What Is a Contract Recruiter?

If your company is growing rapidly and needs to hire multiple employees right away, including a recruiting manager, you should give serious thought to making your first hire a contract recruiter. This type of recruiter — a recruiter who is paid as a consultant to your company — can hire every type of employee your company needs, including a recruiting manager.

Any time a company is trying to hire more than a handful of people at one time, someone needs to lead the process, including scheduling and resume-screening. A contract recruiter should be able to help your company source, screen, and communicate with candidates. Be aware, however, that a contract recruiter won't be able to sell your company as effectively as would your in-house managers and other employees.

So how do you find a good contract recruiter? Most temporary staffing agencies can recommend former employees who are now contractors. If you do find a contract recruiter through an agency, ask questions about how this recruiter would find job candidates for you. But also make sure that your contract recruiter doesn't show preference to one agency over others that might better serve your needs.