When I was a girl one of my biggest goals was to be able to do the splits like all of my little gymnast friends. Let's just say that we are NOT all created equal. I never did pull off the physical act of doing the splits. I did, however, master recruiting splits. Those splits really worked for me.

For those who are not familiar with the term "splits" as it applies to recruiting, I am referring to the situation where two search professionals work together to make one candidate placement. Typically one search consultant has the job order, and the other provides the candidate. The two professionals work together and then "split" the payment or profit of the placement.

I have facilitated hundreds of split placements over the years. It is sort of a specialty for me. At one point, I managed over 200 split partners throughout the country for a large scale expansion. Splits are a great way to supplement your billings.  These are not meant to replace the sourcing you already use from telephone calls, ads you place on big boards, or job distribution networks. They do enable you to take on more job orders than you could typically handle on your own. If you are working on the sourcing side, they can often result in placing a talented candidate that was previously screened but not a good fit for your client's needs, too. The question here is would you rather make part of the placement fee, or no fee at all? Typically you will have exhausted all of your other resources before you turn to a partner for a candidate, or on the flip side, a job order.

Despite how well it has worked for me, I have heard stories from many fellow recruiters that have been very disappointed when they attempted work on split placements. Some say they wasted time recruiting candidates for a job order that wasn't really qualified. Others have been burned on the payment side. In one situation I know of, the candidate basically made a relationship with the other recruiter and when the original placement flopped, the candidate stuck with the split partner instead! EEK! Scary stuff right?

If you think you want to work a split situation, here are three easy tips that can prevent the negative situations that can result from split work.

Keep It in the Family

When it comes to working splits, I highly recommend you consider those within your own office or network of offices first. The risk for misunderstanding regarding payment is a lot lower. It is also more likely that a recruiter who shares a similar philosophy in their recruiting style will be a good partner. If you are an independent recruiter, and want to work on splits, seek out those within your personal network first. You will always have more confidence working with someone you know and trust in the industry.

We Want Pre-Nup

Always, I repeat, ALWAYS draw up a contract for a split placement BEFORE you begin working together. Every agreement does not need to be lawyer approved, but you do need to have your expectations in writing and both parties need to agree on the terms as they are written. Consider determining who has ownership of the candidate and for how long, the percentage of the total fee that each party will receive, and how source ownership will be determined. Your split partner should have an opportunity to comment and amend the contract to meet their own needs and then you both should sign off in agreement.

Call Me, Maybe?

Obviously there should be communication between any two people who are working together. Many of us spend a lot of time shooting emails back and forth. I really recommend you incorporate phone calls in to your process for splits. The person that is working with the client doesn't want 3 phone calls a day inquiring about the candidate's status. (Welcome to an HR person's world.) On the other hand, the recruiter with the candidate relationship wants details on what is happening.

My advice to avoid all the hassle on this is to set clear expectations up front about when you will talk by phone. You might even consider setting up specific dates and times for phone conferences with your split partner. Will you talk once per day or once per week? In some situations, it is only necessary to have a phone conversation when there is a significant update. Whatever the case, these calls needn't be long, but they need to happen. Make the commitment to communicate and stick with it. There is nothing that will sour a split relationship faster than lack of communication.

Have you made a lot of split placements? What was your biggest challenge or success story? What advice do you have for those trying a split situation for the first time?

Amy McDonald is the President and CEO at REKRUTR. She has been working in the human resources and recruiting industry for over 20 years. Amy has worked with hundreds of recruitment professionals throughout her career, training best practices in sourcing candidates and refining the recruitment process. In her spare time, Amy participates as a thought leader in Recruiting for BIZCATALYST360°