02 Jul Retained vs. Contingency Search: How to Get the Best HIT Employees
It’s an employee’s market, so it can be tough for even a prestigious company to attract and hire the best healthcare technology workforce. HIT employees are enjoying the competing attention of companies vying for a few candidates to fill many open positions.
Working with a specialized staffing agency to find and hire skilled personnel can give hiring managers a leg up on your competition, and there are two ways to get the talent you need: retained search and contingent search. Each method is effective but used to fill different types of jobs. So how do you decide which method of staff search to perform? Read on for guidance.
Retained Search
A retained (or retainer) search is typically one in which the staffing agency contracts with the employer to identify, mediate for and negotiate with C-suite as well as VP level employees and above. These employees need to not only look good on paper, but also need to have leadership and managerial skills and a proven track record of successful department or company stewardship.
A search for these executives requires an initial investment from the hiring company, but benefits include white glove service and highly-focused search techniques, dipping into proprietary candidate pools and leveraging the relationships cultivated between candidates and executive search firms.
In a retained search, recruiters and employers work together as partners in an exclusive relationship that is focused on efficiently locating a small number of top-tier candidates. A performance guarantee is standard with any good recruiting firm, but for this level of search any such guarantee is good for 12 months or more.
Contingency Search
A contingency search helps with mid-level and line-level positions, and can be especially useful for hard-to-fill vacancies. Used to supplement a company’s own recruitment efforts, a staffing agency helps identify top candidates with cutting edge skills, advanced-level credentials and education, and who are will successfully integrate into your company’s culture.
Initial costs to the employing company are lower because recruiters are paid when and if they fill a vacancy, so many hiring managers choose contingent search methods when they need to fill multiple positions at once. Performance guarantees typically extend for 90 days.
The Choice is Yours
Recruiting agencies exist solely to assist you in acquiring the team members you need, not to make you jump through hoops to try to attract them. While it’s always helpful to maximize your results by performing your own due diligence on the hiring process, working with a specialized recruitment firm to target healthcare technology candidates saves time and money.
With the two options of retained and contingent search, you have the power to choose the level of attention and focus that works best for your staffing needs.
If your company is in need of talented staff, we can help. We specialize in connecting employers with the best and brightest workers who have the healthcare IT skills you need right now. Contact us today and get the staff you need tomorrow.