Updated: June 20, 2024
Even though the barriers to entry for the recruiting industry are low, getting started as a recruiter can be challenging. There is no university degree in recruiting and if you want to simply dive in headfirst, navigating all of the challenges of a new industry can be difficult.
That’s why professional associations can be a huge help. A good organization can provide certified training courses, legal and legislative guidance, model documents and best practice templates, annual conferences, and discounts with preferred suppliers. In short, they can give you all of the resources you need to succeed.
The list below contains the top professional associations for recruiters. The country and focus of each organization should help you find the right fit.
TEEMA Group
Country: Canada and the United States
Focus: Professional recruiters and client managers
Founded: 2007 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Members: 250+ members with thousand of consultants on contract
Benefits:
- TEEMA University
- TEEMA Connect
- Centralized Back Office
- Sector-focused account managers in a variety of verticals including IT, A&F, engineering, healthcare, executive search, operations, sales and marketing, and supply chain
- Discounted access to job boards such as Career Builder, LinkedIn Recruiter, Monster, and Zip Recruiter
- Help with social media presence, website, SEO campaign, and other marketing materials
- Insurances for staffing and employee benefits in Canada and US
Fees: Up to 80% of every deal goes back to our members
Site: teemagroup.com
Recruitment and Employment Confederation
Country: United Kingdom
Focus: Professional recruiters
Founded: Result of a merger of the FRES and IEC in 2000
Members: 3,300+ recruitment businesses and 10,500+ individual recruiters
Meetings:
- Annual Talent Recruitment & Employment Conference
- Over 300 yearly events, including sector meetings, webinars and workshops throughout England
- Legal seminars
Benefits:
- Monthly reports
- Sector-focused account managers
- Insurance scheme
- Access to recruitment law specialists and comprehensive legal library
- Member-only offers including mentorship, auditing services, and consultancy
Fees: Member fees are based on agency turnover.
Site: https://www.rec.uk.com/
American Staffing Association
Country: United States
Focus: Staffing, recruiting, and workforce solutions industry
Founded:
- 1966 – Founded as the Institute of Temporary Services
- 1999 – Changed name to American Staffing Association
Members: 1,800
Meetings:
- Annual Staffing World and Staffing Law conferences
- ASA regional council and affiliated chapter events
- Variety of webinars on staffing industry and business topics
Benefits:
- Wide variety of legal and legislative, research, professional development, and marketing resources
- Multiple publications including Staffing Success magazine, Staffing Today newsletter, Staffing Law Digest, and ASA for You newsletter
- ASA Central private online networking community
Fees: Complex dues schedule based on gross sales available here.
Site: https://americanstaffing.net/
Association of Professional Recruiters of Canada
Country: Canada
Focus: Professional recruiters
Founded: 1984
Members: 1,200 members in local and regional chapters
Meetings:
- Regular chapter events
- Annual full-day workshops and conferences
Benefits:
- Subscription to the IPM Association’s Members Quarterly Newsletters and Workplace Today Online
- Complimentary access to the Workplace Library
- Members’ special discounts on IPM programs and services
Fees: $175 + tax per year
Site: https://www.workplace.ca/resources/aprc_assoc.html
Association of Professional Staffing Companies
Country: United Kingdom, Germany, Australia, South East Asia (Singapore, Malaysia, Indonesia, Hong Kong, The Philippines, Thailand, and Vietnam)
Focus: Professional recruiters
Founded:
- 1999 – Founded as The Association of Technology Staffing Companies
- 2009 – Focus changed to all professional recruiters and re-named The Association of Professional Staffing Companies
Members: 1000+ in the UK alone
Meetings:
- Sector meetings in areas including clinical & healthcare, education, engineering, finance, HR, interim, IT, legal, marketing & sales, pharmaceutical & life sciences, and social work
- Approximately 200 events per year, both virtual and face to face.
Benefits:
- Dedicated legal helpline
- Market intelligence research reports on various sectors
- Model documents and best practice templates
- Professional development training courses
Fees: Determined by business size and provided on application.
