Thinking of hiring a recruiting firm? Before you make your selection, there are a couple of steps you’ll need to make to ensure that the new relationship is a good one. These steps will help clear up any potential misunderstandings and give you a better idea of what to expect from your arrangements with the firm.
Step One: Figure out their terms.
You’ll need to know the terms that the recruitment firm prefers to work under. Do they have a set fee or a graduated fee for different candidates? Are there any other fees you need to know about? Make sure that everything is clear about what they expect from you and that you’re happy with the arrangement of fees.
Step Two: How well connected is the recruiting firm?
A recruiting agency won’t do you much good if they don’t have enough connections in your field and those connections need to be high quality. It is much smarter to go with a smaller firm that specializes in your field, than to go with a larger recruitment firm that may not have many connections. For example, if you are looking for highly qualified engineers, you’re going to be better served by working with an agency that deals with this specialty.
Step Three: What is the average time to placement?
Ask the agency how long it usually takes them to source, interview and prepare potential candidates. Time is money and if you urgently need a new employee, every week that goes by means that you could potentially be losing money and productivity.
Step Four: Make sure they ask the right questions.
A great recruiting firm is going to want to sit down with you and find out exactly what you need right now and potentially in the future. This helps them shape a recruitment program that is going to fit your needs and provide you with the right employee. They should ask you multiple qualifying questions about the position you’re looking to fill and provide you with any answers you might have.
Don’t be afraid to ask a recruitment firm for references, and be willing to follow-up with those references to see what experience other companies had. A good recruitment firm won’t mind supplying you with this information and will be more than happy to make sure you are completely comfortable with the entire process.
Want more advice about working with a recruiting firm? SoloPoint Solutions is here to help!