HR Lesson: The Difference Between Staffing Agency Recruiters and Corporate Recruiters

When it comes to filling positions, companies can lean on internal corporate recruiters or staffing agency recruiters to source and hire candidates. However, there are some critical differences between the two that business leaders must understand if they want to develop effective strategies for success.

“My passion is recruiting!  If I can help my clients grow with the best talent then I know I am helping their long term strategic plan.  I also want my company to benefit from great employees, which is why I prioritize the internal referral program at my company and send a consistent stream of future leaders!  I try to wear both a staffing and corporate recruiting hat!” says Alyssa Reinhard, Branch Manager of Contemporary Staffing Solutions’ King of Prussia office.

HR vs. Recruiting

Typically, internal corporate recruiters come from an HR background rather than a recruiting background.  Corporate Recruiters focus on one company and are usually the business partner of a specific business unit.  Staffing agency recruiters work at a slightly different pace and have much more experience moving quickly through the process, negotiating and closing deals. Internal teams may have deadlines for filling positions, but the level of urgency is often not as great as it is with a third-party recruiting professional who knows they won’t get paid and they won’t get repeat work if a position is not filled quickly and accurately. Corporate recruiters have a tendency to focus on repeating the profiles of other successful hires within the business unit and trying to match that with great accuracy.

Slow Hires vs. Fast Hires

While there are always exceptions to the rule, staffing agency recruiters often work much faster to fill positions than corporate recruiters. Staffing agencies recruit all day, every day and they are in constant competition with other firms for both client business and candidate attention. In order to succeed, they must always be building and maintaining their passive pipeline, which means that companies get the benefit of tapping into a broader talent pool right from the start. The hiring cycle is almost always faster when an agency is involved, as any agency worth its salt will reduce time-to-hire.  Corporate recruiting works closely with staffing agencies so they can provide the speed that the business partner is looking for but they also focus on making sure the process and experience is fantastic for the client.

Changing Requirements vs. Innovating Solutions

Corporate recruiters are traditionally salaried employees of the organization, they often change the requirements of the position or extend deadlines if the market is proving challenging. Corporate recruiters partner with staffing agencies to truly understand the market.  Staffing recruiters have a broad range of clients and an immediate pulse on who is driving the market.  Today, it is a very candidate driven marketplace.  Staffing agency recruiters are paid by performance, they are more likely to innovate solutions if a position proves to be challenging to fill under existing market conditions. They know that they must meet the hiring manager’s standards, so they are more apt to take a few more risks by educating the client and hiring manager on the skill sets available and how other companies are onboarding them for success.

Which is Better: Staffing Agency Recruiters or Corporate Recruiters?

There are many benefits to developing a partnership with talented, results-driven staffing agency recruiters.  Corporate Recruiters focus on really making a company great with the right hires and complimentary process and benefits for real employee engagement.  The most successful approach is to lean on both internal recruiters and staffing agency recruiters.

If you are looking for talented corporate recruiters for your internal HR team or if you are interested in enhancing your internal recruiting team through  a strategic staffing partnership, contact the professional recruiters at Contemporary Staffing Solutions today. Our team can help you build effective strategies for achieving your recruiting, hiring and retention goals.