Real Question. Agency or Corporate Recruiting?

I made $150K last year on the agency side. But there are so many corporate roles right now. I’m not money hungry but for years I’ve been wondering about corporate processes.

I don’t want to be making a mistake though.

likehelpful
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That's likely Director level money at many companies. In-house / corporate recruiters are paid like $85 to $120k in most cases.

Plus sides: you actually build culture and feel like a valuable asset once you get settled. Hiring Managers grow to trust your judgment.

Negatives: depending on level and types of roles you do, 40- several hundred hires per year. Lots of process and candidate experience stuff to navigate. HR can be hit or miss with helpful / requirements.

likesmart

Depends on your industry. Most tech start ups (with Silicon Valley routes) will pay St recruiters 130k+

As someone who is actively hiring for corporate tech recruiters and also as someone who has spent 15+ years on the agency side.

The key difference is that on the corporate side there isn’t that “I’ll get cut at anytime” anxiety. The agency side is so quite to “downsize” and find bullshit reasons to get rid of anyone. I also think burnout is more prevalent on the agency side.

The benefit to corporate recruitment is the diversity of the type of roles you can recruit for. Building teams and culture. If you’re part of a diverse organization room for growth exists. Having a company that wants to invest in you to help you reach your potential is just a complete different feeling.

In my experience the core difference has been going from feeling expendable to absolutely needed. It’s been a breath of fresh air!

likehelpful

Go for it, now is the time the market is ripe & yes you can find that pay in corporate.

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I’m hiring for my team if you want to talk about the transition, etc. I owned my own agency and then sold it and moved internal. PM me

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I am Recruiter for an agency and looking to become an internal recruiter. I have 8 plus is corporate accounting experience public/private mix. Are you hiring?

Switching to internal has been the best thing I’ve ever done. I will never go back to the agency grind. It’s so rewarding for me to have prospects and candidates turn into colleagues and watch their career journey I just had someone I hired reach out on slack this week to say hi and thank me on his first day. If you’re not money hungry do it. Some SAAS and tech companies give equity on offer too, so you’re not taking they big of a hit.

likeuplifting

Switching to internal was the best decision I ever made, could never look back now

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I feel this! Was with an agency at first and now doing corporate - I thought I loved field recruiting butttt 😂

likefunny

Both have their pro’s and cons, I started in agency for 4 years then moved to run talent at a tech start up - let me put it this way, if you go corporate you have one client so if they suck there is no putting them at the bottom of the pile so pick wisely vs agency you truly control your desk but your livelihood is directly impacted by deals

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Went internal about 8 years ago and best decision I ever made. Granted you’re now on a bonus instead of commissions, your WLB is a million times better and you can definitely make money.

likeuplifting

In house for sure! So much more rewarding and my base is 160k. Granted, I am a tech recruiter with 6 years exp in a specialized field. The market is hot right now so great time to make the switch. :)

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Babe you will get there!!!

In my experience, recruiting in-house at growing tech startups has been the most rewarding/exciting/lucrative experience. I’ve been able to apply a sense of entrepreneurship to my career, and I’ve grown quite quickly into a leadership role. Hiring is the most critical function at a scale-up, which means you are at the center of all the excitement.

I would not even think about doing corporate recruiting for a large/mature corporation. That is a much different experience where you are far more siloed and much less valued as a critical part of the business.

So my advice is:
#1 Tech Startups in-house is as good as it gets both financially and personally.
#2 Staffing/agency will provide financial opportunity (sometimes tech startups can match or even exceed this though) and it is a real grind/stressful job.
#3 Corporate recruiting at a large, mature corporation is the worst of both worlds. Boring work, slower growth, and not great pay compared to other options.

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I can only speak for my own experience. Did agency and contract for the last 7 years. While I loved the money that agency and contract made, I prefer the stability of corporate. Agency/contract provided a lot more stress and sometimes my output didnt always equate to the return that I received. However, now having been in an corporate environment, I like the consistency and stability that I have. While I'm taking an initial pay cut, my long term rewards (tuition reimbursement, pension, 401k, etc) make up the difference and I know that I will recoup my "loss" in the long run.
Just my wooden nickel of opinion.

likesmart

I think it all depends on what you are looking at in terms of your professional and life goals over the next 2-3 years. There are quite a few tech companies where in-house folks are making more and have equity on the table too. I have seen in-house recruiters getting burnt out too and its mainly because it can get super repetitive in terms of the roles you are working on. Most folks though like the in-house after having spent a good chunk of time in an agency for varied reasons. I would say do your due diligence in ensuring that the company is fit for you in terms of value, culture, vision etc before jumping over.

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My opinion is likely biased since I have only worked on the agency side (over 10 years now), but at various points I have considered going into corporate TA/Recruiting because I have had many peers go that route quite successfully.

I’m at a point where I have developed deep relationships and have repeat customers on the client and candidate side, and have seen careers revolve. All of which to me is really neat to observe.

Agency can certainly be more stressful, but I do like the control I have over my comp. This has been one of the primary reasons I’ve stayed on agency versus breaking away. I have a healthy book of business, know the market well, and from speaking with peers that have gone corporate, comp can become more stagnant.

I also like the comment someone else made about having control over who we work with. I like knowing that I can pivot away from clients that may be unrealistic in their expectations, whereas in corporate you don’t have a choice since you’re locked into that company you’re working for.

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Do you prefer the "sales" side of finding and landing clients or the "process & placement" side of recruiting? I've been in both worlds and my preference is for process & placement. The recruiters on my team are coming in with 115-125K base and 5% variable pay along with stellar benefits and company equity.

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I was a much more successful sales person in agency than I was on the recruiting side in agency. I’m much stronger in in house than I ever was at both because my strength has always been communicating with hiring managers which is a huge part of internal

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How many years experience and in which location? That will tell you if you can make more (or similar) elsewhere. In tech you can make way more bc of bonus and equity.

Depending on where you go in NYC, I say corporate side. I was making that comp as an IC

Seeking experienced IT/Technical Recruiters for an established mid level consulting firm. Salary plus commission on all placements. Hybrid office Miami Lakes area. Voted Best Place to work 6 years in a row.

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