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https://luckyhunter.co.uk/articles/what-is-more-beneficial-a-recruitment-agency-or-a-freelancer

Lucky hunter

Who's More Beneficial:
an IT Recruitment Agency or
a Freelancer?

Are you searching for a booster to fill rare tech positions, but can't decide who to contact: a freelancer or an agency? Well, this is a really puzzling question. We decided to help you with the choice and highlighted the main pros and cons of contractors.

In the article, you won't find cliches, like "freelancer is cheaper", but "in the agency real professionals work". This is all nothing more than a myth. Unveiling wrong ideas about freelance IT recruiters and agencies and talking about real pros and cons of the service providers.

Myth #1: Freelancer works flexibly,
the agency's workday is 9-6

We've heard a lot that a freelancer solves tasks flexibly and is ready to communicate with clients at any time, unlike agencies that work on a fixed schedule.

The point is that IT recruiting is a sphere that initially requires flexible decision-making and the ability to bend with the wind. Therefore, it's wrong to say that the freelancer is always in touch, while the agency is not.

At Lucky Hunter, we work in a flexible schedule: it all depends on the time zone of candidates and clients, free slots for interviews, and the candidates' work schedule.

In addition, don't forget that we are working in the tech field, where a large number of IT specialists work remotely and don't have a fixed schedule. Therefore, there are often cases when we conduct an interview in the early morning or late evening.

As an international IT recruitment agency, we communicate with clients from all over the world. So, for example, several times in a row we conducted negotiations with the client at 5 am :)

Myth# 2: when working with an agency, you don't know the contractor by sight

If you apply for a service to a freelancer, you always know the contractor by sight. Of course, it's no use arguing with this statement :) But recently we've faced the opinion that when working with the agency, the customer gets acquainted only with one of the company members, and this isn't always the account executive.

We aren't going to claim that this is not true: each company works according to its own laws, and perhaps in some agencies, it goes like this. Nevertheless, at Lucky Hunter, the responsible for the job opening recruiter always attends the talks with a client. The client gets personally acquainted with the contractor and discusses job requirements directly with the recruiter.

Don't think that this section is about how we differ from other agencies :) We just try to show you that it's all relative, and when choosing a contractor, you shouldn't build on the argument about the personal acquaintance.

Myth # 3: freelancer's services are cheaper than the agency's

in the face of fierce competition for the client, many freelancers really undercharge clients for their services. Therefore, many people start thinking that working with a freelancer is cheaper than working with an agency. Well, this is not always the case.

Just think, whose services will be cheaper: the services of an IT recruiter who's worked at Google for 15 years and eventually decided to be their own boss with the prospect of starting their own business or a small little-known agency where there are only two recruiters working remotely?

We understand that this is only a particular example, but it shows that you shouldn't lump under a general umbrella. The cost of services precisely depends on the specialists' professional skills and resources they have, and it doesn't matter, whether a person works as a freelancer or an agency employee is.

Myth # 4: professionals work at the agency but only dilettants work as freelancers

Many agencies (especially through similar articles) try to convince a potential client that freelance specialists are new grades or parents on maternity leave. We don't think so.

It doesn't matter who the service provider is: an agency or a freelancer. In all cases, you risk stumbling on the nonprofessional. When choosing a contractor, we recommend you not to build on this stereotype. It's better to read the reviews, heed the recommendations of your friends and make a decision based on these factors .

By the way, the head of Lucky Hunter also once worked as a private IT recruiter, while having high competencies in tech staff selection and being well-versed in the sphere.

Nevertheless, working with a freelancer, the possibility of stumbling on a dilettante is slightly higher: an excessively large sample, along with the lack of guarantees for success, increase the risks of choosing a poorly qualified specialist.

The real benefits of working with agencies

So, we decided that professionalism, prices for services, a personal acquaintance or a flexible approach to work are not advantages of both freelancers and agencies. It turns out there is no difference? This is not so, there is a difference, and for some people it's substantial:

Resources
The resources the agency has are much wider than those that a freelancer has. These are special services for IT recruiting, the candidate database, various search channels. This is logical: the financial capabilities of a company are often much wider than a private specialist's ones. In addition, the agency employs several IT recruiters who can spot for each other while filling challenging positions and increase the speed of recruiting processes.
Speed
Exactly because of limited resources for recruitment, a freelancer needs more time to fill a position than an agency needs. On average, agencies fill job openings 2-3 times faster than private specialists.
Guarantees
A private IT recruiter can't give you a 100% guarantee of filling an opening on time. Something can always go wrong: an unexpected illness, limited financial resources, a banal lack of time.

The agency doesn't have these risks: a recruiter can always replace a sick colleague and all the working timeб the specialist devotes directly to the selection process. Unlike a freelancer, an agency recruiter doesn't need to think about finding new customers, bother with the personal brand promotion or do the bookkeeping.

In addition, due to the lack of rainy day funds, a stable salary and free time, freelancers can't always guarantee a free replacement of a candidate if they don't complete the probationary period.

Who to choose?

It all depends on you: if you hold off on the job opening filling and are ready to put up with the lack of guarantees, the services of a freelancer are quite suitable for you. If you have an immediate opening or you need to fill a rare and challenging position - we recommend you get in touch with the agency: wide range of resources, a large candidate database and several professional IT recruiters will help you find any IT specialists for sure.

Hope we helped you cope with this difficult puzzle :) If you need to fill a tech job opening, contact our agency. We provide discounts to startups, help with the specialist's profile and show the first relevant candidates within four days after the job opening discussion!