Have high expectations of your recruiter. Sit down with him or her and articulate what your company’s short- and long-term needs are and have an open dialogue about how you can effectively work together to find the best employees and job candidates for your team. Ultimately, you share the same goal but it’s important to ensure you’re on the same page when it comes to achieving it. And these three criteria are key to finding the right recruiter for your organization.
Effective recruiters are good communicators.
From start to finish, a recruiter should be in regular contact with you and be accessible when you have questions or simply need an update. After the recruiting firm provides you with a thorough overview of their capabilities and how they specialize in your industry, ask them what their strategic approach and process is to finding you job candidates. When can they deliver. Some recruiting firms, Building Careers included, go so far as to commit to timely responsiveness in order to provide you with the highest level of service. Talking regularly inevitably leads to more success faster. The recruiter is there for you and will be able to provide their honest and direct thoughts regarding their experiences with certain candidates and who they believe could be a great fit for your team.
Experienced recruiters know the world of recruiting for your industry.
Market knowledge and access to a qualified network of candidates are the two main reasons you reached out to a recruiting firm in the first place. Recruiting firms know your industry and know where to find and select the right employees for the open positions you have at your company. They can provide insight on where market sentiment is, who else is hiring and at what levels, and what compensation ranges you should consider to attract and retain the best talent for your team. They can also offer you ongoing industry insights and inspiration.
Many recruiters work with organizations as an ongoing human resource extension so that at any given time, they have the inside scoop on your team dynamics and needs and can fill open positions quickly and efficiently. The recruiters operate as an extension of your company. They complement and amplify the current processes you have in place. And this leads me to the final point.
Smart recruiters are in it for the long-term.
The right recruiter isn’t in it for a one and done or to simply be a use and burn resource. So invest your time and energy into finding a recruiter who recognizes your immediate need to fill an important open head count but who also wants to understand your company’s and team’s business objectives and plans for growth. They can tell you what kind of relationship and agreement makes sense – contingent search versus retained search – based on your budget, business needs, team functions and so on. The best kind of recruiter is the one who spends time with the key stakeholders in your company to build the kind of relationships that will lead to mutual success now and in the future.
Not only will a smart recruiter commit to timely responsiveness and transparency, but they will also be your company’s biggest advocate. The recruiter will spend a lot of time building the candidate relationship and rapport where the candidates are able to be transparent with the recruiter in order for the recruiter. This allows the process to run smoothly from all perspectives and allows the recruiter to be in the best position to negotiate on behalf of the client. A sure sign that your recruiter is a keeper is when they dedicate time to front line marketing and evangelizing what your company does. Your company deserves the best talent that aligns with your culture. Make sure that your recruiter is in line with that too.