How long does it take to make a first placement as an independent recruiter

If you are new to running your own desk, expect up to six months to secure your first placement. You are building trust, a consistent pipeline, and repeatable outreach. Acting now with a clear plan shortens the cycle.

What should I prioritise first when starting a recruitment business

Prioritise people and pipeline over branding. Build a shortlist of candidates, reconnect with past contacts, and start conversations with hiring managers. A structured BD plan converts faster than design work.

Do I need a CRM to start

No. Start with a simple tracker that shows candidates in process, client follow ups, and BD outcomes. Add a CRM or ATS once activity grows. The risk of not tracking is lost leads and repeated mistakes.

Why is email domain warm up important for recruiters

A cold domain triggers spam filters and your outreach will not land. Warm up for two to four weeks, set DNS correctly, start with low daily volumes, and consider a second domain. Fixing a damaged reputation takes longer.

Is contingency recruitment guaranteed

No. Contingency work is never guaranteed. Aim for exclusivity where possible, and earn it with credibility and consistency. Without clear terms, income is unpredictable.

What terms should be in place before sending CVs

Secure signed terms before any CV leaves your inbox. Include fee structure, payment terms, late payment clauses, replacements, and fall back positions for disputes. One unpaid invoice can remove a month of income.

How do I keep BD running while I deliver on roles

Protect a weekly BD block, use follow up reminders, post consistently, and work multiple channels. When BD pauses, the pipeline fades a few months later. Consistency compounds and maintains momentum.

Do I need to hire to scale my recruitment business

Not always. Collaboration with trusted recruiters lets you share briefs and delivery without new overhead. Hiring too early adds cost and management load that many independents cannot sustain.

How does Auxeris support independent recruiters

Auxeris provides tools, coaching, legal and payment structure, and a community for collaboration. Members run structured BD campaigns that convert, protect revenue with proper terms, and keep repeat clients engaged.

You've Launched As An Independent Recruiter - Now What?

Rachel Doyle
Oct 7
8 min read

Updated: Oct 10

You’ve only gone and done it. After months of deliberating and years of bonus rage, you’ve left the agency. No more splitting your commission, no more chasing pointless KPIs, and no more managers who haven’t recruited in years telling you how to do your job. Now you're an independent recruiter, how do you build your business? Where do you start?

No warm roles, no payslip safety net, no built-in tech stack or compliance support. Just you, your experience, and a long list of decisions that no one prepared you for. It is a shock. The work has not disappeared, it has just shifted. Now your focus needs to move from doing recruitment to building a desk that performs like a business.

Here is what you need to know, the real guidance, not the “follow your dreams” version. This is how you build a recruitment business that actually works.

1. You Need a Pipeline Before You Need a Logo

Most recruiters start with a name, a website, or a Canva-made logo. That is fine, but a polished brand is useless if you have no one to place and no one to invoice.

Your first priority is people.

Start with candidates and build a shortlist of talent you would rework tomorrow. If you have no roles, reconnect anyway. Keep the relationship alive because your future pipeline starts here.

Then think about clients. Are any of your previous clients off-limits? Check your contract for any non-compete clauses and be careful. But do not stop there. Who else in your niche could benefit from your expertise? Who did you build a strong relationship with? Which hiring managers have you impressed before? Reach out because this is about relationships, not roles.

If your list is running dry, ask within your circle for connections and recommendations. It can be hard to get noticed as an independent brand, and this can put some clients off when you start outreach to prospects who do not know you. This does not mean you should not do it, but it will take time to gain traction, particularly if you are connecting from an email address such as independentrecruiter@aol.com.

If you delay building your pipeline, you will struggle to win roles even when clients are hiring. Recruiters who focus early on relationships, not branding, are the ones signing their first deals faster. Auxeris helps recruiters turn structured BD campaigns into signed clients within weeks by focusing on relationships, not just reach.

2. Use Tech That Helps You Track, Not Spend

You do not need a full CRM or ATS straight away. You do need an organised way to manage your data, but your biggest priority is visibility across your campaigns, reminders, and outreach.

