If independent recruiters want to avoid wasting time and money, there are certain rules that they should follow when engaging a client for the first time.  Let’s take a look at a few:

Rule #1:  Only work with reputable clients who have a proven reputation.  While it’s nice to give new companies a chance, if you give the wrong company a chance it can cost you financially especially if you’re a small recruiting firm.  Before taking on a new client make sure they have the willingness and financial ability to follow through.

Rule #2:  Make sure that you have a written and signed fee agreement.  Written agreements help new clients avoid confusion about your fees and payment expectations. Without a written agreement you could face collection troubles, which most independent recruiters cannot afford.

Rule #3:  Make sure that your new client has a sense of urgency about hiring and interviewing candidates before taking on the job order. Nothing is worse than spending weeks hustling to find qualified candidates only to find a client doesn’t plan to hire until sometime next year.

Rule #4: Recruiters need to work with the new client to make sure they have an adequate and accurate job description.  Many companies lose new hires quickly because the job the employee takes is quite different from what is advertised in the job description.

Rule #5:  Finally, recruiters should make sure that the client is offering a reasonable compensation package before they accept the job order.  Compensation packages which are too low can fail to attract quality talent and in the end waste the recruiter’s time.