What is Retained Recruitment, and its Benefits

In today's highly competitive job market, it can be challenging for companies to attract and hire the best talent for their open positions. This is why many companies turn to recruitment agencies to help them find qualified candidates. One recruitment strategy that has become increasingly popular is retained recruitment. In this blog, we'll explore what retained recruitment is and the benefits it offers to clients.

What is Retained Recruitment?

Retained recruitment is a recruitment strategy where a client hires a recruitment agency to fill a specific position on an exclusive basis. In other words, the client pays an upfront fee to the agency to start the recruitment process, and the agency dedicates a team of recruiters to fill the position. The recruitment agency works on the assignment until the position is filled, or until the search is terminated.

What are the Benefits of Retained Recruitment?

Dedicated Focus: Retained recruitment allows the recruitment agency to focus exclusively on filling the client's vacancy. This means that the client is assured that the recruitment agency is fully committed to finding the best candidate for the position. Unlike other recruitment strategies where multiple clients are vying for the same pool of candidates, retained recruitment ensures that the recruitment agency is solely focused on the client's needs.

Access to Top Talent: Recruitment agencies, like UMATR with Scala and Rust Enginners, that specialise in a particular industry or skillset often have access to top talent that may not be visible on job boards or social media. This is because recruitment agencies invest a significant amount of time and resources building relationships with top talent in their niche areas. Retained recruitment ensures that the client has access to the best possible candidates, regardless of whether or not they are actively looking for a new job.

Reduced Time-to-Hire: Retained recruitment can result in a faster time-to-hire compared to other recruitment strategies. This is because the recruitment agency is able to focus exclusively on filling the position, rather than splitting their time and resources among multiple clients. Retained recruitment can also result in a more efficient recruitment process since the recruitment agency is able to quickly screen and select the most qualified candidates.

Cost Savings: While the upfront fee for retained recruitment may be higher compared to other recruitment strategies, it can ultimately result in cost savings for the client. This is because the recruitment agency is able to fill the position quickly and efficiently, reducing the amount of time and money spent on the recruitment process. In addition, retained recruitment can result in cost savings in the long term since the recruitment agency is able to identify and hire high-quality candidates who are likely to stay with the company for a longer period of time.

Reduced Risk: Retained recruitment can also help to reduce the risk of a bad hire. This is because the recruitment agency is able to thoroughly screen and select the most qualified candidates for the position, reducing the likelihood of a candidate who is not a good fit for the company or the role. In addition, the recruitment agency can help to mitigate the risk of a bad hire by providing a guarantee period, where they will continue to search for a replacement if the candidate does not work out within a certain period of time.

While retained recruitment has many benefits, it is important to consider the potential drawbacks of this recruitment strategy.

Here are some of the cons of retained recruitment:

Higher Cost: Retained recruitment is typically more expensive than other recruitment strategies. This is because the recruitment agency charges an upfront fee to start the recruitment process. This fee can range from 25% to 50% of the total fee, depending on the complexity and seniority of the position.

Longer Time-to-Hire: While retained recruitment can result in a faster time-to-hire compared to other recruitment strategies, it can still take longer than expected to fill the position. This is because the recruitment agency is focused on finding the best candidate for the position, rather than filling the position quickly.

In conclusion, Retained recruitment is a recruitment strategy that can offer many benefits to clients, including a dedicated focus on filling a specific position, access to top talent, reduced time-to-hire, cost savings, and reduced risk of a bad hire. Ultimately, by partnering with a recruitment agency that specializes in retained recruitment, clients can ensure that they have access to the best possible candidates for their open positions and can make informed hiring decisions that benefit their company in the long term.