In recruitment consulting, two core areas shape the field: permanent and contract. Whilst both are about building strong relationships and delivering talent solutions: the way they operate, the pace at which they move, and the career experience they offer can be very different.
Together, we’ll be exploring the difference between permanent and contract recruitment and helping you decide which is the best fit for you.
No matter where you are in your career, understanding the difference between permanent and contract recruitment will help you navigate the industry and your career path with confidence.
Related: What does a recruitment consultant do? and What does a recruitment consultant do on a daily basis?
Meet the team
In this article, we’ll draw from insights from five experienced professionals:
Yani Bormans, Practice Manager at Robert Half, started out in 2018 as a permanent recruiter for the Finance and Accounting team in our Hasselt office, Belgium. In 2022, he transitioned into contract recruitment with Management Resources in our office in Brussels. Seeking international experience and a deeper understanding of cultural differences across our global offices, he joined our Sydney office in 2024. There, he made another move, this time to the Accounting Operations team, explaining, “I thought the best way to learn about the market was by working on fast-moving, transactional roles where things shift quickly.”
Kristie Baker is the Learning and Development Manager for Australia & New Zealand at Robert Half. Kristie leads the design and delivery of training programs for new and existing recruitment consultants in both contract and permanent recruitment. She began her career in contract recruitment for Business Support in the Brisbane office and later became Division Manager, overseeing both permanent and contract hiring for Finance and Accounting. She moved to Los Angeles as Practice Director before returning to Sydney in her current role. Having worked across recruitment types, industries, and international markets, Kristie has a deep understanding of the distinct skills, pace, and client expectations involved in both permanent and contract recruitment.
Hayley Bacher is a Talent Acquisition Partner for Robert Half in Australia & New Zealand. She plays a strategic role in workforce planning, connecting top talent across sectors, and shaping the employer brand across the region. Hayley works closely with hiring managers to anticipate workforce needs, foster sustainable growth, and ensure Robert Half remains a trusted recruitment partner.
Alex Minter is the APAC Talent Acquisition & Inclusion Manager at Robert Half, based in Australia & New Zealand based in Melbourne. Since joining the business in 2015, initially as a recruiter, he has led internal hiring across the APAC region and now combines this with a regional leadership role in our inclusion programs. Alex partners closely with hiring leaders to align recruitment with business goals, embed inclusive hiring practices, and build a strong, future-ready workforce.
Emma Sestic, Associate Director at Robert Half, started her career in contract recruitment, focusing on Financial Accounting roles. Looking to broaden her skill set, Emma moved into the Human Resources space, where she now recruits for both permanent and contract positions. Her ability to transition across specialisations and adapt to different market needs saw her promoted to Associate Director, where she now leads a team and contributes to broader business strategy.
Together, based on their impressive experience, our team of experts will help you decipher the difference between permanent and contract recruitment, so you can have confidence in the decision you make for you recruitment career.
Related: What qualifications do I need to be a recruitment consultant?
What is permanent recruiting?
In permanent recruitment, you're placing candidates into full-time, ongoing roles where long-term success matters. It's about finding people who align not only with the job requirements but with a company's culture and vision for the future. A key difference between permanent and contract recruitment is that permanent recruitment requires you to assess candidates at a more strategic level. You’ll be diving deeper and trying to get to know them as a person, not just as a worker. The candidate’s skills and experience are important but so are their motivations, personality, and long-term potential within a team or organisation.
Emma says, “skills are just one consideration when recruiting for a permanent position, there are so many other things that you have to consider, like culture fit, long-term growth in the position, and how ideal the company is for the candidate.”
Your candidates will usually be more selective. Many are passive jobseekers, which means they’re not actively applying but they are open to opportunities that offer meaningful growth, cultural alignment, and long-term security. They tend to be focused on career progression, team fit, and values alignment, and may need more time and insight before making a move. Building trust and understanding of what truly drives them is key to making successful placements in the permanent space.
Yani likes to think of permanent recruiting as “finding a diamond for your clients and guiding them towards the best alternative when that’s not possible. Building long-term relationships with candidates is essential because many of them aren’t actively looking for new roles, they’ll consider a move if the right opportunity aligns perfectly with their goals.”
What does it take to succeed in permanent recruiting?
According to our team of experienced permanent recruiters, here is what it takes to success in this practice:
Building deep, trusted relationships
Understanding both clients’ and candidates’ long-term goals
Navigating complex client dynamics
Playing a strategic advisory role
Staying patient and focused through longer sales cycles
What is contract recruitment?
Contract recruitment, sometimes referred to as “temp” or “temporary” recruitment, is all about speed, agility, and results. It focuses on filling short-term, project-based, or urgent roles where businesses need skilled professionals who can hit the ground running. These placements are often time-sensitive, which means clients expect fast turnarounds and recruiters need to move quickly.
Contract recruiters are often juggling multiple roles at once, which requires excellent time management, prioritisation, and the ability to stay cool under pressure. Success in contract recruitment comes from building and maintaining a strong network of readily available professionals who can step into a role at short notice.
