Posted by Working with a recruitment agency is a great way to get the best talent on-board quickly. That said, there are a couple of things you can do to help the staffing agency work more effectively for you.
Most important is to be very clear about your goals and requirements.
The first step is to define the role in terms of responsibilities, skill set, years of experience, and availability in terms of when they start their first day at your office.
Consider also the type of company culture that you have. It is important to find a new recruit that will fit easily into your existing staff team. If you’re hiring for leadership roles, company culture can be critical when considering who to employ. Getting this wrong can upset a lot more than just the vacant position. You could find yourself with an unhappy workplace. Retaining your existing staff and allowing their views to be heard can result in a more engaged and loyal workforce.
Share distinct and impactful job descriptions with the recruiting agency so they can use it when advertising across job boards.
A study conducted by the Allegis Group in 2016 found that 72 % of hiring managers believe they provide clear job descriptions but at the same time, only 36% of candidates feel the same. The communication gap is quite evident in these numbers.
Job descriptions should not be a wish list of tasks that you hope the new staff member will get around to. They should also very closely reflect the skills and questions asked for at the interview. If you are interviewing for an IT position, don’t just focus on code and technical questions. Unless this is entirely reflective of the job at hand, it won’t give a good idea of the candidate or of the job for the new employee. Make sure the job descriptions and interview questions align.
As a hiring manager, it is important that you put yourself in the shoes of the candidates you want to target. Let your job description paint a clear picture of what the role entails, growth opportunities within the organization, and specific skills that you are looking for. Be distinct and friendly in your tone. You want your prospective candidates to be willing to work for you even before they come for the formal interview.
Have a one-on-one meeting with the recruiter assigned to handle your job posting. Give them a feel for your company culture and the kind of profiles you are looking at. If possible, show some sample candidate portfolios as a benchmark for hiring.
Recruitment agencies have a vast network of connections that allow them to connect with candidates that are not accessible via traditional job postings. This could include passive candidates who are not actively looking out for a job but are still open to exploring interesting opportunities.
Staffing firms study your target market and are aware of and understand the online and offline platforms they visit. With this information, they can advertise your job post across the most appropriate channels that your ideal candidate is likely to visit. This dramatically improves your chances of finding the right talent for your company.
Another step recruitment agencies can help with is the screening and preliminary interview process. As any hiring manager would know, filtering the non-relevant profiles and interviewing such candidates can take up many hours that could be better spent. Expert recruiters at a top agency will manage this step for you and send only the most relevant, experienced, and well matched profiles for you to review.
In some cases (e.g., IT/technology jobs), they can also conduct screening tests to determine the skills of the candidates.
Your employees are your companys greatest asset. When you have qualified, dedicated, and efficient professionals working for you, your company is able to grow and scale. Therefore, engaging with top recruitment firms is a great solution to find the top talent in the market and get them to be a part of your organization.
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