HOW TO HELP YOUR RECRUITMENT AGENCY WHEN LOOKING FOR A NEW HIRE

Using a recruitment agency to help you find a new employee for a vacant position can be a great choice, since it cuts down on the time and resources you need to spend internally while experienced industry professionals find the perfect person for the job.

As a client, it can really help the process if you lend a hand, both through what you provide your agency and how you can support them. That way, you’re even more likely to end up with your dream employee at the end.

Read on to find out what you can do to help your recruitment agency.

Provide details about who you’re looking for

It’s really tricky for a recruitment agency when a client provides only the bare minimum of information about a role they’re looking for and their ideal candidate. When questioned about the ideal type of person, there is nothing worse than the response “You know what we want.” Well, actually, we don’t!

Without more details about the role, what it entails, what kind of candidate the client is looking for, and what they’re willing to compromise on, a recruitment agency will find it hard to reach out to the right candidates.

Make sure to provide a detailed, written-up job description, including the following:

• What the salary is, with a breakdown on the basic salary, commission, any bonuses, and on target earnings
• What the expected hours for the position are, including if there are any weekend rotas, and holiday entitlement
• What the size and make up of the team already at your company is, including details on their experience
• The training and development opportunities available and what future prospects there are
• What the time scale is for the position and when you want the person to start
• Why the vacancy has become available – is it due to expansion, promotion, or replacement?
• What the interview process is; how many interviews will a candidate have, who will they be seen by, and where will they be?

Whatever you do, don’t just ask your recruitment consultant to send you over any good CVs they’ve received recently, so that you can pick the one you think would work best. Recruiters prefer to discuss potential candidates on the phone with their clients – not just send them a CV – since they’ll know more about the clients and will be able to better select the right person with more context.

If you have to make changes to your job listing, or the vacancy has been filled externally, let your recruiter know. Your recruitment agency will also want to know if you are away, so they can build the process around your timeframe, and if you have other agencies working on the same role.

Trust in your recruiter

As we just mentioned, recruiters are well-positioned to understand the industry market and the candidate pool available, so you need to trust that they know best when it comes to the position you’re hiring for. They’ll know the candidates who fit your requirements and are currently available, they’ll know their personalities and skills beyond simply what their CV says and will be able to assess whether a candidate’s transferrable skills and character will fit with the office culture of your company.

They’ll also be able to offer guidance on salary brackets and how realistic and reasonable your requirements are for the current market. Trust in their knowledge and their experience – they know what candidates are looking for.

Make sure your recruiter can trust you too: If you say a placement is urgent, make sure you treat it urgently when your agency sends over their selected candidates. Similarly, if you say you’ll carry out interviews in the next two weeks, make sure that happens. Flexibility is also paramount, especially when candidates are working – i.e. don’t expect them to be able to attend an interview in the middle of the day with only 24 hours notice.

Understand the value

As with most estate agency businesses, recruitment agencies are providing a service, and charging a fee for it. Working on a ‘No Sale – No Fee’ basis, much of their legwork in finding a candidate is technically free until the position is filled. This means it is essential to agree terms with recruiters before instructing them.

At this initial stage, there are several sure-fire ways to put off a recruiter, and at the same time work against you. Firstly, do not ask recruiters to reduce their fees to unviable levels. Most decent agencies will not agree but, added to that, there is a danger that those that do will not be motivated to send their best candidates to you, especially when they could send them elsewhere for a better fee.

Secondly, don’t ask recruiters to send you CVs so that you can assess their suitability before deciding whether you want to sign terms. It doesn’t work like that. And, finally, don’t assume that recruiters will work harder for a client when they know they are competing with loads of other recruiters. Invariably, the opposite happens – they switch off!

Working with a recruitment agency can be a fantastic partnership, enabling you to find top quality clients for the vacancies in your company. At Property Personnel, we provide specialist knowledge of the property recruitment market that will help us find the perfect candidate for your business. Click here to read more about why you should choose us as your recruitment agency.