It’s true that hiring companies sometimes complain about poor service from recruitment agencies. These issues can be completely valid. That said, is there a central issue we should consider around the nature of the relationship between the client and the recruiter?
What works best for the client, candidate and recruiter? We say exclusivity, working with one sector expert on each recruitment exercise. Here’s why:
- The client gets the recruiter’s full commitment to filling their vacant role. Competition from other agencies doesn’t help. Rather it encourages a quick burst of activity that soon disappears when the recruiter realises that the client isn’t committed, and therefore puts its time into servicing its real partners.
- The responsibility for success resides exclusively with the recruiter, who now owns the problem. In turn, the client’s key people are released to fulfil their core tasks.
- Exclusivity takes the onus away from speed and onto quality. It eliminates the risk of basing a crucial hiring decision based on ‘first come, first served’ and means the recruiter has the time to be thorough.
- Right from the outset, the client saves time by dealing with one expert recruiter. There is no need for multiple agency briefings and numerous ongoing contacts to manage.
- The recruiter can bring every available resource to support their search for the right talent. That means a thorough, multi-channelled search and not just a quick database trawl.
- Working exclusively provides the time for the recruiter to take a detailed brief, to learn about the role and the hiring organisation. The more detail, the greater the chances of success.
- The recruiter has time to build and deploy an effective search in the passive talent market, explore networks and online media.
- It means having the time for thorough screening, saving the client’s time and ultimate frustration.
- Time allows for detailed interviews, the assessment of skills, experience and attitude. The recruiter will be able to qualify and quantify the candidate’s needs and aspirations, demonstrating that the candidate is a ‘fit’ and avoiding future time wasting and further frustration.
- Client confidentiality is preserved, as the role is not being promoted by multiple agencies who will each speak to (say) ten candidates.
- Crucially, the client’s brand and image is actually enhanced by the exclusive approach. Top talent may feel the role and company are devalued, if the client is represented by multiple agencies.
- Last but by no means least, exclusivity means that the client avoids the dreaded prospect of recruiters submitting the same people to the same organisation; the ensuing arguments, the time and energy wasted, and the fallout from broken relationships.
Pennington Choices’ Recruitment Services combines our expertise in property and recruitment.
In one sentence: 'In a candidate led market, we fill business critical roles that would otherwise leave our client exposed to unacceptable operational and commercial risk.'
If you’re planning to recruit and want to try a different approach that works for you, get in touch.
