How to choose a Recruiter

I often think about what I would do if I ever moved 'internal' or if I was responsible for hiring within an organisation... what would I do, as someone who is experienced in the industry... ?

As with every industry, there are a few 'industry secrets' you only really know if you've been in it, especially if you've been in it a long time.

Here's some insider info for those of you that haven't been a Recruiter in an agency before (shhh... these are secrets remember, don't tell anyone I told you!)

• Recruiters are targeted. Being a '360' Recruiter, means you do sales AND you do recruitment. To be a good 360 recruiter, you have to be good at both. Those who can't sell (or don't want to), resource (lot's of fancy names for a Resourcer, like Sourcing, Account Manager etc). Those who can't (or don't want to) resource, just sell - they are often called 'Business Development') or something similar.
• Starting out in recruitment can be sink or swim, you can either do it, or you cant... 50-60% of people starting in recruitment will drop out in the first couple of months (it's a tough job!!), so if you have a Recruiter with 2-3 years or more experience, you're on a to a good one (probably!).
• No qualifications are required to be a Recruiter, although there are REC qualifications available. Most agencies will train people up into the industry 'on the job'.
• Recruiters manage their own desks like their own company. Their clients are theirs, no sharing!! In one organisation there will be good Recruiters and not-so-good Recruiters. If you are being sold to by a BD person, find out who will be actually working on the account before you sign those terms!!

So, you've got a position to fill and have decided to use agencies, or agencies are standard for you.. you probably have a few agencies you already use and have built a rapport with them - that's great, that will help, as they will more likely know what the company 'likes' and will find a good fit.

If however they are not finding you candidates within a week or are not getting back to you quick enough, you may think about expanding your reach - working with additional resources. Don't forget, working with agencies is free, you only pay if they fill the role.

If a Recruiter has made the effort to contact you as they have seen your advertising, this is a good sign, this means they are in a position that they have time to add to their client base, giving Recruiters a chance who have made the effort to get in contact with you will probably result in an excellent and fast response.

Now there are hundreds of agencies and hundreds of Recruiters, how do you know if you're getting a good one?

First of all, check out their background, how long have they been recruiting for? Have they flitted from company to company/ division to division after just a few months - not a good sign. If a Recruiter is succesful, they will be earning good comission, therefore it's unlikely they will give that up easily to move to another division or company.

Ask them who else they have recruited for and what they will do as part of the service, will they take references or fill out paperwork for you on your behalf?

Ask them to come in and meet you - a face to face will give you the chance to tell them exactly what you want, you get buy in from the Recruiter so they will focus more on filling your jobs because they have a good relationship with you and genuinely want to help you fill your jobs. Don't be afraid to hold an open session with several Recruiters at the same time.

Use as many agencies as you want! Use 50 if you like! (If you have 50 contact you??), if the Recruiter is sending irrelevant CV's like McDonalds Crew to a Head of Procurement job - stop using them.

So, what if you have a PSL? Most larger organisations will have one - sometimes this is closed off, meaning they won't consider new agencies, some are open, you just have to agree to their ToB's. The second way, to me makes more sense. Why close of your options of a potentially good Recruiter?

So, in conclusion, If I was internally recruiting, I would certainly use agencies, and certainly listen to Recruiters that have made the effort to contact me. I would open up the playing field to several agencies to see who can provide the best candidate - because at the end of the day, I want to fill the job! I would ensure everyone is signed up to the same terms too - which most Recruiters will be happy to do.

I would also arrange conference calls with the hiring manager and all the agencies working the role - that way the applications will be more relevant.

I would keep a file or spreadsheet of all the agencies I have dealt with and what sector they can cover, and when I have a job come in, send them all an email with the details.

And most of all, I would not close off my PSL, there's lots of good Recruiters out there, you can remove the ones that are no good from your mailing list and end up with some really fantastic Recruiters.

If you have any thoughts on the above, I would love to hear them! Send me a message on LinkedIn and I will get back to you :)