Having lived with someone who worked in fashion for a long time, I can't agree more that the agency models work extremely well.
The agent would make sure finances are handled well, PR is constant and appropriate, negotiations are taken care of and much more.
In general when I deal with recruiters I even tend to treat them as an agent: I flat-out refuse to accept anything over 10% on top of my rate.
For a consultancy company my logic is the same: I find out what is being charged for me, deduct my salary + costs from it and evaluate whether the services that my company is providing me are worth the amount of money they are earning on me.
At some stages in your career they are but often times they aren't. At those times I would love to just get an agent I can trust, that I can work well with and that will get me the jobs I want.
Author here. There are quite a few services an agent could provide, and you mention a few. Handling incoming inquiries (forward LinkedIn requests from recruiters to your agent), help maintain and build your brand (speaking engagements, set up or recommend networking opportunities), negotiate raises when you are working and salaries for new jobs, etc.
Comments
Having lived with someone who worked in fashion for a long time, I can't agree more that the agency models work extremely well.
The agent would make sure finances are handled well, PR is constant and appropriate, negotiations are taken care of and much more.
In general when I deal with recruiters I even tend to treat them as an agent: I flat-out refuse to accept anything over 10% on top of my rate.
For a consultancy company my logic is the same: I find out what is being charged for me, deduct my salary + costs from it and evaluate whether the services that my company is providing me are worth the amount of money they are earning on me.
At some stages in your career they are but often times they aren't. At those times I would love to just get an agent I can trust, that I can work well with and that will get me the jobs I want.
Author here. There are quite a few services an agent could provide, and you mention a few. Handling incoming inquiries (forward LinkedIn requests from recruiters to your agent), help maintain and build your brand (speaking engagements, set up or recommend networking opportunities), negotiate raises when you are working and salaries for new jobs, etc.