I saw a post on a social media site yesterday about split placements. One recruiter emphatically stated he does not believe in split placements. Fair enough, splits aren’t for everyone. But I always feel it’s shortsighted to summarily dismiss splits. Here are 3 reasons I think every recruiter should consider split placements:
Split placements can even out business cycles
All business have ups and downs, including recruitment. There are times when you have more jobs than you can reasonably expect to fill, and there are times when you think you might never get another one. If you’re working the candidate side, you know there are times when candidates are a dime a dozen and other times, like now, where it’s darn-near impossible to find the right talent. Adding splits to your business model can help you even out the highs and lows. When you don’t have enough candidates or jobs, lean on your trading partners to fill the gaps. When you have too many, your trading partners can help you fill those orders more efficiently.
Split placements offer economical business expansion
At some point, most recruitment firm owners have been faced with the decision of expanding their business to meet demand. Many owners will opt to hire staff, and there is nothing wrong with that. However, splits can help you grow your firm WITHOUT adding extra overhead: no recruiters to pay, no desk costs, no training, no tools. You’ll bring additional revenue into your recruitment firm by working with other successful recruiters and sharing the fees. Split placements can help you quickly expand into new niches or geographies without the onboarding time (and money!) it takes to research and develop a new desk.
Split placements can help you serve your clients more effectively
No one likes to say no to a good client. Whether your best client comes to you with an opening that needs to be filled urgently, or an opening for a role you don’t normally work, or an opening outside of your typical geography, splits can help you say yes with confidence. You may also find that you can fill open roles faster, or work on more placements simultaneously. One of the best ways to keep your clients is to provide top talent faster than your competitors. Splits can help you meet that goal.
While split placements can include an element of risk, they are also an effective tool for many successful recruiters. Keep an open mind and give it a chance!
