Using recruitment agencies Vs hiring directly

What is the reason for organisations to use recruitment agencies to assist with their hiring needs versus them conducting their talent searches directly themselves?

I often get asked this question and usually find myself getting into a debate that covers many spheres. I respect that everyone is entitled to their own opinion and people may choose to disagree with my reasoning, but here are my thoughts on the subject…

1/ Time

Recruiting for new employees can be a laborious and time-consuming process for any organisation; one that uses up substantial resources, but seldom offers any assurances. Using a recruitment agency to source and identify talent, can alleviate an enormous amount of time and pressure to the hiring manager and their team. It’s collective knowledge that in business, time is money, and by using a recruitment agency you are in fact saving time as we take full control of the hiring process for you. A recent post by a fellow recruitment owner James Wardle of ‘Alderson James’ worded it perfectly when he said, ‘My new client saw that solely relying on direct ad-response and their own internal outreach possessed a major risk profile to employer brand, as well as a time vs cost expense they could ill-afford’. By the time a client has written, paid and posted for a direct job advert and then proceeded to sift through 300-400 applicants we have already been able to provide a shortlist of a handful of our best candidates for the role. Why interview 20 profiles for a position that could be hit and miss, when instead, you could spend a shorter amount of time interviewing those actually worth considering. A good recruitment agency will only ensure that the valuable time you do spend during the hiring process is spent wisely, and on only interviewing individuals that are worth meeting for the vacancy. 

2/ Screening Candidates- the background due diligence 

Employers fully recognise that finding the right talent for a business is the key and vital ingredient that helps companies facilitate success and drive their business forward. Organisations face a difficult task when it comes to ensuring a steady flow of repeated talent into a business, making sure they not only hire individuals who are suited to the role but who also fit into the culture of the organisation as well for the long term. A good recruitment agency conducts preliminary interviews with all candidates, meeting and screening with them in person or via video conferencing to make sure that the candidate equates to what they state on their CV. Additionally, this valuable time is used to really discover the very core of who the candidates are and if conducted correctly can help alleviate a high turnover of staff as we matched the candidates goals with those of the organisations. We equally conduct background checks, follow up on references as well as offering psychometric testing as and when required. We schedule the interviews and prepare the candidates with all the information they need so that they are fully prepared for the interview on the day. We cut out the noise and do the hard work for you by going beyond the CV and conducting the correct background due diligence by eliminating any unsuitable matches from the process. Hiring is so much more than what is written down on a piece of paper. 

3/ Our network – extensive reach 

A good recruitment agency will have access to the best talent available on the market. This includes access to candidates that are both ‘actively’ seeking work, as well as talent that is ‘not actively’ looking. Finding the right candidates can sometimes be difficult, simply because they don’t actively advertise that they are looking for a new role. If candidates don’t position themselves as ‘actively searching for a role’ then they are most likely to have a specialist recruiter who commits to their search on their behalf. This results in recruiters having the ability to gain access to a talent pool that may otherwise be unreachable by clients directly. Additionally, candidates who are actively looking for a new role are more likely to register with a recruitment agency due to their efficiency and personal connections to a large variety of organisations. Recruitment agencies have many networks with the potential to leverage these relationships to help connect you to the right people. A good recruiter will keep in touch with their candidates in their network, following their journey and will be constantly communicating with those who are not actively looking right now, because they might well get in touch in a few months/years’ time. Using a recruitment agency to identify and attract talent can relieve a huge amount of time and pressure for businesses resulting in faster and more efficient placements. 

4/ Advertising and Marketing of roles 

Often when employers advertise vacancies directly, they do not receive appropriate applications of the required calibre and quality. They are looking for an experienced candidate with niche experience and skills, but the applications that they receive simply don’t tick the relevant boxes. Often, this is down to the wrong type of marketing of the job advert; the high-calibre candidates they need simply don’t see the advert or perhaps they don’t apply to the role as the wording is not engaging to them. If they are either not aware of the opportunity, or not drawn in by the job advert then they can’t or won’t apply for the role. Benefits of using recruitment agencies not only have the expertise of advertising the vacancies correctly, but they also actively seek out individuals who fit the job description. The right recruitment agency will have the correct market knowledge and industry expertise on how to attract the appropriate candidates for the role. Once a strong relationship between the organisation and recruitment agency has been established, trust grows and your future hiring’s will be easier to make as the agency will be aware of the qualities that are needed to make the right fit within your business. A good recruitment agency will act as a partnership that is based on expertise and a thorough understanding of your business where we act as your eyes and ears in the recruitment market. 

5/ Cost savings – we are an investment

The largest negative response that I receive from potential new clients when conducting business development opportunities is their apprehension on paying a recruitment fee. They often find the thought of parting ways with a large lump sum of money a difficult pill to swallow. The question you have to ask yourself is how much is your business worth in order to find the best talent that subsequently will assist in the long-term success of your organisation’s growth? A good recruiter doesn’t just send the first candidate that fits the brief; they take their time to do the correct market due diligence enabling them to research and source talent to find the best candidate to fill the position. I often pose the question do you want to hire the best calibre for the role or find the cheapest solution? The overriding question you should be asking is how much is your organisation worth in order to find the best employees to work there as they are what contributes to the success of a business. On the surface, it may seem that recruiting directly is cheaper and makes sense, but in-house recruiting can be a lengthy and costly process and for every minute that your vacancy isn’t filled, your business is not performing as efficiently or as profitably as it could be. The long-term investment far out ways the short-term cost. 

So based on the above, you do the calculations. When it comes to hiring for my business in the future, I will most definitely be using a specialist recruitment agency as I won’t jeopardise my businesses success when it comes to finding the best talent for my team. I think the most important point to remember is that a good recruitment agency works with your organisation as a collective so we are both on the same side, looking for that golden nugget candidate. I know my client’s companies worth. I hope that you do too.