Guide · For clinics
SEEK vs specialist recruitment: how Australian aesthetic clinics hire experienced staff
What each one is good for, what each one really costs, and how to choose for the role in front of you
Michelle Mexted
Founder and Recruitment Specialist, Aesthetics Recruitment Australia
Most clinics ask me some version of the same question: why would we pay a recruiter when we can put an ad on SEEK? It's a fair question, and most of the owners I talk to have already tried SEEK first. SEEK and specialist recruitment solve different hiring problems, and the right answer depends on the hire.
Neither one is better for every hire. It comes down to how much training your clinic can take on.
Skip to why a SEEK ad often doesn't work ↓
What you're actually choosing between
Job board
SEEK
For exampleA pile of applications, only a handful from people who've worked in a clinic.
Direct search
Specialist recruitment
How to decide for your clinic
Every new hire needs some training. The question is how much your clinic can take on.
You can build someone up from the start: SEEK is a good place to look.
An injector who has just done their course, a recent dermal graduate, or an admin person you'll teach to run the front desk.
You need someone who can hit the ground running: use specialist recruitment.
An experienced injector, a senior dermal therapist, or a coordinator who has already run an aesthetics front desk. These people usually aren't on SEEK and have to be headhunted.
If you're weighing up a prescriber, our guide to whether a nurse-led clinic needs a doctor works through that decision the same way.
Active and passive candidates
SEEK is an active pool
The people applying to you are applying to other clinics too. You're competing for the same candidates, and you can lose them to another offer or a counter offer.
Some applicants just need a job
They'll take what's available at the time, which isn't the same as choosing your clinic.
Someone we headhunt is choosing you
They're leaving a role they're settled in for one that suits them. They're generally more committed, and in many cases they stay longer.
Why a SEEK ad often doesn't work
If you've posted on SEEK and the right person never applied, it's usually one of these.
Visibility
The ad tier, title, keywords, location and category all decide who sees an ad. Post under the wrong location or category and the right people never see it. Most owners post and hope it sticks.
How the ad is written
Most ads are a list of duties and requirements, not written to attract the right person. There's real psychology to what makes an experienced injector or coordinator stop and apply, and small changes make a big difference.
Too many criteria
Ads often list everything the clinic would like without saying what's essential and what's negotiable. Good candidates who tick most boxes assume they won't be considered and don't apply. We work out what really matters and approach the people who would otherwise rule themselves out.
Missing the details candidates look for
Candidates are more clued on and fussier than ever. If pay, days, treatment mix or who they'd be working with are missing, the good ones don't apply.
Employer brand
Most clinics don't have one that candidates know, and it's a small industry. One bad word from someone they know, or one less than favourable review, can put people off before they apply. We position the clinic properly and talk through any concerns, which an ad can't do.
No room to negotiate
An ad is fixed. If the rate or days aren't quite right for a strong candidate, they move on. We manage the negotiation so a good match doesn't fall over on one detail.
No feedback
When an ad doesn't work, you never find out why. We hear directly from candidates why they say no, whether that's rate, days or location, and tell you so the brief can be adjusted.
How applicants are treated
A busy owner often doesn't get back to applicants, or takes weeks. In a small industry that gets talked about and hurts the next hire. We make sure every candidate hears back.
What SEEK is good for
Speed
An ad can be live the same day you decide to hire.
Lower upfront cost
You pay a flat posting fee, whether you hire or not.
Full control of the process
You read every application and make every call yourself.
Roles you can train into
When you can build someone up, more applicants means more choice. For experienced roles it rarely does, which is the argument we make on our For Clinics page.
What specialist recruitment is good for
Our candidate network
Most of our placements come through it. We already know a lot of the people clinics want, and what would make them move. Our State of Aesthetics Hiring 2026 report sets out why the network does the work now.
Positioning your clinic
Good candidates research a clinic before they'll talk. We present your brand and why they'd want to join. Attracting candidates is a marketing job, and it's what we do every day.
Checked properly
AHPRA registration and real aesthetics experience are checked before you meet anyone, and references before an offer.
Judgement that knows the difference
We can tell a strong injector from a merely adequate one, and whether they'll suit your treatment mix, pace and pay structure.
A tight process
If a busy owner takes a week to reply, good candidates have gone to whoever moved faster. We keep things moving.
Confidential searches
A SEEK ad is public, so your current team and your competitors see it. We regularly run searches without naming the clinic.
Pay and market advice
So the offer lands the first time. Our aesthetics salary guide shows what clinics actually pay.
Managing the offer
Including counter offers, notice periods and restraint clauses.
Dedicated time
Searching, approaching, screening and following up is our full-time focus, not something squeezed in between patients.
The real cost comparison
Neither option is free. They charge you in different currencies: cash, or time.
SEEK
Lower cash, real time cost
What you pay: a flat posting fee.
Your time: reading, screening and chasing applications yourself, and starting again if the right person doesn't apply.
For exampleA few hours a week filtering CVs, for about a month.
Specialist recruitment
Higher cash, low time cost
What you pay: a placement fee.
Your time: one conversation to brief the role, then interviews with a short list.
Cheap can cost more. An empty chair loses you work every week. A wrong hire costs you twice: once for the mistake, and again to replace them.
The return on the hire, not just the cost
A closer match
With SEEK you're limited to whoever applies that week. With outreach we can match the person to the role, their treatment skills, your patients and your team.
Loyal patients
The right fit builds a loyal patient base. Patients rebook and refer, and the clinic keeps the revenue.
The cost of the wrong fit
When the wrong person leaves after a few months, patients can drift away or follow them, the chair sits empty, and you're advertising and training all over again.
Retention is where the fee pays for itself.
Can you use both?
Yes, and plenty of clinics do. They match the tool to the hire.
- 1. Someone you can train up: SEEK.
- 2. Someone experienced who can hit the ground running: specialist recruitment.
- 3. A SEEK ad that has stalled: the point to bring a specialist in for that one role.
For exampleA clinic hires an admin person through SEEK to train on the front desk, and an experienced injector through specialist recruitment in the same month.
The mistake isn't using both. It's using the wrong one for the hire.
Common questions
Why not just hire the best person who applies on SEEK?
Sometimes that works. But the best people for experienced roles usually aren't applying, and the ones who are may be talking to several clinics. You end up choosing from who's available, not who's best.
Can I switch from SEEK to specialist recruitment partway through?
Yes, and it's one of the most common paths. Start on SEEK, and if the right person hasn't applied, bring in a specialist for that same role.
Does using a specialist recruiter mean giving up control?
No. You still interview whoever you want, make every final decision, and turn down anyone who isn't right. The recruiter narrows the field. They don't decide for you.
How long does specialist recruitment take compared with SEEK?
It depends on the role and how hard the search is, then on interviews and the candidate's notice period. It takes longer than posting an ad, but it reaches people who would never have applied.
Is specialist recruitment only worth it for really hard-to-fill roles?
It comes down to how much training your clinic can take on. If you can build someone up from the start, SEEK is a good place to look. If you need someone experienced who can hit the ground running, whether that's an injector, a senior dermal therapist or a coordinator who has already run an aesthetics front desk, those people usually aren't on SEEK and have to be headhunted.
Does posting on SEEK first hurt my chances if I bring in a recruiter later?
No. The two don't conflict. A specialist can run a direct search alongside or after a SEEK ad.
What happens if a placement doesn't work out?
Every placement carries a three-month replacement guarantee, and we check in at week 2 and month 3 to catch problems early. If something isn't working, we'd rather hear it at week 2 than after a bad quarter.
Ready when you are
If specialist recruitment is the right fit for this hire, that's exactly what we do.