That could be Excel, Notion, Airtable, or Trello. It just needs to show:

Your active candidates and where they sit in the process
Which clients need following up
What BD activity led to what result, which campaigns worked best, what messaging landed, and where to scale

If it cannot show you that, it is not helping.

Later, when things get busier, invest in tools that speed you up and integrate with your tech stack so you can manage everything from one place. For now, be lean and disciplined. Know what is moving and what is stuck because that is how deals happen.

Without visibility, you will lose leads and repeat the same mistakes. A simple tracking system protects your pipeline and shows you where to focus your time. Auxeris gives members access to the tools and structure that make this easier without the cost of building it alone.

3. Do Not Destroy Your Independent Recruiter Reputation on Day One

Most new recruiters damage their business in week one without realising it. You register your domain, plug it into Gmail, and send 50 emails to old clients and prospects. You think you are building momentum, but you have just triggered spam filters, especially if you have used the same outreach message and subject line. If you think you are being ignored, this is your first clue.

Your email domain is your digital fingerprint. If it gets flagged, your emails will land in junk and your BD plan will stall before it even starts.

Do this instead:

Set up your domain properly
Learn your DNS settings or get help
Use an email warm-up tool
Start small, ten emails a day maximum, and build gradually
Buy a second domain now, not later

It takes two to four weeks for a new domain to warm up properly. If you rush this, it will cost you more than a bad quarter. It will cost you your reputation and your ability to grow your pipeline. Repairing your domain reputation is hard work, technical, and a headache that you do not have time for.

Email deliverability is harder than ever to spot. Send too many unread messages or repeat the same subject lines and you will land in spam. Getting this right early means every future campaign starts from a position of trust and reach, not repair. Auxeris helps recruiters set up their email infrastructure correctly so every campaign starts strong.

4. Know How Long This Takes

You will not replace your agency pay cheque in a month. In fact, you are unlikely to replace it in three. Some recruiters land a deal quickly, but most do not. If you are newer to recruitment or building your own client network for the first time, expect it to take up to six months to secure your first placement. That is not failure, it is normal.

Recruitment is about momentum and good research, not miracles. What was flying four years ago is not necessarily now. You need to identify where the opportunities exist before you run your campaigns. You need to build consistently, even when there is no live brief, no guaranteed placement, and no deal on the table.

This means:

Posting regularly, not just when you are bored
Messaging people who have not replied, across different channels
Making time for BD every week, not just in the quiet weeks

You may feel like it is not working, but consistency brings responses. That is when it starts working.

Remember, contingency recruitment is never guaranteed. Wherever possible, we support recruiters to work exclusively with clients, but exclusivity is earned, not given. We have built strong established relationships with clients who return to us with more roles because they know the value of an Auxeris recruiter.

Recruiters who build consistent and well-researched BD campaigns are the ones closing clients within weeks, not months. Those who stop when it is quiet often find themselves starting from zero again.

5. You Will Work Harder for Less at First. Do Not Let That Break You

In the early days, it feels like you are doing everything for nothing. You are your own admin, finance team, business developer, and compliance lead. You are chasing clients for payments and replies, building lists, signing contracts, and trying to look credible all at once.

There is no shortcut through this stage, but there is a way to avoid staying stuck in it. You need:

Support
Tools that do not break your cash flow
Contracts that protect you when clients push back
Payment terms that keep your business running

Without the right infrastructure, it is easy to burn out before revenue builds. That is why structure matters early so you are ready when work scales up.

That is why recruiters use Auxeris. We do not just help you set up, we help you stay safe, sustainable, and structured long after the honeymoon phase ends. We also manage ongoing client relationships after placement to ensure that those clients return when they are ready to fill more roles.

6. Get Your Terms in Place Before You Send a CV

You will have a client who refuses to pay. You will have one who tries to cut you out after you have introduced a candidate. It happens.

In research we ran over the past two months, 20 percent of independent recruiters said they had to discount their fees just to get paid. Another 13 percent were cut out of deals entirely.

