So you're ready to hire more talent for your growing company. Business is good, you are crazy busy, and the hiring process is stressing you out right now. You don't have time to sift through a stack of resumes, and you don't want to waste the budget hiring people who aren't vetted and who may not be a good fit in the long run. And let's face it, your HR department has a backlog of work already, and you're hesitant to add to the pile.
This is where staffing companies can be your biggest ally.
Companies utilize recruitment firms for a variety of reasons: to save time on a lengthy hiring process, to spare an overwhelmed HR department, to reach passive talent, to gain a competitive hiring edge by partnering with an expert who has inside knowledge on the industry and marketplace, or even to enhance their brand by partnering with recruitment firms as brand ambassadors.
Bob Marshall, President of the Bob Marshall Group and founder of the Marshall Plan, offers the the top 3 reasons companies use recruitment firms:
There's a sense of urgency
There's a difficult position to fill
To stay abreast of top talent in the marketplace
But the big question is this: if you decide to use a recruitment agency, how do you know you're getting the most for your money?
Marshall offers the following insight on how to maximize your relationship with your recruiter to get the most efficient return on investment.
First, he presents the information you need to provide the recruiter or account manager at the beginning of the process:
The contact information of key people in your hiring department
A comprehensive job description (you need to verbalize exactly what you want in order to get it, so the more details you can give, the better)
Salary and fee information - make sure your recruiter is very clear on dollar amounts and percentages, and that all approvals are secured, to avoid a last minute understanding
Your company's hiring process - who the recruiter needs to speak with, deadlines, and any other details necessary to the hiring process.
Examples of the kind of talent you want - including the name of anyone you are specifically interested in, or the names of companies from which you'd like to hire talent.
Cultural information: tips about your company culture, what kind of personalities work well in your company's environment, what kind of characteristics you need in an employee, etc.
So, you've defined and communicated exactly what you are looking for, and you're depending on the recruitment agency's expertise in their field to provide you with what you just described. But secretly you're wondering how the recruiter is going to find this unicorn you asked for, and convince them to work for your company? And what will this unicorn candidate want from you as an employer?
Clams, Marshall says. It's an acronym representing key concerns candidates have when considering a job change:
Challenge of the new position
Location of the new position
Advancement potential
Money
Stability
A seasoned recruiter will know how to address these concerns with candidates, and how to help find solutions should obstacles arise. Because they spent so much time listening to you and clarifying with you what your company needs to succeed, they'll know how to screen the talent they find and narrow it down to the best match possible.
And when all of these details have been hashed out between you and your recruitment firm, Marshall has one last piece of advice: trust.
"Trust that quality recruiters are doing everything possible to cement a strong working relationship with you. They work mainly by word-of-mouth advertising. And if you are not happy with their results, they will soon be out of business. The good ones are always in demand; always profitable and always ready to help you achieve your competitive edge."
You can read Bob Marshall's full article here, as published at www.abilityprofessional.com.
And of course, feel free to contact us for your IT hiring needs! We have 40+ years of experience sourcing top talent throughout central Florida and the greater Tampa Bay area. And we're confident that we can provide a customized solution for your IT staffing needs.