Companies use recruitment agencies for a variety of reasons. However, many companies are still reticent to embrace this approach due to the perceived costs involved. Here, A&S Recruitment’s Amanda Harrold explains how signing up with a specialist agency can deliver long-term cost savings and significantly mitigate the hassle of finding that perfect new recruit.
So, what exactly is the advantage of a recruitment agency to help hire professionals? Here are a few practical benefits:
- No placement, no fee: Recruitment agencies specialise in finding and selecting suitable candidates for specific roles in specific industries. They have extensive knowledge of the job market, industry trends, and talent pools, ensuring companies receive the latest recruitment insights and advice.
- Expertise and Specialisation: Recruitment agencies specialise in finding and selecting suitable candidates for specific roles in specific industries. They have extensive knowledge of the job market, industry trends, and talent pools, all of which ensure companies are receiving the very latest recruitment insights and advice.
- Time and Resource Efficiency: Recruitment can be a time-consuming and resource-intensive process. By outsourcing the recruitment function to an agency, companies can save time, which enables them to focus on their core business operations. Recruitment agencies handle job postings, candidate screening, interview coordination and background checks, all of which significantly reduce the administrative burden on internal HR teams (or those given the HR responsibility as part of their role).
- Access to a Wider Pool of Candidates: With access to a more extensive and diverse pool of candidates, agencies can more often reach more candidates than a company doing its own advertising. Using their up-to-date databases and leveraging existing networks to identify candidates, this broader reach approach definitely increases the chances of finding qualified candidates, especially for specialised or hard-to-fill positions.
- Confidentiality and Discretion: In some cases, companies may need to maintain confidentiality during the hiring process. Recruitment agencies provide an additional layer of discretion by acting as intermediaries between the company and the candidates. They can handle sensitive information and ensure that the hiring process remains confidential, which is particularly important for executive or high-profile positions.
- Cost-Effectiveness: While there are costs associated with using recruitment agencies, they can often provide cost savings in the long run. Agencies streamline the recruitment process, reducing the time-to-hire and minimising the risk of making a wrong hiring decision. A bad hire can be costly in terms of recruitment and training expenses, productivity loss, and potential turnover. By utilising the expertise of recruitment agencies, companies aim to make more informed hiring decisions and reduce the overall cost per hire.
- Flexibility and Scalability: Companies may experience fluctuations in their hiring needs due to seasonal demands, project-based work, or rapid growth. Embracing the services of an agency can offer flexibility and scalability, as they can adapt to changing requirements quickly. They can provide temporary or contract staff, help fill short-term positions, or manage large-scale recruitment campaigns efficiently.