The British Institute of Recruiters
Country: United Kingdom
Focus: Professional body for HR, agency & in-house recruiters
Founded: 2010
Members: 450 companies, 3000 individuals
Meetings: Multiple events covering all aspects of training and recruitment
Benefits:
- Review of your service provider costs with member discounts available
- Exclusive job board rates with Reed, Jobsite & CV Library
- Model terms of business, template documents, contracts, agreements and resources
- Legal helpline for all your employment law related queries
- Discounted recruitment training courses
- VIP event invitations to our events & networking meetings
- Free subscription to The Recruiting Times Magazine
Fees:
- Individual – £90-£120 + VAT
- Corporate – Starting at £595 + VAT
Site: https://ior.org/
National Association of Personnel Services
Country: United States and Canada
Focus: Recruiters and recruitment firms across all industries
Founded: 1961
Members: 800+ organizations
Meetings:
- Annual conference
- Power NAPS webinars
Benefits:
- Subscription to Monthly NAPS Newsletter, Quarterly Credential Newsletter and Quarterly Legal Newsletter
- Allied vendor discounts
- Educational programs
- Professional & Business Development opportunities
- Discounts to local and state association meetings
- Affinity programs such as E&O insurance and office supplies
- Industry certification discounts
- Healthcare coverage for members and their employees
Fees: Prices range from $270 to $950 per year. Details are available here.
Site: http://www.naps360.org/
Association of Talent Acquisition Professionals
Country: United States
Focus: All talent acquisition professionals
Founded: 2016
Members: 500+
Meetings:
- Monthly webinars on hot topics in talent acquisition
- Global Talent Acquisition Day
Benefits:
- Ability to participate on body of knowledge and advocacy working committees
- Access to member exclusive content and networking opportunities
- Discounted registration for events and classes
- Quarterly Book/Podcast Club
- Circle Community forum and mentorship
Fees: $99/year (individual member)
Site: https://atapglobal.org/
American Association of International Healthcare Recruitment
Country: United States
Focus: Recruitment and staffing of foreign-educated healthcare professionals for employment with U.S. healthcare organizations
Founded: 2006
Members: 20
Meetings: Annual member meeting
Benefits: Membership in AAIHR provides member organization with representation to regulatory organizations, credibility with customers, and a forum for learning and professional development opportunities
Fees: $3,000 – $7,500 per year. See this page for details.
Site: http://www.aaihr.org/
Top Echelon’s Recruiting Network
Country: United States
Focus: All recruiting firms
Founded: 1992
Members: 500+ recruiting firms and millions of candidates
Meetings:
- National Convention
- Fall Conference
- Regional Core Groups
- Virtual Core Groups
Benefits:
- Ability to connect with other recruiters to make more placements
- Access to Candidate Sourcing Tool (6 million+ resumes) and Split Jobs Database (3,000+ open job orders)
- Free training webinars from recruiter coaches
- Opportunities for continuous training
Fees:
$350 start-up fee + $135-$150/month and 6% brokerage fee for all placements made
Site: https://www.topechelon.com/recruiting-network/
National Association of Executive Recruiters
Country: United States
Focus: Senior-level executive recruiters
Founded: 1985
Members: Small to medium-sized firms across the United States and abroad
Meetings: Annual national conference
Benefits:
- Connecting with other recruiting firms committed to the highest level of ethical standards and practices.
- enhancing your quality and methods through education, interaction, and professional competence.
Site: https://www.naer.org/
Recruitment Process Outsourcing Association
Country: United States
Focus: RPO community
Founded: 2005
Members: 6,000
Meetings:
- Annual Conference
- RPO Delivery Leader Forum and RPO Executive Forum
- Webinars
Benefits:
- Access to RPO Academy, the largest library of talent acquisition resources presented from a recruitment process outsourcing perspective
- Access to iCoCo Marketplace to research and connect with recruiting providers, consultants, technologies, and vendors
- Discount offers from RPOA partners
- Innovative programs designed to position the association and its partners as an authority in talent acquisition and RPO.
- A featured story published in their RPO Market Report
- Taking part in speaking engagements through their professionally produced and hosted webinars
Fees: $3,000 – $15,000 per year. Details are available here.
