A hiring manager needs to fill a role but has never used a recruitment agency. Before sharing the vacancy, they want to know: how much will this cost? When do we pay? What if the person leaves after a month? The agency's website says "competitive fees, contact us". The hiring manager is nervous about being tied into something expensive and puts the role on a job board instead.
Fee questions are one of the main barriers between employers and agencies. Clear answers remove it.
Why hiring managers ask
Hiring managers often need approval to spend on recruitment. They want to understand the cost, the terms and the risk before they engage. Many have heard stories about high fees or unhelpful terms. Transparency helps them trust the agency, as it does in professional services generally, described in fee questions financial advisers should answer openly.
What hiring managers ask
- How much do you charge?
- When is the fee paid?
- What happens if the candidate leaves early?
- Do you charge if we hire someone we found ourselves?
- Are there different terms for temporary staff?
- Do we pay anything upfront?
- Can we negotiate terms for several roles?
Example conversations
These scripts use information an agency might publish. Your answers should come from your own terms.
Hiring manager: How much do you charge for a permanent placement? Assistant: The employers page explains that permanent placements are charged as a percentage of the candidate's first-year salary, payable once they start. There's no charge unless you hire someone we introduce.
Hiring manager: What if the person leaves after a month? Assistant: The terms explain the rebate period, during which part of the fee is refunded or a replacement is found if the candidate leaves. A consultant can go through the details with you.
Hiring manager: How does it work for temporary staff? Assistant: For temporary staff, you pay an hourly rate that includes the worker's pay and the agency's margin, as the temporary staffing page explains. There's no placement fee.
Explaining terms helps approval
Hiring managers often need to explain the cost to finance or senior colleagues. Clear, written terms make that conversation easier. Capturing the brief at the same time, as described in capturing job briefs from employers properly, means the agency can start work as soon as approval comes through.
Speed still matters
Once fees are understood, employers want to move quickly. Priority for client enquiries is covered in client vacancy enquiries that deserve priority.
Answering at any hour
SpideyChat for recruitment agencies answers fee and terms questions from your own pages at any hour and captures vacancy details for a consultant. For a plain explanation of what an AI assistant does and does not do, see AI employee explained without hype.
Explaining what the fee pays for
Hiring managers sometimes see recruitment fees as expensive without understanding what they cover: advertising, searching, screening, interviewing, reference checks and the time spent managing candidates through the process. A short explanation of the work behind a placement helps them see the value. It also shows that the agency is confident in its service, rather than hoping the client will not ask.
Volume and exclusive terms
Employers hiring for several roles often ask about discounts or exclusive arrangements. Explaining that these are available, and capturing the number of roles, lets a consultant respond with tailored terms.
An employers page that answers
Write an employers page explaining your fee models, payment timing, rebate terms and temporary staffing rates, and let hiring managers get answers before they commit. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about answers on the features page.