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In France, the relative decline of sectoral collective bargaining, as well as changes in the law relating to the employment contract during the late 1980s, have restored some flexibility to the employer and employee in determining contract terms, thus contributing to a process of individualization of the employment relationship. Companies are thereby better able to take account of the constraints imposed by the labour market and, in particular, can attract the most qualified candidates. To do this, they are often dependent on recruitment intermediaries who have a better knowledge of the state of the market. The objective of this paper is to analyze how these various recruitment channels affect the determination of starting salaries, examining in particular to what extent they bring employers and employees to negotiate the terms of their contracts of employment.