How You Pay is What You Get: Choosing the Right Recruitment Partner

When it comes to recruitment, organisations usually have two options: handling the process internally or calling in the cavalry with an external recruitment partner.

Now, if an organisation has invested wisely in a strategic in-house recruitment function, they can manage most of their hiring internally. This is particularly true if they have a continuous recruitment need, making that internal investment cost-effective.

But let’s face it, at some point, most organisations will find themselves needing the services of an external recruitment partner.

Selecting Your Recruitment Partner

The recruitment industry doesn’t exactly have a stellar reputation. High fees, poor communication, and poorly screened CVs are just a few of the usual gripes. These issues are primarily due to the multi-agency contingency recruitment model, where several agencies compete, but only one lands the placement.

The Multi-Agency Contingency Model

Under this model, agencies typically have a fill rate of around 20-25%. That means they need to register four or five vacancies to successfully place one candidate.

As you can imagine, this turns recruitment into a numbers game. Agencies become heavily KPI-driven, focusing on volume over quality.

If they send enough CVs, one might just stick.

This leads to poorly written job adverts and candidates who are less than ideal. Not because the consultants aren’t trying, but because they simply don’t have the time to craft quality job ads and thoroughly vet candidates.

The Solution: Commitment and Quality

If you’re using an external recruitment provider, you are likely to pay a fee. So why not engage a single provider who can manage the entire recruitment process?

This simplifies communication, giving you one point of contact and frees up your internal team to focus on other projects.

The key here is exclusivity or retained arrangements. This is all about commitment. When both sides are fully committed to the process, the quality and efficiency of hires improve significantly.

This approach, traditionally reserved for senior executive positions, is actually beneficial at all levels. Every hire is important to your business, and each should be treated as such.

Benefits of a Dedicated Recruitment Partner

An experienced recruitment partner brings several advantages:

– High-Quality Advert Copy: They create engaging job adverts that speak to your target audience.

– Clear Recruitment Timetable: They manage a structured process, ensuring timely and effective candidate selection.

– Thorough Candidate Screening: They provide well-rounded shortlists of the best candidates.

– Offer and Feedback Management: They handle the offer process and maintain communication with candidates to ensure a smooth transition into your organisation.

Cost-Effectiveness of Exclusive Arrangements

The upfront commitment in an exclusive or retained arrangement often translates into more competitive and flexible fee structures.

Independent consultants or niche consultancies can offer enhanced service levels at a better value.

To sum up, choosing the right recruitment partner by focusing on commitment and quality can transform your recruitment process, making it more efficient and cost-effective.

The original post can be found at www.hrrecruitment.pro