How to Choose a Recruitment Agency

Recruitment Agencies are an amazing resource for businesses. We are here to help you save valuable time in your hiring process, and we will endeavour to ensure that you are reaching the widest candidate pool possible so that you are able to secure the top talent for your openings. But with so many agencies available to choose from, how do you know which is the best for your company to work with? 

What is it you are looking for? 

Consider what your current hiring needs are. This will determine what type of agency you should be seeking. If you are looking to hire a bulk of temporary workers, perhaps to cover a busy period in your company, then a staffing agency would be the better option. Whereas if you are looking to fill a position that needs a highly skilled executive, then a more senior, head-hunting recruitment agency would be the better direction. 

It would also be a good idea to sit and discuss internally exactly what your hiring needs and challenges are before speaking to any recruiters. This way, when you come to meet with companies you may be considering, you can be clear about what you need from them and seek out only those that are best suited to meeting those needs.

Seek Specialisations 

If you are hiring for a skilled role, a specialised recruitment firm would be of great benefit to you. Specialised recruiters, such as ourselves, pride themselves on truly knowing their niche industry inside out. Using a firm that understands your industry means they may already have valuable insight into how your company works and what you are looking for. You will also save yourself time as you will not have to explain certain industry terminology and requirements. It is highly likely that candidates with skills and qualifications suited to your industry will be looking out for those specialised agencies also. That isn’t to say that a generalised agency will not also have skilled candidates on their books, but you may find a much larger hiring pool with the specific skill set you seek through a specialised firm. 

Check Out Their Social Presence

An online presence will tell you a lot about a company and their branding. When trying to determine which recruitment agency you would be best suited to working with, checking out their social media presence will help you get a real feel for them. By following the company and connecting with its recruiters through LinkedIn, you can gain valuable insight into how they interact with candidates, networks and their audience. 

You may wish to consider things such as:

• How are they presented online? 
• Do they have an active presence on social media?
• Are they connected to any professional associations? E.g., the REC – Recruitment & Employment Confederation.
• Do they present themselves as knowledgeable? 

Think of it as online dating; you are looking for your perfect match. Their online presence is like their dating profile, are enough boxes ticked for you to feel you are well suited? 

Interview Agencies 

Once you have had a look around at what companies are available to use, you may have narrowed it down to a select few and still not know who to go for. If this is the case, don’t be afraid to interview each of them to help you in your decision-making. As recruiters, we know that we will be representing your company to candidates, and in some cases, the first encounter they have with their potential new employer is through us. So, it is just as important to us as it is for you that you are happy with the service we will provide. Most reputable agencies will be all too happy to meet with you to go over any questions you have and help you make as informed a decision as possible. 

If you would like to get in touch to discuss with us what your current hiring needs are and to gain more of an idea as to whether we would be a match, please do so. We look forward to hearing from you and seeing how we may be able to work together in the future.