You’re in the middle of your busy season and feeling short-handed around the office. Everyone is doing their best to keep up, and you are thrilled with your business’s explosive growth. However, it’s all too clear that you need more skilled individuals to handle the workload. You’ve considered contacting a recruiting firm, but isn’t that just for big, wealthy corporations or companies looking to hire temporary help? Your growing business doesn’t need “temps” – it needs individuals who can commit long-term.
That’s exactly what skilled recruiting firms do for their clients. Unfortunately, many business owners shy away from tapping into these resources because of misconceptions about the value and services a staffing agency can provide. Let’s examine the top five myths about recruiting firms and the truth about how professional recruiters can help your business recruit and retain top talent.
Myth 1: Recruiters Only Focus on Filling Roles Quickly
Yes, one of the top benefits of working with a recruiting firm is a shorter time to hire, but not because agents rush the process. Recruiting firms are fully vested in the outcome of recruiting efforts on behalf of their clients. The growth and success of the firm depends on building trusting, long-lasting relationships with its clients. Each successful placement helps solidify that trust and the firm’s reputation as a top-tier agency.
One reason recruiting firms can often find highly qualified candidates in a shorter period of time is because they cultivate a pool of experienced and skilled candidates. These connections allow recruiters to quickly find candidates with the right skills and experience to fill open positions for clients. Placements may happen more rapidly because recruiters can streamline the search process, providing you with excellent results in less time than searching for candidates on your own.
Myth 2: Hiring a Recruiting Firm Costs Too Much
You would expect to pay an expert carpenter for a masterfully crafted dining set. The skills and craftsmanship demonstrated are worth the cost. Likewise, the skills and experience a recruiting firm offers have value.
When you hire a recruiting agency, you reduce the workload for your internal team. This decision frees up time your employees can devote to accomplishing other tasks and meeting other goals. It allows them to focus on what they do best.
Skilled recruiters are experts at identifying candidates with the right skills that fit the company culture. By vetting candidates on your behalf and recommending only the top performers, recruiters help ensure you choose from only the best candidates. Through this process, they can help reduce the chances of a bad hire and the associated costs. Employee retention is valuable, and recruiters may help you achieve that.
Myth 3: A Recruiter Won’t Understand Our Industry
When you meet them, you might be surprised to learn how much a recruiter already knows about your industry. Many recruiters specialize in hiring for a particular industry. They attend industry events, get to know key players within that space, and keep up to date on hiring trends.
When hiring a recruiting firm for your company, ask them about their experience. How long have they been hiring for your industry? How many individuals have they placed in similar positions? If they seem to lack experience or connections, search for a firm with agents who specialize in recruiting for positions similar to your own. Their knowledge and network could be invaluable.
Myth 4: Our In-house Hiring Team is Just as Good as a Professional Agency
Nobody knows your organization as well as those who work there. Your human resources department understands its culture and unique needs. However, they may lack the experience and network to hire for all positions or situations that may arise as your company grows.
Do you need to hire quickly or in volume? Some recruiting firms have a division that specializes in volume hiring. Do you need a succession strategy or to hire top-level leadership? For most organizations, these specialized tasks are rare events. Instead of tackling them on your own, leverage the talents and resources of a recruiting firm that has helped other businesses like yours navigate the same waters. Firms skilled in executive search can be an invaluable resource.
Internal teams may also face time and resource constraints that prevent them from performing a thorough search for the right candidate. A recruiting firm has dedicated resources and time to devote to finding you the best candidates. They also have a broader applicant pool from which to draw, including passive candidates who may not be currently looking for a new job.
Myth 5: If I Hire an Agency, I Will Have Less Say in Hiring Decisions
When you hire a professional recruiter, you are not delegating hiring decisions. Top recruiting firms seek to understand more than the skills necessary to perform the job. They strive to understand the unique culture and needs of clients’ organizations. Professional recruiters act as an extension of your organization in the job market. They can vet applicants and bring you the top contenders–those who align with your company culture and have the ability to get the job done.
Value Added
Many organizations, large and small, choose to handle recruiting, hiring, and onboarding in-house. However, by choosing not to work with a professional recruiting firm, you turn down the opportunity to have an expert on your team. A recruiting firm brings years, or even decades, of experience to the table, as well as an extensive network of pre-screened applicants. Competition for top talent can be steep. Let a professional help you attract, hire, and retain it for the benefit of your organization.