In today’s candidate tight market, finding the right candidate can often feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack. Many companies experience pressure in meeting the demands of their business when they are struggling to attract the right candidate which in turn can have a negative effect on their overall workforce. As we all know, good people are hard to find, so how do you tap into that passive job seeker market and stay ahead of your competitors?
Whilst some organisations may have a dedicated recruitment resource, recruiting and attracting new employees in many businesses falls to someone with an already busy and demanding workload. So how can you juggle your recruitment needs with the day to day demands of your business? Partnering with a “Recruiter of Choice” is one way to aid your recruitment process. Many companies already outsource their recruitment needs to an external provider but is it just a transactional process or do you see this relationship as an extension of your business?
Having been a candidate, worked with agency recruiters as a client and for the last decade as a recruiter myself, here are some of the benefits I believe in why it’s beneficial to build a relationship with your Recruiter of Choice:
- Invest the time: Let your recruiter learn about your business by giving your recruiter access to your business. Not only will they understand your job specific requirements in greater detail, but they will also have a deeper understanding of your company culture, values and mission. This will help them identify talent that will be great culture fit for your organisation.
- Let them know your pain points: Tell your recruiter where the specific skill shortages are in your business. Let them know what skill set you want to know about regardless of whether you have a specific vacancy in your business or not. A smart recruiter will make inroads into mapping the market for your needs and know your industry. They will know who the active job seekers are and who the passive candidates are and they’ll stay in regular contact with them.
- Be specific: If a candidate isn’t suitable let them know why. Recruiters value feedback and will build on this feedback to refine the candidates they present to you.
- Communication is the key: View your recruiter as an extension of your business and value that relationship accordingly. Talk regularly, share your successes, your future projects and plans.
With the above points in mind the spin off effects to your business will flow through. Your recruiter will have a greater understanding of your business and the specific needs you have, along with a greater understanding of your team and culture. They will take pride in representing your business in the marketplace and genuinely want to see your business flourish with the right people as part of your team. They’ll also add value to your business through the market intelligence they should be able to share with you; salary data, industry trends, employee engagement trends, candidate sourcing and attracting methodologies and how to position your position as an employer of choice.
This all sounds like common sense and I can hear you thinking “I don’t have time to deal with recruiters!”. So here is the key point, the above is achievable if you build a relationship and work exclusively with one Recruiter!
We all gravitate to different people and if it feels too hard, then it’s highly likely it is! When you find your Recruiter of Choice, hang onto them. They will be the person you don’t dread to talk to or return the call of, they will be genuinely invested in your business and will be there to share the people highs and lows with you as well as take pride in helping your business thrive. In return, your business needs will take priority in your recruiters workload, leaving you with more time to get on with doing what you do best, running your business. Not only will you have more time, your brand will be accurately represented in the market…….. and maybe you won’t be feeling like you’re trying to find a needle in a haystack after all!
