When it comes to making split placements, are you your own worst enemy? Let me give an example.
One of our members (I’ll call him Tony) shared a frustrating experience about split placements. He saw a job opening from another member. Turns out both of these recruiters work with this same client, but Tony didn’t happen to get the job order this time. But that’s OK, because he likes to make split placements, so he’s more than happy to supply candidates. He wants a happy client.
Tony called the member with the job and said, “Hey, I work with this client too. I’ve got a candidate I KNOW they will love; he’s perfect for their operation.” The other member declined, hoping to get one of his own candidates in play instead of sharing the fee.
Know how this story ends? A THIRD recruiter, not part of NPA, was also working with the candidate that Tony surfaced. That recruiter put that candidate in front of the client; the client loved the candidate, and a hire was made. So, not only did our member cheat himself out of a full fee, being greedy meant he didn’t even get half of a fee. Painful, isn’t it?
Tony was doubly-frustrated because he knew the client. He could have easily contacted the client on his own to get the job, put forward the candidate, and made a placement …. but that would qualify as Dirty Tricks. And Dirty Tricks are not what makes a split placement network like NPA thrive for more than 50 years.
I’ve worked for recruiters for most of my professional life, and I understand that money can be a big motivator. But, it can also cause a misguided emphasis on short-term gain. After all, what’s really important here? The client’s satisfaction, or your personal financial gain? My position is that client satisfaction trumps the short-term gain … a satisfied client will come back again and again, leading to the potential for more earnings over a longer period of time.
A lot of recruiters let greed get in the way of a good split placement. If this had been YOUR job, would you have made the split placement or held out for your own candidate?
