The shortage of skilled workers is becoming more and more widespread in Germany. The shortage of skilled workers in Germany has risen sharply in recent years and will not decrease in the future. On the contrary, the skilled labor market in Germany is being significantly impacted by the baby boomer generation leaving the workforce. To ensure that many companies do not lose the battle against the skills shortage, they are therefore turning to recruitment agencies. This raises the question of how the work of a recruitment agency works and what qualifications they need in order to carry out this activity.
What is recruitment and what does a "recruiter" do?
As you can see from the name, recruitment agencies are responsible for placing employees. Recruiters are responsible for bringing employees and employers together. Recruiters use a variety of methods to do this. Various means are used in the search for suitable candidates. They either have a large network of potential candidates to fall back on. Companies also have the option of searching externally for suitable personnel. Recruitment agencies publish job vacancies or search the internet for potential candidates. Platforms such as LinkedIn or Xing are used in particular to identify suitable talent. They then sift through the documents received, conduct interviews and present the client with a selection of candidates. The client is always involved in decisions and therefore has the final say.
What does a recruiter earn?
There are no clear salary limits for recruitment agencies. They are not paid the same as a civil servant, retail salesperson or engineer in a corporation. Recruitment is more like the brokerage business. Recruiters receive a commission for each successfully placed candidate. The commission is not fixed by law, but can be negotiated flexibly and is usually between 20 and 40 percent of the gross annual income of the candidate placed. It is also possible to receive half of the commission in advance and the other half is paid on completion. This is because many recruiters also want to be remunerated for their efforts and want to minimize the risk of going away empty-handed.
What requirements do you need to fulfill to become a recruiter?
No qualification in the form of training or studies is required to work as a recruitment agency. This means that anyone in Germany can set up in this industry. However, you should acquire the ability to deal with different people and be able to communicate and organize. In addition to the personal requirements, you also need to fulfill legal requirements. As the owner of the recruitment agency, you run a business. In order to run a business in Germany, you must therefore apply for a trade license from the trade office. In addition, membership of the Chamber of Industry and Commerce is mandatory. Every trader is obliged to become a member of the IHK responsible for their region. The costs incurred are made up of a fixed annual basic amount and a variable contribution. The fixed amount is determined regionally, while the variable portion is based on the income of the respective year.
