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As a child all we wanted for Christmas was “our two front teeth”. Now as a business owner or hiring manager it’s different.

You may be thinking about your Christmas wish list in the context of “what do I want I want from my recruitment agency in the New Year” and “how do I choose the right agency!?”

Christmas or not, selecting a recruitment agency is a daunting thing to do. Here are some insider tips from a recruiter working within the industry for nearly 30 years!

Think of it as an early Christmas present…

The Starting Point

The first thing to consider is what you want from your partner recruitment agency; and you need to be clear about this.

This is such an important starting point. If you aren’t clear then you may find yourself in an arrangement that isn’t suited to your needs. You should always weigh up what is feasible to ask for in your industry environment. The main factors to consider are:

• The forecast of your vacancy pipeline. Will you be looking to recruit 5 jobs a month or will it be 25 jobs a month? How will that affect agency selection?
• Do you want the one agency to do all your recruitment? Will you need contractors and fixed term hires as well as permanent employees? How about part-time, full time or casual?
• Do you want one of the large volume recruiters or a niche player?
• What is more important to you? Price or quality of service?
• What are you prepared to pay for that level of service and do you have the budget for it?

Other factors to consider include HOW you work with your partner agencies; whether your preference is working on a retained, exclusive or contingent basis.

There are advantages to each scenario, and it will depend on:

• The sensitivity or confidentiality of the role being recruited.
• The level of control of the process you wish to maintain.
• The importance of how the message is communicated to the market. Briefing multiple agencies can result in the same group of candidates being approached several times. This can reflect badly, especially when recruiting senior roles.
• The speed in which the role needs to be recruited.
• The volume of candidates available in the market.
• The financial commitments and weighing up the ‘risk’ involved in paying a retainer for a search process.

The Non-negotiable Must Haves

Consider what you are absolutely not prepared to compromise on and make sure your chosen agency is able to deliver to that standard.

Depending on the seniority of the role, you may have to be patient with the agency and allow them the time to find the right candidate. This may put you under pressure but you will most often get the best result and create further value for the business when partnering the right agency.

On the other hand, if speed is your ‘must-have’ then make sure the agency understands that before they pitch for the work. Some agencies are better suited to high volume and speed and their methods of sourcing will reflect that, so look for evidence!

The Recruitment Consultants

Check what their success rate is like and how many of their placements are still working with the same company after 12 months. You should also check how long the agency has been in business for and that they have a good track record of business success as well as personal recruiting. Company track records (including staff tenure), can tell you a lot about a business!

It’s ok too to ask about the consultants who would be working on your assignments. There is nothing more frustrating than awarding a contract to someone and then 2 months’ later the people you really wanted to work with leave.

Whilst there can never be any guarantees, ask about their training programmes. How do they keep up with the marketplace or their own area of specialisation? Is their own business investing in spending time and money to ensure their people are well trained? This will all help build your trust in the agency you ultimately engage with.

The Extra Mile

Go the extra mile to find out what the agency is really like. Take references from clients and candidates.

It’s important to remember that agencies represent your brand and sell your business and vacancy on the job market. Partnering with the agency will ensure they represent you how you wish to be seen!

Visit their offices, see how they present themselves, scroll through their website and their communications. Remember, it all reflects back on you, so if they’re thinking of interviewing in the lobby of a hotel, will that truly represent your business?

If you have any questions about the above content, please contact us – we’d love to hear from you!