Golden Statutory Rule: 100% Free of Charge for Candidates#
Under Art. 9 of the Swiss Federal Employment Services Act (AVG), recruitment services are strictly free of charge for job seekers. Professional fees (typically 15% to 30% of annual gross compensation) are paid exclusively by hiring companies.
Contingency Recruiters vs. Retained Executive Search#
Contingency recruiters earn fees upon successful hiring for operational roles. Retained headhunters execute confidential searches for senior executives and niche specialists under exclusive corporate mandates.
The Step-by-Step Recruitment Journey#
Following initial exploratory briefings, reputable Swiss recruitment consultants never forward your CV to a prospective employer without your prior explicit authorization, ensuring confidentiality.
Exclusivity Rules and Critical Missteps#
Avoid carpet-bombing multiple agencies simultaneously: duplicate profile submissions to the same Swiss organization frequently lead to immediate candidate disqualification.
Attracting Recruiters on Professional Networks#
Optimize your LinkedIn profile with recognized Swiss industry terminology, activate recruiter visibility, and highlight concrete quantifiable milestones.
Five questions before you accept a mandate#
A reputable placement consultant answers these five questions without evading them. If not, working together will cost you time rather than save it:
- Is the mandate exclusive? An exclusive mandate means that the company is searching only with this consultant – your chance of feedback rises, the number of competing candidates falls.
- Which companies and functions are being searched for? An answer such as «for various clients» is a warning sign. You should know in which industry and region your file may end up.
- Who is my contact person? A change of consultant in the middle of the process is frequent; a fixed contact with name and direct number belongs in the briefing.
- When and to whom is my file forwarded? Consent must be obtained before every transfer – not on a blanket basis, but per company.
- What happens if no placement comes about? Do your documents stay with the consultant, are they deleted, and may you apply on your own in parallel? The latter is always permitted.
Put the outcome in writing briefly – an e-mail with three lines is enough. In a dispute that is the difference between «agreed as follows» and «not agreed that way».
What the consultant needs from you – and what not#
A good briefing saves time on both sides. These details belong in it: target position and workload, salary band with a lower limit, earliest possible start date, notice period, willingness to travel, language skills with level, and two to three referees who have been informed in advance.
Not needed are medical details, marital status, religion or information about a pregnancy. A copy of the health insurance card does not belong in the file either. The Employment Services Act (AVG) also requires discretion: your data may only be used for placement, and placement is free of charge for jobseekers – a consultant who charges a processing fee for «preparing the file» is not acting in accordance with the law.
- Current salary: You do not have to disclose it. A justified salary expectation is enough.
- Current employer: Name it if you are applying discreetly – but expressly require that the company is not contacted.
- Rejections: Report back on a role you turned down. Consultants work with feedback and open doors on the second attempt.