Questions to ask a recruiting company before you pay

Before you pay a recruiting company to find electricians, make it answer 12 questions on four things: where the candidates come from, how they're screened and license-checked, whether the vendor will ever recruit your own crew, and what happens when a hire doesn't work out. A straight answer has a number or a name in it. A dodge doesn't.

01Why these questions matter more in electrical

Electrical is the trade where a bad screen shows up on day one, because a man either can bend pipe and land terminations or he can't. In the AGC and NCCER 2026 survey (Sept 3, 2026, 1,830 respondents), half of firms said available candidates lacked the skills, certificates or licenses they needed. A recruiting company that can't sort those out is just moving the problem onto your calendar.

One national electrical contractor we talked to asked two questions any buyer should: "How long have you guys been around?" and whether the five people they'd interview would be "people that are going to be interested, and not just names that are being thrown in there." Both are on this list. If you're not sure yet which kind of vendor you're talking to, read staffing agency vs recruiter vs headhunter first. If you haven't decided whether to rent hands or hire them, the math is in the real cost of an agency vs direct hire.

02Where do the candidates come from?

The source of the candidates tells you whether they'll be working journeymen or whoever was on the job boards this week.

1. Where exactly will my candidates come from?

Straight answer: names the channels. Ads they run in your area for your job, referrals, a travel board, people they've talked to before for similar work, and roughly how many come from each. Dodge: "We have thousands of electricians." Ask how many are licensed journeymen within driving distance of your job who have talked to them in the last 90 days.

2. Are they interested in my job, or are they names off a list?

Straight answer: every candidate has been told your company, the work, the rate and the length of the job, and still wants the interview. Dodge: "We'll send you profiles that match." A profile that matches isn't a man who wants your job.

3. Will I see the same resumes my competitors see?

Straight answer: they recruit for your opening, not from a pile they send to every contractor in the state. Dodge: "Our candidates are in high demand." That's another way of saying the shop down the road is calling the same people.

03How do they screen, and who does it?

Screening is where most recruiting firms cut corners, and it's where agencies end up sending "journeymen" who can't bend pipe.

4. Who screens the candidates, and what do they ask?

Straight answer: a named step, with trade questions. What size pipe has he bent, what gear has he set, can he run work from prints, what was his last job and why did he pull the pin. Dodge: "Our team does a full vetting." Ask to hear the questions. If none are about the work, the screen is a resume check. We wrote up why that fails in why agencies send journeymen who can't bend pipe.

5. How do you check the license?

Straight answer: they look the card up on the state board while the hand is on the phone, check the class matches the work, and send you the license number so you can check it too. Dodge: "All our electricians are licensed." Licensed as what, and where? An apprentice card isn't a journeyman card, and some states treat a city-issued card differently from a state exam. Minnesota, for example, only grants journeyworker reciprocity for a license earned by a state-level exam, not a city one. Our guide to verifying an electrician's license in any state has the lookups.

6. Do you run background checks or drug tests, and who pays?

Straight answer: says which checks, who orders them and who pays, and that they follow the Fair Credit Reporting Act steps (written notice, written permission, and a copy of the report before any rejection, per the FTC). Dodge: "We handle all that." If it goes wrong, it's your hire and your lawsuit.

04Will they ever come after your own crew?

Ask this one directly, because a recruiter who knows your rates, your jobs and your foremen is the best-placed person in the state to poach them.

7. Will you recruit my employees for other clients?

Straight answer: no, in writing, for the length of your agreement and a stated time after. Dodge: "We'd never target your people." Then they won't mind putting it in the contract. More on protecting the crew in the electrical staffing agreement checklist.

05What happens when a hire doesn't work out?

Every recruiting company has a bad placement sooner or later. What matters is what's on paper when it happens.

8. What's your guarantee if a hire quits or can't do the work?

Straight answer: a set number of days, what happens (replacement, credit or refund), and the conditions. For reference, a staffing fee guide reports one large firm offering a 90-day guarantee on permanent placements, and another replacing, not refunding, if the hire leaves within 12 weeks. Dodge: "We stand behind our work." Ask for the number of days.

9. Who employs the hand, and who pays him?

Straight answer: either "you do, from day one" or "we do, and here's the bill rate and his pay rate." Both are legitimate. You just need to know which. Dodge: anything that leaves you unsure whether you're renting or hiring. If they employ him, they can move him, which is why agency electricians leave mid-job.

06Who are they, and what do they need from you?

The last questions are about the company itself, and about your side of the deal.

10. What do you need from me, and how fast?

Straight answer: your rate, the scope, the job length, two or three interview windows a week, and a decision within a day or two of a good interview. Dodge: they never ask. A recruiter who doesn't ask doesn't know that good journeymen take another offer while you're thinking.

11. What does it cost all in, and when do I pay?

Straight answer: one number or one formula, when it's due, and what's included. Ask whether any fee is a percent of gross pay, because overtime on 6-10s can grow it. Dodge: "It depends." Everything depends. Ask for the worst case in dollars.

12. How long have you done this, and who can I call?

Straight answer: how long they've been at it, how long in electrical, and two contractors you can call. If they're new to electrical, they say so and tell you what they do to make up for it. Dodge: logos on a slide, no phone numbers.

If you're short-handed now, apply here and we'll see if we can put 5 licensed electricians in front of you in 14 days.

07Red flags

Walk away, or at least slow down, if you hear any of these:

• They can't name a single channel their candidates come from.
• Nobody on their side can talk about bending, terminations or prints.
• They won't send a license number before the interview.
• They send ten resumes in an hour, all a few states away.
• They want the fee before anyone shows up, with no guarantee in writing.
• They won't sign a clause promising not to recruit your crew.
• They push to sign today.
• They can't tell you who employs the hand.
• They charge the electrician anything.
• They can't give you one contractor to call.

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