Why Should Employers Use a Recruitment Agency

Last Updated on July 9, 2024 by Career Reload Team

It may be obvious, but it’s worth pointing out that companies in the STEM sectors (among others) enjoy a competitive edge if they have the most talented teams. Not only do the best minds help an organization rise above their competition, but employing the right people (talented, and a good cultural fit) leads to better retention rates and ultimately, increased profitability.

Rapidly growing companies need the best professionals in the industry, and finding them has been a monumental task in recent years. This is especially the case in tech, where new innovations and the development of AI has spurred an insatiable demand for specialized talent.

To hire superstars, businesses can consider a number of different approaches. One is working with a recruitment agency, and there are a few reasons why this can be advantageous.

You Get to Use Recruiters That Have Experience in a Specific Industry

A good staffing firm will have specialized recruiters that have experience in a specific industry. That is to say, the recruiters themselves will have an educational and/or vocational background in engineering, computer science, health sciences, or whichever sector pertains to the business. More often than not, in-house Human Resources teams have fantastic recruitment abilities, but they may not speak the same technical language as the candidates they seek to attract, and have difficulty connecting with them.

More than simply speaking the industry jargon, a specialized recruiter will understand what a candidate is looking for in terms of projects, challenges, and group dynamics. Being able to truly relate to candidates, especially those with highly sought-after technical skills, is invaluable when competition for talent is fierce. Moreover, specialized recruiters will have insight into where to find some of these professionals beyond the usual online job sites, and will have an existing database of qualified potential candidates they can tap into.

Lift The Burden Off of Your Company’s HR Department

Recruitment agencies greatly lift the burden off of a company’s HR department. Usually, HR deals with payroll, internal conflicts, onboarding, and more. During growth spurts, the in-house HR department can become completely overwhelmed, as they now have to manage recruitment as well as their administrative responsibilities. This scenario isn’t uncommon at startup companies and others in high-growth industries.

By partnering with the right recruitment agency, organizations can fill roles without burdening their internal resources. Recruitment agencies can also help to expedite the hiring process, as recruiters will be solely focused on the task. It’s not uncommon for hiring managers and recruiters to work closely together, as the recruiter will typically present a number of curated candidates to the hiring manager, who will then conduct the more in-depth interviews.

Save an Enormous Amount of Time

Recruitment agencies save companies an enormous amount of time by handling all of the initial background checks and assessments. Remember that online job board applicants are not vetted and are merely applicants, not candidates. A candidate is someone who possesses relevant credentials, and assessing for this takes time.

Recruiters will pre-screen candidates with essential high-level questions about available start dates, location, travel, and so on. In addition to reviewing the candidates’ experience and education, they will also conduct an initial assessment to ensure that the candidates might be a good fit for the role in question. When necessary, a recruiter will even administer background checks and review letters of recommendation. All of these activities can be effectively handled by the staffing firm so that a company’s hiring manager can focus on conducting productive interviews.

Depending on the arrangement, recruiters only get paid once a candidate has been successfully hired and retained for a determined period of time, so it’s easy to understand why they will work hard to present the best candidates in the shortest period of time!

Better Manage Internal Hiring and Planning for Succession

Recruitment agencies can help organizations better manage internal hiring and planning for succession. For leadership and executive positions, it is often recommended to hire internally, as an existing employee will have already demonstrated loyalty to the company, and won’t have to be trained from scratch. Top recruitment agencies will specialize in executive recruitment, but they’ll also offer psychometric assessments for those wishing to hire internally. These kinds of evaluations can only be administered and evaluated by qualified specialists who can then provide recommendations to the company.

For example, a business may want to groom one of their top engineers for a leadership position, but will need to know if they have the right abilities. Having excellent skills in a given profession doesn’t necessarily make someone a great leader. Psychometric evaluations will help to determine if the individual can adapt to various work styles and personalities to ensure harmony among a team. They’ll need to have a high degree of emotional intelligence, and be an excellent communicator. Recruitment agencies with psychometric testing services and succession coaching will be able to guide a company through the process of internal evaluations, and act as an ongoing partner for hiring strategies.

Conclusion

There’s no doubt that in-house human resource experts can be highly effective recruiters. After all, they know exactly what a role entails, and what the company has to offer. Recruiters working with a staffing firm, on the other hand, have critical insight into what other employers have to offer. They are “out there in the field”, so-to-speak, and have a well-rounded understanding of the competitive landscape. Consequently, they can provide key insights and recommendations to companies and their HR teams about how to present their company culture, how they can improve their job descriptions, and more.

How companies decide to attract superstar talent will vary depending on the industry, the size of the company, the types of roles that need filling, and more. As with most endeavours, it’s always a good idea to try a variety of approaches before finding something that yields the best results. In many cases, HR teams will work with the marketing department to design campaigns promoting the employer brand and work culture, while working hand-in-hand with a professional recruitment agency. This way, the in-house teams can focus on all of their responsibilities including interviewing and hiring, without the tremendous challenges of sorting through resumes and identifying potential candidates.