Split placements are good business for independent recruiters. Sure, I’m biased since NPAworldwide is in the business of fostering splits, but I’m still a fan. And here are a few reasons why:
- More opportunities for leftover candidates – What do you with with the 2nd, 3rd, 4th place candidates after you fill a role? For many recruiters, those candidates – who are qualified, vetted, and looking – languish in a database until another job opportunity comes along. Which might be too late. Split placements provide a vehicle for increased access to job openings, or to market candidates to another pool of recruiters. If you do not have opportunities to place your leftover candidates, please consider splits.
- Candidates are ridiculously hard to find – How many job openings are you working that have been open for waaaaaay too long? Good candidates are darn near impossible to find in some industries and disciplines right now. Split placements mean you have access to additional candidates. Maybe you’d rather keep 100% of the fee yourself, but do you want to lose a client because a competitor found a candidate first?
- More jobs than you can fill – What happens when you have more jobs than you can manage? You might be tempted to hire a recruiter, but there are significant investments in time and money needed before your new recruiter can really be productive. During the ramp-up period, you’re still not filling the jobs … and once you do fill them, will you have enough work to maintain the additional staff? Working on split placements mean you can adopt a pay-as-you-go model with no (or minimal) training and onboarding time. It’s a terrific option for a just-in-time approach to your staff, allowing you to grow your business and serve your clients more effectively without additional overhead.
- Expand into new markets or geographies – Can you support your best client if they approach you with a job opening outside your normal specialty? A different region? How about another country altogether? Split placements can help you say yes with confidence. The right network of partners will have recruitment experience across a broad range of industries and occupations, plus geographic coverage that includes understanding business and cultural customs, local laws, currency, salary and compliance issues, and more.
While split placements require a good deal of trust and sometimes a leap of faith, they are an excellent tool for recruiters to use. Splits offer more opportunities to fill jobs, place candidates, and expand your business. If they’re not part of your mix this year, make that a goal for next year!