Getting a Technical Recruiter? What Kind of Agreements You Could Make?

Human resource managers of many growing companies are not always able to hire new staff internally on an as-needed basis.  Therefore, they often turn to technical recruiters for help. Although the number of technical recruiting agencies out there continues to be on the rise, it can be difficult for organizations to determine which one to partner with.  In addition to selecting the right agency, the process oftentimes involves the use of legal agreements that you may not necessarily be familiar with.  [See the video blog version below]  As such, if you need a technical recruiter, read this before signing any agreements:

What does a technical recruiter do anyway?

An outside technical recruiter works with your organization for a specific period.  Unlike headhunters that work with multiple businesses at a time and charge fees per hire, a technical recruiter is typically retained to for a predetermined contracting period to help with recruitment, and specific hiring needs. When the hiring needs are taken care of, the recruiter often moves on until their services can be retained again.  Companies hire technical recruiters when:

• They need more staff members to deal with an increased recruitment volume. In such a case, where a permanent increase in staff is not needed, a technical recruiter can step in to fill the void.
• The company lacks technical recruiting experience in house.
• The business needs to cover any leaves of absence or when HR is shorthanded.

Vital elements of a technical recruiting agreement

A technical recruiter typically works under an agreed upon written contract.  In most cases, most technical recruiters call for a non-refundable upfront deposit, as well as continued hourly or periodic payments throughout the duration of the staffing search.  The technical recruiter receives a payment whether or not the staffing needs are met.  Based on the retainer agreement, the technical recruiter has duties, responsibilities, and rights that are well defined.  Some of the things that should be included in the agreement include:

Non-disclosure agreements

Your company is entitled to require the technical recruiter to sign an agreement that prevents the recruiter from sharing confidential or proprietary information as it pertains to your company with outsiders.  As is to be expected, the recruiter stands to learn a lot about your company in order to handle the staffing needs. Since the information is often of competitive value, an NDA protects trade secrets from potential competitors or candidates until they are officially placed in the company.

Non-solicitation agreements

This agreement, when put in writing, prevents the technical recruiter from “poaching” from the pool of employees that you already have at your company.  Make sure this is signed before giving anyone access to your company records or applicant tracking systems.