Should your organisation be using a recruitment company?

 No surprises here: as a recruitment agency, we’re obviously Team “Heck Yeah, You Should Be Using A Recruitment Company”. But we also recognise that many internal recruiters and hiring managers have reservations about working with agencies. So in this article, we delve into the world of recruitment agencies – what we do, why some businesses steer clear of agencies, and how working with a recruitment company benefits your business.

How do recruitment agencies work?

We think of ourselves as matchmakers, of a sort. Like Tinder, except we connect organisations with talented candidates. So not really like Tinder. The point is, we facilitate connections. We work with companies to fill their roles, and we work with candidates to help them achieve new heights in their careers. Bring the two together and you have a seriously streamlined recruitment process.

 Streamlined how? A recruitment agency will have a large database of talented candidates who are actively looking for their next career move. What’s more, many agencies will specialise in specific sectors. At Roc Search, for instance, we specialise in technology, engineering, life sciences and public sector jobs. So when a company needs to fill a role – be it a contract, project or permanent position – we have a ready pool of qualified candidates to draw upon. We’ll also cast the net wider to source other candidates, who aren’t necessarily on our books yet, through our access to a wide range of job board platforms. This multi-pronged approach ensures we find the desired skillset for our clients.

 We carefully assess candidates ourselves to make sure we source people with the right skills. Then, once we’re satisfied we’ve got a shortlist of amazing talent, we work with the hiring organisation to arrange interviews, and move the recruitment process along.

If it’s so great, why doesn’t every business use recruitment companies?

Good question! In our experience, the most common reservation organisations have when it comes to recruitment companies is cost. Because, yes, there’s a cost associated with hiring through an agency. Of course there is – we’re a business, after all.

 When we talk to hiring managers or HR execs, we overcome this concern by showcasing value – the value we bring by streamlining the hiring process, widening their choice of candidates, and, above all, helping them find the right candidate.

 Let’s not forget the cost of poor hires. According to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, 85% of HR decision makers admit their organisation has made a bad hire – and while 33% believe this doesn’t cost the business anything, the true cost is staggering. A poor hire at middle-management level on a salary of ￡42,000 can cost a business more than ￡132,000.[i] Hiring is a risky endeavour, but you can drastically reduce that risk by working with expert recruiters.

 More benefits of using a recruitment company

Weeding out poor hires is an obvious benefit, which in turn allows your organisation to grow and thrive. If that’s not enough, here are some other benefits of using a recruitment agency:

·      Reducing your time to hire. Promoting a position, attracting quality candidates, assessing people, and then vetting them takes a significant amount of time. A recruitment agency can do all this for you, and faster than you can probably manage in-house. Because this is what we do all day long – and because we have that ready pool of candidates – we can slash your recruitment times.

 ·      Recruiting for highly specific/technical roles. Recruiters have a wealth of industry expertise based on years of hiring for similar roles, so no matter how niche your role or requirements, a recruiter will have no trouble finding the right person.

 ·      Nailing your specifications. We’ll help you pinpoint what you’re really looking for. Especially for a new role – say, if your organisation is expanding – you may not have a definitive job spec or ideal candidate in mind. If that’s the case, we’ll work with you to clearly define your dream person.

 ·      Connecting your organisation with people who share your values. Employees want to work for a company that shares their values – and when they find that connection, they’re much more likely to be engaged and happy in their work. Therefore, part of our role as recruiters is to make sure values align.

 ·      Overcoming the candidate shortage. The UK is in the midst of a staffing squeeze – according to the Recruitment & Employment Confederation, the most severe candidate shortage in 24 years.[ii] There just aren’t enough candidates to go around. So in a highly competitive, candidate-driven market like this, a good recruitment agency will ensure you still have your pick of the best talent.

 ·      Navigating disruption and uncertainty. The disruptive cocktail of Brexit and COVID-19 has created a lot of uncertainty for UK businesses. It may be that hiring talent on a long-term or permanent basis just isn’t an option for your company right now. No problem. By working with a recruitment agency, you can tap into project and contract hires to achieve your business goals.

 Faster, easier hiring and better candidates? Why not find out how Roc Search can streamline your hiring?

  [i] Source: https://www.rec.uk.com/our-view/news/press-releases/hiring-mistakes-are-costing-uk-businesses-billions-each-year-rec

[ii] Source: https://www.reuters.com/world/uk/uk-employers-face-worst-shortage-job-candidates-record-rec-2021-09-09/