Recruitment Agencies Types, Payments and Services

Considering population and the ever-expanding need for flexibility and holistic character, employment has become an intensely competitive modern day task. Even with all the conveniences provided by modern communication technology, finding a good job can problematic and in many cases frustrating. Or even when a person lands a job quickly, he or she soon finds out that it is not an ideal one. Whether it’s a first job or a career development path, looking for a job that suits your needs, expertise, skill, lifestyle, inclination and direction is a strenuous. Increasing population of skilled and educated labor force all seeking employment from a very limited field and in companies with limited vacancies further makes the field more ultra-competitive than it already is.

Job recruitment agencies were creatively conceived to augment these difficulties and assure that a person not only finds a job but funds an appropriate one. For companies, recruitment agencies are external entities that help find the most qualified and suitable for a vacant position. Simply put, job recruitment agencies match clients and company needs.

But then again, the job recruitment agency is not as simple as it sounds. In Singapore there are various types of recruitment agencies of which there are at least five types depending. These types depend on the job required and are also paid depending on this. There are at least five types of Singapore job recruitment agencies.  The usual recruitment job in Singapore are regular ‘headhunters’ for regular positions. This means jobs that have prospects for long-term professional growth, promotion and tenure. As part of their services, these Singapore headhunters find suitable clients, arrange interviews or examinations and set meetings between the applicant and the firm. Some top headhunters in Singapore even conduct reference or background checks on behalf of a company.  As compensation, these recruitment companies are usually paid a certain percentage of the employees’ salary over a specified period. In some other cases, the company is the one which pays the recruitment agency with on commission basis.

Executive search firms on the other hand, contingent recruitment agencies that find individuals suited for a company’s senior level needs. They are also usually paid similar to regular headhunters. On the other hand, staffing agencies recruit candidates to fill temporary positions in a company or organization. This usually means contractual jobs for rank-and-file, clerical and menial tasks. Such recruitment agencies are paid lump sum and they take care of giving the salary and benefits to the hired temporary personnel. In turn, they take their cut from the lump sum payment from the company.  Lastly, niche agencies are discipline specific job recruitment agencies that work within very particular fields of expertise mostly in technical fields such as engineering, computer science, aeronautics or maritime industries and seek out highly skilled and technically competent individuals for such jobs or positions. They are also paid on commission basis if the position is regular in nature or in lump sum if the position is temporary or contractual.

Further still, there are also other job recruitment agencies in Singapore that specialize in a location, a profession, an industry, a job level, a search technology or method, in finding temporary assignments or a combination of these. Other agencies vary in terms of services provided. Aside from matching job-seekers and companies, a few job recruitment agencies in Singapore also provide other professional growth services including interview management, professional examination review as well as resume writing and career guidance.