Part of the staffing & recruitment agency hub — an educational cluster covering how agencies work, the placement models and how employers and candidates work with them. For decision-style reading, see the staffing & hiring comparisons.
This guide explains the recruitment process step by step, including the difference between contingency and retained models. It is educational and neutral — no fee figures, rankings or provider recommendations.
Who this page is for
- Employers considering agency support for permanent roles
- Hiring managers who will work with a recruiter day to day
- HR teams coordinating internal and external sourcing
- Candidates who want to understand how their details are used
Core concept
A recruitment agency’s value is in reach and judgement: it can approach candidates who are not actively applying, and it can read a market for a specific role. For permanent placements the new hire is employed by the client, so the agency’s role ends at a successful introduction and offer.
The commercial model shapes how the agency works. In contingency recruitment, payment depends on a successful hire, which can mean broad, fast activity across several roles. In retained search, the employer commits to a structured process, which usually buys deeper, more exclusive work on harder roles.
Across both models, the employer remains the decision-maker. The agency narrows the field and adds context; a structured interview and consistent scoring keep the final decision rigorous and fair.
How it works
- Brief: the employer defines the role, outcomes and the profile that would succeed
- Search: the agency sources from its network, databases and targeted outreach
- Screen: candidates are assessed against the brief and prepared for the process
- Shortlist: the agency presents a small set of candidates with notes and context
- Interview: the employer runs its own structured interviews and scoring
- Offer: the agency supports offer, acceptance and the handover to onboarding
Plan the hire before you source with the recruitment planning checklist, and keep screening consistent using the candidate screening checklist.
Key considerations
- Whether the role genuinely needs external reach or can be filled directly
- Contingency versus retained and what each expects from you
- How many agencies, if any, will work the role in parallel
- How your employer brand is represented to approached candidates
- How feedback flows so the agency can refine the shortlist
Advantages
- Access to passive candidates beyond your own applicant flow
- Specialist insight into niche and senior roles
- A quicker route to a quality shortlist
- Market intelligence on availability and expectations
- A single point of contact through a multi-stage search
Trade-offs
- A placement fee applies on a successful hire
- Outcomes depend on the agency’s reach and judgement
- Candidate experience reflects how the agency represents you
- Working many agencies at once can create noise and duplication
- Internal sourcing skills can atrophy if you over-rely on agencies
Common mistakes
- Briefing on a job title instead of outcomes and must-haves
- Engaging multiple agencies with no coordination or feedback
- Treating the shortlist as a decision rather than a starting point
- Going quiet on feedback and then wondering why the shortlist drifts
- Neglecting your own structured interview and scorecard
Practical checklist
- Prepare a clear, outcomes-based brief
- Choose contingency or retained deliberately
- Agree how many agencies will work the role
- Align on employer-brand messaging to candidates
- Commit to fast, specific feedback on each shortlist
- Keep a consistent interview and scoring process internally
For interviews, draw on the interview question bank and the hiring scorecard guide; to plan the wider workforce, see the workforce planning guide.
Free, printable hiring resources
Plan, interview and onboard consistently — whether you hire directly or through an agency. No signup, no gating.