By Leigh Anderson, Managing Director at Bis Henderson Recruitment
There are multiple benefits to working with a recruitment partner, including insights into the candidate market, advice on optimising your vacancy and more. With that said, the best results are always gained when the client and recruitment company form a partnership.
Although a recruitment partner will take on the bulk of the time-intensive aspects and relieve the stress of finding the right person to join your team, working together rather than in silos makes for a smoother process and a higher success rate.
There are four key practices you can adopt that will help you get the very best from your partnership.
What is a recruitment partner?
A recruitment partner is a company that operates within your niche, specialises in sourcing talented individuals and connecting them with companies with a vacancy to fill.
When you collaborate with a recruitment firm, you will be assigned a recruitment partner who will work with you throughout the entire process. They can offer insights and advice based on what’s happening in your sector, vet potential candidates, so you don’t waste time meeting with someone unsuitable for the position and act as a mediator to ensure positive outcomes for both parties.
Why should you work with a recruiter?
Recruitment is hugely time-consuming, which is one reason so many supply chain and logistics companies seek the assistance of a recruitment partner. However, it is not the only reason:
Recruitment partners that specialise in your industry already have considerable insight into the pain points experienced by both businesses and candidates. They have a working understanding of what each role entails and can communicate this effectively to candidates.
They have a vast network of candidates who are either seeking a new role or aren’t actively looking but are open to a move if the right position becomes available and the right triggers are provided. Without this, you would have to spend additional time seeking out and building relationships with individuals you hope to hire one day. A strategy that is highly effective yet never guaranteed.
Highly specialist roles can also be extremely difficult to fill, a recruitment partner who can offer advice based on industry experience can really make the difference in length of time-to-hire.
Finally, one of the most frustrating aspects of hiring is having your job offer rejected due to the package on offer, particularly by a highly skilled candidate. A recruitment partner will have placed numerous candidates into similar positions. This means that they can review your salary and benefits package and advise on potential gaps based on the current market, candidate pool and skill-set requirements.
Four ways to improve the results from your recruitment partnership
1. Discuss more than the role you need to fill
When working with your recruitment partner, it’s beneficial to go into as much depth as possible about the vacancy you have and how the wider team operates. The more information your partner has, the better they understand your business objectives and what you’re trying to achieve with your new hire (this enables a high-quality short-list with candidates that can help achieve those objectives).
When discussing the team the successful candidate will be assigned to, explain what goals they are currently striving towards, any skills gaps in the team and any particular projects they are working on.
Your recruitment partner can then deliver this information to candidates, providing them with a better understanding of what a day-to-day experience with your company would be like.
2. Understand how each party operates
A recruitment partner should operate as an extension of your team, with flexibility to work in a way which suits your business. By merging your approach, the entire recruitment experience will be smoother, quicker and more successful. Hiring an additional member of your team is something to be celebrated rather than endured.
3. Take another look at your requirements
When planning to add someone new to your company, budget restrictions may mean that one role holds many additional responsibilities that wouldn’t usually be within the scope of the position. Or you may have a long list of essential and desirable skills and traits that look great on paper but are extremely difficult to deliver in reality.
Your recruitment partner can advise if you’re too narrow with your candidate requirements. While this may not be what you’re hoping to hear, remember that they spend every day looking at the recruitment market. It’s in everybody’s interest to place the right candidate as swiftly as possible, and any advice offered is meant to achieve that goal.
By working with your recruitment partner, you can hone your expectations to be as realistic as possible while still connecting with highly talented and qualified individuals who can thrive in the position you are looking to fill.
4. Touch base regularly
Setting regular update meetings with your recruitment partner provides an opportunity to update one another on what steps have been taken and discuss any curveballs that may have come into play between meetings. They also allow space to analyse how the process has gone so far and either adapt or move forward with the current plan.
These catch-ups don’t have to be extensive or time-consuming but can help put both parties’ minds at rest that steps are being taken to source the right candidate for your team.
By providing in-depth information regarding the role, the team and the broader company, and taking on board and actioning feedback, you can expect a positive experience and stronger outcome when working with a recruitment partner.
Bis Henderson Recruitment specialises in supply chain, logistics and procurement recruitment.
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