How to choose the best recruitment agency:
Specialise:
Seek a recruitment agency that specialises in their line of work, i.e. specifically mining, engineering, banking, office commercial etc.
These agencies are able to get a better targeted response and get more referrals though the reputation they have developed in being able to deliver within their field of specialisation.
Structure:
Find out about the structure of the recruitment agency. Make sure they have recruiters or a recruiter who has experience in your field of interest.
Relationship:
Cultivating a relationship with a professional recruitment agency can be very advantageous for getting the best candidates. It is difficult to establish a professional and trusted relationship with agencies who play a numbers game. Choose your business relationships wisely. This will certainly save you time and money! The better the communication, the greater the chances of getting the results you are looking for.
Marketing:
Remember that the agency will be sourcing/recruiting on your behalf. A recruitment agency will indirectly be representing you to possible professional candidates. You can scare off the best candidates by having the worst recruitment agencies representing you. You need to see your relationship with your recruiter as one of a business partner. They need to represent your company well, with accurate facts and a thorough understanding of your company culture, and needs.
Submitting:
Ask how many candidates the recruiter at the agency submits to each individual job spec on average. Do not waste your time entertaining those agencies who play a numbers game and waste your time in the shortlisting process. Limit them to submitting their top 3 or 4 candidates, and make this request clear upon each position given to them to work. This will force the agency to be strategic and selective in choosing the best of the best they may find.
Knowledge:
Question the recruiter at the recruitment agency.How well does he know your business – this is a clear sign at how interested he/she is in getting you the right candidate – by knowing your company and job spec.The better they understand your needs and preferences, the better they can source the right person, timeously.If you question the recruiter and he/she doesn’t come across as informed within your relevant sector, the person most probably isn’t.
Targets:
Does the recruitment agency work in a heavily target environment? You probably will not know this as a client, but this type of recruitment agency will submit any CV at any cost, so that the recruiter can make his/her targets. High CV submissions are usually evidence of agencies that are highly targeted who are missing the personal relationship development with their candidates, being truly mindful of their career needs, development and preferences. This is vital in establishing a long term relationship with candidates that all too many agencies neglect or do not see the importance of.
Research:
Research the recruitment agency. Know who they are and what sectors they cover. If need be, request references from their top clients on their ability to deliver.
Ethics:
Never EVER work with a recruitment agency with questionable ethics. This will be most evident at the interview stage. Candidates are usually open about information that may not necessarily be helpful to their application. Should it come from the candidate that the agency is aware of certain questionable factors previously discussed with them, where they have chosen to ignore or withhold this information from you, it will be a clear sign that they do not have your company’s best interest at heart.
Amount:
By using too many recruitment agencies, this will frustrate you and waste your time. Time is money, It is worth being selective in choosing a professional and specialist agency that can simplify the recruitment process for you in a timeous and accurate way. Many companies choose to pay lower fees with dozens of recruitment agencies at their service, but statistically, these companies have a far higher turn over of staff, with greater mismatches, and in playing the numbers game, many factors will usually be overlooked and ‘numbers game’ agencies, do not have the time to do thorough profiling and interviews as they need to get the numbers up. In the long run, the low fees, and shortcuts are going to cost your company the pain and expense of replacing and retraining. It is not worth it!
Costs:
The best recruitment agency is not going to be the cheapest. Do you want quality and professional service where a considerable amount of time is spent on each individual application, or a large quantity of wrong CVs that waste your time? In the long run, you cannot get away from the fact that you pay for what you get.
Equality:
All recruitment agencies are not equal. There are many excellent recruitment agencies, but it will take effort to find one. Be wise to choose no more than 5 top agencies to support you in your recruitment needs. By process of elimination, should an agency continue not to perform, understand your organisational needs, or meet the standard that you as the client set, give another agency a chance, and take them off your PSL (preferred supplier list) until you are confident and satisfied with those you choose to work with.
Heart:
Find a recruitment agency that has a heart for your business. You will see this by the questions they ask about your company and the deeper interest shown. They will want greater details than most others and their work will be consistent, excellent and thorough. Their attitude will be that of seeing you as a business partner, and not just another client on the books. They will be eager to build personal relationship with you.
Advice:
Does the recruitment agency offer advice regarding the sector and market related salaries. Are they able to guide you in the recruitment process through their knowledge gained in the industry? Often times, companies are not fully aware of what is happeining in the market place, and many a time an agency should be able to advise and give reliable direction.
Understanding:
Does the recruitment agency understand your needs specifically, did they even ask beyond the obvious? Information in the recruitment industry is key to success. A professional recruitment agency with go beyond salary questions to cultural preferences and knock out factors etc
Delivery:
The best agencies who specialise can generally match candidates to companies far better than the hit and miss approach of a generalist recruitment agency. Again, specialist agency offers a targeted response, especially when you are dealing with a skills shortage within your sector.