On a contingent role you are paid only if you place someone, and so are the other agencies. That makes it a race. You can do everything right and still earn nothing.
Because of that, which roles you take is one of the biggest decisions on your desk.
A quick way to score a role
Give each role a mark out of two on five points. Add them up.
- Is the brief clear? Not "a good sales person". A real description.
- Is the salary fair for the market? If not, it will not fill.
- Does the client reply quickly? Slow feedback loses candidates.
- Do we already know people for this? A warm database beats a cold search.
- Is the client likely to pay and to come back? A one-off from a stranger is worth less than a repeat client.
Ten out of ten is a role to chase hard. Four or below is one to leave.
Why speed beats effort on contingent roles
If three agencies send the same strong candidate, the first one in the door usually wins. So on shared roles, work the people you already know. Starting from scratch means you will arrive second.
This is the reason a well-kept talent pool matters. It lets you submit within a day.
When to ask for exclusivity
Exclusivity is a fair ask when the role is hard to fill, senior, or confidential. You are saying: give me the time to do this well, and I will.
Be ready to give something back. A short search window, say two weeks, and a promise to send a first shortlist by a set date. Clients agree more easily when they can see what they get.
If they refuse, do not sulk. Treat it as contingent and score it as above.
The cost of saying yes to everything
An agency that takes every role ends up with forty open jobs and no depth on any. Candidates get rushed, clients get thin shortlists, and the best roles do not get the attention they need.
A smaller number of roles worked well will earn more than a large number worked badly.
Say no kindly
You can decline without burning the relationship:
- Say what you would need to take it: a higher range, a clearer brief, faster feedback
- Offer to come back if things change
- Be honest that you want to give your best effort, not a quick CV drop
Clients remember an agency that told them the truth.