Permanent vs. Temporary Recruiting: The Tortoise and the Hare

The world of Recruiting is an ever changing and ever growing industry. From the Candidate’s perspective, it is a ‘gotta want’ and ‘gotta have’ service. However, from the eyes and computer screen of the Recruiter, things can look a lot different. Many times, Recruiting firms are labeled as a service that is “needed yesterday.”

Temporary Recruiting (The Hare): Temp to Hire Recruiting or Contract Recruiting: Temporary recruiting can be beneficial for someone looking to get back into the workforce or someone who is looking for a career change. This type of recruiting usually happens fairly quickly. The turnaround can be anywhere from 24-72 business hours and the jobs go fast. It is easy to be presented for these types of opportunities, but it is also easy to lose out on these opportunities (from Recruiter and Candidate stand point). A handful of temporary jobs only last 3-9 months, and some offer no benefits/incentive.

Permanent Recruiting (The Tortoise): Permanent Placement Recruiting is the type of Recruiting that would be considered the tortoise of the industry. Permanent Recruiting takes a lot of patience from the Client, the Recruiter and the Candidate. Permanent Recruiting is a practice that can take anywhere from two to six weeks to have the candidate in the chair. This can be a large investment for all parties involved, which makes for a longer interview process and negotiation process.

The key factor in both of these types of Recruiting is to understand what the Recruiting firm does. Understanding what types of services the company is offering will allow you (the Client or the Candidate) to understand the realistic time frame and the journey ahead.