Recruiter Insights and Tips

Weather you have applied for a job yourself or a recruiter has reached out to you, it is beneficial to understand the dynamic of the situation to help manage expectations and emotions.

With that being said having a basic understanding of the types of recruiters will set a good foundation to build upon.

Types of Recruiters

At the top level, there are two types of recruiters:

Internal Recruiters

These recruiters are employees of the company where they are utilizing their recruiting services.

• Also know as Corporate Recruiters.
• Company's that have internal recruiters are typically larger, as they have the resources to be able employ dedicated recruiters.
• These recruiters work within the company with the hiring manager to fill the desired role, hence should have a broader and deeper knowledge base when it comes to the open role (i.e. should be able to answer a larger range of questions).
• Their primary objective is the long-term success and growth of the own organization.

External Recruiters

There are multiple variations of four basic types of external recruiters (recruiters that are NOT an employee for the same company they are seeking candidates to recruit):

• Retained-Based Recruiters
• This is the typical arrangement when a firm engages in an Executive Search.
• As the name implies, the recruiter is retained until the role is filled.
• This arrangement is used for hard to fill executive leadership/C-level roles, specialized or senior positions, etc.
• The process is much more exhaustive - the recruiter will work through a the larger pool of candidates (with a predetermined methodolgy) in order to present the best candidates to the company.
• Contigency-Based Recruiters
• These recruiters provide candidate flow (usually while the internal HR department conducts its own parallel search).
• As implied by the name, contingent recruiters are paid a fee if and when a candidate they present is selected.
• Outplacement Recruiters
• These recruiters assist employees who are leaving the company durings layoffs, etc.
• Companies hire these recruiters to provide guidance and support during times of downsizing/staff reductions.
• Staffing/Temp Agency Recruiter
• As the infers, staffing agencies handle temporary or contract-based positions.

Knowing the information outlined above will increase your comfort level going into the interview/hiring process, hence increasing your confidence level.