Recruiters often get given a bad name but if you’re working with a specialist and professional recruiter, you can gain real value from a strong relationship with them. As expert recruiters within a set of niche areas, we give our advice on how to use a recruiter relationship to your absolute advantage:
1. Be selective
When deciding which consultant to use and how many consultants you engage with you need to be ‘choosy’. Too many consultants can be counterproductive and can also result in extra work, swamping your desk with CVs.
2. Always use a specialist
Choosing an industry specific recruiter who knows your market inside out is wise. High street, generalist recruiters won’t be able to fill specialist positions as quickly as someone who knows your function or sector in depth. A specialist recruiter already knows the best candidates in your sector for the role.
3. Don’t restrict communication
Don’t restrict your recruiter’s communication with line managers. Direct conversation between the recruiter and the line manager ensures that the manager's exact requirements are met and will reduce the recruitment timescale, making for much more efficient process.
4. Meet them
Always meet with your chosen consultant before they go out into the market and represent your organisation. Company image is crucial to attracting the best talent & any consultant you use needs to portray the best impression on your behalf. Meeting your consultant on site also gives them the opportunity to gain a real insight into your business and company culture which they can then disclose to candidates when selling the role and your organisation.
5. Be open and honest
Be 100% transparent regarding what you do and do not want in a candidate, this is often taken for granted and can add significant time to a process if not clearly identified at the outset. In a candidate scarce market, it’s important to get it right first time round.
6. Be organised
Set agreeable strict deadlines for the recruitment process. The longer a process takes, the more likely you are to miss out on great talent, so it’s vital to respond quickly in your dealings with your consultant. Whether it’s scheduling interviews or giving feedback, act in a timely manner because good candidates don’t hang around!
7. Take their advice
Take advantage of your consultant’s knowledge. A credible consultant will provide advice guide on the state of the market, typical salaries and where and how the best candidates can be sourced. Specialist recruiters can advise you on how candidates in the process match up against others, help prevent you from losing out on top talent and can make a considerable difference to the overall success of the hire.
8. Build a relationship
Seek to build a long-term relationship. Recruitment consultants are an extension of your business and potentially developing a working partnership can save time and money recruiting future roles. Getting the best out of your recruitment consultant relies on regular open and honest communication. Omitting important information will cause problems later or could even mean that you miss out on the perfect candidate! You will reap the benefits of a good long-term relationship with your recruiter if you’re willing to put the time into building one.
