How to maximise your company's relationship with your recruiter

The partnership you have with a recruiter can have a significant impact on the quality and quantity of candidates passed your way. Working with a recruitment agency has countless benefits for both candidates and companies, one of which is undoubtedly the experience and expertise specialist recruiters can add to your hiring process. Whether your organisation has a a long-term relationship with your recruitment partner or are considering working with a recruitment agency for the first time, here’s how you can ensure you get the most from this relationship:

Provide a clear, detailed brief

The clearer you are when it comes to briefing your recruiter on what you’re looking for, the more thoroughly and accurately they can work to deliver what you want. With 72% of hiring managerssaying they provide clear job descriptions but just 36% of candidates agreeing, it’s clear that many organisations need to work on identifying the core skills, responsibilities and roles they’re looking for – and communicate these to recruiters and candidates in a transparent way.

A good brief to a recruiter should outline the roles, responsibilities and skills you want to bring on board, as well as the more ‘big-picture’ elements such as your company ethos and values, portfolio, benefits and absolute must-haves for your perfect client. A good recruiter will know the questions to ask to help tease out the brief, ensuring expectations are clear and the focus can then move on to sourcing great candidates. If there are particular elements of a role or your company that will be attractive to candidates, make these clear. For example, a company that promotes flexibility and a positive corporate culture may be appealing to candidates, along with the opportunity to work with new technologies and on cutting-edge projects.

It’s also important to ensure you and your consultant are on the same page when it comes to the key challenges you have in hiring for specific positions. According to LinkedIn’s Global Recruiting Trends, the three biggest obstacles to hiring are finding suitable candidates, compensation and competition. If you know there are barriers to entry when it comes to finding the right people for your roles, be upfront about these with your recruiter and discuss how you can remedy them.

Seek out a specialist

A recruiter that understands your industry can make all the difference when it comes to sourcing the right candidates. While generalist agencies can have massive pools of candidates, it’s likely that few of them will have the specific skills and qualifications required for more technical or specialised roles.

With the average permanent role taking 27 days to fill and three-quarters of UK cities lacking the jobseekers required to fill positions, identifying and securing qualified talent should be a major priority for any organisation. A specialist recruitment agency that has built up thorough knowledge and insight in your field will be an asset to your organisation, and will have relevant candidates already on their books. On top of this, they’ll be more aware of industry restrictions and developments, pain points, salary expectations and how they can best sell your roles to candidates.

Form an ongoing relationship

A long-term, strategic relationship with your recruitment agency can provide a steady stream of qualified candidates who are closely aligned with your organisation’s goals and requirements. Successful partnerships will result in consultants knowing your business inside out, which makes them better placed to identify candidates who are a good match for your business. Recruitment agencies who place value on long-term relationships are most likely have built up a pool of skilled candidates, who they can then refer on to you. And with more than 75% of professionals being passive candidates, according to the Undercover Recruiter, any extra help you can get in attracting them is extremely beneficial.

Communication between company and consultant is essential to forming a long-lasting relationship, and this shouldn’t be limited to active recruitment periods only. Employers and recruiters should touch base regularly to discuss pipelines, future talent shortages and skills that future candidates should possess. During active recruitment periods, there should be regular calls and other communication to qualify candidate profiles, nail down briefs and ensure you’re both on the same page moving forward.

Partner with the best

At Quanta, we strive to become the de facto recruitment partner to our clients and contractors. We pride ourselves on building up longstanding relationships with those we work with, and have in-depth knowledge in our fields of renewable energy, ICT and life sciences. We’d love to work with your business and help you uncover the industry’s best talent. Contact us here to see how we can help.