| If you're in the process considering using a recruiting | | | | you believe has the best overall candidate pool and |
| firm in order to find sales and marketing talent for your | | | | skills in the functional area that you're looking for. In |
| company, you may know that there are at least a | | | | particular, you should retain the services of the |
| couple of options out there for you to consider when it | | | | company that focuses on sales and marketing if that's |
| comes to the type of arrangement between yourself | | | | what you're looking for, in finance or IT or whatever |
| and an executive search firm. One is retained and the | | | | the specialty is according to your search. But as you |
| other is contingent. By retained we mean you are | | | | retain the services of the search firm, make sure that |
| working exclusively with the search firm and you're | | | | you're willing to invest yourself in the process and in |
| paying their fees as you go for performing those | | | | the relationship that you're creating with its people. That |
| services. Contingent means that you only pay the fees | | | | will give you the best potential to find top candidates. |
| at the time they successfully place a candidate in the | | | | Why is this? It's simple. Recruiting firms that don't work |
| position that you're looking to fill. The notion of | | | | exclusively on their assignments tend to take on a lot |
| exclusive verses non-exclusive is a different one | | | | of searches simultaneously, and their efforts get diluted |
| though in contingent search. Many companies do | | | | to the point where they are doing a little bit of a lot for |
| contingent search, but they want to know that they | | | | everybody, but nothing really well in particular. This is |
| are building an exclusive partnership with their client for | | | | the risk that you run when you pull in multiple recruiting |
| the assignments that they're taking on. If you are | | | | companies to do a single search for you, particularly |
| thinking about outsourcing your recruiting to a search | | | | for higher-level positions in sales and marketing. Now it |
| firm, you should consider doing it on an exclusive basis | | | | might be fine if you do this for staffing administrative |
| as opposed to hiring several recruiting firms to do it | | | | positions, but when it comes to finding that A-level |
| simultaneously. Why? Because you'll get the best | | | | candidate for a very specialized sales or marketing |
| results. | | | | position, you really want to make sure that your |
| Many companies make the mistake of outsourcing | | | | search firm is a partner of yours, that they understand |
| their searches to a group of firms, thinking that they'll | | | | your needs deeply and are willing to take a very |
| get better coverage of potential candidates, but in fact, | | | | focused approach to finding and vetting candidates |
| the results is a number of search firms are really giving | | | | according to your detailed search criteria. That's why it |
| them no quality attention on their job orders. | | | | makes a lot of sense, whether you go contingent or |
| If you want a recruiting firm to do a great job for you | | | | retained, that you pursue an exclusive partnering |
| in finding the best talent for your company, then you | | | | approach with the recruiting company that you decide |
| should consider giving the assignment to a firm which | | | | to work with. |