Yani explains, “with contract recruiting, your clients are bleeding and need a shortlist within 24 hours. It’s all about giving them a solution asap.” Emma agrees, “the biggest difference between permanent and contract recruitment is the speed of hiring and onboarding. The only thing you have time to consider is whether they have the skills to do the job.” She offers another comparison: “perm is like marriage and contract is like dating”.
The candidates you work with are typically experienced specialists who enjoy variety, flexibility, and the opportunity to contribute to different teams and projects. Many are career contractors, motivated by the challenge of new environments and the ability to make an immediate impact. Kristie says, “with contract recruiting you need an inventory of skilled workers who are ready to start asap, you don’t have time to conduct an in-depth search like you would in permanent recruitment.”
Alex adds, “it might be a divisive take, but in my 18 years in staffing, I’ve consistently seen the biggest billers come from temp desks over the long term. There are several factors behind this, but one of the most significant is the power of recurring revenue. Having multiple contractors out on assignment creates a compounding effect, your gross margin builds week-on-week. And in many firms, where the clock resets every quarter, temp recruiters often start ahead. With contractors already generating revenue on day one of the new quarter, you’re not starting from zero like you often do on a permanent desk.”
What does it take to succeed in contract recruiting?
Based on their experience, here is what our team says it takes to be successful in contract recruitment:
Fast decision-making and quick wins
Managing multiple roles at once
Building strong, flexible candidate networks
Staying composed under pressure
Delivering solutions, not just filling roles
The four key differences
There isn’t one single difference between permanent and contract recruitment, instead there are countless small variations between the two. However, the key differences between permanent and contract recruitment come down to the type of role placed, how candidates are evaluated, the consulting style, and the main goal behind your placements.
Which is right for you?
No two recruiters are the same, and everyone will possess some skills that are useful to whichever path you choose. The important thing is that you find your job compelling and rewarding.
Alex says, “it depends on what drives you. Do you thrive on fast-paced variety and quick wins, or are you more energised by building long-term relationships and deeper strategic partnerships? The latter is more suited to a permanent discipline, although the long-term relationships are developed across both desks.”
Related: How to be a successful recruitment consultant
Consider where you are in your career?
If you’re starting out as a recruiting consultant, choosing between contact and permanent recruitment is one of the first important decisions you’ll make. Don’t let external factors influence your decision, pay is based on performance so it’s important to choose whichever option you’re most likely to thrive in.
Related: How to become a recruitment consultant
If you’re already an experienced consultant, you may be considering switching sides. It doesn’t have to come from dissatisfaction; it could be a sense that you're ready to stretch in a new direction. You might seek a faster pace, a deeper client connection, or a new definition of success. If that sounds familiar it’s worth taking the time to understand what’s driving your motivation.
The following questions are designed to help you think critically about what matters most to you. Exploring something new can be a powerful step, especially when it leads to a role that better fits your strengths, energy, and ambitions. Many people view career growth as a straight upward path, but at Robert Half, we often see the most rewarding progress come from lateral moves into roles that better align with a consultant’s strengths, energy, and long-term goals.
Kristie says, “it's common for contract recruiters to transition to permanent recruitment, but it's not often we see permanent recruiters transition to contract. This is because temp recruiters typically also work several temp-to-perm positions, so they already have exposure to the other discipline. That's not to say we don't see perm recruiters move to contract, it's just less common.”
Alex agrees, “I’ve certainly seen recruiters move across to either style successfully over the years. Typically, I’ve seen that it’s an easier transition to move from temp to permanent than the other way around. Temp recruiters are used to operating at speed, handling volume, and managing urgency, those skills can translate well into permanent where things slow down a bit and relationship-building takes centre stage. But, moving from permanent to temp can be a shock to the system. It requires sharper pace, tighter turnaround, and a different kind of resilience.”
It might be helpful to remember Emma’s comparison: “perm is like marriage and contract is like dating”.
Emma says if you’re new to recruitment:
Contract might be for you if “you thrive in a fast-paced environment, enjoy quick wins, and like solving urgent problems. If you’re the type of person who walks briskly to the printer and stays on top of moving pieces, you’ll likely enjoy the energy of temp. You’ll need to manage multiple stakeholders and provide short-term solutions with speed and confidence.”
Perm might be for you if “you value long-term relationships, strategic thinking, and enjoy building deep market knowledge. It’s an opportunity to partner with companies, understand what drives candidates, and place individuals in roles that truly align with their goals and values.”
If you’re an experienced recruiter:
Contract might suit you if “you see recruitment as a long-term career and enjoy building a profitable book of business. Successful temp recruiters aren’t just reactive, they sell solutions, anticipate client needs, and help solve critical business challenges. The ability to match the right talent to fast-moving demands is a real differentiator.”
Perm might suit you if “you enjoy playing a strategic advisory role. While the sales cycle is longer, the relationships are deeper. You’ll need strong candidate and client control, with the ability to understand motivations and guide long-term career decisions. When you get it right, the impact on both the candidate and the business is transformational.”
