Your employees are the most valuable resources you have. That means that you shouldn’t trust your hiring practices to just anyone. But it also doesn’t mean that you need to spend a fortune on in-house hiring.
Bringing in the help of a recruitment agency means bringing in knowledgeable talent, valuable resources, and a group of individuals with specialized skill sets. So how do you figure out who to hire when the person you choose will have an impact on the rest of your hiring practices? You shop smart, and you shop cautiously. The below tips can help you, partner up with the perfect recruitment agency.
Check Out Their Portfolio
Company culture is a natural and very important thing. And finding a recruitment agency that matches your culture will help you find new employees that match your culture as well. Before you even open up discussions with an agency, you’ll want to do your research carefully. Look at their success rates and the commentary from past and current clients.
Just as importantly, look at the types of businesses that they’ve worked with in the past. The perfect qualities for a software engineer aren’t going to be the right security guard qualities. An agency well-versed in your field can better understand what you’re looking for without needing to have their hands held. Sometimes a lesser-known specialist with less prestige can be a more valuable asset to your company than a well-respected but generalized agency.
Treat Them as Potential Hires
A recruiting agency doesn’t decide who you hire, but they oversee the screening process and serve as a gatekeeper between you and those looking for a job. That means that they should be able to withstand some serious scrutiny. Once you have your results narrowed down and looking at the last prospects, treat them like any other hires.
Interview agencies, and don’t hold back with your questions. The rigor you apply now can impact the quality of what new staff ends up working for your company. Focus on the hard questions, press hard for concrete and actionable answers, and don’t be afraid to express any concerns you might have.
Evaluate the Raw Numbers
If you’re diligent with your interviewing process and the recruitment agency you’re interviewing is worth your time, you should be able to walk away with some numbers and data that you can legitimately evaluate. Consider the success rates of the agency you’re interviewing, and consider whether or not they can meet their needs.
This isn’t always a black mark on the record of a company. But a smaller agency won’t be able to handle the demands of a massive company, and a large agency likely won’t be able to meet the more personalized needs of a smaller company. Look at the costs involved with staffing, the volume of talent that passes through their doors, and the retention rates of hires made through the agency.
Above all else, finding the right recruitment agency is about having confidence in yourself. Come to the table fully aware of what you want and what you need. Without this context, you’ll be going blind, and you won’t be giving agencies a fair shake by letting them know what you want from them.
If you don’t find the perfect recruitment agency on the first try, that’s perfectly alright. For most companies, a relationship with a recruitment agency is going to be a long-term proposition. When you look at things from that perspective, it’s perfectly okay to go in with patience being an expectation.