If your contract is weak, you are exposed. If you are relying on trust, you will lose money. And if you are chasing invoices while trying to fill roles, the pressure will affect your focus.

At a minimum, you need:

Signed terms before CVs go out
Clear fall-back positions for disputes
Replacement periods, payment terms, and late payment clauses
Protection from being ghosted or replaced mid-process

One unpaid invoice can wipe out a month of income. Putting proper contracts in place before you send CVs means you are protected before problems start. Auxeris gives you the legal, payment, and admin structure to stay focused on what earns you money: delivery.

7. BD Never Stops - Lead Generation for Recruiters

When you stop doing BD, the pipeline does not dry up immediately, it fades three months later when your live roles are filled and there is nothing left in the tank.

To avoid that:

Build systems, not just sprints
Set weekly targets and hit them, even when you are busy
Use tech to remind you to follow up
Join communities that help you share leads and learn from others
Use a platform like Auxeris to get introductions and build recurring opportunity

You do not have to do this alone, but you do have to do it consistently. If you want the tools, support, and introductions that keep your BD consistent and credible, join the Auxeris recruiter network and work alongside experienced recruiters who are building sustainable businesses of their own.

Once your campaigns start generating responses, analyse which messages perform best and scale those. That is when it makes sense to buy more leads or identify look-alike companies that fit your ideal client profile. Recruiters on Auxeris' professional membership access up to 4,000 extra leads per month as part of their subscription, alongside two 1-1 BD sessions per month to get your campaigns structured and running.

Recruiters who stop BD for even a few weeks often face a dry quarter later. Any successful agency works on building its brand and being visible and memorable. Keep your messaging visible, buy more leads, and stay in front of your market because consistency compounds. The most successful follow-up is one where you keep showing up, providing value, and reminding clients why they should work with you again. This is one of the benefits of working through Auxeris you get the benefit or working under a large brand.

8. Scaling Does Not Mean Hiring

Eventually, you will hit capacity. Your pipeline will outgrow your time.

You can hire, but that brings cost, risk, and management. Or you can collaborate. Auxeris was built to let experienced recruiters scale together, sharing briefs, dividing delivery, and earning fairly. No overhead, no dilution, just more done with people who know what they are doing.

Collaboration lets you scale faster and protect your margin. Hiring too early adds cost and pressure that most independent recruiters cannot sustain.

That is how you grow without losing your mind or your margin.

9. Do Not Do This Alone; Join a Network You Trust

Going solo without peers slows you down. You lose feedback, shared leads, and accountability. Small doubts on pricing, terms, and outreach turn into delays.

Join a recruiter network you trust, you can use the group to sense check proposals, compare what is working now, and find collaborators when a brief is bigger than one person. Show up weekly, share what you are doing, ask for help, and offer it back.

If you try to do everything alone, you will repeat avoidable mistakes, accept weak terms, and stall when motivation dips. Months later, you will have less pipeline, slower collections, and no one to help you recover.

10. Put Your Plan in Writing; Run It Weekly

Most independents start strong, then drift. No targets, no rhythm, no follow up. Outreach becomes ad hoc and revenue becomes unpredictable.

Write a simple plan that you can execute every week. Set a monthly revenue target, confirm your average fee, and work out how many roles you need. Turn that into a weekly operating rhythm that includes outreach, follow up, calls, and BD meetings. Block time for BD, book a short review every Friday, and keep a single view of your pipeline that shows prospects, activity, next action, and outcomes. Add a cash view that forecasts invoices and payment dates so you know when money lands.

If you do not run a plan, you will bounce between delivery and BD, hit feast and famine cycles, and struggle to pay yourself on time. Next Steps

You left agency life because you wanted control, flexibility, and the chance to build something of your own. But independence without structure can be overwhelming. Freedom only works when your business has the systems, support, and consistency to sustain it. If you're serious about building a recruitment business that lasts, then you need a partner that understands what you are building and the challenges you face. Start here with Auxeris.