Recruiting: Setting the Best Fee
I prefer to discuss my contingency fee for delivering a great candidate when I’ve located the Decision Maker and am about two-thirds of the way through completing a job order form. My client has done 90% of the talking up until this point and provided the exact information I need before deciding what my fee will be for this search.
While my client has been talking I’ve been listening closely and taking notes.
The beauty of working as a Recruiter lies in our ability to design how we choose to work. I’m happy to explain how I determine my fee but respect the fact there are dozens of ways to set a fee. Find what works best for you by experimenting. Don’t charge a fee you would not pay.
Many recruiters adhere to setting their fee based on the traditional mindset of a percentage of a candidate’s first years’ salary, say 25%. I’ve always felt that ‘one size fits all’ mentality was limiting. Personally, I set my fee after considering a number of factors. Sometimes I’ve been high and sometimes I’ve been low. Oh well. I don’t care because I make placements consistently and my open-mindedness keeps my clients loyal and attracts new clients like bears to honey.