The brief

The employer contacts the agency, usually by phone or email, and describes the role. A good agency will ask detailed questions: commercial context, reporting structure, team dynamics, salary range, timeline, why the role is open, and what the previous person in the role looked like. A bad one will nod along and start sending CVs within the hour.

Search and sourcing

The agency searches its database of registered candidates, posts the role (sometimes with a condensed brief to protect the employer’s identity), and approaches passive candidates directly, people currently in roles who are not actively searching but may be open to the right conversation. This outreach component is the part of the process that job boards cannot replicate and is where specialist agencies with deep sector networks add the most value.

Screening and qualification

The agency interviews or conducts detailed telephone screenings of potential candidates. A genuine screening call covers: current role and reasons for considering a move, relevant experience, salary expectations versus the employer’s range, notice period, and any other factors (location, working model, ambitions) that could cause a placement to fail. The purpose is to surface problems before an employer spends time on someone who is never going to accept the role.

Shortlist presentation

The agency presents a shortlist, typically three to six candidates, with profiles and covering context for each. The covering context matters: it should explain why each person is right for this specific role, not just what their CV says. If you receive a shortlist with no commentary, you are receiving a CV-forwarding service, not a recruitment service.

Interview coordination and feedback

The agency coordinates interview scheduling between the employer and candidates, briefs candidates ahead of each interview, and collects and relays feedback immediately after. Fast, honest feedback from both sides keeps candidates engaged and helps the employer make sharper decisions. An agency that lets feedback sit for four days is adding delay without adding value.

Offer, negotiation, and close

When the employer identifies their preferred candidate, the agency validates the intended offer against market expectations before it is made, manages the negotiation between the two parties, and supports the candidate through resignation, including handling counteroffers from their current employer. This final stage is where a lot of placements fall apart if the agency is not actively involved.

Start date and rebate period

Once the candidate accepts and starts, the agency invoices the employer. Most agencies offer a rebate period, typically 8 to 12 weeks, during which a proportion of the fee is refunded if the placement does not work out. The agency should also check in with both sides in the first few weeks of employment to ensure the transition is smooth. If the agency disappears the moment the invoice is paid, that tells you what their service actually prioritised.

Contingency recruitment agencies

The most common model. The agency works on a role and only gets paid if they successfully place a candidate. There is no upfront fee. This aligns the agency’s financial interest with a successful outcome, but it also means agencies may work multiple roles simultaneously without committing full resources to any single one, particularly if the role is difficult or the employer has also briefed other agencies at the same time.

Best for: Mid-level and specialist commercial roles. Most eCommerce recruitment operates on this model. No financial risk for the employer, but requires the employer to be clear and responsive to get the recruiter’s best effort.

Retained search

The employer pays part of the fee upfront to retain the agency exclusively on the search. The agency commits full resources to that assignment and is contractually obligated to produce a shortlist within a defined timeframe. Retained search is the standard model for C-suite, director-level, and highly confidential appointments.

Best for: Senior leadership roles where confidentiality matters, where the market is very tight, or where the employer needs guaranteed exclusivity and commitment from the agency. Fees are higher, typically 25 to 35 per cent.

Generalist agencies

Large firms, Hays, Reed, Michael Page, Robert Half, that place candidates across dozens of sectors and hundreds of different role types. They have large databases and can move quickly for common role types. The trade-off is depth: a generalist consultant working across finance, marketing, operations, and HR simultaneously cannot have the same market knowledge as a specialist who places only eCommerce managers.

Best for: High-volume, common role types (administrators, accounts, general managers) where sector depth matters less than network breadth and speed.

Specialist agencies

Boutique firms focused on a specific sector, function, or level. Examples include agencies that place only legal professionals, only technology salespeople, or, like Elite X Recruit, only eCommerce professionals. Because the consultants work exclusively within their sector, they carry live knowledge of who is available, what the market is paying, and which candidates are high performers versus high CV-polishers. Their networks are warm, not just large.

Best for: Any role where the fit is highly specific, the market is competitive, or a mis-hire would have significant commercial consequences. Fees are consistent with or slightly above generalists, but the quality-to-cost ratio is typically better for specialist roles.

Temporary and contract staffing agencies

These agencies place workers into roles that are temporary, fixed-term, or contract-based. The agency employs the worker and invoices the client business at a day rate or hourly rate that includes the worker’s pay plus the agency’s margin. This model is common in logistics, retail, hospitality, healthcare, and some areas of technology and finance.

Best for: Short-term cover, project-based resource, seasonal peaks, or when you need someone to start immediately while a permanent search runs in parallel.

Be specific about what you want and what you will not consider

Vague registration calls produce vague results. Tell the recruiter your current salary, your minimum acceptable salary for a move, your preferred locations and working model, the sectors or role types you will and will not consider, and your notice period. A recruiter who knows your real constraints can only present roles that are genuinely worth your time, and can move fast when the right one comes in.

Control where your CV goes

Your CV is your professional document. You have the right to know exactly which employers it is being sent to before it is sent. Make this a condition of working with any agency: “I am happy for you to send my CV, but I want to approve each employer before you do.” This prevents your CV from appearing at companies you have approached directly, or at businesses where the appearance of being “sent around” would damage your candidacy.

Be honest about your current salary and what you actually need

Inflating your current salary to try to get a higher offer almost always backfires. Employers and agencies often verify salary through the offer process. And a recruiter who presents you at a salary level that does not match your current package will lose credibility with both you and their client when the discrepancy surfaces. Give real numbers. A good recruiter will work to improve the offer for you, they cannot do that if they are working with false data.

Understand that the recruiter’s client is the employer, not you

The recruiter’s fee comes from the employer. Their commercial loyalty is therefore to the employer, even when they are also advocating for you. This does not mean they are working against you, a good recruiter genuinely looks after both sides, because failed placements damage their reputation with everyone. But it does mean that if there is ever a conflict between what the employer wants and what you want, you cannot assume the recruiter will automatically take your side. Know who you are dealing with.

A specialist agency with genuine sector knowledge is worth far more than a generalist

A specialist recruiter in your sector knows which roles are genuinely good, which employers have high turnover problems they are not advertising, which companies pay fairly versus those who squeeze offers, and which hiring managers interview well versus those who make people feel undervalued in the process. This intelligence is invisible on a job ad and invaluable to your career decision-making. For eCommerce professionals, registering with Elite X Recruit means working with people who know your market in real time, not people who googled it before the call.

For volume and common roles: a well-written job board advert is sufficient and a generalist agency will serve you adequately. Expect 15 to 18 per cent and a 12-week rebate.

For specialist or hard-to-fill roles: use a specialist agency with demonstrable placement history in your specific sector. The quality differential versus a generalist is significant enough to justify the same or slightly higher fee.

For eCommerce roles across the UK: Elite X Recruit places exclusively in this sector. See also the eCommerce salary guide, hiring on a budget, and how to hire fast for the practical detail behind every stage of the process.