If you are looking for a new member for your team, you may be considering using a recruitment agency to help alongside your own recruitment function. The question is - Is it worth considering a recruitment agency?
In short, the answer is, YES! Recruitment Agencies have a vast amount of knowledge and insight into the job market, and into specific industry sectors that they recruit in. Additionally, they have a wide network of candidates available to them, both of which are hugely valuable to any business looking to hire, especially in a tight job market.
Why use a recruitment agency?
Access Huge Talent Pool
Well established recruitment agencies will have spent years or decades building strong relationships with great candidates across their area and sector. They will simply have access to candidates that you may not consider, or even be able to reach.Access Larger Advertising Spend
Recruitment agencies will have a larger budget for their advertising campaigns, due to the scale of their requirements. Gaining access to this spend as a great way to increase the visibility of your role and attract more quality candidates. Alongside the greater spend, an agency will be able to analyse their campaigns, gaining insights into what works, and what doesn't. Your role will advertised, in the right place at the right time, to ensure the most suitable audience is reached, speeding up the time of hire.
Clients of Smith & Reed Recruitment enjoy access to these campaigns free of charge until a placement is made. Meaning that if you do not find a match, you will not spend a penny.Access Job Market Insights & Gain a Competitive Edge
This is a critical feature within a tight job market where good candidates are hard to come by. A recruitment agency will be able to advise on how to optimise the competitiveness of your role. Is the salary competitive for similar roles in your area? Does your job description include enough about your company, or benefits? Is there any unconscious bias within the advert which will put off potential candidates? An agency will advise on all of this for you, allowing you to optimise your role, speeding up the time of hire and increasing the likeliness of a good hire.Save Time
A recruitment agency will look after advertising your role, vetting CVs and applications, and interviewing candidates, saving you and your business a lot of time and hassle.Find the Right Person
Most importantly, a good recruitment agency will find the right person for your business. Not only will they match candidates on skills & experience required, but they will also find candidates who are a cultural fit for your business. Finding the right person can be long process, but a recruitment agency will speed this up for you and improve the chances of getting it right the first time, vastly reducing the risk of a bad hire (which is extremely costly for any business).Flexible Staffing Solutions
As well as finding a long term fit for your company, a recruitment agency can facilitate alternative staffing solutions. If you are looking for short term cover for sickness, holiday or maternity you can hire temporary agency workers, who remain on the agencies payroll. You may also wish to trial a candidate before committing to a permanent contract of employment, also known as a temp to perm hire.
For more advise on alternative staffing solutions speak to one of our expert recruitment consultants.
By choosing a recruitment agency and utilising their knowledge, candidate network, and advertising spend, you will increase efficiency and be much more cost effective.
Smith & Reed Recruitment have been helping business find the right people for over 40 years. For more information about how we can help visit our 'Looking for Staff' information page, or contact us.