Average Recruiting Agent Fees 1806



  • Hi,
    I was approached by a buddy of mine running a family business looking for the following:
    Junior Accountant
    Experienced Staff Accountant
    Billing Administrator
    He plans to outsource to a financial staffing agency in his area. What are the average agent recruitment fees per hire? I am looking for what you guys pay in your area for some comparisons. Thanks.



  • Recruiting fees are generally based on the what the buyer (client) negotiates with the recruiter (headhunter). To my knowledge, no standard fee amounts exist since recuiters are individuals, each establshing or operating under the company’s recruitment ‘fee structure’. Therefore, anything is negotiable.
    In short, it might be a good idea to contact colleagues in your area to determine recent fee amounts paid. Also, avoid using the terms ‘SOX’ ‘internal controls testing’ or other references to SOX…the proposed recruitment fees will be significantly higher.
    Good luck,
    Milan



  • 15% to 20% is an average.



  • Fees are directly proportionate to the difficulty of the position, the harder the position to fill, the higher the fee.%0ASOX positions will typically pull 25%+ at a minimum of either the salary or total compensation package.



  • Fees are directly proportionate to the difficulty of the position, the harder the position to fill, the higher the fee.%0ASOX positions will typically pull 25%+ at a minimum of either the salary or total compensation package. %0AIf you pay at that rate you’ve been ripped offf.%0ASpot the recruiter 😉



  • Could not agree more…if the ‘placement specialist’ asks if the work relates to SOX, find someone else. Ive found good, capable, experienced assistance with a fee as low as 10%…20% is definitely on the high side.



  • In fact I do not even specify SOx experience when I recruit. The main thing I look for is the ability to understand how to map a process and identify risks and controls, you can have this if you haven’t worked on SOx and you should definitely have this if you’ve trained in a Big 4.



  • Same here. We have trained freshers, laid off billing managers, erstwhile financial analyst, accounting clerks to be good SOX resources. The only thing required is good common sense.



  • I agree with the previous posts (excl. one)…and to add further value…
    if anyone can share an interview checklist or other resource document that can be used as a screening tool to assess and document a person’s familiarity with SOX, internal controls, technical ability, attention to detail, or other core competencies, that would be rally helpful.
    Previously, I conducted a search online for Accounting/Finance Core Competencies, but came up with only a few useful items. If you have something helpful that you can share with me at 404cpa_at_gmail.com, I will reply with the resources that I’ve found.
    This will reduce the risk of posting a checklist online where it might be used inappropriately or as a basis to land that elusive high pay SOX ‘consulting’ role when the abilities are clearly lacking.
    Again, I will share equally and openly in kind for any resources shared.
    Thanks,
    Milan



  • THanks for all your valuable information and experiences guys. Is it common to pay the fees up front? The Agency is requesting for a placement fee of USD1200.00 and pay them 22/hr for the billing administrator. If we were to convert that temp to perm, there is a additional fee of 20% of the salary offered to the temp.



  • THanks for all your valuable information and experiences guys. Is it common to pay the fees up front? The Agency is requesting for a placement fee of USD1200.00 and pay them 22/hr for the billing administrator. If we were to convert that temp to perm, there is a additional fee of 20% of the salary offered to the temp. %0APegoo - My understanding of your scenario is that the agency wants:%0AUSD1200 fee + USD22 per hour over what they are paying the contractor (temp) and an additional 20% fee of the salary when that temp goes perm. If my understanding is correct I would advise you to not pay the USD1200 up front. Pay them for the temp worker on an hourly basis (they may charge you USD65 per hour and may pay the temp USD43 per hour. There should then be a sliding scale on the conversion fee if you decide to hire that person full-time. Length of time temping: 0-3 months 20-25% fee, 3-6 months - 10-15% fee, 6+ months should be no fee as they have already made a good bit of profit on the temp billing.%0AIn response to the other posts on this thread, I know that the fees for recruiting differ widely in different parts of the globe. I was a recruiter for an international company with consultants in 30 different countries and could not dream of getting the fees in the UK or Australia that we can get here in the states. So, I would also suggest that the geography has a lot to do with the current ‘market rates’ for recruiting fees.



  • Same here. We have trained freshers, laid off billing managers, erstwhile financial analyst, accounting clerks to be good SOX resources. The only thing required is good common sense.



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