reputable, local recruiting agency.
When I find an opening online, I often contact the recruiting agency to see if they have a relationship with the hiring company. I’m hoping that they might have an “in.” Now I’m wondering if this is a good idea due to the extra fee my application would carry with it. This is especially true if the hiring company was not planning on using the recruiting company for the opening in question.
On the flip side, applying online can feel like sending my application into a black hole. I know the best option is to have a friend/colleague on the inside to get my resume to the hiring manager, but let’s assume I don’t have that – which I often don’t.
So the question is, which is better?
(1) Applying online with the risk of never being found (but also with no extra fees), or
(2) Using a recruiting firm for a position that they weren’t specifically contracted to try to fill, but they have connections.
I wish there was a definitive correct answer for this situation. Truth is, it really comes down to the relationships between the job seeker, the recruiting agency and the corporate recruiter. To offer some insight, I reached out to Lars Schmidt, who leads the talent acquisition and innovation team at NPR. Lars understands the hiring process and was gracious to share his expertise.
[Lars] Agency recruiters can be a valuable tool for your job search, but the key to their value usually depends on two things: 1) they have a relationship with the company 2) the company is using agencies for the open job. Unless both conditions are met, agency recruiters might not be your best job search resources.
The reality is internal recruiting departments and hiring teams in many companies are under tight pressures to contain costs. This reduces their ability to use external agencies, outside of very niche skillsets and hard to fill roles.
Most internal recruiters I know won’t accept unsolicited resumes from agencies. This means your approach behind option #2 might work against you. If an agency submits your unsolicited resume to a company, they likely won’t accept it (unless they’re approved to work with agencies on that search, but even then, they may not if they don’t have a relationship with the firm). Even worse, your background may be a good fit for the job but they won’t consider you because they don’t want to deal with an agency trying to climb a fee if they hire you. That’s a worse outcome than if you would have applied directly.
That story isn’t meant to scare you away from agency recruiters. I spent the first 3 years of my career recruiting for an agency. There are some great ones out there who truly have strong relationships with companies, are ethical, and work in both party’s best interests. The challenge is that often time you have no way of knowing whether they really have relationships with clients they claim to. There are shady firms, and shady tactics, out there so if you find a great recruiter make sure you cultivate that relationship.
I would recommend option #1, but add some additional steps. Recruiters will need you to apply online for a variety of reasons including compliance, process and workflow. Savvy job seekers know that’s just one aspect of the process. It’s important job seekers actively work to network, identify and engage recruiters and hiring managers within a company.
LinkedIn is great for this. Even other social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter are good options. In person networking at conferences, meet ups, etc. is also really important (though I understand this can be pricey, there are alternatives online forums like groups and chats that also provide networking opportunities). The bottom line is if you can get a source inside that company to share endorse your resume and candidacy, and assuming you have the right skills/etc. for the role, that will give you an advantage and help you stand out – on your own.
I also wanted to share the staffing company perspective. So I reached out to a long-time friend and colleague, Joan Ciferri, SPHR, CPC, president of David Wood Personnel in South Florida. I asked her to share a firm’s POV about candidates calling them regarding openings. Do staffing firms cold call companies when they have candidates who appear to be a good fit? Here’s what Joan had to say.
[Joan] When a company pays to post a position on a job board their preference would likely be to find a candidate through that posting rather than adding a recruiting fee to what they’ve already paid for in the posting. That being said, if they are open to working with a recruiter the process of hiring is much easier and time effective for them in the long run.
Many recruiters spend most of their day finding candidates for jobs instead of jobs for candidates. What that means is that clients contact the recruiter with job openings and they recruit for the qualified candidates to fit those jobs. After all it is the client company who is paying the recruiter to perform.
