Split Placements

How to Get More Work from Clients

by Liz Carey

What do you do if your client comes to you with a job order that you don’t have the bandwidth to help fill? How can you keep your client happy without adding to your costs by hiring another recruiter or opening a branch in another location?

Many recruiters turn to a split placement network, which gives you access to trading partners all over the globe, to help gain more clients, get more work from current clients, and start to broaden their reach nationally and even internationally. While some recruiters may balk at having to split a fee, recruiters who do splits understand that half a fee is better than no fee at all.

Here are a few recent examples of how NPAworldwide members were able to help fulfill their clients’ needs by utilizing network resources – and pocketing part of a split fee they otherwise would not have been able to obtain: Read the rest of this entry »

Common Myths About Split Placements

by Veronica Blatt

NPAworldwide is a global recruitment network that exists to help its members make split placements. We’re in our 63rd year of business, and we’re big believers in splits. Today I’d like to address some common myths about working split deals.

Split placements are inherently dangerous. There are people who avoid splits because they believe there is a high risk that they won’t get paid (if they provide the candidate) or that a split partner would infringe on their client relationship. While splits may carry some inherent risk, that risk can be easily mitigated with a good written agreement. I’ve included a link at the end of the post to a free sample split placement agreement that might serve as a good starting point if you don’t already have something. Splits *do* require a high degree of trust. It can be hard to trust a new partner, especially if you’ve been burned previously. Read the rest of this entry »

How to Be Your Clients’ No. 1 Resource

by Liz Carey

Recruiters spend a lot of time and money on new business development and marketing to try and win new clients, but have you tried getting more work from your existing clients? Think about it… you already have a relationship with this client, and they know you can deliver. So, it might be time to teach them that through your membership in a recruitment network, you can help them with all of their staffing needs — whether it is outside your niche or your hiring contact’s department.

For example, maybe your client, an accounting firm, doesn’t need any more tax people right now… but you might be able to get work from a different division of the same company and help them fill roles outside of your typical niche. For example, they might need IT people or lawyers.

You can also try getting more work from your clients if they are an international company, or if they are expanding overseas. Yes, you might be their resource to fill all their roles at their NYC headquarters, but if they have an office in Spain, you can let them know that you have a trusted network partner right in that region that can help with unfilled requirements there.

An international network partner has the expertise and knowledge of that local market, and can help you make your clients happy.

Here is a great example of how to leverage your membership in a recruitment network to get international work:

An Australian NPAworldwide member had a Technical Manager role for a client based in Melbourne, which was given to them after their client had tried for 6 months to fill the role themselves.

“We were asked to assist because we are industry experts in their field,” he said. “We explained to the CEO that there are no Australians willing to relocate to Melbourne to fulfill this role (most live in Sydney). I informed him that he needed to go global. He said that he had thought of this but did not know how. NPA and our expertise were his answer.”

He posted the role onto NPA’s internal job board for members, and a number of recruiters responded with candidates. The best of them came from a firm based in Romania, and they placed the candidate, an Italian citizen living in Italy.

“A truly global effort!” the Australian member said.

NPAworldwide membership gives independent recruiters and small firms a way to compete in a global marketplace, be more effective and efficient to clients, and enhance revenue-generating opportunities.

How I Found Success in a Split Placement Network

by Liz Carey

NPAworldwide recently held a Topical Call where some of NPAworldwide’s most successful members gave quick tips on growing your business and how to find success in a split placement network network.

The following tips were provided by NPAworldwide’s Hall of Fame members, which represents lifetime achievement in NPAworldwide split placement activity, achieving cumulative salaries of at least US$10 million of placed candidates. Read the rest of this entry »

Marketing Leftover Candidates

by Veronica Blatt

If you’re a recruiter, you’re likely familiar with the term “leftover candidates.” These are the candidates that didn’t receive an offer from your client – there could be two, three, or more from each project. What do you do with them? Read the rest of this entry »

Make a Recruitment Network Part of Your Day

by Liz Carey

The most successful recruiters in our network are the ones who use all of NPAworldwide’s tools, and use them consistently. Every now and then, we have recruiters who reach out to trading partners or join practice group conference calls only when they need something – help filling a job req, help placing a candidate they can’t find a suitable role for, etc. And yes, this works too. But the most successful recruiters make it part of their day, every day. This is what helps keep you visible and helps develop great relationships with your trading partners.

