London-based IT recruitment firm AWD has launched a flat-fee generalist permanent recruiting service.

Clients pay £525 (plus VAT) for one vacancy credit, which lasts four weeks, and receive their money back if they do not fill the position successfully in this time.

Gary Silver, a director at AWD online, told Recruiter that the agency can offer the service because of streamlined front and back office functions, as well as passing other areas of the recruitment process, such as referencing, back to the client.

At a time when clients are being forced to cut resourcing costs, Silver believes agencies have to adapt their offering. “I think the hardest part for recruiters is getting their head around the idea that it’s not about charging a big placement fee any more, it’s about offering a quality, value-for-money service to companies,” he said.

Silver is keen to stress that clients still benefit from the agency’s recruitment expertise.

After it searches through the CVs, it interviews those candidates it thinks suitable by telephone before sending them to the client. “We do a lot of qualifying and prequalifying,” he said.

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