Related: Is being a recruitment consultant hard?
Consider which role best suits your personality
The Strategist – permanent recruitment
If you love big-picture thinking, playing the long game, and thrive on building lasting relationships, then permanent recruitment is your best fit. Permanent recruitment suits someone who is naturally strategic, and relationship driven. It’s ideal for people who enjoy influencing decisions, nurturing trust over time, and taking a consultative approach to their work.
You’re likely a good fit if you:
Think long-term and enjoy planning ahead
Are skilled at reading people and situations
Feel comfortable navigating complex client dynamics
Prefer depth over speed in your work
Take pride in managing a process from start to finish
When hiring permanent recruiting consultants for Robert Half, Haley looks for “someone who is influential and strategic in their approach, who is patient and knows how to nurture relationships over time. Someone who enjoys controlling a process and being very consultative from start to finish of a process.”
What Emma loves most about permanent recruiting is “the impact you can have in a business. The right hire can transform culture and innovate the way work is done; candidates spend so much of their lives at work, and you’re connecting them with people they’ll build lasting relationships with. You open doors for candidates and the better you know your clients and candidates, the better those outcomes will be. You’re able look beyond a CV and a job description to connect people who will thrive working together. You can change careers.”
If that’s something you think sounds fulfilling, then permanent recruitment might be the job for you!
The First Responder – contract recruitment
If you love action and thrive under pressure, then contract recruitment might be the best for you. It can be helpful to think of a career contract recruitment as being a first responder for business resourcing; when a client is facing an urgent talent gap, you’re the one who steps in with the right solution. As Yani explained earlier, you have to imagine clients as if “they are bleeding” and be able to provide assistance within 24 hours.
You're likely a strong fit if you:
Thrive in fast-paced, high-pressure environments and can make urgent business decisions with limited information
Have strong time management and prioritisation skills
Can build and maintain broad, flexible candidate networks
Are driven by quick wins and visible impact
Stay composed and effective under shifting demands
Hayley believes that contract recruiting is best suited to “someone who thrives under short deadlines, are focused on speed and more volume, has a high attention to detail even in a very fast environment, and are very adaptable and extremely organised.”
Alex also emphasises what sets the best temp recruiters apart: “I look for pace, adaptability, and a proactive mindset. They need to be relentless problem solvers who can juggle priorities and fill roles fast.”
Emma says contract is for someone who loves “quick wins. You can help candidates quickly, offer exciting projects and unique opportunities that are for ‘right now’ versus developing into a role and growing longer term. Immediate impact of placing a great contractor.”
If these qualities remind you of yourself, then we’d recommend considering contract recruitment.
Why Robert Half?
Join the recruitment team
Regardless of which path you take, your career will be equally shaped by the company that supports you along the way. Here’s why Robert Half could be the right place to grow your recruitment career.
Related: Why you should join team Robert Half
1. Trusted global brand with local market impact
In Australia, it’s consistently recognised as a top recruitment agency for both permanent and contract placements, trusted by clients ranging from startups to ASX-listed firms.
A Fortune® Most Admired Companies™* for the 28th consecutive year in a row
Over 300 offices worldwide and 70+ years of industry leadership, Robert Half is the world’s largest specialised recruitment firm providing contract, and permanent recruitment solutions.
Related: Robert Half named one of Fortune’s Most Admired Companies
2. Proven training & career pathways
Structured onboarding and continuous learning for all levels, from junior recruiters to seasoned professionals.
Leadership development, performance coaching, and role-play-based training ensure you’re supported through desk transitions or promotions.
Access to global resources and best-in-class tools gives you a competitive edge in your market.
Learn more about our career development program here
Flexibility to choose your specialisation
RH empowers consultants to switch between contract and perm recruitment based on your career goals, energy, and strengths, without starting from scratch.
Many consultants make internal moves, supported by peer mentoring and desk re-scoping.
Opportunity to explore, switch, and grow across roles and industries
Culture that backs performance without burnout
RH champions a high-performance culture grounded in teamwork, integrity, and support.
You’ll find a collaborative environment where success is shared, and well-being is prioritised.
Hybrid work options and transparent leadership make it a workplace where people want to stay.
Robert Half Australia is a certified Great Place To Work™
With a clearer understanding of the difference between permanent and contract recruitment, you now have the tools to decide which specialisation is best for you. If you’re still unsure, that’s completely normal, and you may not know which is right until you experience it first-hand. As Kristie has found “most people have an affinity towards one more than the other, and that’s okay. Permanent and contract recruitment each offer their own rewards. What matters is finding the path that fits your strengths. Both can be equally fulfilling but they bring a different energy to your career.”
Related: Why becoming a recruitment consultant is a good career choice
The important thing is finding a workplace that encourages you to explore and shape your career path, like Robert Half. We’re a company that values initiative, supports flexibility, and invests in growth, and we’re here to support your journey.
Join the recruitment team
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