Time and cost benefits

Most employers admit that the quality of their workforce is vital to the smooth running of their company and when it comes to the hiring of staff, the procedure must be carefully and professionally executed.

Recruitment agencies have the upper hand when dealing with candidates as they are able to be neutral about an advertised position, whereas if approached directly by the employer a candidate is in a position where they can dictate the terms. An agency on the other hand can negotiate terms from the centre, not giving too much away and keeping the client and their offer at a safe distance. Naturally, vetting and sifting through unqualified or untrained applicants can also waste enormous amounts of valuable time.

Time wasted creating shortlists and holding interviews is costly and pointless when specialists are available to lighten the load. Finding talented and experienced candidates requires a strong selection process by trained recruitment staff, who recognise quality and commitment, ensuring their client has access to high caliber applicants, weeding out those without experience or the qualities required.

A good recruitment agency will deal with all administration, providing feedback and the handling of time consuming but essential tasks of verifying candidate information re qualifications and references. During the recruitment process, agencies also have a vast pool of vetted contract and temp staff to fill short term vacancies at short notice.

Negotiation

The savings add up when you repeatedly use the same agency. A ‘retained’ agency, understands your organisation and is able to work hard on your behalf. They can negotiate terms to your benefit without additional calls and consultations. Although an agency's knowledge of industry sectors and verticals is comprehensive, all clients have particular needs for particular positions, differing payscales or time requirements and these change all the time. An ‘retained’ agency gives a client the benefit of this vast knowledge in a constant way, and their years of experience makes the recruitment process far more streamlined.

Difficulties with DIY hiring

In New Zealand the DIY approach to recruitment is common but a ‘bad hire’ has ongoing consequences from the outset. Slack performance can impact colleagues trying to compensate or cover for mistakes made, not to mention legal disputes. The costs of advertising and training and the time involved all contribute to money down the drain, on top of the negative effect on staff morale where whole positions are temporarily filled by one staff member.

The impact of bad hiring can also cause lost business and the risk of ruining a good reputation.

When a reliable recruitment agency is involved, there is a greatly reduced risk of ‘bad hiring’.

A good agency will have a thorough screening process which involves:

Passive Recruitment

When a client is interested in talent that is particularly specialised, they are more likely to gain access to the right people when experienced recruiters initiate the interviews and in line with this, understanding of the ‘Passive Recruitment’ market is essential.

Passive Recruitment or head-hunting, is sometimes the only way specialised candidates can be accessed. An agency has vast up-to-date records of top talent, paying attention to their career progress and reviewing their current position for the purpose of possible negotiation.

An agency can sound-out candidates who may be settled in their current positions but could be ready for a change in direction. Naturally discretion is essential in this process. A candidate may be very happy in their current position but might just have an ‘ear to the ground’ for other opportunities that are too good to turn down.

All in all it definitely makes financial and practical sense to use a recruitment agency for all personnel hiring. Please feel free to contact us to discuss any recruitment needs.