There seem to be more open positions than there are qualified candidates to fill them and companies are increasingly turning to recruitment agencies to help fill the gaps. Agencies can typically find people that you can’t find anywhere else, and may help you reduce your time to fill.
When working with agencies, BountyJobs data shows that the best results typically come from working with 3 different types of recruiters for any given role: a specialist you’ve worked with in the past, a new specialist and a recruiter who does not typically recruit for your role. Mixing up the recruiters who work on your roles can help you find a good variety of qualified candidates, and the competition can help you get the candidates in your door faster.
Specialist recruiters, in particular, know and understand your candidates on a deeper level than other recruiters, helping you reach entirely new talent pools and reduce your time to fill.
Specialist recruitment agencies have solid candidate networks
Great recruiters are constantly networking, sourcing, and asking for referrals. In fact, a BountyJobs survey found that agencies spend 39% of their day sourcing candidates and 16% maintaining relationships with them.
Specialist recruiters spend all day, every day working on a specific industry or job role and know where their target candidates “hang out.” Their niche focus allows them to be active in many of the same communities their target candidates are in, so they are always on the lookout for great talent. They’re scoping out related LinkedIn and Facebook Groups, blogs and professional sites, and attending professional events, to constantly uncover new candidates.
So, when the time comes for you to hire, specialists may already have a great candidate for you in their database. Finding your next great hire on the first day of your search can certainly help reduce time to fill!
Specialist recruitment agencies know where to source
When the time comes to source for a particular role, most recruiters have some tried-and-true high-yield sources for candidates, but specialist recruiters generally have access to more industry-specific or role-specific sources. These may include a professional association, an alumni network or an online community that caters to your target candidates.
Specialist recruiters can also reach out to their existing network to find high quality referrals. Great talent often knows other great talent though work experiences, school or professional networks, allowing recruiters to tap into their second degree connections. Because a specialist’s network is primarily focused around their niche, their reach can be astronomical.
Specialist recruitment agencies know how to screen
A big part of the reason specialist recruitment agencies send you great candidates is that they know how to screen the candidates they find. They speak the lingo, so they understand your job description and what type of candidate it would take to be successful in your role. Specialists understand the questions they should ask the candidates, as well as their references, to ensure that only qualified talent makes it past their screen to interview with you.
With the candidate’s skills and experiences properly evaluated, the quality of candidates being interviewed will improve significantly, saving you time and helping you fill your position faster.
While it’s great to stick with specialist recruitment agencies that have been successful in the past, you may find that adding new specialists to the mix can improve your quality of hire and time to fill. So don’t be afraid to introduce a little friendly competition to your hiring program by trying out new specialists.
