How to maximise the effectiveness of recruitment agencies
The advantages of working with a recruitment agency are well known. These advantages include having immediate access to a large pool of candidates; saving a significant amount of time by offloading your shortlisting and selection processes; and getting support for salary negotiations or counteroffers. The ultimate objective is to promptly fill your vacancy with the best talent available.
However, there are a few things to keep in mind once you have an agency in place and are eager to go forward with your recruitment drive to make sure the procedure is as swift and effective as possible. Even if the agency you chose is excellent, there are some factors that are still within your power that could cause the process to fail in its latter or final stages. When working with a recruitment agency, bear the following in mind to prevent this from happening:
Determine and set forth specific requirements.
A thorough brief or job specification that outlines the position’s essential qualifications as well as any additional desirable abilities or characteristics will be essential for your agency to launch their search, just as it is with any campaign. You run the danger of conducting interviews with applicants who shouldn’t have made the initial selection if you are working with an out-of-date job description or have little knowledge of the position. A competent firm will be able to collaborate with you to develop a thorough and precise task specification. Additionally, as your relationship develops, the agency will be better able to comprehend your company, your goals, and the culture of the organisation. This will aid them in finding candidates who not only possess the necessary skill sets but also mesh well with your team and uphold the values of your business.
Be flexible because the ideal applicant might not exist!
Especially if you are working on deliverables that call for a specialised or particular set of abilities, this might be a challenging problem to solve. The skill set you need can be hard to find or simply not be available, even when the agency you are using has a vast pool of potential candidates! Budget constraints, a talent shortage in your region, or the fact that you are working on cutting-edge technology may all be contributing factors. It is strongly encouraged that before instructing your agency to look for a position, you always get their opinion on the state of the market and any potential problems. You won’t want to post a job opening just to discover a few days later that you haven’t received any applications. By doing this, you will obtain specific advice that you might be able to implement rather quickly.
An agency should be able to provide market advice and indicate whether they anticipate a large or low volume of candidates for your position. What kind of accommodations could you make to fill your position if they assume a low level? Is the relevant industry sector a must-have, and are you willing to work with people from outside your immediate area? This is related to specifying specific requirements, namely what abilities you would deem desirable rather than necessary. Rigid requirements are one of the largest obstacles to filling challenging roles when, in reality, some abilities can be acquired on the job or are ultimately not necessary. Isn’t it preferable to have someone join who fulfils the function 80% of the time rather than leave it open?
Keep the lines of communication open.
Keep the lines of communication open with your agency to ensure that your post is filled with talented applicants. Giving input on applications and interviews falls under this category. Why is a candidate being turned down if it is? Giving your agency this information will emphasise that you don’t want to hire any additional individuals that have the same or similar problems. To guarantee that you are receiving applications that are appropriate for your current needs, make sure you keep your agency informed of any changes to a role’s requirements midway through a recruitment drive.
Timing is everything.
Last but not least, keeping your agent informed of deadlines for specific phrases, such as application feedback, interview selection/bookings, or sending prospective offers, will enable them to keep a candidate warm and preserve their interest. Talented candidates may have 1-2 other interviews scheduled within the same week in the current market and be juggling one or two other employment offers. You run the risk of losing out on a prospect if you put off giving feedback or wait a few days to provide an offer. Offering A candidate soon after an interview can help your business attract top talent. Many candidates have expressed their appreciation for getting an offer so quickly after a meeting because it demonstrated your sincere interest in them and your desire for them to join. This can sometimes tip the scales if they are deciding between your position and one of your rivals.
Ultimately, utilising a recruitment firm will boost your chances of quickly filling your vacancy, but you must still maintain open lines of communication throughout the entire process. The information you give a recruitment consultant determines how effective they will be.
Deerfoot IT is a privately held, independent recruitment firm for IT specialists that have been in business for more than 20 years. We have a lot of long-standing client relationships; in fact, our initial client from 20 years ago is still one of our biggest and most prosperous ones to date. We aim to establish a long-term relationship and offer a deeper and more individualised recruitment service to hiring managers, HR departments, and business owners. All of our recruitment consultants are REC certified and are experts in recruitment.
