Recruitment seems like the easiest thing in the world. You post a job online, sift through the appropriate CVs, and choose the best candidate. There is nothing difficult about it at face value, which is why plenty of employers do it themselves. You want to follow suit because it isn’t as if you’re going to get it wrong. Come on – it isn’t rocket science!
Still, a good percentage of the industry uses recruitment agencies regardless of whether they are in Texas or North California. These companies believe that they don’t have the skill, experience, or contacts to find the highest quality of candidates. The savvy people among you may smell a rat. Why do they not take care of their responsibilities in-house? Do they know something that you don’t as of yet?
The answer to the latter question is yes. While recruitment agencies charge high fees (unless they are online flat fee recruiters), they tend to find the best people for the job. Typically, hiring a worker who is efficient and who doesn’t leave for new pastures saves the business a fortune. In simple terms, the juice is worth the squeeze. How do they do it? Continue reading to find out more about what to expect when you decide to work with an agency.
More Knowledge
Regardless of how many books you have read or seminars you have attended, the chances are that they know more than you. The reason is simple: they are professionals. Whereas you dedicate your time to running a successful SME, they invest in contacts and understanding changes in the industry. Recruiters have their fingers on the pulse of the industry on a permanent basis.
As a result, they understand the dynamics of your search. A world-class agency understands who the available talent is, where they are and how to reach them. Plus, they know how much they are worth and what you are willing to pay them. Competitors may struggle to employ people because of the complexities of the hiring process; you won’t have this problem.
This makes them a partner who has your back. An agency is the eyes and ears of the operation that reports back to the boss. Thanks to their expertise, the information they provide is almost always useful and not a waste of time. Remember that as well as money, businesses need to save time to invest it back into the weak areas of the firm.
Better Budget Management
Money will always be an issue for small to medium-sized companies. There is never enough cash in the bank in case of a rainy day, and unforeseen circumstances are only around the corner. Spending what little money you have left is essential if you’re going to get good value. Considering only 29% of businesses have budgets over £1 million, it’s not straightforward to see how this will happen.
Budget management is probably the main reason owners and CEOs turn to third parties. Firstly, there is the time element. Without any time to do thorough research, it’s challenging to make sure an expense is a worthy one. The easiest way to waste money is to invest it without analysing the potential pros and cons. Interviewing from an agency shortlist makes the process quicker and eliminates the hassle. Plus, you can be sure that the list is on point and doesn’t include applicants who wouldn’t be a good fit. Therefore, a recruitment firm becomes a means to earn extra resources.
Although they aren’t accountants, agency managers are in tune with their clients’ wants and needs. This should save you a lot of money in the long-term, as long as you choose wisely.
Super Succinct Shortlists
It’s tempting to cast the net as wide as possible so that there is a range of applicants. And, while this is a wise move, it’s also a dangerous one. Once you advertise to a diverse group of people, a large volume of CVs will fall on your desk or into your email account. “Great,” you think, “that’s just what we needed.” However, it isn’t because the majority of the people might not be the right fit. As a result, you waste time, money and energy rejecting applicants who aren’t right for the role.
The best recruitment agencies do things differently - they show you candidates rather than applicants. What this means is that you only spend time interviewing the potential hires who are a perfect fit. Whether that’s construction labour hire or IT infrastructure, the selection process should be smooth.
To ensure the people who are pre-selected are welcome additions to the team, you need to provide as much information as possible. With the proper data to go off, the agency should be able to match applicants to the criteria and cherry pick the candidates. Only those who are worthy are selected for an interview when you outsource recruitment to a third party.
Longer Reach
Just because the people who come into the office for a briefing are from a short shortlist doesn’t mean they pick from a small pool of talent. Instead, it implies they purge the applicants who aren’t ready and only make you aware of the rest. But, their reach is pretty long and they will look far and wide for the most talented employees. After all, good quality workers aren’t straightforward to locate.
Although lots of them will come to you, it’s imperative that you go to them too. Otherwise, the inactive and impassive people who will take the company to the next level will get overlooked. Plus, so will the employees of rival businesses who don’t have any intentions of leaving until they receive an offer that’s too good to be true. If this appears immoral, it isn’t because all is fair in love, war, and recruitment.
Thanks to their contacts, the workers who don’t think they match the job description become available. As well as their professional and corporate contacts, they also have access to thousands of candidates. Sometimes, a referral from a friend is all it takes to hire an individual. Let’s forget their website too, which gets more hits, a high rate of traffic, and uses the latest SEO techniques to connect with job hunters.
Increased Accessibility
Permanent hires are the people who take the business to new heights. A company with a solid team that understands the objectives and how to hit them is essential. Plus, a high level of turnover will result in losing money which will negate the impact of better budget management. Of course, there is still a place for temps in the office. Indeed, temporary workers help their employers to report a gross profit of over 2% on average compared to permanent employees.
How do they do this? It’s down to the short-term skills they provide. It’s impossible to cover every base and there will be a gap in the workforce at some point. The key isn’t to panic and hire an applicant on the spot; it’s to think about the importance of skill. Sometimes, they are only necessary for a short period and won’t add any value afterward. In this scenario, the company doesn’t get value for its investment by making them a permanent worker.
Recruitment agencies are an important tool as they provide accessibility to skills. Due to their knowledge and reach, they can find talented employees who only want a short-term contract. This often suits the employer as they can strategically hire the skills they need as and when they want to.
A Boost To The Brand
Your brand is a vital part of the machine as it helps to attract people with the best work ethic. Quality employees understand their value and won’t accept a job unless they get what they want, and they use your brand as an indicator. After all, employers will say anything to get a person to sign on the dotted line and can’t always be trusted. Savvy employees need a second opinion, and a head hunter is a start.
A recruitment agency is an excellent brand booster for two reasons. Firstly, it opens the company up to a new base of people who may not have known it existed. If they did, your business carries more weight now as it has a recommendation from a trusted source. Secondly, it showcases the company in the nicest light possible. All you need to do is tell them to advertise the perks which will have a big impact on applicants. From free healthcare to flexible working hours, the incentives should encourage people to take the job offer seriously.
As well as providing them with the things you want to market, you should let them get a feel for the business. By working closely with managers and current employees, they may spot perks you aren’t aware of. Or, you may not understand the importance whereas a recruiter will. Be sure to choose an agency which offers a social media service as this is one of the biggest shop windows in the modern day.
Now you know what to expect, are you going to hire one?
