09.02.07 Why do Recruitment Consultants charge so much?
We get asked this time and again by some firms - why should we pay you £x,000 to find a candidate, when all you do is send us a CV through on spec. and make a couple of telephone calls?
I think a lot of people think this, and I have to confess being one myself initially when I set up this company. I couldn't work out why anyone would want to pay a consultant to do what appears a very easy job! However, most people do not know what goes on behind the scenes....
A few facts..
I am sat at my computer at 10.30pm at night typing this, as we are so busy at the moment, I cannot find the time to write during the day.
Our advertising budget per placement is around £1,000. That is the figure we will spend on advertising to secure one candidate for whom we identify a firm, send a CV, arrange an interview, and deal with offer negotiations. At the same time, around 30 candidates will have registered, we will have arranged 6-7 interviews, and this will be the end result.
We spend over £15,000 on online advertising every year. We also spend sums on Gazette advertising as well, although we are fortunate in that we get a lot of our custom from recommendations via clients/candidates.
The cost for a firm to replace a solicitor is calculated as being around £4,000 in advertising costs, time and admin dealing with the recruitment. There is of course no guarantee that an advert will gain any applicants.
When I started out in this trade, it took me 7 months to place a candidate and actually get paid. This is not unusual. A lot of people start up recruitment consultancies, but not many continue after the first few months of not generating any income - I see them quite often in the Law Society Gazette - one big ad, no work, lots of money owed to the Gazette! It is very hard work, and I have to confess to wanting to give in myself in those months of no work, money or prospects of income.
So we don't just send through a CV. We spend considerable time, money and effort attracting candidates and clients, handling queries from both, giving free careers advice, and dealing with the admin that firms do not need to do as a result. Furthermore we undercut almost everyone else in the marketplace because of our internet operation, and are usually at least 25% cheaper as a result.
Jonathan Fagan, MD of Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment - no.1 online UK legal recruitment agency - save time, skip the legal job boards and let us do the work - register online at www.ten-percent.co.uk/register.htm
We get asked this time and again by some firms - why should we pay you £x,000 to find a candidate, when all you do is send us a CV through on spec. and make a couple of telephone calls?
I think a lot of people think this, and I have to confess being one myself initially when I set up this company. I couldn't work out why anyone would want to pay a consultant to do what appears a very easy job! However, most people do not know what goes on behind the scenes....
A few facts..
I am sat at my computer at 10.30pm at night typing this, as we are so busy at the moment, I cannot find the time to write during the day.
Our advertising budget per placement is around £1,000. That is the figure we will spend on advertising to secure one candidate for whom we identify a firm, send a CV, arrange an interview, and deal with offer negotiations. At the same time, around 30 candidates will have registered, we will have arranged 6-7 interviews, and this will be the end result.
We spend over £15,000 on online advertising every year. We also spend sums on Gazette advertising as well, although we are fortunate in that we get a lot of our custom from recommendations via clients/candidates.
The cost for a firm to replace a solicitor is calculated as being around £4,000 in advertising costs, time and admin dealing with the recruitment. There is of course no guarantee that an advert will gain any applicants.
When I started out in this trade, it took me 7 months to place a candidate and actually get paid. This is not unusual. A lot of people start up recruitment consultancies, but not many continue after the first few months of not generating any income - I see them quite often in the Law Society Gazette - one big ad, no work, lots of money owed to the Gazette! It is very hard work, and I have to confess to wanting to give in myself in those months of no work, money or prospects of income.
So we don't just send through a CV. We spend considerable time, money and effort attracting candidates and clients, handling queries from both, giving free careers advice, and dealing with the admin that firms do not need to do as a result. Furthermore we undercut almost everyone else in the marketplace because of our internet operation, and are usually at least 25% cheaper as a result.
Jonathan Fagan, MD of Ten-Percent Legal Recruitment - no.1 online UK legal recruitment agency - save time, skip the legal job boards and let us do the work - register online at www.ten-percent.co.uk/register.htm
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