If you, as a candidate, have a nice relationship with a recruiter who is proactive and a “go getter” (Like the recruiters at David Wood Personnel) it would be a great idea for you to call that recruiter before you answer the posting. If the recruiter has an “in” with the client AND you are a good match for the position the recruiter should be able to contact the client in hopes of creating an interest in you because of their relationship and your qualifications. At this point they should not tell the client your name UNTIL the client agrees to see you or your resume through this referral. It is done this way so if the client does not have an interest in using a recruiting company you can still have an opportunity to apply on your own without you or the company violating any agreement with the recruiter.
If you are able to get an interview through the recruiter it will allow you to have a big advantage over the 100s of other resumes the client is receiving. Prior to your interview the recruiter should be able to share more about the job than just the information in the job posting. They should be able to give you insight into the person you will be interviewing with and should practice a mock interview. This will help you to feel confident about communicating the qualities and experience you have that qualify you for their job. The recruiter should test your skills required for the job, check your reference and share these with the client. This will make it much easier for the client to hire you than to have to do this all on their own with candidates who are answering their ad.
You and the recruiter should have a timeframe in mind for the recruiter to create interest. If they are unable to create interest you could then apply on your own.
I hope this helps answer your question. Best wishes for a quick and effective move to your next career position!
My thanks to Joan and Lars for sharing their experience and expertise. I hope that once job seekers are armed with good information, they can make the right decision for their situation.
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Manasvi.Pendyala says
Good One….
James R.C. Smith says
Reputable recruitment agencies won’t take a fee from candidates. They only get paid by the hiring company once the candidate is secured in the role.
A good recruitment agency will build a relationship with both the hiring client and the candidate to ensure a match with both work experience and culture.
Puregenie Digital Recruitment and The Gail Kenny Group have an outstanding reputation for our strong and valued relationships with both clients and candidates.
Eric Fleming says
The recruiters are paid by the client, assuming that they have a contract in place with them. If a recruiter is taking money from you to do a job he or she is already being paid for…it smells fishy.
I would keep your money and walk away from this “recruiter”.
Eva Lamotte says
Curriculum vitae should be the point of reference in recruiting and not money.
Suzy Pike says
As a organizational recruiter, I see tons of resumes come through and yes I look at each one of them, it does not take long to see if the candidate has the skills and abilities needed. If by some chance there is an internal candidate, I would not “automatically” qualify them over any other candidate, but look at what each one had to offer, and who truly will be the absolute best candidate for the position.
As a job seeker, I have never, in my 30 years of employment had a recruiter get me an “in” because I spoke with them first. Again, it was based on my abilities, knowledge, past experiences and motivation to move the company forward that landed me the position I applied for.
Larry Engel says
In my experience, applying direct and avoiding the agencies is the way to go. The few times I have used agencies in the past, they just got in the way.
When building relationships with future employers – relationships that have enormous potential impact on your career and life – why would you want to put another person in the middle? No one else can possibly know you or your abilities as well as you do.
I would recommend not giving in to the temptation of letting someone else “sell” your assets and benefits. Instead, retain control of your own future and focus on reaching out and building these relationships through traditional means of communications, as well as social media channels.
Jennifer Benskin says
I absolutely agree that the company pays the recruiter – a job seeker should never pay a recruiter. However, I wouldn’t throw out utilizing a recruiting agency to help. I have been both on the corporate side and the agency side of recruiting and have a different viewpoint. As a current Co-Owner of an Executive Search Firm, if a candidate contacts me during their job search about a position with XYZ Company they are interested in, but are concerned about being lost in the Applicant Tracking System abyss and I have a relationship within that company – but they are not utilizing my firm for the open position due to any variety of reasons – budget cuts, want to try it on their own first, etc. – I will send the candidate over with no fee. I don’t do this for a candidate that I don’t see as a match for the position – but if they are a match based on the job description and what I know of the culture – I look at the bigger picture – the long-term. First, the candidate will appreciate my assistance and hopefully refer me to others and when they are in the position of hiring – they will remember me. On the other side, I often find that the company appreciates the fact that a recruiting firm that makes their money on placing candidates in jobs, sends over a candidate with no strings attached. This often results in the company reviewing the resume a little bit closer. I have helped several individuals secure employment this way. However, as a job seeker – I would make sure the recruiter that I reach out to is established and is reputable…too many agencies would absolutely put a fee on the job seeker. This may sound unusual; but if you find the right recruiter that is in the business for the long haul; they usually see the pluses for all sides. I have found that I can be especially useful if the candidate has already applied and hasn’t heard anything. When I contact the company with the resume of the candidate and let them know they already have this great candidate in their database – they are usually very appreciative.
