The Recruitment and Staffing Industry

Every business beyond the smallest start-up orindustry: the recruitment agency.
family-run company has to deal with the staffingThese businesses are based upon a model where
process. Successful recruitment of qualified people tothey provide a candidate, or a pool of pre-screened
suitable jobs doesn't happen automatically; candidatescandidates, to a client company seeking to make a
have to be attracted to apply, screened for suitabilitynew hiring in return for a price. Some agencies are
and then the most qualified person selected from thepaid only if the candidates stay beyond a
remaining pool of applicants.probationary period; others are paid on a retainer to
As staffing demands are fluid, flexible and dependentfocus on the client's recruitment needs, then paid a
upon an organisations current skill levels, workloadspercentage of the candidates salary over time if
and financial health, few companies have any call forthey stay beyond the probationary period. Often,
a permanent, ongoing recruitment division. Instead, bysuch as in the case of agencies which serve workers
and large this process or some aspects of it at theto temporary contracts (Temp Agencies) payment is
very least are outsourced to a different companygiven when a certain goal - such as the end of the
within what's known as the recruitment industry.contract or other such factors - is reached by the
The simplest and most traditional type of recruitmentcandidate for the client.
services company is the job board. Today, these areAnother major section of the recruitment and
often found online but to a great extent even thesestaffing industry is the Headhunter. These are
sites are simply a more complex version of thegenerally exclusively employed to find highly
traditional classified ad. Member companies pay a smallexperienced and highly qualified candidates for
fee to have job vacancies listed on the sites, whichexecutive level employment - or for workers who
jobseekers can search for and often apply toare in short supply and high demand. A more
through the website. One significant improvementaggressive style of recruitment, this type of agency
though is that with an online job board, potentialwill often directly approach candidates and encourage
applicants can put their resumes or CVs online -them to attend interviews with their clients or even
changing the dynamic to one where the potentialin some cases conduct such interviews themselves.
employer can contact the jobseeker with an offer ifThis method works well in top-level recruitment in
they see a resume they like.specialised fields, as a one-by-one approach can be
Beyond this method of recruitment - mainly basedmuch more effective in reaching a small number of
upon the concept of "sourcing" vacancies to apeople than a general advertisement - and particularly
potential audience of jobseekers - there's the typewhen those individuals may not be actively looking
of service that forms the core of the recruitmentfor employment opportunities.