Making split placements outside of your specialized niche or industry is a strategic business move that can add significant revenue and help attract multinational clients. So why is everyone not doing it? Stepping outside of your comfort zone is scary. It is often intimidating putting yourself out there when you are unsure of who and what you will encounter. You may find other recruiters that have the same clients, or may be concerned you will balk at the client’s questions outside of your specialty. The competitive nature of everything we do in our business ventures can create doubt and uncertainty. It is amazing that our worst fears are often never realized, and in fact, anxiety is turned into success.
Consider this split placement story where the result of stepping out paid off for a firm:
A Memphis-based member of NPAworldwide used to work purely finance roles. As the network advertises firm roles across the globe and of all specialties, his confidence to attain these roles grew. He also quickly realized the strength of trading partners after being exposed to recruiters that have varying specialties outside of his own, including work in engineering, as well as roles and candidates outside the United States.
Upon meeting with a client and marketing his reach, he attained a few hard roles that were very much outside of his comfort zone. The first was a search for a CFO, which was in his wheelhouse. It was for a US-based client whom recently acquired a 60 percent holding of a Korean based business. The client had tight parameters for target candidate. Upon using his network job board and posting to his partners, he received several qualified candidates from affiliates and the network’s job board. These are candidates he would not have found without the reach of a global recruiting network.
A few months later, another placement resulted from stepping further outside his niche. He was able to split a deal with a network member for an EHS Advisor for a pharmaceutical client. Several affiliates provided quality candidates for his client’s consideration, one of which received an offer, accepted, and starts this month!
“All in, over $50k in gross fees received,” he said. “Happy to report a couple of wins with network partners.”
Willingness to work outside of a focused niche and to use recruitment partners resulted in a significant return on investment. The foresight to join a global recruiting network with access to recruiters working more than a current specialty or geographic location can ultimately add more placement revenue to a firm’s bottom line! Networking can lead to more opportunities, better client service, and a positive financial return.
Well said Sarah! I often tell my own clients to give me ALL their searches as I can use my NPA Worldwide members who are specialists to help me find qualified candidates for them to interview. Also in talking with newer NPA members, many tell me that they find joining NPA gives them the tools and courage to work outside their usual specialties – new challenges breaks them out of the usual routine….its always good to stretch yourself. If you are learning and growing, you become staid and boring.