Corporate Recruiting VS Contract Recruiting

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Permalink Reply by Shanie LaMonica on February 7, 2008 at 10:49pm

Paul,
I don't have experience with corporate vs contract recruiting but my co-worker and fellow member of this site has done both. I shared your question with him. He may be able to provide some insight into the pros and cons...

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Permalink Reply by Ann Luna on February 8, 2008 at 9:39am

If you enjoyed corporate, you would probably like it as long as the role is defined. The good: nice hourly rates and if you work through a firm that places contract recruiters, you can get benefits and a check every two weeks like a regular job. The bad: if the job is not defined and they don't support you right away in the culture, the project will fail and it can look like a personal failure and you can get caught short without a job. Be sure and ask loads of questions about what kind of tools and resources are provided to you and whether or not they have had someone in the role before and if it was successful. I've done it a few times but prefer the energy of sales/agency recruiting.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Lovallo on February 8, 2008 at 9:55am

thank you Shanie,
I hope to hear feom your co-worker.....

Paul

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Permalink Reply by Mark McMahan on February 8, 2008 at 10:00am

Paul,

I have 17 years in the business and I'm working as a contractor for the second time in my career. This is the most fun ever. You come in, do the job and go home at a decent hour leaving work at work. You also get paid a lot of money. My biggest piece of advice is twofold; 1. Be careful with how you structure things for the tax man, I got stung because I paid annually versus quarterly. 2. W-2 hourly has worked better for me. I would say that rate should be commensurate with length of contract. The longer the gig, the more flexible you can be on rate and not price yourself out of the market. The beauty of this is that corporate recruiters that you will work with on a daily basis have somehow forgotten how to do the job and they all seem to be in this wait to see who applies mode. Simply picking up the phone and calling people is looked upon as some mysterious thing that nobody does anymore because it's easier for them to send an e-mail. So, I find that a minimal amount of effort is required for what is perceived as great success and everybody wins. Feel free to e-mail me directly if you want to discuss further mark.mcmahan@target.com

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Permalink Reply by BILL GALLOP on February 8, 2008 at 11:09am

Paul,

I have worked both. Contract Recruiting is the best but there are pit falls. The biggest being the company can let you go at anytime (regardless of the contract) and you are out of a job. The good part is that the salary USUALLY makes up for this insecurity.

I work Government IT in the DC metro area. The rates here are some of the highest in the nation. Technology, Medical and Legal are the fastest growing fields in recruiting. If you have experience in these areas and you have a good base of those companies in your area, you should do well. If this is NOT the case... Corporate is the best.

I hope this helps.

Bill Gallop
JOB HUNTER, LLC

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Permalink Reply by Mike Wafer on February 8, 2008 at 1:14pm

Paul,
I just made the jump. I am an Associate with StaffingForce and it is the best of both worlds. I am a, "1099 employee" but they do all of my back office support. I have not found anything like it out there. I like the idea of the pay for performance with the security of their back office support.

Check it out for yourself www.staffingforce.com/mike.

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Permalink Reply by Tania Copeland on February 10, 2008 at 2:30pm

Paul, I have been on both sides and if my lifestyle could afford the risk, I'd be in a consulting role today. What I personally love about working on contract is that you can come in and get the job done without having to navigate the internal politics. It's a very rewarding experience. However, aside from the obvious risk of being without a contract from time to time, I would also caution you to closely critique every opportunity before signing on the dotted line. I have seen too many talented contract recruiters fail because of territorial issues (with FTE's), and because many Staffing Managers have this idea that you can bring on a contract recruiter and expect them to hit the ground running on day one without much ramp. In some places, less ramp is needed but in orgs where you will be expected to adhere to strict processes, have access to an ATS that was developed in house and requires training to access, etc., you could run the risk of not delivering against your client's expectations.

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Permalink Reply by Paul Reino on May 29, 2008 at 3:34pm

What is the going rate or rate range for contract recruiting? I am in the Philadelphia area and am considering adding some contract recruiting to my contingency business.

Also, I was told by some people that a contingency recruiter is of interest to companies looking for contract recruiters. Others have indicated the opposite. Comments?

Paul

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Permalink Reply by Ken Holmes on July 7, 2008 at 10:52pm

I have an idea for you, if thinking of going out on your own. You could begin posting FREE at www.consultingcooperative.com for all of your Contract and Consulting assignments.

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Let me know your thoughts and good luck.

Ken Holmes l CSO l www.consultingcooperative.com

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