The job market today is a highly competitive & a candidate driven market. Thought there is talent available everywhere, finding the right talent is still a hurdle which companies face on a day to day basis. Start-ups who do not have a full-fledged recruitment team need recruitment specialists to help them in their hiring efforts. The SME’s who believe in focussing on their growth & core activities look for recruitment agencies who are experts in finding the best talent. Large MNC’s that look for massive expansion aim at large number of candidates to fulfil their Human Resource Capital, hence they work with recruitment specialists who focus on their sectors & have access to large talent pools.
Deciding which Recruitment Agency to work with is at times difficult & always a crucial business decision. It is crucial for any business to keep in mind that a poor choice of recruitment agency can even damage the brand name & their business.
We have made a list of 10 things that an employer should consider when choosing a recruitment agency:
- Define your hiring needs
Organizations may need temporary, permanent, or contractual resources for their projects. So, it is important for the HR manager of the organisation to choose the right recruitment agencies who claims to have unique expertise. To lay a strong groundwork for finding the right hire the employer needs to have a better understanding of their HR needs, whether it is related to salary, job profile, location, industry, role & responsibilities, skill sets required etc. Providing a clear understanding of the job description, nature of work & career path for the candidate will be quite helpful in picking up the right recruitment agency, who can source talent & arrange interviews on the basis of your priorities & preferences.
- Check which Industries they Serve & the portfolio of clients they have
Agencies who specialize in a domain or sector are sure to have an edge in fulfilling requirements faster, as they work dedicatedly with specific goals. If you have a clear set of targeted talent pool for the job requirement, then the agency can get you enough candidates from the industry players like a pro. But if you are unsure about your requirements, then contacting an agency which deals with generic jobs can be helpful for your Candidate search.
Performance matters a lot when it comes to choosing the right consultant. An established recruitment company maintains a strong portfolio of clients that have worked for. A fair collection of skillsets, sectors & Industries assures the certification of commitment and reliability of the firm. These records will establish a decent truth about the recruiting agency, and you can go ahead to empanel the agency.
- Ask for Case Studies
Case studies reflect the capabilities of the consultant and give you an insight to an overview of how they were able to identify & solve challenges faced by their clients. Case studies should be part of your consultant selection process. It has proven to be an effective way of gathering information on the consultant to assess suitability. It also helps you understand if they can mimic the kinds of tasks that would be required out of them and helps you understand the strengths of the consulting firm.
- Read the Reviews & Testimonials
The Reviews & testimonials speak a lot about the quality of the consultant’s work. The reviews that the consulting firm received on various platforms like Google Reviews, Glassdoor, Indeed & Facebook can be extremely helpful. Apart from this, you can also visit their company website & go through the testimonials that they have posted on their site. This would eliminate & clear off many doubts around the consultant. You can also ask a testimonial from their clients specifically to an industry if need be.
- Evaluate Their Core Experience
Wisdom comes With Age & experience. Check if they have enough experience or not. However, do not just go just by their year of inception. There are chances that even the top recruiting companies with decades of years of experience may not have the right talent pool. On the other hand, you might find a newly incepted recruitment company with recruitment experts that have been working in the industry for decades help you hire successfully. Scan through the company properly, know their team members & do not be deceived by the surface numbers. Check for a consultant who is honest, clear, and Transparent in their business
- Interview the Consultant just as you would a candidate for employment.
The consultant is not just a vendor but your Partner. And it is important to choose your partner carefully. Get on a call or schedule a meeting for an in-depth discussion on their performance, their skills, the way they work etc. Do a SWOT analysis on them (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities & Threats) . Do not leave any stone unturned when it comes to performance. A list of questions is shared at the end of this blog to help you asses the consultant.
- Extent of Their Role in Talent Acquisition
There are some consultants that only shortlist the right candidates & offer you the list. Rest is up to you to manage, to attract & onboard the candidates. There are some who offer to take care of the first interview round for a more filtered list of candidates & their ownership ends there. Then there are those who stay in the loop throughout. Right from market analysis, JD creation, candidate search, shortlisting, interview coordination & even salary negotiation till the candidate onboards the company. You need to be clear with the extent of their involvement in talent acquisition. Before taking their services, analyse your requirements & cross-check if they can assist you with the same or not. Learn the extent of their role in your Talent Acquisition.
- Know Their Fee & Commercials
From the very beginning, be clear about the fee that the recruitment firm is asking for. While many companies give a fixed quote based on your requirements, some ask for a percentage based on the candidates CTC. Make sure there are no hidden costs.
- Have a look at their Terms & conditions & SOW Agreements
Make sure you have uncovered all their hidden terms & conditions and their SOW. It is very crucial that you read & carefully understand the ‘Terms of Service’ of a recruitment agency. Recruitment agencies that master their domain have a simpler framework of service terms so that they can focus on the hiring than look at complexities. Make sure you carefully evaluate any guarantees a recruiter makes in the case of new hire replacement. Many consultants offer different policies based on the level of service chosen. Understand what you are getting, and make sure it suits your needs.
- Follow the Recruitment Agency’s Social Media Activity
Last but not the least, find an agency that stays in touch with the latest developments in the job market, as well as having a reputation for being successful. As social media is the preferred medium of communication, good recruitment consultants tend to post regular updates on their social channels to stay in touch with their network & keep them informed of sector-specific updates. While LinkedIn is the preferred channel of communication for many agencies, it is also worthwhile to check their Facebook & Instagram for a better understanding of their key characteristics.
A few questions to ask before you consider choosing top recruitment agencies in India?
- Do you have candidates for my position already in your database?
- How will you find & assess the candidates for my position?
- How will you keep me up to date on the status of candidates?
- How long will it take to fill the position?
- When was the firm’s most recent fill?
- What is the reach of the firm’s network?
- How large is the firm’s database?
- How often does the firm update candidate records and replenish its funnels?
- Is the firm tapped into passive candidate networks?
- What strategies does the firm use to uncover fresh talent?
India is home to numerous Recruitment Consultants across a variety of industries & specialisations. Being spoilt for choice, many employers still find it difficult to take the first step & approach an agency, even though they require support. However, sometimes all it takes to find the right agency is to simply talk to one about what you need.
Multi Recruit is one such Consultant. Our recruitment specialists showcase highest standard of professional efficiency & dedication to identify employees for our clients. The team at Multi Recruit are multifaceted and come with years of commended performance in the Staffing & Recruiting industry. Successful project completion rate of our consultants is 97%, 3% is attributed to unforeseen situations like project shutdown, health issues, relocation, etc. We appreciate the experience that our recruiters bring from various industries and we like to leverage it for the mutual benefit of both clients and candidates.