Using Virtual Recruiters in Your Solo Practice or Recruiting Firm

QUESTION: Do the part time recruiters hired as virtual recruiters reach out to people on LinkedIn if they are part of your company? Are they making it look like they are an employee of your firm or LinkedIn?  – Kyle, Berkeley Heights

ANSWER: I would never make them look as though they are an employee of LinkedIn. You do not want to lie, we want to be honest. If you are hiring a part time virtual recruiter you want to come up with some arrangement. You give an hourly amount and you are going to pay them a commission in addition to it. 

Then you are going to train and develop them. You are going to teach them about your openings and teach them about how to recruit on your behalf. I would have some form of agreement that protects you from non disclosure and non client solicitation. You cannot prevent them from being a recruiter probably in a virtual world, but you can have a hands off period, just as another aside.  

But these recruiters would reach out saying, “I am an executive recruiter with Kyle, Inc. and we have been engaged with a company to uncover some great talent. I have no idea what is going on in your career right now . . .  boom, boom, boom”.  

If you are going to have them making calls, that is how I would do it. I would train and develop them, and I would have them call as your representative.