With the current job market as it is these days, every business – whether small or big – needs to be extra careful about recruitment and the way they process new hires.
Understandably, your first instinct is to keep the money in the firm, but – that’s not always the best solution. Believe it or not, turning to external help can be more cost-effective than having in-house recruiters. How so? Look at it this way: you assign someone (i.e., managers) the responsibility of processing and hiring new potential employees. But, those same people are already stretched thin for time (and energy!). Are you really killing two birds with one stone or are you just pulling precious work time away from them?
Exactly. So, in terms of recruiting, there are plenty of options available that can be great solutions for both the company and the candidates.
How Many Types Are There?
Essentially, there are two types of recruiters – the “in-house recruiters” and “agency recruiters.”
An in-house recruiter works for a single company and helps that one company hire. However, while in-house recruiters can screen the applicants to help them get the job, they can’t send the candidate’s resume to multiple companies in case they aren’t a good fit for yours, presently.
A recruiting agency, on the other hand, is all about finding the best fit for the company that hired them while at the same time thinking of the candidate and their placement within your firm or some other. But how does the whole recruitment agency thing work?
Say you are a company that needs to get people fast and be sure they’ll meet all the criteria. Agency recruiters will work on a dedicated plan to find you the best candidates for the positions you are looking to fill. They’ll outsource candidates from various sources to find you what you are looking to get. With that, you get faster hiring, higher-quality candidates, and professionals who know how to get the job done.
What to Look For When Hiring a Recruitment Agency?
When there’s an overflow of work and not enough people to do that work, it’s easy to get carried away with flashy agency slogans and (false) promises. However, to be sure you are getting the real deal, there are a few things you should take into consideration. Go with a company that…
1. Knows Your Business
When choosing a recruitment agency to work with, you want people who are either familiar with your business per se or are quick to learn. Why does this matter? Because when you collaborate with a group of people familiar with the way your industry works, and especially your company – they’ll be quicker and more skilled to recognize good hires and get them to come work with you.
2. Is Transparent
Shady companies are an inevitable part of the business; it’s true. Still, you don’t have to fall victim to anyone’s crooked ways. When choosing a recruitment company and a recruiter you’ll be personally working with, choose a company with a stable and reliable reputation.
For instance, in the Balkans, Omnes is one of the rare companies that’s very transparent and honest with both businesses who hire them and the candidates they scout. Furthermore, Omnes is the only recruitment agency in the area that provides value to employer branding, as well.
3. Listens to Your Needs
How to know you’ve picked the right recruitment agency? They listen! If your dedicated recruiter takes time to hear what you want and need, instead of pressuring you to make rash decisions – you are in the right place.
4. Is Reliable
Besides keeping you up to date on the process, they’ll always deliver the candidates in the timeframe agreed. On top of that, you’ll be able to count on them for always putting your needs first, no matter how tricky the position you are hiring for is. A reliable recruitment company is a place that consistently exceeds your expectations on the candidates they supply.
What Should Every Business Understand Before Bringing on a Recruitment Agency?
While it’d be wonderful to let an external body (i.e., a recruitment agency) take all the blame for things that go wrong, not everything is as simple. To build a successful partnership and get the results you’d wanted from the get-go, there is one crucial aspect you need to consider before bringing a recruitment agency into the game. The first question to ask yourself is how often will you need a recruitment agency’s services?
Infrequently
If your firm doesn’t hire more than once or twice a year, do you really need to have a dedicated recruiter on staff? Not really. Instead, when you require a candidate, rely on an agency. This is by far the best thing to do, for both your finances and the efficiency of immediate hire. They’ll bring the right candidate in and guarantee for their expertise. All you’ll have to do is set up meetings to see for yourself if, indeed, the candidates provided are a good hire.
Regularly
In case your firm hires about once a month, the best way to have the job done effectively is to have someone trained to do most of your recruiting, in-house. Still, since getting applicants and candidates are two different things, you may need external help in the form of a recruitment agency. Unfortunately, not every resume you receive will be a hit, and going through each one of them will take up a lot of time.
In fact, CareerBuilder reports that there are approximately 75 resumes per job opening! Plus, the report states that “78% of recruiters found that at least half the resumes were from unqualified applicants: That’s three hours wasted”. On that note, a recruitment agency can help lessen the weight of the task (at least when it comes to screening), and encourage you to devote your focus to the most qualified candidates.
Frequently
If you are frequently interviewing candidates and opening job positions, you need more help to navigate it all. If your budget allows it, having a steady, in-house recruiting team would be great. But, with the current economy, most businesses don’t have funds to finance an entire recruiting team monthly. This is why almost everyone goes with an outsourced recruitment agency. A recruiting firm can act as your HR department, as well!
Non-stop
A company that hires en masse needs steady help. In these cases, it’s either your in-house recruitment team or a recruitment agency on a long-term contract. Either way, don’t let the process of hiring get more significant than the hires themselves!
So, should you use a recruitment agency or recruit by yourself? With everything said, the answer is easy – you should, if you want to have the job done quickly and professionally. While relying on external help may be a bit costly straight up, it pays off in the long run. Try it and see for yourself!
