THE DILEMMA

There is a strong similarity between the challenges of placement and the obstacles most site visitors face when they apply for a company opening that is also not a perfect match to what they are currently doing. The following chart provides an overview.

The Challenges
1 Typical placement organizations or recruiting agencies are not necessarily a good venue for the job seeker who wants to change industries or functions, transition to a different career path, or even for the unemployed.
Site visitors applying to companies who have a posting which states a specific job requirement, may get discouraged and lose interest in the job board, because they do not exactly fit (or cannot expertly communicate the fit to), that job posting. The candidate, in many cases, is rejected and perceived as a square peg in a round hole, thus discouraging the site visitors.

2 Using recruiter-based placement or a firm’s current posting is a best choice when a company wants to hire someone whose function is exactly the role it is attempting to fill.
That company needs to recruit a candidate who has a solid history of success in that type role to justify the placement fees, and the recruiter or HR department. This approach usually will be limited to, or preferred only for, “blue chip” professionals and / or those with an exact fit.

3 “Blue chip” professionals rarely require the platform of an online job board.
This is because their talents and reputation are well-known, and their jobs are primarily found through an integrated network of contacts and industry referrals.


The Perception of Fees
1 Non- “blue chip” candidates are often (unknowingly) offered a lower salary in the employer’s allocated salary range, which allows the recruiter’s client company (the employer) to absorb some of the fee paid for that person.
This true loss usually compounds each year, during the balance of their career, and is rarely recovered because future increases will be based on a percentage of a lower starting income. Thus, new hires are potentially losing income each year and ultimately are never paid commensurate to their true contribution.

2 Placement fees can actually become a deterrent to hiring.
If an organization wants to expand but they do not feel the placement candidate is a best fit, they will not want to pay the placement fees and will hire another equally-qualified person, or even a less qualified person who does not have such a large hiring cost.