Are you thinking of working with a recruiter?

It’s no secret that the candidate market is a challenging one right now with employment levels at a record high. Companies are finding it more and more difficult to secure the candidates they need to fill their vacancies. Many companies choose to enlist the help of a Recruitment Agency to help them find the best talent.

If you are thinking of using a recruitment agency, here are our top tips to make the most of the relationship.

Choose the right recruiter for you

We would be delighted if you choose to work with us at Tactical Talent, but depending on your hiring needs, there are different recruitment agency types you can choose from. You can choose to work with a more generalist recruitment agency who recruit across multiple sectors, or a specialist recruiter, who specialises in either one industry, or one type of profession.

A generalist recruitment agency will have a broader view on the market as a whole, they will also tend to have much bigger teams spread across different industries or professions. You may be dealing with different recruiters for different vacancies with a larger agency.

A specialist recruiter will not only be well networked in your industry, but they will be able to offer you insights on the market in your industry, such as, what skills are in demand, what candidates are looking for in an employer, and what the market salary rates are. You will usually be dealing with the same recruiter all the time.

How many recruiters should you work with?

You might think, that since you don’t pay unless you successfully hire a candidate from a recruitment agency, that the best approach is to get as many recruiters as possible working on your role. It sounds logical, but often it is not the best approach.

We would caution against using more than two agencies. First of all, there are a limited number of candidates that are going to be right for your role. If you have lots of agencies working on the role, the likelihood is that they will all be contacting many of the same candidates. When a candidate gets contacted by different agencies about the same role, it can be damaging to your employer brand, creating the impression that you’re having difficulty hiring, rather than presenting an exciting job opportunity to the market.

You may also choose to just partner with one recruitment agency exclusively. Working exclusively with one agency means that you will get their full attention as they know they are more likely to be successful. Sometimes, there is the opportunity to negotiate a discounted rate if you give an agency exclusivity on a role. Working exclusively with one recruiter also has advantages in the long-term. Your recruiter will become more invested in your business and often when they meet excellent candidates, will bring them to you first.

Give as much detail as possible

Both you and the recruitment agency have the exact same aim, to find the right candidate for your company, as fast as possible.

In the pursuit of finding the best candidate, as quickly as possible, the more information you give your recruiter, the better. A clear and detailed job description is the best place to start, but we always recommend that you have a call with the recruiter to talk about the role. First of all, this builds the relationship between the client and the recruiter, it allows the recruiter to ask you questions that you may not have thought of in relation to the ideal candidate, and it allows for a discussion around aspects that may not be detailed in the job description, such as cultural fit, challenges of the role, team dynamics etc. In our experience, a quality initial phone call regarding the job always enhances the search from the very start.

Communicate regularly

hen you first start working with a new Recruitment Agency, we advise being as detailed as you can on why you may not be progressing with certain applications. Finding the right candidate is a continual process of refinement, figuring out why one CV or candidate is more suited than another. Spending some time on giving that feedback to your recruiter, will save time in the long run. It is also important to let the recruiters know as you move through the stages of the recruitment process and if you have filled the role.

ISEULT MCLAUGHLIN Director, Tactical Talent Recruitment

We’ve been specialist recruiters working with the Hardware, DIY, KBB and Home retail sectors since 2015, across all roles and professions. For more information about us or to chat to Vinny or Iseult, visit www.tacticaltalent.ie, call 01 9079192 or email [email protected]

This Business Support article featured in the September/October 2023 issue of The Hardware Journal