Rob Kelly says
Great insights for job seekers who are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Job seekers need to network with whomever they can — whether that’s via email, phone, or social media or with companies or recruiters. Using LinkedIn is a great way to get “in” the company while still sidestepping recruiter fees. But it’s all in your approach — the advice you gave early on was right, do what makes sense given your relationship with the company and the recruiter.
Shaheen Kadri says
If the position is advertised on the career website then I would do the following: apply on-line and then try to find a contact within HR or recruitment via LinkedIn and introduce myself directly and let them know that you have applied for the job, and if they need anything to please contact me directly.
I would never go to a recruitment agency if the role is a role I have found first and can apply for online, why well the chances are if you contact the recruitment agency and tell them about the role, you will never really no if they really sent across your cv, also they want to secure the role with the company and they will send your cv (if they do) with other cv’s as well and then you cost associated with it. I think recruitment agencies are valuable BUT they are like realtors they are sales people at the end of the day.
Sharlyn Lauby says
Thanks for all the great comments and insight. It’s great when we can share our experiences to help others find new opportunities.
I agree – job seekers should not have to pay directly for a job. And, that’s not what we’re talking about here. In my experience, I did find that I would have expenses like updating my résumé, reading a book, taking a class, etc.
Paula O'Connell says
We are an executive search firm specialising in international marketing and corporate communications in Europe and find that companies use us exclusively for specific roles. For these roles, its best to go via us.
We have also noticed an increased number of roles recruited directly by companies themselves and many people contact us for our advice. Because of this growing volume, we’re not able to spend time on assisting and advising for free so have set up a career mentoring service (www.oconnell.eu/oneambition). Here we can share our 10 years of knowledge in international marketing and how to best position yourself. We charge the individual for this service but we don’t represent a job seeker to a company who have advertised directly.
In Europe, we have the same experience that Joan Ciferri outlined in the article: if a company is advertising directly, its likely that they want to source the role this way and avoid any other fees.
Jeremias Stelter says
The beauty of social media usually answers this question quite simply….most jobs that you find on linkedin will show you what connections are already connected to the firm…or just google it.
If you have a recruiter in mind – Social media usually uncover the reputation of the recruiter and you can go from there. For instance, I’ve recruited in the NYC, NJ and CT area for 15 years…worked with a majority of the firms and many of the same candidates throughout the years. Candidates often ask about a connection I have with a firm…I just tell the truth. “Yes, I know someone there – I’ve placed a few people – thanks for the heads up – I will call them right now. OR, Nope…they don’t like to work with recruiters and don’t pay fees…but I know one of the Art Directors – I’d be glad to send a note to her for you.” Why not?! I’m building an army…some I’m able to charge for and others…I’m not.
Many people are right to stay away from recruiters or at least us caution. How could I say that right? Well, think about it…you’re leaving your name in the hands of an individual that sometimes, you barely know. With the right recruiter, they can do amazing things. With the average recruiter, you might get lucky every once and awhile and with a bad recruiter, trust your gut. You’ll know right away.
I’ll wrap it up with – I’ve placed a ton of candidates with companies that have the job posted. It makes good business sense to fish in two different parts of the lake…and companies should always cover all of their bases. Look for a creative way in…Don’t just send your resume in like the other numbers.