We know recruiters don’t have a lot of extra time in their day, but here are some tips on how to effectively work a split placement network: Read the rest of this entry »

2 Critical Tips for Successful Split Placement Recruitment

by Veronica Blatt

I see countless posts from recruiters who are curious about split placement recruitment, but aren’t sure how to get started. They’re often asking for advice about how to be successful with splits. I would like to offer two critical tips to improve your odds of success. Read the rest of this entry »

Considering NPAworldwide or Bounty Jobs for Split Placements?

by Sarah Freiburger

image of magnifying glass On a search for split placement opportunities, many recruiters seem to question what is the difference between some of the online platforms that they have seen or are currently researching. Here at NPAworldwide, I occasionally am asked by independent recruiters how our network is different and better than BountyJobs. In my opinion, neither one is necessarily better than the other as they are so very different. As an independent recruiter, deciding which to join will depend on how you like to work.

The following is a brief summary of the key differences between NPAworldwide and BountyJobs:

1. Organization Structure
NPAworldwide is a member-owned and -run network of independently-owned recruiting firms that work together to make split placements. The network began in 1956 and has grown into a network of more than 500 firms located throughout the world.

Owners of NPAworldwide firms set the strategic direction of the network. The network is led by a Board of Directors of owners of member firms and has a selective membership process. At the end of the year, profits are re-invested in the network to continue and improve services to our members.

Membership gives independent recruiters and small firms a way to compete in a global marketplace without sacrificing the unique qualities that distinguish them from larger competitors. Members rely on our split placement network to build relationships that result in more effective and efficient service to clients and candidates in their own market. Those relationships translate into enhanced revenue-generating opportunities and increased financial stability. In the process, members also add value to their businesses through improved speed, reach, and capacity.

BountyJobs is a privately-owned company so I do not know how profits are spent or distributed. The organization appears to be a good solution for large employers managing a high volume of open positions resulting in the need for them to manage relationships with many recruiters.

2. Work Style
Success in NPAworldwide is a result of the relationships built between recruiters. The quickest way to build trust with potential trading partners is to meet face-to-face at one of our conferences. Of course, if that is not possible, recruiters develop relationships through telephone, Skype, and/or email conversations.

In BountyJobs, independent recruiters only work with employers and have limited opportunities to build a relationship with an employer until much later in the hiring process.

3. Control
In NPAworldwide, recruiters post jobs and candidates in our private, web-based sharing tool called Matchmaker. Recruiters may work on any job, anywhere in the world. We also have a private Job Board where only NPAworldwide recruiters can post their jobs. Members can post their jobs for free on our Job Board and only pay if they place a Job Board candidate in a job. With NPAworldwide, an individual recruiter is in control of how they work with their trading partners as long as they abide by the Bylaws and operating procedures.

BountyJobs is a one-way street. Employers post jobs through BountyJobs. Then after viewing posted jobs, recruiters may contact employers and request that they be given permission to send candidates to the employers. A recruiter cannot speak with an employer unless the employer authorizes the recruiter to send candidates. After the permission is granted, the recruiter is able to view the full contact information of the employer. Wiith BountyJobs, the employer is definitely in control.

Additionally, NPAworldwide recruiters control the type of guarantee they offer employers. With BountyJobs, recruiters have no control. All recruiters are required to provide a 60-day money back guarantee; no exceptions.

In conclusion, which option is better for independent recruiters to join – NPAworldwide or BountyJobs? It depends! NPAworldwide is a relationship-based network facilitating split placements among its members. If you prefer to not build relationships with your trading partners, then you should consider BountyJobs. Or, if you are undecided, you may want to consider joining both and experiencing them each firsthand.

If you do consider joining BountyJobs as an independent recruiter, I suggest you take some time to understand how candidate ownership is addressed. Specifically, who owns the candidate six months after a recruiter submits the candidate to an employer.

As an independent recruiter, which option do you prefer?