All About the Contract Recruiter Job Position

What Is a Contract Recruiter?

Did you know that there is more than one type of recruiting or headhunting? While some recruiters seek talents to fill permanent roles, others work specifically with contract employment.

When recruiters contract positions, it is a dynamic and exciting job. As a contract recruiter, you will have to work hard to not only attract the best candidates in a short period of time but also to make sure your customer makes the right hiring decisions. One of the key steps to achieving this goal is educating your clients about market trends so they are able to make good staffing choices. Keep in mind that the results you achieve will strongly affect your rewards.

What Does a Contract Recruiter Do?

Contract recruiters, also known as contingency recruiters or headhunters, are professional recruiters who work with a range of client companies, looking for candidates for a particular time frame or project. This usually takes the form of an hourly wage or fixed rate for a specific period of time as demand for hiring rises.

A contingency recruiter can be seen as a recruiting consultant who works with an organization on a short-term basis to meet its hiring needs. This type of recruiter can refer candidates to companies for specialized projects, such as system implementation, to cover temporary leave, for example, maternity leave or long-term sick leave, or to fill a position until a permanent candidate is identified.

A contract recruiter is usually hired to act as a liaison with an employer who needs to fill a position as soon as possible. Sometimes a client might want the contractor employee to start their new job the very next day! Contingency recruiters also need to be flexible since their clients’ priorities can change overnight.

When all positions are filled, and the client is happy with their new hires, the recruiter’s contract expires, and the headhunter can move on to the next job. Contract recruiters usually keep their contacts, talent pipeline, and suitable candidates, moving from company to company.

Contract Recruiter Duties

As a contract recruiter, you will be responsible for filling multiple roles in multiple client organizations simultaneously. Good contract headhunters develop relationships of trust and respect with both the customer and the candidates they hire. To become a successful contingency recruiter, you need to be naturally curious and able to learn quickly on the go.

Contingency recruiters serve as a third party in the recruiting process. Customers will trust you to give them an unbiased opinion on their hiring strategies and job offers. Since you are a professional recruiter, your customers will respect your opinion of the job market and your reputation as an employer, whereas candidates will trust you to genuinely care about their interests. Since an organization does not directly employ you, candidates know that the job you are offering will help them achieve their career goals.

Because contract recruiters have to deliver results on time in order to get paid, employers are convinced that they will work effectively to fill the vacancy. Contract recruiters keep away from the corporate machine and can work efficiently without any internal bureaucracy.

Independent recruiters have a lot of flexibility, as they can work with organizations in various industries. Furthermore, they will be rewarded for the results they bring to the company. While this certainly does mean a lot of hard work and no paycheck until the vacancy is filled, it also means there will be direct rewards for their efforts.

So if you want to become a successful contract recruiter, here are the things you should follow:

1. Know what is happening in your target market.
2. Look for new ways to develop relationships between your customers and candidates.
3. Be a proactive contract recruiter.
4. Check-in regularly with your customers and candidates.
5. Measure the success of your work with metrics.
6. Know your network inside out.
7. Stay goal-oriented.

At Lanteria, we deal with different types of recruitment. Our All-in-One HR Management System has a fully fleshed-out recruitment section. Contact us to learn more about how Lanteria can boost your HR department.