Contingency vs. Retained Recruiters | JobSearchTV.com
By Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter explains the difference between contingency recruiters and retained recruiters.
Standing Out on an Interview
There is a certain air around retained search. It is perceived to be superior to contingency. Let’s just analyze the differences.
A contingency recruiter is hired by a company to fill a position. A retained search firm is hired by a company to fill a position and is paid an amount to retain them to do the search, another piece to deliver resumes to them and screen them and were for them, and another piece upon completion. The percentages are irrelevant. It is how the money is funded to the retained search firm that will differentiate it from the contingency.
The contingency recruiter is only paid upon successful completion of the search. Everything else that they do is done on a speculative basis. Why does the 
firm hire a retained firm versus a contingency? It is to buy the dedicated effort. There is the perception that the talent working for the retained firm is superior to that working for the contingency firm. That isn’t always the case, but let’s just accept the marketing here.
How does that affect you? For most of you, it won’t matter. For most of you, you will be in the sector that is handled by a contingency recruiting firm. Retained search firms will work at a higher level than contingency firms will. It. That’s really where the differentiation is. How they are paid doesn’t matter to you. It is the nature of the jobs that they are asked to recruit for.
If you are a C suite executive, I professional who is running a line of business, or is the president of the chairman of an organization, obviously, you know, retained search firms are aware that retained firms are where you need to be. You need to do things to position yourself to be noticed by the retained firms in order to get on their radar.
It’s not like you decide to look for a job and you reach out to retained firms. It doesn’t work that way. They want to be reaching out to you. So what you do is put yourself in the position to be noticed and found. For most of you, you are at the contingency search levels. You are working on staff-level positions, middle management jobs, direct director-level positions… Nothing at an executive level. Executive levels of the bailiwick of the retained search firms.
When I used to be asked, “Are you working on this on retainer,” I would take retainers for some positions. I would recruit for the most positions I was involved with were contingency searches. As far as the job applicant is concerned, it doesn’t really matter except in the context of the nature of the position and the nature of the relationship that the firm or the individual recruiter has with that firm. If there’s a good relationship, then it really doesn’t matter. If there is no relationship, obviously it does.
When all is said and done, most of you live in the land of the contingency recruiter and you have to learn to evaluate and assess them in much the same way as you would if you are hiring them tooth to fill a position.
The Top 10 Salary Negotiation Mistakes
ABOUT JEFF ALTMAN, THE BIG GAME HUNTER
Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter is a coach who worked as a recruiter for what seems like one hundred years. He is hired to provide No BS Career Advice globally. That can involve job search, hiring staff, management, leadership, career transition and advice about resolving workplace issues. Schedule a discovery call at my website, www.TheBigGameHunter.us
He is the host of “No BS Job Search Advice Radio,” the #1 podcast in iTunes for job search with over 2400 episodes.
I do a livestream on LinkedIn, and YouTube (on the JobSearchTV.com account) Tuesdays and Fridays at 1 PM Eastern. You can send your questions about job search, hiring better, management, leadership or to get advice about a workplace issue to me via messaging on LinkedIn or in chat during the approximately 30-minute show.
Website: www.TheBigGameHunter.us
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/TheBigGameHunter
Courses: www.TheBigGameHunter.us/courses
Main YouTube: www.JobSearchTV.com
Instagram: http://instagram.com/jeffaltman
Facebook: http://facebook.com/nobscoachingadvice
Podcast: anchor.fm/nobsjobsearchadviceradio
Video Podcast: Spotify
Twitter: http://twitter.com/jeffaltmancoach
Medium: jeffaltmancoach.medium.com
Resume & LinkedIn Profile critiques
My courses are available on Skillshare
CareerFitter offers a free test and if you want career recommendations, upgrade to the paid version https://www.TheBigGameHunter.us/career
We grant permission for this post and others to be used on your website as long as a backlink is included to www.TheBigGameHunter.us and notice is provided that it is provided by Jeff Altman, The Big Game Hunter as an author or creator.
