Dear Nicky,
A trading partner just asked me for help on a role that she has had for the past several months. It's hard to believe the client doesn't have other options in play at this point, possibly even some of the same candidates I would have recruited. It just doesn't seem like there is a high likelihood of success in filling the role now. Is it normal for partners to wait this long before asking for help?
Hoarding in Hesperia
Dear Hesperia,
It's always frustrating when I hear stories like this. Typically a partner feels like they can fill the job on their own and collect the full fee, and they'll only open it up for split opportunities after they've tried (and failed) to fill it. The problem with this approach is TIME, especially for recruiters who are working a contingency model. Clients are under pressure to get vacancies filled, so they are almost certainly using multiple options for their critical roles. This means the odds of successfully making a placement decline significantly as time passes, because it gives other recruiters a chance to get there first.
We have had many recruiters over the years get burned. Here's a classic example: Partner A shared a job with Partner B. Partner B had previously worked with the same client, they had a great candidate that was a perfect fit. Partner A wanted a chance to fill the role on their own so didn't accept the candidate from Partner B. Two weeks later, Recruiter C (not part of NPAworldwide) found the same candidate that Partner B had already developed, presented that candidate to the client, and the candidate got the job, so *both* NPAworldwide members lost an opportunity.
We never recommend hanging on to good jobs in hopes of a full fee. The most successful recruiters in the network are those who recognize that 50% of something is better than 100% of nothing, especially if a split is the more efficient option.
Nicky
send letters to: nanderson@npaworldwide.com