How to find the perfect recruitment partner for your company

Finding the perfect recruitment partner for your business can be tricky. Recruitment agencies, as a whole, have a tarnished reputation for being lazy, unreliable and expensive. Whilst this can be said for some, the majority of recruitment firms really are committed to matching you with the right candidates to fit your growing team.

With this in mind, below we have listed all the good qualities you should be looking out for when choosing a recruitment partner for your business.

1. Do they invest their time to get to know you and your company?

We believe the first step to creating a successful working partnership requires an investment from both parties, namely in time. Your chosen recruitment partner needs to understand your current recruitment process and ultimately what you’re looking for from a recruitment partner to ensure success.

If your current recruitment partner doesn’t invest their time from the beginning to get to know how your company works, you should question if this is a partnership worth investing your valuable time in.

See how our client process works

2. Do they understand your company’s culture and values?

Every company is unique (thankfully) but this means recruitment agencies need to work that bit harder to understand your individual company’s culture and values. What opportunities will a new employee have working for your company? Who are currently the best performers in your business? What experience did they previously have – where did they work before joining your team?

These are all questions good recruitment partners will be asking to ensure they know what a good ‘fit’ for your company would look like. So the question now is are you prepared to answers to these questions if they ask?

3. Do they believe in a partnership approach?

Honest two way communication is vital to forming a valuable, long lasting relationship. You need to feel confident in your recruitment partner/consultant that they will be able to speak openly and honestly with you about the roles they will be working on, as well as candidates they are putting forward for your vacancies.

Do you feel that you can pick up the phone for a quick chat if you have any concerns? If your recruitment consultant doesn’t make you feel comfortable in doing this then you need to have a rethink on if this partnership is worthwhile.

4. Do they have a plan?

Any good recruitment partner will be clear with the plan they have going forward with your company. What process are the going to use to find your ideal candidates? How are they going to manage the interview arrangements? What information do they need from you to be able to start contacting potential candidates? Will they be doing any head hunting for your roles?

These are the types of questions that your recruitment partner should be able to answer instantly, though ideally they should cover them all off before starting the recruitment process, so get your checklist ready!

5. How are they going to find quality candidates for you?

Mentioned briefly above but this is a serious question that needs to be answered in detail. Your recruitment partner should be dedicated to choosing candidates who are committed to your recruitment process and are excited about working for your company. Do they have a strong linkedin network? A large up-to-date database full of candidates? A popular social media presence?

You need to be confident that they have a bank full of potential candidates that they can easily tap into at a moments notice. Also, make sure you’re aware of how they are going to communicate with candidates and how often they will report back to you with updates – you don’t want to be left wondering what is happening with the candidates they’d promised to send over.

See how our candidate process works

6. Do they have review meetings?

Some recruitment agencies might not bother doing this, but the ones you should be working with, will. Having regular review meetings gives you the opportunity to flag up any issues, mention particular successes but most importantly ensure they’re acting as a great brand ambassador for your company.

7. Are they a specialist in your sector?

And lastly, if your company is working in the retail industry it makes sense to find a recruitment agency who specialises in the retail sector. Unlike other agencies they will have the industry knowledge as well as the quality candidates that you are looking for. Just remember, don’t go with the first recruitment agency you find, have a look around and choose your recruitment partner wisely.

Working with a recruitment partner can be daunting, especially if you are using one for the first time, but if you follow the steps above you will be well on your way to finding the perfect recruitment partner who meets your business needs.