The advantages of using a well established recruitment agency

By
Mark Burman
in Insights
Using a recruitment agency

The advantages of using a well-established and well networked recruitment agency are well founded. Being established since 1998, Search & Select has immediate access to a large pool of candidates. That pool does not build overnight, it takes years. You can also save considerable time by off-loading your shortlisting process and receive support when it comes to interview organisation, salary negotiations and contract management. Our aim is to fill your vacancy quickly but with the best candidate and talent available.

The most important asset of an organisation is its people. We are experts in providing the right people for the right organisation. We spend time learning about our clients to ensure we get the right fit first time.

Choosing the right recruitment agency to work with is a very important step in securing the best talent for your business.

We do hear of companies choosing an agency purely based on the lowest fee. Is this a true representation of the service level you will receive? Are you best paying more for an experienced, reputable and established agency?

Once you have decided upon your preferred agency there are several things to keep in mind to ensure an efficient and quick process. No matter how good the agency you have selected to work with is, you as the employer will have control of a number of things that can result in the process failing. To ensure you achieve the best possible outcome when working with an agency you should take in to account a number of things.

Establish and Identify clear requirements

When you have a vacancy, you are looking to fill it is very important to set out what you are looking for. A good agency would recognise that not all companies have a detailed brief or job specification in place when they are contacted but they will work with you to put something in place so that the brief both parties are working to is clear. Over time you build a relationship with the agency and they will be able to understand your business, the goals you are looking to achieve and the organisations culture, which will help them search for candidates that not only have the correct skill sets but also the right team fit and company values.

Continuous Communication

Keeping the lines of communication open with your chosen recruitment agency make it the most efficient way of having your position filled. Providing feedback on applications and interviews allows the agency to build their knowledge further on the exact candidate you look for. If a candidate has been rejected, why have they been? If your requirement has changed parameters, what has changed? What do you want to see differently?
It is beneficial to keep a continuous line of communication with your chosen agency as they may come across certain skills or experience that may add value to your business. You may not be actively recruiting as such at the time but the skills may be too good to miss. Ensure that you make your agency aware you are open to this. Having a 3rd party feeding into your talent pool and future is where you want to be!

Be open-minded

Even though you are using an agency with an already established large pool of potential candidates, the skill set that you are looking for may be scarce or not available. A good agency will advise you on the current market, their opinion on ability to fill the position and the best approach to go to market. Budget restraints will sometimes play a factor, lack of talent on the Island or maybe you are looking for an emerging or relatively new technology that limits the availability of candidates. Your agency will advise on any potential issues that may arise should you instruct them to find a suitable candidate for a vacancy. You do not want to release a vacancy to the marketplace only to find out days or weeks later that there are no suitable applications. Is it better that you have someone in the job that fits the role 75% rather than leaving the position vacant for weeks or months?

Timing

Have a clear objective on time frames for certain stages such as CV review, CV feedback, interview selection and onboarding the suitable candidate. This way any potential candidates know the process from the outset and are not left cold whilst they wait to hear further. In a buoyant market good talent does not stick around and they may often have more than one interview booked which could lead to more than one job offer. Delayed feedback could potentially mean you are running the risk of a candidate going to another employer, however a good agency should keep you posted on any offers received if they are aware. Don’t forget that an interview is a two-way process and an employer needs to impress a candidate at interview, just as a candidate needs to impress the employer.

Going to offer on a candidate shortly after the interview process can greatly assist in a successful outcome in attracting talent to your company. It will often give them the better impression over a company that takes weeks to come back.

Search & Select

Using an agency like Search & Select will undoubtably increase the likelihood and speed of filling your vacancy. Communication channels are very important throughout the whole process and a good recruiter can only be as good as the information you provide them.

Search & Select is a family run and locally owned recruitment agency that has been operating for over 22 years. We still have many client relationships today that we established over 22 year ago. All of our consultants are well educated and trained and we truly care about finding the right people for your business.

Find out more

We would love to get to know your business further. If you have recruitment requirements now or in the future we’d love to talk.

Visit our website searchandselect.com, email recruitment@searchandselect.com or telephone 01624 678144

Mark Burman
Author: Mark Burman

He's our temp and contract recruitment specialist, but Mark also does accounts, IT and marketing. Spends his downtime fishing and marathon running.

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