As companies continue to pursue global expansion to gain market penetration or just a general increase in revenue, the need for global recruitment will also continue to increase. There are plenty of large multinational recruitment organizations who can provide this service to their clients. What’s a small, independent recruitment firm to do? Two words: split placements. Here are a few ways in which split placements are good for global recruitment:
- Local knowledge. A split placement partner in the locale where your client is hiring will know the local language, culture, and business customs. This can be invaluable especially when it comes to interviewing, structuring an offer, and ensuring compliance with the local employment laws.
- Speed. Your local split placement partner should be able to find candidates more quickly than you can (especially in a country where you have little familiarity and/or a language barrier), as well as scheduling phone screens and interviews.
- Save money. If you engage in split placements on a contingency basis, you won’t pay your partner until a hire is made. This also means you aren’t paying a recruiter of your own, plus all of the associated overhead. Moreso, you don’t run the risk of hiring a contractor in a non-compliant way or worse yet, have to set up an international business entity for what could be a one-off transaction.
- Confidently say yes to more opportunities. As an independent , it’s tough to say yes to global recruitment assignments from your clients – after all, you don’t have a current pipeline of candidates, aren’t sure how (or *if*) you can develop one, don’t want to stay awake 24 hours a day trying to talk to people on the other side of the world, and sure as heck don’t know what the employment laws are. Split placements mean you can say yes to client without worrying that they will look for another recruiter.
Working on a split placement basis requires a high degree of trust, an attitude that 50% of something is better than 100% of nothing, great communication, and a willingness to invest time building relationships. You can build your own network of trusted recruitment partners, seek out informal alliances, or join a formal split placement network. The method is less important than the relationships. Global recruitment is here to stay – what are you waiting for?