Site: https://www.rpoassociation.org/
National Association of Physician Recruiters
Country: United States
Focus: Healthcare recruiters
Founded: 1984
Members: 300+
Meetings:
- Annual convention
- Webinars
Benefits:
- Access to a School of Healthcare Recruitment
- Access to the Recruiter’s Edge, a bi-weekly newsletter created and curated just for healthcare recruiters
- Vendor discounts on many recruiting tools
- Access to NAPR Connect, a tool that allows you to partner with other firms for placements
Fees: $600 – $999
Site: https://www.napr.org/
National Association of Legal Search Consultants
Country: United States
Focus: Legal search consultants
Founded: 1984
Members: 200+
Meetings:
- Annual convention
- Seasonal symposiums
- Regional and national educational seminars and programs
Benefits:
- Opportunity to network within the industry throughout the United States and abroad
- Detailed listing in an up-to-date online directory
- Access to the NALSC® newsletter
- Access to ShareServ
- Assistance from an Ethics Committee
Fees: $395 – $1000 per year. Details are available here.
Site: https://www.nalsc.org/
Association of Canadian Search, Employment & Staffing Services
Country: Canada
Focus: All recruiting firms
Founded: 1998
Members: 1,500+
Meetings:
- Annual national conference
- Staffing Industry Excellence awards
- Webinars
Benefits:
- Affiliate & Partner discount services
- Discounted fees to industry events and education services
- Government Relations Information
- Access to Canadian Staffing Index Monthly, Legislative Bulletins, Core Industry Training, CPC Certification, and Certified Personal Consultant program.
Fees: $1,100-$35,000 per year depending on revenue. Details are available here.
Site: https://acsess.org/
NPA worldwide
Country: United States/Global
Focus: Independent recruitment firms
Founded: 1956
Members: 1,300+ individual recruiters
Meetings:
- Global Recruitment Conference
- Webinars
- Regional and specialization calls
Benefits:
- Peer interaction
- Advanced business resources
- Training services
- Expanded geographic/industry specialization
Fees: $500 enrollment fee + $195 per month. Details are available here.
Site: https://npaworldwide.com/
TempNet Staffing Association
Country: United States
Founded: 1977
Meetings:
- Annual convention
- Fall conference
- Webinars
Benefits:
- Ongoing business support between companies
- Affordable training for owners and staff
- Industry-specific resources through a nationwide network of partners
- Legal and Legislative consulting
- Split fee program
- Discounts from TempNet vendors
- Peer review, job shadowing, and intern opportunities
- Resource center including a book lending library
- Monthly newsletter
Fees: unknown
Site: https://www.tempnetstaffingassociation.org/
National Association for Health Care Recruitment
Country: United States
Focus: Healthcare recruitment professionals
Founded:
- 1975 – Founded as the National Association of Nurse Recruiters (NANR)
- 1985 – Changed name to National Association for Health Care Recruitment
Members: 1,000+
Meetings:
- Annual conference
- Virtual round tables and webinars
Benefits:
- Access to free educational resources on health care, marketing, and recruitment topics
- Biweekly NAHCR News digest to stay informed of current trends and news in health care recruitment
- Discounted conference entry and certification
- Networking and learning through the member listserv and virtual roundtables
- Opportunities to participate or present at the annual conference and webinars
Fees: $150 per year
Site: https://www.nahcr.com/
Association of Executive Search and Leadership Consultants (AESC)
Country: Members from 70+ countries worldwide
Focus: Executive search firms and professionals
Founded:
- 1959 – Founded as the Association of Executive Recruiting Consultants
- 2014 – Scope expanded to include leadership consultants and the name was changed to reflect this shift
Members: 16,000+ professionals across 1,450+ offices
Meetings:
- Annual global conference
- Regional forums, workshops, and webinars
Benefits:
- Exclusive rates on services from partner businesses
- Access to research and peer knowledge exchange
- Updates and advice on legislative and regulatory issues impacting the profession
- Education and training resources
Fees: $375 per year for individual members
Site: https://www.aesc.org/
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