ThePhysicianCareerNetwork™—Get Recruiters & Headhunters.


ThePhysicianCareerNetwork \|ARTICLES Non-Clinical Careers for Physicians.

The Best Way to Find and Contact Recruiters and Headhunters, Part Two
—by William S. Frank

	Retained	Contingency
Loyalty	Works for client company, not for you.	Works for him- or herself only, not for you.
Paid by	Paid by employer, 30-50% of annual salary of the job being filled.	Paid by employer, 20-25% of annual salary of the job being filled.
How Paid	Paid in advance: 1/3 on assignment, 1/3 midway, 1/3 when the right candidate is hired.	Paid on placement, if they're lucky enough to find the right candidate.
Exclusivity	Exclusive assignment; no one else can submit a candidate except through the recruiting firm.	Non-exclusive assignment. The company may find candidates anywhere.
Status	Serves as consultant to the hiring company.	Not a consultant to the hiring company. Simply presents candidates who might be employable.
Nickname	Recruiter or Executive Search Consultant.	Headhunter.
Due Diligence	Extremely thorough. Prepares comprehensive reports on candidates. Verifies resume, checks references, interviews in depth, sometimes administers pre-employment testing.	Much less thorough. Reviews resume, may check references after an offer is made.
Usual Market	Salaries of $75,000-$$$$$. No upper limit.	Salaries of $35,000-$75,000.
Confidentiality	High confidentiality	Limited confidentiality, often no confidentiality.
Process	Presents a high-quality, limited slate of candidates to the client company, say 6-12	Presents unlimited candidates hoping something will stick.
Time With You	Enough to perform extensive due diligence—are you the right fit?—and to coach you through the interview and offer stages.	Minimal. Limited to brief conversations.
Key Question	Are you working on retainer or contingency?	Are you working on retainer or contingency?

Among other things, this chart shows why as a physician you always want to be working with a retained recruiter, and seldom or never with a contingency firm. There are exceptions to every rule, but in general retained recruiters represent real high-paying jobs with real job descriptions. Contingency firms often throw resumes at companies hoping something will stick.

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"The biggest mistake people make in life is not trying to make a living at doing what they most enjoy." —Malcomb Forbes