Construction Recruiters

1: How does your fee structure work?

There are two basic types of searches that we conduct on behalf of our clients: the Contingency search and the Engaged search. Some searches require payments in advance and some don’t. We would be happy to listen to your needs and give you a quote in person.

2. What is a Contingency search?

A Contingency Search is a purely results-based search process wherein a client-company only pays a fee if a hire is made. Typically a Contingency Search in employed on less-urgent roles, or in cases where a client-company isn't sure they want to invest in the more intensive Engaged Search process. Sometimes a version of this method is employed where multiple hires need to be made across a category -- for instance when four (4) Project Managers need to be hired in tandem.

While, on the positive side, a client-company doesn't have to make the up front investment of an Engagement Fee in this format, the results can be somewhat less predictable. With a reputable search firm, the quality standards for presented candidates should remain very high regardless of the search format, but most established search firms limit their financial risk by limiting the amount of time they spend on a Contingency effort.

In a case like ours, we are so specialized in what we do that even on Contingency Searches our deep Network allows us to fill roughly 50% of the Contingency work we take on. For most firms, the ratio is much lower.

If you hire a firm for a Contingency Search, you will find that the key ingredient for a successful search is summed up in one word: Communication. Since the search firm absorbs all of the financial risk in this format, any established firm will stop investing time, energy in resources in your search if they are not communicating with the client-company on a regular basis, or if a client is slow to respond.

3. What is an Engaged search?

An Engaged search is an intense, highly focused effort that a Search Firm undertakes on behalf of a client. It is usually employed by a client company when they are making an urgent, mission-critical hire and is universally the format of choice for Executive or "C" level hires.

The Engaged search process is consultative and highly collaborative and always begins with an in-depth Job Order Interview where the Recruiter(s) leading the search effort meets with the key stakeholders in the hiring process. The hiring team -- usually comprised of one or two people from both the client company and the search firm -- start by putting together a detailed Search Plan which, at a minimum, includes all of the key skill sets and work history details we'll be seeking. With an experienced search firm, the search plan will also include a full list of competitive/target companies and even a deeper sense of the key personality traits that would make someone successful at the client company.

The process commences with the exchange of an Engagement Fee (usually equal to 1/3 of the estimated total) fee), and can range in duration from 4 - 10 weeks depending on the difficulty of the search, market conditions and the scarcity of the skill-set. The search culminates with a Short List of potentially qualified candidates for the role, and the subsequent scheduling of interviews for the client and the candidate to meet in person. At this point, a reputable search firm becomes a strategic advisor, helping the client company to position itself to hire the person that they feel would be the best fit for the company.

4. What if we pay Construction Recruiters a retainer but the search isn’t filled?

Our fill-rate on Retained searches has historically run between 96% and 100% in any given year and comprises roughly half of the work we do. There are rare cases where we do not fill a search, though in most of those cases it has been because the client has cancelled the search for some reason -- sometimes because the need has changed or diminished, or for any number of other reasons. We are very successful with our Retained work because we are careful about the searches we take on. Failure on a search is as unprofitable for us as it is for our clients.

The duration of the search can vary quite a bit depending on the scarcity of the skill-set we are seeking, but generally ranges from 4-8 weeks and by week-three we have generally burned through whatever engagement fee we've been paid. Suffice to say, we are as highly motivated to fill the search as you are! We track all of our efforts on our client's behalf, and at the end of a search produce a detailed report which includes the number of people we solicited and the outcome of our efforts. Our work with our Retained clients is detailed, focused and collaborative. We literally become your partner in the hiring process. (is this the right spot for this?)