Third-Party Recruiters and Staffing Firms - Part III
Here in Part III of our three-part series on working with recruiters and staffing firms, we’re going to look at the last of four ways you can work with a staffing firm. Yesterday, we examined contract and temporary - today we look at temporary-to-hire and direct hire.
The temporary-to-hire option allows a company and a job candidate to go through a third-party during a designated assessment period. Sometimes the trial period is an economic choice for the company, but more often the trial is used to be sure the employer/employee match is a good one before a commitment to hire and acceptance of employment is finalized.
Pros
- While they are evaluating you, you can be evaluating them. Do they offer what you want? Do they meet your top priorities as an employer?
- If the staffing firm has a strong relationship with the hiring company, they should be able to give you insight and feedback during the selection and hiring process. Should things not work out, technically you would still be employed by the staffing firm and wouldn’t have to show a possible short-term disaster on your resume.
- The benefits situation. Does the staffing firm offer anything while you are their payroll? Also, when you are hired by the company, how long do you have to wait to qualify for their benefits? The time you’re temporary probably won’t count toward that period.
- Even though many temporary-to-hire positions start out as temporary and evolve to temporary-to-hire status, most temporary-to-hire jobs requires a fresh interview process. Sometimes, because of the possibility of a trail period, both you and the hiring manager might chance a less thorough interview and selection process. This increases the risk factor of a mismatch.
- Be sure to ask this question: Are you expected to stop your job search and will the employer stop their candidate search when you start working for them during the trial period?
Executive search firms, third-party recruiters and most staffing firms offer the option of presenting you for regular positions with their clients. It is called direct hire because the hiring company does not request that you go though the payroll of a third party but, rather, hires you directly as staff. Most recruiters are paid on a contingency basis – when they make the placement, they are paid – while others work on a retainer basis. Either way, their primary commitment is to the company who has engaged them for the search. However, if you spend the time to develop this relationship, you might just find that a seasoned recruiter can become a long-term advocate and coach for you – someone who can be there as your career develops and it’s time to make further job advancements.
Pros
- A good recruiter will represent you and “sell” your candidacy well and will have both a trained as well as innate sense of matching you to available opportunities. He or she will also likely have the edge of an established relationship with the hiring authority, allowing him or her to be able to persuade the hiring company to interview you better than your cover letter ever could.
- Since there’s a good chance a recruiter will know his or her client well, you’ll receive extra guidance you wouldn’t otherwise have interviewing on your own. He or she should give you insight to the company’s culture, tell you about the hiring manager’s interview style, and assist with salary negotiation.
Cons
- Third-party involvement can be frustrating at times when the company uses the recruiter as a buffer to protect themselves from direct contact. Some go-getter type personalities might find it tedious to work through someone else.
- Clarify your obligation to go through the third party for future employment by the hiring company because most recruiters and firms have contractual terms governing this area. You might not be able to be hired directly without the third party’s involvement for a period of time after having already been presented by a third party to that company.
So now you know the main ways you can work with recruiters and staffing firms. If you would like to check and see if there’s someone out there who places folks in your field, check out the membership directory at www.recruitinglife.com. We hope you can speak their language a little better now! Happy Hunting!
Angela Loëb is an author, speaker and co-owner of Great Occupations. She and her partner, Jay Markunas, help people make successful career transitions through workshops, webclasses, personalized coaching sessions, as well as through The Job Search Boot Camp Show. Find out more at www.greatoccupations.com.