If you have spent any time hiring employees, you will know that it’s often beneficial to have external help in doing so. It’s not always possible to find the perfect candidate as soon as possible, not when existing team members have lots of other tasks to be focusing on. This is why hiring an employment agency is often the preferred way of doing things, as it allows you to focus on more important aspects of running a business whilst experts handle recruitment. From start to finish, you will have a dedicated team to help you throughout the hiring process. It’s their job to ensure you find the ideal candidate for the role.
However, with a number of employment agencies to choose from, choosing the right one can be difficult. With so many recruitment experts available, you cannot simply select the first one that you come across. Instead, you need to know that the employment agency will work for you. It’s all about finding the perfect candidate, whilst also saving the business time and resources.
Top Tips for Choosing the Right Employment Agency
Narrow Down Your Search Options - There are a lot of employment agencies to choose from, so the first thing you should do is narrow down your options. Think about the type of employment agency that you need. For example, do you need one that specialises in temporary workers and in your industry? Similarly, think about the type of role that you are recruiting for. If you are looking for a warehouse worker, you should choose a recruitment agency that specialises in this. There are a lot of niche agencies out there, It’s important to choose a employment agency that provides the exact service that you are looking for.
Explain What You’re Looking for in a Candidate - It’s important to specify what you are looking for in a candidate, and you should be as clear as possible. This will ensure the employment agency has a good idea of the type of talent you are hoping for. Talk to them about how many positions you have to fill, the roles themselves and the type of experience you want candidates to have. This type of information will help an employment agency to potential employees who tick every box.
Interview the employment Agency - A lot of people choose an employment agency without taking the time to interview them. It’s beneficial to find out information about how long the agency has been running, who they have worked with in the past and what their hiring process is. You might also want to ask about how long it generally takes them to find talent for businesses. This will help you to decide whether or not they will be able to meet your needs as a business.
Check the Experience of Their Staff - It’s always a good idea to check the experience of their staff, and you can do this in a number of ways. You can ask them about their methods, how they screen candidates and how much of their work is done online versus the telephone. You should also ask them to explain how they source candidates, the platforms they use and where they find talent. It’s a sign of a good employment agency if they are sourcing candidates from a variety of places, including contacting passive candidates via LinkedIn and other similar platforms. Reading reviews and testimonials of other businesses is another way of checking the experience of staff. If other people have been happy with the service a recruitment agency has provided, it’s likely that you will be happy too.
Stick to Your Budget - It’s very easy to forget about your budget when you are looking for an employment agency, but this is something you need to think about. Once you have found an employment agency that ticks every box, make sure that you can afford them. Think about whether they are within budget, whether it will be worth the cost and how badly you need to fill the position. It’s important to understand their costs and what this price includes. Find an agency that is transparent with its price matrix. Factors such as the number of positions, the industry, the position and the type of hire could all impact how much a recruitment agency charges.
Please give Kate Sefton a call – Sales Director at Abacus Employment Services - and find out more about the service Abacus can provide. Tel No: 07557 117598.