So, the time has come to expand your team and welcome new hires. You’ve gone through the process of internal hiring before, and you’ve decided it’s time to use a recruitment agency. With so many out there, how do you choose which firm is the best for you?
We’ve laid out these steps to finding the best fit for a recruitment partner!
Technical Skills
Does the agency offer a specific set of skills that they recruit for? If you’re a technology firm, you’d want to find the best–you guessed it–technology recruiters around. However, if you’re working in the accounting world, you should choose to go with an agency that works specifically in accounting or related fields.
Every recruiting agency has a focus, so ensure you find one that will best fit your needs - the more specialist, the better,
Size/Capacity
Smaller recruiting firms can offer a more personalized touch, while larger companies have more bandwidth to take on capacity. The best course of action is to find a firm with a good balance of both.
How many clients does the agency work with? What is their response time? If they’re taking too long to get back to you right off the bat, that’s a red flag. You want to be sure that they are treating you as a priority right from the beginning!
It’s also important to note that capacity within a team is more important than the team size itself. A small team that focuses on a niche market could be the best fit for your business if you work in a specialized field.
Determining how a partner allocates its time and resources will lead you to the best results.
Values & Branding - What are their standards?
Nowadays, you can tell a lot about a business by taking a brief look at its branding. Is their website modern and up to date, or stuck in the early 2000s? The care a company takes to make sure it looks relevant is important to take into consideration.
Beyond appearance and branding, take a look at the company’s values and mission statement. Do they align with what your business is trying to achieve? What kind of standard do they hold themselves to? You want to be sure the recruiting agency is as polished and professional as your company is so that candidates who would fit well at your company feel comfortable using that recruiter.
Branding & Values Checklist:
- The website is modern and all links work correctly
- Mission statement aligns with your company
- Professional, sleek appearance across social media platforms
- Their branding attracts the audience you’re looking for
Marketing Capacity
Along with these branding guidelines, take a look at the company’s marketing. Are they committed to finding new candidates through creative outlets, or are they stuck in the past? Modern recruiters who really commit to their marketing typically show candidates a more well-rounded experience–especially candidates who are new to the workforce/recent graduates–and can even offer helpful events/tips and tricks online that can attract these candidates.
One sure way to see if a company is invested in its marketing efforts is to look at its social media. Take note of how often they post, the sort of blogs they produce, and the events that they promote. Is it sustained over time, or do they go in bursts of productivity, and then not post for months at a time?
Consistent posting and branding mean that a company is committed to its online presence–and will be committed to helping attract the best candidates for your company.
D&I Initiatives
Continuing on with the company’s values and mission, do they run any D&I Initiatives? By now we know that it’s important to have a diverse talent pool on your team. You want to be sure that the recruiting agency you use is as committed to D&I as you are.
Take a look and see what the recruiting company’s staff looks like. Do they have a diverse and inclusive environment in their workplace? Maybe you’re looking to improve your company’s diversity–you want to make sure that your recruiter is well-equipped to help you meet your goal.
Beyond this, you want to know that your recruiter isn’t operating with biases when searching for candidates. You could let a potential recruiter know that D&I is important to your team and observe their reaction. Are they passionate and open about helping you truly expand your workplace perspective, or does it seem that they simply want to meet a quota? Often a simple inquiry can lead you to see if a person is all-talk, or if they will be a good partner in furthering your company’s diversity. Trust your gut!
Are they Legit?
Legitimacy can be proven in many forms. Do they work with reputable clients who’d back up their work? Do they format candidate CVs and ensure they’re given the best info pre-interview? Do they screen candidates or just shower you with endless lists?
Any company can do simple LinkedIn searches and mass emails. Does this company go above and beyond to find the very best talent? Do they have a strong database full of leads? It’s definitely worth asking a recruiter how they find their candidates and seeing if they go beyond these avenues.
Prestige isn’t everything, but accolades can also help prove a company’s legitimacy. If the company has been recognized for its recruiting efforts by a major organisation, that can definitely raise its ranking. An organisation recognized as being a top place to work is also a green light, as happy employees tend to care more about the work they’re doing. Awards aren’t the be-all-end-all, but they are given for a reason, so it’s worth paying attention to some of the larger ones when looking for a recruitment partner!
There are many recruiting firms out there to choose from, so ultimately you must decide what works best for your company. Ensure you do proper research on the company before entrusting them with such an important task, and keep our guidelines in mind when doing so!
Best of luck with your hiring process–and remember to reach out to our team if you’re looking to find the best tech talent out there!
