Why work with an employment agency?

Why should a company work with an agency?

• An agency typically has a broader reaching network and an on-going pulse on who is confidentially looking. They also have an understanding of your competition and which companies have happy/unhappy employees. Timing is everything. An agency can typically tap into qualified/employed candidates at critical times and entice them to make a change when the right opportunity comes along. Hint: It is critical that you work with an agency who values the candidate relationship and builds long term partnerships with their candidates.
• An agency can actively market your opening(s) to a potential employee (often a company does not want to gain a reputation of stealing talent from their industry partners or competition- remember that golden rule: do on to others as U want done on to U)
• An agency can get to the root of why an employee is really looking to make a change and define what is the next best career move for them
• A good agency partners with the right candidate for your job to engage them in the process, gets them prepared to tell you why they are a good fit for your specific position, culture, company (what are they going to do for your company- help them successfully relay their value proposition to you).
• An agency will work with you to understand the key skills/objectives that the right candidate needs to bring to the job/and expected accomplishments that will need to be met in the job
• An agency will help you to close the deal. A good agency is partnering with you to understand your critical salary range. They are partnering with the final candidate from the beginning of the process to understand their salary history and future requirements, bonus/sign on needs, relocation expense expectations, benefits needs. The recruiter has on going conversations during each stage of the interview process to make sure the company needs and the candidate's requirements are in line, thus ensuring acceptance of the offer by the candidate once an offer is extended. Additionally, the recruiter is gaining full visibility to other opportunities that the candidate is pursuing to determine the viability of your opportunity against your competition. A successful recruiter will help you to stop the candidate's search process and accept your offer when the right fit/connection has been made!
• An agency who understands your culture can find you the right talent before you have the need. This is often the best time to hire. Often a company waits until they have an opening (I understand the need to manage head count) and then they make a selection from the available candidate pool at the time. Is that really the best candidate for the position/organization or do you settle based on a need to urgently fill your position so as to not continue to tax your existing staff? A successful company will not miss the opportunity to hire the right culture fit/strong talent when they become motivated to make a change! The sweet spot!
• An agency will expedite your hiring process and find you the right candidate for your specific needs!

Why should a candidate work with an agency?

• An agency can educate you on your marketability- do you know who you are competing with? Do you know what your strengths/weakness are compared to your competition? How valuable are you to an employer?
• An agency can get your resume noticed and to the top of the pile. In a saturated market that is priceless!
• An agency can get you prepared for an interview. We review our interview notes with the candidate, educate them on how to get themselves prepared for the interview so they can talk specifics relative to the company's need and their skill set, we give them a sense for what to expect in the interview process, share candidate interview feedback and educate them on their monetary market value!

How do you qualify an agency?

• You need to find out what the agency's process is. How do they screen their candidates? How do they build relationships with their candidate's to ensure they are getting the true picture of their skill set/personality/capabilities? When and how are they reference checking their candidates? How detailed is the reference? Are they calling only the listed references or are they digging to talk to past supervisors/peers to get the real scoop. The quality agency is uncovering all the facts to ensure a LONG TERM placement!
• What credentials do they have in the industry that they are recruiting for, from an HR perspective, how did they train/study to get good at what they do
• Ask them for references of other satisfied clients
• Ask them how much information they are going to provide on the candidates they submit. Warning, those agencies who are submitting an attached resume and limited information (only salary requirements and ability to relocate) have probably not thoroughly screened the candidate for your specific need!
• Ask them why you should be working with them over another agency- do they know their strengths relative to their competition?

I could continue on, but this gives you food for thought.
If you are a company you are paying a fee if you hire a candidate from an agency. Know what you are paying for. A good recruiter is worth their weight in gold, but you need to know who you are working with!
From a candidate perspective, you need to be working with an agency who values the candidate relationship as much as the company/client relationship.
If you are an apparel or IT professional we would love to help you with your search!
If you are a company with a need in either of the above areas we would welcome the opportunity to expedite your hiring process!